Bound 4 Escape

Title: Delilah Dusticle and the Cursed Tempest

Author: A.J. York

Price Paperback: $9.99 eBook: $2.99

In this exciting installment, Delilah Dusticle and the Dustbusters travel to the vibrant and mystical land of India. On arrival, they are tasked with a quest to overcome a powerful curse and save a life. It soon becomes clear that it is Delilah who must find the strength and the power to defeat the curse. This is the third in a series of stories following Delilah and the Dustbusters on adventures around the world. Fully illustrated and packed with adventure!

My Review

I received a free ecopy of this book for an honest review.

I had already read Delilah Dusticle and Delilah Dusticle’s Transylvania Adventure and, since I enjoy Delilah Dusticle’s adventures, I was happy to review this one. This time, Delilah and the Dustbusters go to India to save a young girl from a curse. Delilah is the only one who can save her and she’s determined to figure out how to do it.

I love the quirky characters in the Delilah Dusticle adventures, some of which aren’t human. My favorite character is Grumpy Sponge. You would think a sponge couldn’t have a personality, but that just means you haven’t read Jen York’s books yet. I’m sure that middle grade readers, especially, would get a kick out of them.

Delilah Dusticle and the Cursed Tempest was a fun book to read. I also learned a bit about Indian tradition because the Delilah and the Dustbusters all attended the Festival of Lights. Best of all, because of the way this book ended, there’s got to be another Delilah Dusticle adventure coming!

Excerpt

Chapter 1

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Dev wiped the sweat from his forehead and gasped at the hot soupy air. Footsteps pounded on the flimsy roofs above, echoing all around the slum. The smell of rubbish and waste was overpowering.

He pushed himself further out of view into a crevice between two frail dwellings. The Bombay sun was setting, but the heat was stifling and swaddled his body like unwanted fur.

The sound of footsteps melted away and a door slammed in the distance. The slum was unusually quiet. The paths that snaked around the makeshift houses were empty. All doors were firmly shut and those lucky to have windows had covered them up.

Squeezing himself out of the crevice, he began to run. Shadows loomed around a corner and he changed direction. He disappeared into a dark passage and stood flat against the wall, breathing hard.

“Welcome Dev, we have been expecting you,” whispered a soft female voice from an open door.

Dev looked over. Standing in front of him was a short, elderly Indian woman with blue eyes, dressed in a blue sari. She led him inside. The room was bare and, sitting on the dirt floor, were three grey-haired women dressed in saris and four elderly men in tunics. They sat in a circle around a fire.

“I had a dream,” said Dev to the blue-eyed woman in front of him. “They plan to take her. They plan to sacrifice Kirin.”

“We know, Dev,” said the woman. “We, the elders, sent you the dream. It was the sign to come to us. They have already taken her.”

Dev stood shocked for a moment and then made long strides to the door. “I shall go and…”

“No, Dev,” said the woman. “That is why we are meeting here, in the slums of Bombay, and not in our village. I knew you would try to rescue her. It is difficult to understand, but you are not to do this. There is only one now who can save Kirin, who can save us all. Do you have it with you?” She led Dev back to the fire.

Devastated, he gripped the locket hanging around his neck. “Yes,” he whispered.

“Come sit with us,” said a voice from the circle, “and we will see if she is the one.”

Dev sat down and opened the locket. The speck of dust inside glistened as he placed it on the tip of his finger. The blue-eyed woman sat beside him and then blew the speck from his fingertip. They all watched as it floated gently into the fire. There was a moment when nothing happened. Suddenly, white shooting flames exploded from the fire, up through the chimney and into the sky like fireworks.

“Feisty,” said a voice from within the circle.

The blue-eyed woman turned to Dev. “You must bring her here. It is your destiny. If you fail, Kirin will not survive and nothing will change.” Dev nodded silently. The blue-eyed woman looked out of the window.

“It is dark enough that you will be hidden. Go, save my granddaughter, save your sister,” she said with her hand softly on Dev’s cheek. Dev kissed his grandmother’s hand and then jumped out the window.

About the Author

A.J. York is a middle grade fantasy author and teacher from the UK. Her books include Eliza Bluebell, Delilah Dusticle, Delilah Dusticle’s Transylvanian Adventures and A Fairy Extraordinary Christmas Story. She has a BA in Theatre with Visual Arts, a PGCE in Drama and Master’s in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy. A.J. York currently lives in Gothenburg, Sweden. Contact A.J. York for further information by visiting the following links