Uncharted by Erin Cashman

A Manor House Mystery and Much More

Annabeth is a seventeen-year-old art student that is still dealing with the guilt of her mother’s accidental auto crash death three years ago. It was because of Annabeth’s misbehavior one night that her mother had been called out, and since that fatal night Annabeth does what she can to help her father, Sam. And now his long-time friends, the Bradfords, have drowned in the lake on Bradford Manor’s property. They, like Annabeth’s father, have long been part of a well-traveled group calling themselves, the Magellan club—they even all sport the same symbolic compass-like tattoo of a circle with a horizontal line and vertical arrow through it. With only four now left, the “Magellans” are Sam’s old college friends and they have been gradually dying off young due to freak accidents. The deceased Bradford couple’s eighteen-year-old son, Griffin—who Annabeth remembers as an annoying brat with an impish grin—was on the lake with his parents the night they drowned, and he soon becomes suspect by the Sheriff’s Dept.

And then, when Annabeth’s dad goes missing, and soon after another Magellan is found dead and the dead man’s wife, Camilla, also a Magellan, can’t be located, Annabeth has no alternative but to remain until her father is found. The huge manor is rife with secrets. Its house has many rooms, numerous hidden nooks and crannies, and a basement laboratory; plus there’re extensive grounds, with a guest house, the mysterious lake, and acres and acres of woods. Annabeth quickly becomes aware that Bradford Manor’s secrets seem to not only revolve around Griffin, but also go back to centuries-old myths and legends. Even more worrisome, she finds herself attracted to the enigmatic Griffin, who has bouts of bizarre behavior to say the very least.

If all that sounds too typical a tale, consider a few more intriguing details to draw a reader in.

One member of the Magellan club, Griffin’s drowned father, Malcolm, wrote his thesis and some journal papers on ancient myths and legends of advanced civilizations. He also collected old maps referencing one particular phantom island, Hy-Brasil, an island the Magellans had hoped to find.

Another Magellan, Camila, while once on an expedition to a remote island discovered an herb with unique healing powers and came home to found a bio-tech company.

Also, there’re the two opposing secret organizations, the “council” and the ancient Serpent Society.

Annabeth, despite earlier psychological setbacks, as a protagonist, is ever-aware and observant of her surroundings. With her artistic inclination, she notices all the colors and pretty intricacies whenever she enters a room. She admits that she often retreats into a fantasy world, and so when some wondrous things happen Annabeth finds herself questioning whether they’re illusionary or real. She comes up against a few unsettling twists and there are times she doesn’t know who to trust, yet Annabeth’s genuine concern for her father's safety is what keeps her going. As a reader you can’t help but root for her.

One minor drawback, in a few middle passages, facts are refreshed and questions in Annabeth’s head are repeated. Not necessary, in my view, since prose and plot advance the story so effortlessly. This book holds a sense of the whispered “follow me” in the ear, and I willingly went along the imaginary breadcrumb trail to that UNCHARTED place.

It’s an absorbing YA read for those who like realistic characters with a dose of fantasy.

I received an ARC book from the publisher in exchange for an opportunity to write an honest review.
Thank you Page Street Press. ( )