Review: The Colonel and the Bee

'' ''Ignorance weighs far more than knowledge.'' ''

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:

The Amazing Beatrix works as an acrobat in a 19th Century circus, no home or family to speak of. When a daring escape from her abusive ringleader crosses Beatrix's path with that of the daring adventurer Colonel James Bacchus, the unlikely pair team up, fly to safety aboard the Colonel’s miraculous four-story hot air balloon, and begin a grand quest to find the most precious gem in the world, The Blue Star Sphinx.

If the heroes can outmaneuver the deadly treasure hunters, escaped convicts, and double-crosses that await them, they may win the treasure they seek, or better yet, a sense of true belonging.

Witty banter, colorful characters, and exotic locations pack the fantastical, globe-trotting adventure that reads like Sherlock Holmes meets Around the World in Eighty Days.

Let's be honest, I could not get in this book. I tried and tried to get in, to truly love the book and its colourful writing. Maybe it was the way it was written, maybe I couldn't understand the characters. Whatever the reason may be, the further into the book I got the less I enjoyed it.


The young acrobat escapes the circus and finds herself onboard a flying vessel called Oxford. The Ox's captain is the infamous Colonel James Bacchus, a man on a mission, the first man to show her kindness or any kind of respect outside the circus. They embark on a journey across the world to hunt down someone The Colonel is hunting. They are accompanied by a cast of characters so random that they fit together almost seamlessly.

Like I said earlier, I couldn't get in. The book is fast paced and the plot is constantly running forward, but it isn't forgiving if the reader can't keep up. The book continues and the reader is left standing there confused. The book is so whimsical that if you miss something, you're out.

The characters are introduced a bit by bit. Which was good. But it also made siding with them more difficult. I hardly knew anything about their personalities until the first half of the book was over. I still can't say who Colonel is. He was always so up in his own world that he remains a mystery to me.

It's sad when the only thing you look forward to is the dwindling minutes in the bottom left corner of your Kindle. I wanted to like The Colonel and the Bee. The whimsical story of near-death experiences and strong opinions on all matters could be captivating when finding the right reader for it.