In an excellent beginning to what one hopes will be an excellent series, R. M. Wilburn creates a realm of realistic characters caught in a world directed by imagination - literally. Buggy, heroine of The Bungler's Paradox, is on the brink of turning twelve when her family is "summoned" to Lloyd's Hollow. What follows next is an eye-opening crash course into The-World-Is-Not-What-You-Always-Thought-It-Was 101. Faced with the reality of magic, the indomitable, impressively imaginative Buggy must rely on her budding skills and new-found friends to guide her through what may very well be the coming apocalypse of the world, the final battle between good and evil. Challenged on every side, never completely sure of on whom she can rely, Buggy must "Dream big!"
Imitating the creative style of her protagonist, Wilburn writes as one might dream. Her characters are real, but with a touch of the other-worldly. Similarly, the emotions and reactions in the book are what one would expect in real life, while the events that jump-start them are anything but. Her writing style includes a lot of humor, though her characters can become a bit caustic and brusque in their responses to each other (certainly real-to-life!). And if that's not enough, Wilburn also provides her characters with meaningful relationships, that develop and change as the book progresses - not the least of which are those relationships that Buggy shares with her parents and brother. As the start of her imaginative series, Wilburn simply could not have done better.
Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9
Reviewer Age: 21
Reviewer City, State and Country: Salt Lake City, Ut USA
