The Captain's Daughters

It's no secret that I'm huge fan of Sci-Fi, and also a big reader of Middle Grade fiction. So, it should be easy to see why I agreed to a review for The Captain's Daughters by Doreen D. Berger. It hit both those targets quite nicely, and the synopsis definitely intrigued me. I love books where parents fight for their kids. I love when stories write characters that love one another so deeply, that you can feel that connection. Truth be told, I had high hopes for this book.

As it turns out, this was quite a romp through the cosmos! Diane and Robin were feisty sisters, with that bond that I was craving. Even better, William Marsh was an excellent dad. I don't want to spoil anything, but I loved the backstory behind how he became the sisters' guardian. Their love for one another was well written, and I knew that they would do anything to be back together. Which made the tension in this book easier to take, especially since it's written for a younger age group. It was exciting, but there was always that level of “okay” hiding behind everything else.

So why the three star rating? It really came down to the writing style, overall. Although Diane and Robin were supposed be 12 years old, their personalities felt more immature than that. It was a bit frustrating in places, mostly where the action was dragged down by it. I am a big fan of writing characters as true to their age as possible, and 12 year olds are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. What was harder for me though, was the fact that much of this story is told in flashbacks. It didn't always flow with the main part of the story, and sometimes didn't seem to tie in to what was happening in the present. Although some of them were cute memories, they didn't add anything to my enjoyment of the story.

Final verdict? This was a sweet story, that didn't stray too far into topics that would uncomfortable for younger readers. It had great family dynamics, which was a nice addition. If the characters had been a little more vivid, and the story line had been better paced, I know I would have loved this even more. As it stands, this is a solid read!