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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So very, very boring. I tried skimming, and even that wasn't enough to get me through, so I just quit altogether, which I rarely do anymore.
Stevie Bell is obsessed with murders. Actually, one murder in particular, the Ellingham kidnappings. Albert Ellingham is a rich guy who starts an academy in remote Vermont mountains.
One day, his wife and daughter go missing. A riddle note is found. Ransoms are asked for. A local anarchist is blamed for the crimes.
Years later the school is still there, and Stevie gets accepted. On the first day she meets an interesting cast of unique characters in her "house" dorm. There's a writer, a sax-loving hippie girl, a teen writer loner, and an annoying guy with absolutely no social media or online presence at all.
Then there's another murder, and Stevie has two cases to solve.
This is a basic nancy drew meets the breakfast club at school kind of whodunnit, only with things to say about money and class and the ways friendships can look between awkward people. The backdrop is the riddle and the murders, so they keep you going as Stevie figures stuff out. I liked how a teen detective runs up against adult common sense alot more in this book than in other stories. She gets held for questioning, she's caught doing things, she isn't given important info...etc. etc.
Now I need to go read the second book to find out more about the crimes.
One day, his wife and daughter go missing. A riddle note is found. Ransoms are asked for. A local anarchist is blamed for the crimes.
Years later the school is still there, and Stevie gets accepted. On the first day she meets an interesting cast of unique characters in her "house" dorm. There's a writer, a sax-loving hippie girl, a teen writer loner, and an annoying guy with absolutely no social media or online presence at all.
Then there's another murder, and Stevie has two cases to solve.
This is a basic nancy drew meets the breakfast club at school kind of whodunnit, only with things to say about money and class and the ways friendships can look between awkward people. The backdrop is the riddle and the murders, so they keep you going as Stevie figures stuff out. I liked how a teen detective runs up against adult common sense alot more in this book than in other stories. She gets held for questioning, she's caught doing things, she isn't given important info...etc. etc.
Now I need to go read the second book to find out more about the crimes.
Quick read, idk why this reminds me of that old show house of inubis meets inheritance games.
I knocked off one star because the pacing was a little slow, and there were too many unnecessary characters for me. Otherwise, I found myself reading this book in between work meetings and in car rides (so definitely had me hooked). I hope book 2 is much more action filled after this book that set up an awesome world and stream of events.