“Mysteries of the Mist” by C.A. Rand

• 09/05/2023
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Mysteries of the Mist

C.A. Rand
Gatekeeper Press (2023)
ISBN: 978-1662931277
Reviewed by Diana Coyle for Reader Views (08/2023)

Sixteen-year-old, Coralee is looking forward to spending the entire summer with her grandfather at the Silver Wing Point lighthouse, where her grandfather is the lighthouse keeper and a retired commercial fisherman in “Mysteries of the Mist” by author C.A. Rand. He will be doing repairs to the lighthouse and the cottage attached and invited Coralee to come help him out because he knows she loves the area and the lighthouse. Without hesitation, she packs some of her things and drives to meet up with her grandfather. She’s looking forward to spending time with him while they work on the cottage and lighthouse together. Little do they both know; it will be a summer neither of them will ever forget. What happens to both the grandfather and Coralee while they spend the summer together?

The first thing that really stood out to me is the close relationship Coralee and her grandfather had together. It was very endearing reading how they spent time working on different projects at the cottage and the lighthouse together. In this day and age, you don’t see or hear many stories about how the grandchildren are so close to their grandparents that they actually spend the summer doing things together. I grew up being around my grandparents all the time, but I especially spent much more time with them over summer break. Reading about the closeness Coralee and her grandfather had brought me back to all the warm memories I had of spending time with my grandparents.

I also loved the air of mystery the author wove throughout the story. Right from the start, I felt the mystery unraveling before me as I turned each page. While Coralee was driving to the lighthouse, I felt I was in her pickup truck riding in the passenger side and I felt the excitement of what was about to be revealed to me. As each scene built upon the last, the intrigue built up for me as well. I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen and what the outcome was going to be for both Coralee and her grandfather.

The illustrations provided throughout the book were magical and added more layers to each scene, especially when the climax of the book happened – which I won’t give away! I don’t want to ruin the story for the readers. Just know that you will enjoy the story, along with the illustrations, as a whole. Children will love seeing the illustrations as the story unfolds.

Overall, I really enjoyed “Mysteries of the Mist” and feel that readers of varying ages will, too. This is a Young Reader story, but I think anyone of any age will get engrossed in this little mystery of the sea. I highly recommend it!