Book Review - Island of Doom

Island of Doom: The Hunchback Assignments #4

By: Arthur Slade
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Publishing Date: September 2012
ISBN: 978-0-385-73787-6
Reviewed By: Amy Lignor
Review Date: September 2012

For those who have not followed this incredible series, Modo is a young man who was born with a deformity, and has the power to change his face and body in order to become a different person at will - which definitely comes in handy in his work as an agent for ‘The Permanent Association’ - which is a group whose job is to protect Britannia.

Through three previous adventures, Modo has found himself in many situations - from the mean streets of London to the Atlantic Ocean to the rain forest in Australia, but this time he is about to receive his ‘final’ assignment.

Recently, Modo was suspended from duty for disobeying Mr. Socrates, the man who raised him. But when a French agent named Colette returns and gets in touch with Mr. Socrates to let him know that the evil Clockwork Guild is gearing up for another fight, Modo and his fellow spy, Octavia, are pulled back in.

They must defeat the Guild who want to destroy the British Empire by bringing dead bodies back to life - an army that will fight the Association’s armor-clad soldiers.

Along with this epic war comes the fact that Modo believes he has finally found his birth parents, who abandoned him as a baby at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. Add to that the fact that Octavia and Collette are both trying to ‘capture’ his attention, and you have a very emotional conclusion to a truly fascinating series.

From the very beginning, this author has given YA readers a captivating character with Modo. Although his face was covered with a mask to hide his deformity, his heart was always full of magic that made readers want to stand by his side and see him win!

Quill Says: This series is so special start with #1 and enjoy the captivating ride!