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that_crazy_fangirl's review against another edition
3.5
This was a pretty good book. It was kind of slow in the beginning, but it got better towards the end. 3.5 stars.
deb_is_reading's review against another edition
3.0
I had a good time with this! If you're looking for a quick ya mystery that's mostly plot focused. Our main character is Chinese-Irish and that does come up a few times and that's the majority of the character exploration that the book gets. It was fun for what it was. Will probably go forward with the series!
postitsandpens's review against another edition
4.0
I hadn't heard about this book until I saw a listing for the third in the series. The synopsis caught my attention: spunky female secret detective with a mysterious past, set in Victorian London. I really enjoyed reading about Mary and her adventures, and absolutely loved her interactions with James. I liked the setup - Mary is rescued from a sentence to hang (due to thievery) and taken to a school, where she's educated and enlisted to join in a secret female detective agency. Her first task is to help Scotland Yard (unofficially, of course) find evidence of wrongdoing by a wealthy merchant, whose been claiming that his ships - which are suspected of carrying illegal cargo - have been sunk.
Mary is plunged into a household full of secrets, and I have to say that the ending - the "whodunit" if you will - surprised me as much as it did Mary when the truth comes out. I loved James, even though he was arrogant and sure of himself and positive that he was right at all times, and adored all of their interactions. I hope that we will see more of him in the later installments. I also liked the mystery, and the truth behind Mary's past, and hope to see more of that as well. I look forward to the second book, as I think Mary learned a lot from her first assignment and will be even better at her job the next time. And I can't help but wonder if we've seen the last of the "villain" as well; maybe she'll pop up again later?
Anyway, if you're looking for a plucky heroine who's not afraid to take risks and get herself into trouble, Mary Quinn is your girl. I really enjoyed reading about her, and look forward to more.
Mary is plunged into a household full of secrets, and I have to say that the ending - the "whodunit" if you will - surprised me as much as it did Mary when the truth comes out. I loved James, even though he was arrogant and sure of himself and positive that he was right at all times, and adored all of their interactions. I hope that we will see more of him in the later installments. I also liked the mystery, and the truth behind Mary's past, and hope to see more of that as well. I look forward to the second book, as I think Mary learned a lot from her first assignment and will be even better at her job the next time. And I can't help but wonder if we've seen the last of the "villain" as well; maybe she'll pop up again later?
Anyway, if you're looking for a plucky heroine who's not afraid to take risks and get herself into trouble, Mary Quinn is your girl. I really enjoyed reading about her, and look forward to more.
dearemma's review against another edition
5.0
I was thinking about this book again (I love it) and I realized that I had forgotten the male character’s name because I kept referring to him in my head as Henry Tilney because he reminded me of him
Anyways I love this series
Anyways I love this series
jinjaritia's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit, Classism, Child abuse, Sexism, Death, Child death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Pregnancy, Excrement, Sexual harassment, Racism, Miscarriage, and Police brutality
m_leigh_marrott's review against another edition
4.0
Really great, clean mystery romance (kind of). I wanted a little more of the romance it in, but I'm hoping that the next books in the series will develop that aspect of the story. The setting was rich, the characters interesting, deep and believable and plot was definitely well thought out. A great read.
bookgirl4ever's review against another edition
3.0
At the age of twelve Mary Lang/Quinn is sentenced to hang for stealing. She is rescued by the head of an all-girl's school that wants to give girls without many prospects in life an opportunity to do more than just be a wife, mistress, prostitute, etc in Victorian England. Five years later Mary is trying to figure out what she wants to do in life, when the leaders of the school offer her a position as a spy for "The Agency" that the school's leaders also run. Mary is placed as a paid companion to a rich girl because the girl's father is suspected of smuggling and creating fraudulant claims of losing his ships.
For the most part, this novel has tons of cliches, but the addition of a couple of good twists bumped my rating from 2.5 stars to 3.
Recommended for 8th-10th graders or the mystery reader who doesn't want an intricate plot.
For the most part, this novel has tons of cliches, but the addition of a couple of good twists bumped my rating from 2.5 stars to 3.
Recommended for 8th-10th graders or the mystery reader who doesn't want an intricate plot.
cammschwartz's review against another edition
4.0
I quite enjoyed this book. Mary was an exciting character to read about and l loved learning about her background. I kind of guessed that it was Mrs. Thorold from a 1/4 into the book. It was just my intuition. I liked James as a Character very much. When Mary met Mr. Chen I loved how she got to see a part of her history. I hope I can read the next one.