Troll or Derby Blog Tour: Review

 

Troll or Derby
Author: Red Tash
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: June 14, 2012

Description:

In Troll Or Derby, fifteen-year-old Roller Deb is singled out by town bullies for both her skates, and for being different. When her popular homecoming queen of a sister is kidnapped by a scuzzy drug dealer, Deb must flee the trailer park in which she's grown up, and rescue her. Along the way, Deb becomes enmeshed in the magical realm of trolls and fairies, and the blood-thirsty version of roller derby at which these beings excel. But spending too much time among the fairies comes with a price. Will Deb choose to save her sister, with the aid of a mysterious troll? Or will she be lost to the lures of roller derby, and the blonde temptress April, forever?  

Buy Link:
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Troll or Derby is an interesting young adult fantasy novel that follows main character Deb, who is a roller derby player and a bit of an outcast, as she embarks on a mission to save her sister who has been kidnapped by a drug dealer. Along the way, Deb becomes intertwined in the magical world of both fairies and trolls, as well as the vicious version of roller derby that they excel in playing. Deb must decide whether to accept the help of a mysterious troll to save her sister or lose herself in the alluring world of roller derby and the tempting April instead?

This book had a lot of interesting and unique aspects that made it really stand out from most other novels in the genre. I liked the topic of roller derby being a big part of the book. It gave it an intriguing twist and also shedded some light on the sport itself. The mix of trolls and fairies in the story was refreshing, as there aren't that many books dealing with trolls out there. The storyline was a little flat and seemed to lack any depth below Deb's obvious quest to find her sister. The characters also felt a bit fake and lacked any real dimension or personalities - they felt like stereotypes instead of actual people. The writing itself was solid and had great description and detail. The idea behind the book was original and mixed the genres of fantasy and some romance with contemporary issues like drug abuse, bullying, family issues, and the sport of roller derby. Overall, this book was different than most in the genre and was an interesting read.