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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Puzzle and involved choose your adventures made this fun. The story itself was a little weak but it absolutely benefited from actively solving it. While I would've loved this as a physical book, doing this in ebook format wasn't too hard. eReaders tend to do footnotes Ns flipping back and forth pretty well.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was probably a 3.5 star read, but I rounded up!
This was such a fun book! The idea of the reader solving puzzles along with the characters is so unique and very Nancy Drew. It was also nice that you could skip the puzzles if you didn’t have time to solve them.
The story was predictable at times, but did have some unexpected twists, especially about everyone’s true identity and lineage. I loved the Eerie Island setting with its horse-drawn carriages and old Scottish pub. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but they were all distinct and some were very lovable.
As for the audiobook specifically, I’m not sure how else it could have been done, but it was a little difficult to navigate. I listen to audiobooks while I’m driving and this one required a lot of scrolling through the table of contents and clicking specific sections. As for the puzzles, I didn’t always have time to do them, but it was helpful to be able to download the puzzle booklet from the author’s website so I could see them.
Overall, the book was a little predictable, but the concept was very unique. It was also well-written and left no thread untied. A heart-warming tale about overcoming trauma and a girl searching for her true family.
This was such a fun book! The idea of the reader solving puzzles along with the characters is so unique and very Nancy Drew. It was also nice that you could skip the puzzles if you didn’t have time to solve them.
The story was predictable at times, but did have some unexpected twists, especially about everyone’s true identity and lineage. I loved the Eerie Island setting with its horse-drawn carriages and old Scottish pub. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but they were all distinct and some were very lovable.
As for the audiobook specifically, I’m not sure how else it could have been done, but it was a little difficult to navigate. I listen to audiobooks while I’m driving and this one required a lot of scrolling through the table of contents and clicking specific sections. As for the puzzles, I didn’t always have time to do them, but it was helpful to be able to download the puzzle booklet from the author’s website so I could see them.
Overall, the book was a little predictable, but the concept was very unique. It was also well-written and left no thread untied. A heart-warming tale about overcoming trauma and a girl searching for her true family.
Okay, I knew this was going to be a fun mystery, but what I didn’t expect was actual puzzles built into the book—and a whole choose-your-own-adventure element! Like… what?! I haven’t felt this involved in a book since my Goosebumps days. 😂
The mystery itself was clever and quirky, with just the right balance of suspense and humor. Bianca Marais clearly had so much fun writing this, and it shows. You can tell she wasn’t just trying to write a whodunnit—she wanted us to play along, and I was totally here for it. I caught myself flipping back and forth between pages, making decisions, solving clues, and honestly, feeling like a detective with a really good snack.
If you’re into mysteries but want something completely different, this one is 100% worth picking up. Just make sure you’ve got a pen and your inner sleuth ready. 🕵️♀️🧩
The mystery itself was clever and quirky, with just the right balance of suspense and humor. Bianca Marais clearly had so much fun writing this, and it shows. You can tell she wasn’t just trying to write a whodunnit—she wanted us to play along, and I was totally here for it. I caught myself flipping back and forth between pages, making decisions, solving clues, and honestly, feeling like a detective with a really good snack.
If you’re into mysteries but want something completely different, this one is 100% worth picking up. Just make sure you’ve got a pen and your inner sleuth ready. 🕵️♀️🧩
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't like birth secrets and this murder mystery puzzle is chock full of them. It's funny how frequently the family tree chart has to be amended.
I also did not appreciate the short passage that implied killing old people was okay but not children. This sort of assigning value based on age and ageism has to stop, I've been seeing a fair bit of this inexplicable 'reasoning' especially in fantasy books.
I also did not appreciate the short passage that implied killing old people was okay but not children. This sort of assigning value based on age and ageism has to stop, I've been seeing a fair bit of this inexplicable 'reasoning' especially in fantasy books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Child death
medium-paced
I liked the book, but jumping around pages on an ebook is a bit annoying. I kinda wished the answers were just written on the page as she works through them instead of having to flip to the back to check them. Also, slightly annoyed at the conundrum chapters because they all lead to the same ending anyways, but I ended up reading both because I didn't want to be missing anything. The two endings was entertaining though.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When I agreed to review A Most Puzzling Murder by Bianca Marais, I’ll admit to jumping in pretty much blind. I read the blurb but mostly saw the tagline of the email that stated it was a Choose Your Own Adventure, and I said, ‘Sign me up!’
In A Most Puzzling Murder, the reader follows Destiny as she is drawn into a mystery. It begins when she receives a letter informing her that she is on a shortlist for a job she never applied for, but then she spots a hidden message within the letter. The author then has the reader attempt to find the hidden message, offering the option to send an email for hints before providing the answer at the end of the book. And thus, this goes on throughout the book.
As I was reading this on my e-reader, which was an advanced reader copy, I found it a little hard to view the images within the text. However, I then went back to read the forward and found that a “workbook” was available on the author’s website with all the puzzles. That made this interactive story a little easier.
The story jumps around between several characters’ points of view, which can get a little exhausting. However, it was also interesting to see all the scheming that was going on around Destiny. Thankfully, the new point of view is always the start of a new chapter, and the reader gets a warning that it’s changing. It’s just not something that I’m used to.
I enjoyed the few chapters that ultimately became the “choose your own adventure” part of the mystery. It only happens a few times, and up until the last one, I only read the option that I took and didn’t see how the other path unfolded. However, from the one I read, I imagine that the paths were relatively polar opposites. It would be interesting to revisit those small changes. However, those few divergent points don’t significantly alter the story as a whole, as the plotline eventually converges after a few pages.
I will admit that I was expecting something more cozy than I got, and that’s entirely my fault for not researching the book more thoroughly before picking it up. It was a bit darker and fantastical than I usually read, so I often felt out of my comfort zone, which isn’t a bad thing.
I ended up reading most of this book in one sitting. I was pulled in, even though I felt a bit uncomfortable, but that’s probably the point since none of the characters were exactly comfortable either. I needed to see where the story was going and how everything would turn out, and having fun puzzles to try to solve alongside Destiny was a nice perk.
If you like a good mystery and don’t mind a bit of fantasy mixed in, A Most Puzzling Murder might be for you.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced