Reviews

Das geheimnisvolle Leben des Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart

rachelhelps's review against another edition

4.0

Really liked this Benedict Society prequel! It's Benedict's childhood as an orphan. I like how he tries to find solutions to his problems that aren't necessarily superpowers (though there are some convenient items lying around). The mystery and its solution were satisfying too. I recommend it to people who like stories about genius orphans. :-)

mattallen's review against another edition

3.75

i was pleasantly surprised with this one, probably my second favorite tmbs book, second only to book one. the characters were super endearing and of course im a sucker for genius kid trope. as always, tls is an amazing author, he just has a way with words. the mystery was actually pretty good as well. my biggest complaint about the book was that it dragged a LOT in the middle, like nothing happened for so long, and while this book was fun and all, was it really necessary? like it doesn't add anything to the main story of tmbs, but i guess that's the point of prequels? idk, it felt like we should've had a little more connecting, tho honestly it was also nice just to get a look into nicholas' life completely separate from the main series.

jennyp0208's review against another edition

3.0

Fun beginning to the Benedict series. I appreciated his growth. I just want a little more, maybe even another book in the early years before the Society.

tommye's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

summer_mailee98's review against another edition

5.0

I don’t feel ready to let go of the Mysterious Benedict Society or Nicholas Benedict yet. I finished this book today and I didn’t want to write this because 1) I didn’t know what to say and 2) I am not ready for it to be over.

This book was actually really beautiful. I have learned something from each of these books, this one included.

I felt so close to Nicholas, violet, and John—like I was sitting in with them on those secret meetings. I love how I saw each of the children (Reynie, Constance, Sticky, and Kate) in Nicholas as a young boy. I loved that I read this one last because of that.

I cried multiple times while reading this haha. It was beautiful in every way and I hope that I am like Mr. Harinton. Even though he was only in the book for a little while, he is the one that changed everything. He gave Nicholas hope when he felt like there wasn’t anything left.

I can’t wait to come back and read this in a few years.

applegould's review against another edition

my copy expired and i wasn’t as interested in checking it out to finish as i thought I would be :-/

bookishlybeauty's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

khockett's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

phunter22's review against another edition

3.0

I wish I could like this book more than I do. It was just so slow. It took pages and pages to get through so little. It's just not my type of thing. I can understand why it's popular with younger readers.

js0085's review against another edition

5.0

This book was quite simply marvelous. I had read the entire series before, which, if I might say, was stunningly amazing and this was the perfect companion. It helps explain so much about the miraculous Mr Benedict.