Curse of the Scarab by H.Y. Hanna – Review + Giveaway

I received an electronic copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. This post contains an affiliate link; thank you for supporting my blog!

MEDIA KIT  Book CoverCurse of the Scarab by H.Y. Hanna

Missing puppies. Deadly secrets. Serious slobber.

Honey the Great Dane enjoyed a pretty peaceful life: walking her human, checking Peemail at the park… until the arrival of a puppy named Bean turns her life upside down. But when Bean goes missing – together with other neighbourhood pups – Honey sets out on a dangerous quest to find them. Joined by her canine friends, Honey tackles mysterious paw prints and sinister hieroglyphics as clues lead them to a deserted cemetery. But an ancient Egyptian curse has awakened and time is running out. Can Honey solve a cryptic riddle in time to save the puppies? And should she trust Max, a Pit Bull with a murky past, who is hiding secrets of his own?

Middle-grade readers and young teens will love this thrilling tale filled with suspense and humour – and adult dog lovers are sure to enjoy it to. An exciting new mystery series full of action and adventure, for dog lovers of all ages!

Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Sony

Excerpt Four

“Shh!” said Biscuit suddenly, up ahead. He was standing with one paw raised, sniffing the air uneasily.

An old house stood on the far side of the clearing, surrounded by weeds and overgrown bushes. Barbed wire snaked along the ground around it and an old sign hung from a rope across the front door. Its surface was scratched and faded, but Honey could just make out the words: DANGER! KEEP OUT!

“It’s a human place,” said Suka in a hushed voice. “Though it looks like nobody’s been here for a long time.”

Honey followed her gaze up to the darkened windows, many smashed and gaping open, the glass shards forming jagged rows along the window frames. It gave the disturbing illusion of many mouths with rows of teeth, all open towards them. Honey shivered.

They went forwards slowly across the clearing, their paws sinking in the damp grass. Despite the brightness of the moon above, the night seemed to close around them like a thick glove. Honey felt the hairs along her back stand up, and she could see both Tyson’s and Ruffster’s hackles bristling too.

They paused just outside the front door and pricked their ears, listening. There was nothing except the faint chirp of crickets in the woods behind them and somewhere closer, the tup-tup-tup of water dripping.

“I don’t like this place.” Biscuit shivered.

“It’s just a stupid old house,” said Ruffster. He raised his nose to sniff the air. “Don’t smell anythin’.”

“The wind’s in the wrong direction,” said Biscuit, looking around uneasily. “It’s blowing our scent towards the house but we can’t smell anything from inside.”

Ruffster gave an impatient growl. He looked up at the house again, then let out a couple of loud barks.

“Ruffster!” hissed Suka. “What are you doing?”

He turned to Suka in disgust. “There’s no one here,” he said. “Reckon it’s just some dumb story after all. There’s this old house sittin’ here, so they start makin’ up stuff about a feral cat colony.”

“No,” said Suka, looking around nervously. “It’s not just a made-up story.”

“Well, where are all the cats, then?” said Ruffster. “There’s not so much as a sniff o’ a hairball. I can’t believe we’re standin’ here scared—for kibble’s sake, we’re dogs, remember? Cats run from us!”

Biscuit made a funny sound, his nose quivering, and looked up. The others all raised their heads as well. On the roof above them, several dark shapes appeared. They stood like statues, silhouetted against the night sky, long tails flicking. Then, one by one, they dropped like plummeting shadows to the ground and encircled the dogs, their eyes glittering.

About the Author

MEDIA KIT AuthorPhoto-H.Y.Hanna-BigHoneyDogMysteries(640)H.Y. Hanna is Taiwanese by birth, British by education, pseudo-American by accent and currently Australian by residence! After graduating from Oxford University, she tried a variety of jobs, from advertising in London to English Language teaching in Sydney, before returning to her first love: writing. Always fascinated by dogs, she specialised as a pet writer for magazines in the UK, Australia and NZ, and has been heavily involved in training, behaviour, dog sports and photography. When she’s not working on her next novel, she’s usually found watching repeats of her favourite TV show, Fringe or wiping Dane slobber off the walls.

You can find out more about her (and the ‘real-life Honey’ who inspired the series) at: www.bighoneydogmysteries.com, where you’ll also find book discussion questions and other parent/teacher resources, plus fun activity sheets and interactive puzzles.

If you’d like to be notified when the next book is released and get sneak previews, please visit www.bighoneydogmysteries.com to sign up for the Big Honey Dog Mysteries newsletter. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

http://www.bighoneydogmysteries.com

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Newsletter sign up: http://eepurl.com/CDJzH (or go to website)

My Review

Curse of the Scarab by H.Y. Hanna is the first in the big honey dog mystery series. It is a middle grade series. The story is nicely written and I thought it flowed well. I enjoyed reading this cute, funny mystery, and I know my eleven year old daughter will, too!

giveaway
The author will be awarding a $20 Amazon Gift Card and a signed copy of Curse of the Scarab to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. (US ONLY) Be sure to comment on this post for your chance to win, then click the tour banner below to visit other stops on the tour and comment there as well. Good luck everyone!!

NBtM Review Curse of the Scarab Banner copy

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0 comments / Add your comment below

    1. Hi Lori – thanks for your interest! I hope your children and nieces enoy my book – I’ve had a lot of parents write to tell me that they have a great time reading the book together with their children. 🙂

      Best wishes,
      Hsin-Yi

  1. I think that this book sounds like a book that I could share with my granddaughter – Curse of the Scarab by H. Y Hanna and the story of the big honey dog mysteries would be nice to start the series out with the first installment. I think that following Ruffsta and Suka will be fun to find out what is going on in the old house.

    1. Hi Dorothy – thanks for your thoughtful comment and I’m sure you and your daughter would have great fun reading my book together. I’ve had a lot of parents write in to tell me how much they’re enjoying reading the book together with their children.

      Best wishes,
      Hsin-Yi

    1. Thank you, Michele! It would be great if you could mention it to your students – I’m sure they would enjoy it! 🙂

      Best wishes,
      Hsin-Yi

  2. I’m trying to find books my granddaughter will like. She loves animals and mysteries so this one might just work to get her to read more. Thanks!

    1. HI Kathy – thank you for your interest! I think my book would be ideal for your granddaughter – I’ve had several parents write to me saying that their “reluctant reader” sons were gripped by the book as it is so suspenseful and they were really pleased as it encouraged them to read. I hope your daughter will enjoy it too!

      Best wishes,
      Hsin-Yi

  3. Thank you for hosting my book – I’m so pleased you liked it and I hope Keira will enjoy it too!

    Thank you to everybody for your comments and interest. I’m sure the young readers in your family will love this fun mystery – and any adult dog lovers would enjoy it too!

    Good luck in the giveaway – and don’t forget to sign up to the Big Honey Dog Mysteries newsletter to be notified of new releases, sneak previews, giveaways and more!

    Best wishes,
    Hsin-Yi

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