Review: Island Sting by Bonnie J. Doerr

Welcome to the Green Books Campaign where 200 book bloggers will be posting their reviews simultaneously in order to bring attention to a great cause.  All the books being reviewed have been printed on environmentally-friendly paper.  Hopefully this will bring awareness to those buying books about being considerate to the environment when making those purchases.

Island Sting
by Bonnie J. Doerr
Release Date: December 15, 2009
2009 Leap Books
Paperback Edition; 280 Pages
ISBN: 978-16160-3002-5
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Review Copy for Campaign

Summary
Kenzie didn't expect her first summer in the Florida Keys to be murder. Or cute guys, awesome boats, endangered species, and gun-toting thugs... When city girl Kenzie Ryan moves to a Florida wildlife refuge, she plunges straight into an eco-mystery. Kenzie trades New York streets for Keys pollution cleanup, and now, instead of hailing cabs, she's tracking down a poacher of endangered Key deer. Her new home does have some benefits-mainly Angelo, an island native, who teams up with her to nab the culprit. But will they both survive when the killer turns from stalking deer to hunting humans? Island Sting includes notes on the endangered Florida Key Deer and the National Key Deer Refuge.

My Thoughts
I always pride myself on being aware of environmental issues around the world and learning about endangered species, but I will admit that I was completely ignorant of the issue surrounding the Florida Key Deer and their plight.  I even spent time in Florida this past summer and did not hear anything about it, although I did hear a lot about the crocodiles and the boa constrictor issue.  Here in Ontario, deer can be a severe problem and over-population is often an issue; it amazes me to hear of a species of deer that could possibly go extinct. 

Island Sting was an interesting novel right from the beginning.  Kenzie Ryan, literally plunges into a canal trying to save what she thought was a dog, and discovers a deer in her grasp.  Thus begins a long search for a poacher who kills deer for fun and sport.  Along her journey, the reader learns many things about the environment and the destruction that has been wroung in some of the Keys.  I found Kenzie's journey to be fascinating and enjoyed every step she took.  I took particular pleasure when she showed others she was not as ignorant of wildlife as people believed, despite the fact she grew up in a large city. 

I found a lot of the fun in this engaging mystery however, was the interesting environmental facts that were woven throughout the novel.  Kenzie also had a quirky personality, making her fun to read about and follow as she traipsed through her various adventures.  I also found the interaction between Kenzie and Angelo to be particularly engaging; the relationship between these two was fun, especially as they bantered quips and comments back and forth.  While the mystery was intriguing, it was the environmental facts that really kept me interested and engaged as well as the writing style of this author, a style I particularly liked as I found it to be lyrical and made me feel close to Kenzie. 

Verdict
Island Sting is a quick, fast-paced engaging mystery packed with interesting environmental facts about the Keys.  I am definitely looking forward to reading the next novel in this series.

You can visit Bonnie J. Doerr on her blog: Bonnie Blogs Green.