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priya_amrev's review against another edition
3.0
Breath of fresh air after all the sex centered books I’ve come across lately
thepetitepunk's review against another edition
4.0
My little cousin was very excited to recommend this to me on Christmas Eve and it did not disappoint! Plenty of action, adventure, and mystery, plus lovable characters and a fun setting. I was listening while crocheting a mitten (which I had to redo three times RIP but that’s unrelated) so I wasn’t paying attention to how far along I was in the audiobook and then right as I was waiting for some huge reveal, it just ended! I’m not big on cliffhangers but maybe for once in my life I’ll actually pick up a sequel…maybe……
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of january≫
╰┈➤ 1. funny feelings by tarah dewitt
╰┈➤ 2. winterborne home for vengeance and valor by ally carter
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of january≫
╰┈➤ 1. funny feelings by tarah dewitt
╰┈➤ 2. winterborne home for vengeance and valor by ally carter
chuskeyreads's review against another edition
3.0
After reading The Inheritance Games, I was looking for another rags to riches mystery. This one has been on my TBR for a little while, so I thought I'd take a crack at it. I probably should've read several more books between the two because I think this one pales in comparison to JLB's Inheritance. But, I still like the premise and most of the characters.
I know it's middle grade, but I kind of enjoyed this one. Some of the writing was a little repetitive, but again, it's middle grade. I would've liked the characters to have been a little more developed. I wanted to know more about the key, how April got it, who her mother is, and her relationship to the Winterbornes. The parts about the Sentinel seemed a little random and not as developed as I was expecting, considering the ending. Not to mention, there are several plot holes that I just couldn't get past. Parts of the story were a little awkward and confusing at times that I had to reread sections to figure out who was speaking. (Aw, man! Now I'm doing the thing with the awkward sentences.) I was also a little confused that there are only five children at the orphanage - Colin and Sadie were there first before April, Violet, and Tim show up.
Spoiler
Tim is an afterthought at the beginning of the story, as Ms. Nelson asks him to come to Winterborne House because Violet was clearly attached to him. Then towards the end, Gabriel reveals Tim's dad tried to kill him. So it wasn't just an afterthought for Tim to tag along?
That being said, the last half of the book grabbed my attention, and I loved the twist at the end.
rachelle_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Pretty decent middle grade book. This held our attention on a long car ride - two adults and a 9- and 13-year-old. It was fun to pause and make guesses about what would happen next and where that dang key would fit. The kids are already looking forward to the sequel.
laura_cs's review against another edition
5.0
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The YA Queen of Mystery and Adventure--Ally Carter--makes a spectacular debut into the world of Middle Grade!
April is an orphan girl, bouncing from foster house to group house and back again. April insists that her 12-year long situation is temporary. After all, her mother is coming back for her. It says so in the note that was left with baby April at the fire-station, along with a mysterious key on a necklace. When April breaks into the museum, trying to see if her key will fit into a box belonging to the Winterbourne family, it ends up changing her life in many ways. To begin with, a mysterious woman named Ms. Nelson takes her in and brings her to live in the actual Winterbourne mansion with four other orphans--inventor Sadie, artist Violet, con artist Colin, and Tim, who is Violet's "guard dog" and has a massive chip on his shoulder. Any day now, the occupants of the Winterbourne mansion wait with bated breath for the owner and heir--and fellow orphan--Gabriel Winterbourne to be declared dead after being missing for ten years. But is he actually missing? What if he was a little closer than everyone thinks? And, if so, why is he hiding in plain sight?
With Carter's signature masterful writing--blending humor and high-stakes, with her usual fantastic cast of characters--readers familiar with her work and new readers will be delighted with this page-turner of a tale! I personally am eager to see what will come next for the Winterbourne crew in the future, for I know from experience that it will be quite a wild--and fun--ride!
The YA Queen of Mystery and Adventure--Ally Carter--makes a spectacular debut into the world of Middle Grade!
