Review ~ The Boy In The Painting ~ C.D. John

Title: The Boy In The Painting
Author: C.D. John
Published: August 2016


The Boy in the Painting, by C. D. John, is book one in the Time Shield series. The story starts in the uneventful town of Cherryfield, but for one seventeen year old, Sarah, Cherryfield is about to change her life and turn her world upside down. Finding herself taken with a secret room hidden within a museum Sarah soon learns that not all art simply lays still on a canvas. Before her eyes she sees a figure moving in a painting, The Boy in the Painting is alive!

Sarah is introduced to the very dashing Mark Louis de la Mer and soon learns he is half human half fairy and trapped in a Time Shield, the painting, after a spell turns horribly wrong. His mother, Catherine tried to help herself and her son after Mark's father was murdered by Catherine's brother, Astor, who is magically power hungry. But Catherine's spell sent her to another realm and caused Mark to be held by a binding spell unable to leave the painting of his own accord. Although Mark is unable to leave the painting that doesn't mean Sarah cannot enter it...Sarah is drawn in by Mark's tale and soon she is being trained to destroy the holding spell but Mark also has his own journey to face before the two of them together can reach Astor.

C.D. John has created an exciting world for her readers which is rich in language and detail. When Sarah first enters the painting John made me truly believe I was there alongside our protagonist. As this is book one in the series we are introduced to many characters and layers upon layers of story telling as John gets us ready for book number two. I'm looking forward to seeing how relationships develop and how the story will grown and continue. This is not to take away from this first story which is full of twists and turns and had me reading late into the night.

C.D. John has writing skills reminiscent of the old masters. The Boy in the Painting is a magical, fantasy read which is the perfect set up for a new series which will be loved by readers who are in search of something that little bit different. 

Below we get to see three characters from John's story just how she how she sees them herself which is interesting because Mark is just how I pictured him too! We also have Sarah looking pretty bad ass and Mr. X, why would anyone want to come up against him!?