Official Review: Delano in Hollyhook by Cameron Glenn

[David Bowman]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Delano in Hollyhook" by Cameron Glenn.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Delano in Hollyhook is an urban fantasy novel written by Cameron Glenn, who, according to his biography, “[L]oved to read and write, which he continues to do so voraciously.” I have always been interested in fantasy stories, so I thought I might like this one, which seemed targeted for children. The cover caught my eye before even thinking of reading it, and the illustration for Delano in Hollyhook is well made, I must say, despite some of the background’s multiple colors on one side looking strange.

In this book, we are introduced to an orphan named Delano (yes, like the middle name of FDR). One thing he doesn’t like about his life is being an orphan. He wants to be normal and not like those orphan-turned-hero characters that pop up in most books for children – a very common cliché in fantasy fiction. I wouldn’t blame him for thinking this, since most of the book tends to satirize or reference popular fiction and fairy tales such as Harry Potter, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, Batman, most post-apocalyptic YA, and even The Fault in Our Stars. Treating it this way was interesting, but sadly the rest of the story doesn’t follow this. By the end, most of the interesting ideas from the beginning began to sizzle out . . . that is if they were there to grow in the first place.

After a rough day at school and the disappearance of his uncle (two miserable events in one day!), Delano is suddenly invited to Camp Hollyhook from its main instructor, Madam Siren. A summer camp, Camp Hollyhook is the poppy fields in The Wizard of Oz for children with any kind of problem, although they serve a different purpose: to keep them as happy as possible so Madam Siren can turn them into Butterfly Children that live on their own island once they pledge to stay in the camp forever (or bat demons, depending on the group the children belonged to).

Like young adult fiction, the Percy Jackson-esque summer camp separates them into different factions based on their past troubles back on Earth or ‘the dull world’ as they like to call it: the Lonelies, the Dours (depressed), the Angries, the Quirks, the Sicks, and the Orphans. Delano is suspicious of Camp Hollyhook’s ways. While he begins his journey to uncover the dark secrets of the camp, discover the real reason his parents left, and the sudden disappearance of his uncle, he makes a couple friends – the lonely Wheeze, the quirky Jackie, and the dour Lenore. But that’s enough of the plot.

One major problem in Delano in Hollyhook wasn’t the typing errors or grammar/spelling mistakes (unlike other eBooks I’ve read, there are far less errors in this book, making it easier to read), but the way it was formatted. By this I mean the paragraphs written from the author; some of them are way too long, some of them being on the verge of a whole page. Now, this isn’t a problem with me, but more with the age group; I don’t think children are willing to read such long paragraphs.

Another problem with Delano in Hollyhook was the story itself. The beginning was fair, nothing too bad, but the objectives of the main characters were too jumbled up. Too many ideas being blended into one cohesive narrative (“We need to solve the elemental branch puzzle!” “We need to piece together the jewels!” “We need to beat the ‘conquer the kingdom’ game. . .”) will confuse the reader to the point of frustration. I sorted through it all, but just barely. Among it all I found most of the characters’ teasing (especially on the supposed ‘love triangle’), toilet humor, and personalities flimsy, dull, and repetitive.

Without spoiling the ending, I will say that the last two chapters or so of Delano in Hollyhook are one of the poorest that I’ve read – it feels incomplete. If this one book was supposed to be two parts (Part One being the one I read and Part Two being the next volume but part of the same novel), then this would have made sense. However, it just ends on Chapter Twenty-three. So much has been left open not for interpretation but just open, unfinished storylines that I wonder if the author bothered finishing the story and just sent it out like that. It’s not a good story by any means, but some closure would’ve been appreciated at the very least.

I rate Delano in Hollyhook 2 out of 4 stars. Even two stars are generous if you ask me. I wouldn’t bother with three stars, though, since the book’s story is all over the place (especially in the middle, when it begins to sag). Characters are one-dimensional and the villain feels uninspired and bland. The climactic battle wasn’t very well written and the comic relief made me cringe. I’m not so sure if young readers will read through the whole story with the extreme paragraph length, so the target audience for this book is a big question when trying to market this book. Fantasy lovers might be interested in this (especially urban fantasy with their magical boarding schools and other places to escape to), but I’m not sure if the story and writing will meet their expectations. Other than that, I doubt if other readers will be able to find joy in this book.

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Delano in Hollyhook
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Like David Bowman's review? Post a comment saying so!

[bookowlie]

What an interesting review! I can feel your disappointment about the book. The formatting would have driven me crazy. It sounds like the premise of the story had potential, but wasn't well executed on many levels.

[David Bowman]

Yeah, this seems like a huge problem with ebooks. I think triple checking must be needed when looking through
any formatting errors. It seems when I read these books there isn't that much attention given and sometimes errors
pop up; it's really distracting for readers like us.