Midwest Book Review
The following review by Diane Donovan is posted in the June 2023 issue of Midwest Book Review and on Donovan’s Literary Services. It is reproduced here in its entirety.
“Teens who choose A Dispelling of Darkness for its promise of time-travel experience and mystery will find the novel holds so much as it crafts the story of twelve-and-a-half-year-old Pearline Jayne Profitt (‘PJ’) and her journey.
“Layered into the story of time travel and a classic battle between good and evil are real-life encounters with class bullies, a stormy relationship with a contentious younger brother, a father who has distanced himself from their lives, and a powerful invading force that threatens everything she knows.
“PJ is forced to confront ‘The thing that wasn’t right’ to gain clues to possible avenues of resolution that force her, time and again, to face a powerful evil that seems beyond her abilities to confront.
“Aided by a Peruvian shaman and an eccentric neighbor, PJ confronts tribal experiences, the devastation of the land, and issues of environmental degradation and conservation as she struggles to win an impossible war that takes place on multifaceted playing fields.
“Libraries and teen readers looking for stories that go beyond time travel adventure alone to embrace underlying concerns of environmental activism, friendship and family relationships, and struggles with empowerment will find all these features come to life in A Dispelling of Darkness.
“The darkness, in this case, isn’t just in individuals around her, but in the history and processes of a world PJ feels ill equipped to confront at her age – but which, in reality, she is ultimately well-suited to tackle.
“A Dispelling of Darkness ideally will join library collections looking for a blend of adventure with bigger-picture thinking on teen activism, and will become central to book club discussions about teen involvement, choices, and empowerment.”
D. Donovan
Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
Editor, Donovan’s Recommended Reading