Review: Skunks Dance

Skunks Dance by St. John Karp
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Skunks Dance turned out to be so much more than I expected it to be. Yes, I was interested in this book from the get-go, but I wasn’t doing a crazy dance as I sometimes do after reading a synopsis. After all, whilst it sounded like a lot of fun I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting into.

It turns out I was getting myself into a truly addicting story. In alternating chapters, we follow two stories. One is that of Spivey Spillane and the trouble he finds himself mixed up in due to Alabama Sam in the time of the Gold Rush era. The other story is that of Jet and Amanda and their rivalry in the modern day world. I cannot say which of the two stories I found to be more addicting, as both really pulled me in. Both stories were made up of strong characters, drastic events, and highly entertaining moments. Throughout it all, the two stories were intricately connected, the link between the two making for one highly entertaining read.

The story of Spivey Spillane is a fun look at the Old West, offering us more than what the usual books in the genre do. Usually when we’re given books of the Old West, it is simple shootouts that make up most of the story telling. Whilst we are chasing down a bad guy, trying to bring justice to the world, the main focus is upon the events that comes about through this. A lot of entertainment comes about from Spivey Spillane finding himself in far from ideal situations – accused of robbing a bank, forced into the only role of a play, and generally finding himself drawing the attention of the sheriff and townsfolk. Throughout it all, we have a number of questions, and whilst some answers are obvious, it’s a lot of fun as we slowly come to understand the situation better.

The story of Jet and Amanda is vastly different. It’s a look at teenage life, mixed in with the mystery of the past. Our two characters are butting heads for most of the story, yet they come to work together to try and find the gold of Spivey Spillane. As with the story of Spivey, our present day story is filled with entertaining moments. Mostly, these entertaining moments come from the crazy that is Jet’s family. Mixed in with all of the amusement, the mystery of the past slowly grows to larger proportions before coming together in an unexpected manner.

I will say, however, that the modern side of the story falls prey to the usual young adult slip. It is very much a representation of this moment in time, the current trends and hypes. It’s always wonderful to see references to popular culture, but in a couple of years the references won’t mean the same thing that they do today. Such a thing always saddens me when a book is really fun, as I feel as though it is giving the book an expiration date. Nevertheless, the story telling was wonderful.

I had so much fun with this one. Honestly, I cannot begin to explain how enjoyable this one was, not without giving away spoilers – something I refuse to do. Thus, the only thing you can do is give this one a read yourself.

As a final note, I would like to thank the publisher for contacting me for a review: I really enjoyed this one, and cannot wait to see what else the author has to offer.

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