April is an orphan girl, bouncing from foster house to group house and back again. April insists that her 12-year long situation is temporary. After all, her mother is coming back for her. It says so in the note that was left with baby April at the fire-station, along with a mysterious key on a necklace. When April breaks into the museum, trying to see if her key will fit into a box belonging to the Winterbourne family, it ends up changing her life in many ways. To begin with, a mysterious woman named Ms. Nelson takes her in and brings her to live in the actual Winterbourne mansion with four other orphans--inventor Sadie, artist Violet, con artist Colin, and Tim, who is Violet's "guard dog" and has a massive chip on his shoulder. Any day now, the occupants of the Winterbourne mansion wait with bated breath for the owner and heir--and fellow orphan--Gabriel Winterbourne to be declared dead after being missing for ten years. But is he actually missing? What if he was a little closer than everyone thinks? And, if so, why is he hiding in plain sight?
With Carter's signature masterful writing--blending humor and high-stakes, with her usual fantastic cast of characters--readers familiar with her work and new readers will be delighted with this page-turner of a tale! I personally am eager to see what will come next for the Winterbourne crew in the future, for I know from experience that it will be quite a wild--and fun--ride!
chaosandbooks's review against another edition
3.0
This was a solid middle grade, although my biggest concerns were the marketing and character development.
The cast of characters is far too wide and ends up with a ragtag team of undeveloped kids and the side adults. It would have been nice to see more attention given to the kids to give them personalities and not make them stereotypes. I know that middle grade suffers from this problem a lot due to the short pages, but this one really was noticeable.
The marketing also took me for a loop. It's labeled as Batman meets Annie and that's not at all the case minus the foreshadowing at the end for the sequel. There's almost no Batman aspects in this minus a brief action sequence that could easily be in anything.
I think a more apt description would have been Scooby Doo meets Annie or maybe Nancy Drew if we're just focusing on the lead character. There's a bit of cryptic lore, "scary bits," and a team of kids with different strengths that help solve a mystery of a missing billionaire. It's a lot like Scooby Doo if you ask me.
The cast of characters is far too wide and ends up with a ragtag team of undeveloped kids and the side adults. It would have been nice to see more attention given to the kids to give them personalities and not make them stereotypes. I know that middle grade suffers from this problem a lot due to the short pages, but this one really was noticeable.
The marketing also took me for a loop. It's labeled as Batman meets Annie and that's not at all the case minus the foreshadowing at the end for the sequel. There's almost no Batman aspects in this minus a brief action sequence that could easily be in anything.
I think a more apt description would have been Scooby Doo meets Annie or maybe Nancy Drew if we're just focusing on the lead character. There's a bit of cryptic lore, "scary bits," and a team of kids with different strengths that help solve a mystery of a missing billionaire. It's a lot like Scooby Doo if you ask me.
spevensie's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.0
libbyferg99's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lil1smith's review against another edition
5.0
It's a heist story. By the one and only Ally Carter. Which meant that I had to pick it up eventually. And I'm glad I did.
It was a middle grade geared story, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect with that, since most of Carter's books are YA. I liked having the younger characters in the story though, it gave a new perspective and was somewhat different from what Carter has done before with her spyish stories. There were a few times I felt like the writing was a little too juvenile, and catered towards a younger audience in ways that aren't really that necessary. (Fart jokes? Really?) But it wasn't so much to keep me from enjoying the story.
My only other hiccup was some of the writing feeling rushed, so I felt like I was missing bits and pieces of information. There were a few sentences I read, and had to reread, because I was confused as to how we got from point A to point B. This could be due to the speed I ended up reading it at, but I felt like it was a little more than my speed reading skills failing.
This was a good middle grade read, and another hit for me from Ally Carter!
It was a middle grade geared story, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect with that, since most of Carter's books are YA. I liked having the younger characters in the story though, it gave a new perspective and was somewhat different from what Carter has done before with her spyish stories. There were a few times I felt like the writing was a little too juvenile, and catered towards a younger audience in ways that aren't really that necessary. (Fart jokes? Really?) But it wasn't so much to keep me from enjoying the story.
My only other hiccup was some of the writing feeling rushed, so I felt like I was missing bits and pieces of information. There were a few sentences I read, and had to reread, because I was confused as to how we got from point A to point B. This could be due to the speed I ended up reading it at, but I felt like it was a little more than my speed reading skills failing.
This was a good middle grade read, and another hit for me from Ally Carter!