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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!
vidhi26p's review against another edition
4.0
“Then she realised something else: she’d never had friends before. It would be a shame to get them killed.”
Everytime I think I might be getting a tad too old for YA, I just need to pick up anything from Ally Carter. A genius writer, this was a breathe of fresh air I didn’t know I needed. Simply written, concise and easy to digest, it was just so much fun racing to the end of this novel. Absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel.
Everytime I think I might be getting a tad too old for YA, I just need to pick up anything from Ally Carter. A genius writer, this was a breathe of fresh air I didn’t know I needed. Simply written, concise and easy to digest, it was just so much fun racing to the end of this novel. Absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel.
abarbato's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
alongreader's review against another edition
4.0
April has spent all her life in foster houses. But this time she might finally have a home. If she can deal with the sword wielding presumed dead billionaire living in the cellars, stay on the right side of Ms Nelson and avoid the SadieMatic8, that is...
What a fun read this was! Ally's usual spies are slightly upended here; no one is trained, they're all just using their natural talents (one of which is screaming about mice) and the person they're trying to help would really rather they didn't, thanks. (He's a bit ruder about it than that.)
The main story is wrapped up nicely, but there are plenty of threads left dangling that I'd love to see dealt with in other books. Who is April's mother is probably the biggest one, but there's lots of others. I'm looking forward to reading more about April and her fellow orphans (and Smithers! I love him the most.)
A great new series for anyone who likes adventure, humour and mystery.
Violet knew what was happening before Ms Nelson reached for the little girl - before the boy even let her go. In a flash, she was in Ms Nelson's arms and being carried to the car. Her legs kicked. Her arms reached towards the boy, who wasn't reaching back.
And then a single word broke through the air, 'Tim!'
It was the first word she'd said, and Ms Nelson stopped. It only took a moment for her to consider, then say 'Tim?'
'What?' he snapped.
'How would you like to come to Winterborne House too?'
What a fun read this was! Ally's usual spies are slightly upended here; no one is trained, they're all just using their natural talents (one of which is screaming about mice) and the person they're trying to help would really rather they didn't, thanks. (He's a bit ruder about it than that.)
The main story is wrapped up nicely, but there are plenty of threads left dangling that I'd love to see dealt with in other books. Who is April's mother is probably the biggest one, but there's lots of others. I'm looking forward to reading more about April and her fellow orphans (and Smithers! I love him the most.)
A great new series for anyone who likes adventure, humour and mystery.
Violet knew what was happening before Ms Nelson reached for the little girl - before the boy even let her go. In a flash, she was in Ms Nelson's arms and being carried to the car. Her legs kicked. Her arms reached towards the boy, who wasn't reaching back.
And then a single word broke through the air, 'Tim!'
It was the first word she'd said, and Ms Nelson stopped. It only took a moment for her to consider, then say 'Tim?'
'What?' he snapped.
'How would you like to come to Winterborne House too?'
taylorfan's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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? No
3.25
Very interesting storyline if not a little young.
blogginboutbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Ally Carter's books are always fun and this one is no exception. It features a mysterious old house, a band of plucky orphans, and a missing persons mystery. All of these elements combine with lively prose and an action-packed plot to create a rollicking read that's funny, exciting, and entertaining. I enjoyed this one immensely and can't wait to read the sequel.