You might recall the story of Roanoke Island and the Lost Colony from your history classes. Somewhere around 120 people (114 for the purposes of this story) vanished from the English settlement on Roanoke Island. The only clue as to what happened to the colonists was the word "Croatoan" carved into a tree.
In Blackwood, Miranda's family lives on Roanoke Island. When 114 people vanish again (as well as Miranda's father), a boy named Phillips returns to the island to help Miranda solve the mystery of what has happened to the new "Lost Colony".
Phillips and Miranda's relationship is a typical YA romance, but it develops throughout Blackwood without taking focus away from the mystery.
Overall, Blackwood was an enjoyable read for me. I enjoyed the take on the Roanoke disappearances and the paranormal elements behind the curse of Miranda's family. There were quite a few pop culture references in Blackwood. Some of them, unfortunately, were lost on me like The Vampire Diaries, but you can't beat a Sydney Bristow reference.
I was also pleased to discover Blackwood is a stand alone novel. I usually get blindsided with a big cliffhanger at the end of most YA books, but I was pleasantly surprised to get a complete, stand alone story.
If you enjoy YA paranormal mysteries, you will probably enjoy Blackwood and it's historical twist.
6/10: Good read
Speaking of The Vampire Diaries, my mom is trying to get me to start watching it. Should I? She has all of the DVDs, and she keeps trying to pass them on to me. I see a whole lot of #TVD on twitter. :)
