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bookish_leslie's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
2.5
My rating scale, for reference:
- 1 Star: Hated it
- 1.5 Stars: Really didn't like it
- 2 Stars: Didn't like it
- 3 Stars: Meh
- 4 Stars: Liked it
- 4.5 Stars: Really liked it
- 5 Stars: Loved it
While this was a book that 8-12 year old me might have enjoyed, it sadly was not one that I cared for as an adult, even though I often enjoy middle grade books. I can’t even put my finger on what exactly it was that I didn’t like about this book. It just took me forever to get into it and it felt a bit dull, despite a quirky house and characters, a search for treasure, and the mystery of several murders or attempted murders.
The word play and dictionary names were sometimes clever and interesting, but often very heavy-handed. Again, I realize that this book was intended for children, but it felt as though the author was talking down to the reader by explaining words we could Google if we didn’t already know the definitions of them.
Also, I appreciated the diversity of characters, but some of the LGBTQ+ subplots felt a bit clunky and overdone and didn’t flow as naturally as they could have.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Deadnaming, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
kjurewicz's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
This book was a fun read. Silly and with a lot of great word play, but also surprisingly murder-y for a middle grade book. One review called it “Knives Out for kids” and I think it’s a great description. There were a few red herrings, but most of them pointed to one particular character; there were several opportunities to develop more with other characters. The antagonist was unsurprising, but I would have liked to see at least a hint or two as foreshadowing to really drive it home. Finally, since this book is subtitled “A Dictionary of Scoundrels,” it would have been a nice touch to have a dictionary of all the most important words used at the end.
Overall, a good book for a budding detective or word enthusiast.
Overall, a good book for a budding detective or word enthusiast.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Violence
bookb1itch's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-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
4.0
a fun MG mystery, with Lemony Snickett-esque puns and word play. Safe for PS readers.
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
mrsjburgin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
slow-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Murder
juanat77's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Toxic relationship, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Gun violence
libreroaming's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
4.25
The Swifts is a delightful romp of a story. We’ve got an eccentric family, a big family reunion, and a large if dilapidated house - complete with a hedge maze and secret passages - that may, or may not, be hiding valuable treasure which our delightful and unforgettable heroine, the irrepressible Shenanigan Swift, is determined to find. Until first one dead body and then another shift her focus to solving the murders instead. Wonderful wordplay - the Swifts are all named from the family dictionary and it is assumed their names reflect who they truly are. But in amongst all the fun there are some serious messages about identity, acceptance, and self-determination. I loved the seamlessly integrated queer diversity and the way Shenanigan and her sisters had very differing personalities, skills and interests which were, by story’s end, all recognised as worthy and equally valuable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Deadnaming and Abandonment
skylarkblue1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
5.0
Representations: https://trello.com/c/pIfN48lN/96-the-swifts-1-the-swifts-a-dictionary-of-scoundrels-by-beth-lincoln
I wasn't too sure where this was headed at first. The humour was pretty dark (though I did personally enjoy it!) and the characters were fun to read about. As the mystery and tension grew though, it evolved into a suprisingly deep, dark and complex book! Certainly like nothing I'd expect from a childrens book, and honestly parents/teachers if you're thinking of giving this book to a kid, read it through first. Obviously, it's fine, but it can get heavy and there's a lot of topics that could create interesting and important conversations!
I just absolutely loved the characters, strong neurodiversity traits from 2 of the kids, the queer representation was very cute as well! There was a ton of characters, and honestly I did get a bit confused on who was who, but suprisingly I think it actually manages to handle them all pretty well. It really just felt like my issues remembering who was who was more on my really bad memory and less on the book, because as soon as I picked up a trait from someone I remembered exactly who they were! Each character was just so different and unique!
A lot of important messages throughout the book but none felt forced or trying to fight for attention over all the other messages. They all fit quite nicely together in my opinion. The story felt well paced, just fast, but flowed quite well. The chain of mysteries and plot twists kept be very well gripped hard throughout all of the last third and I honestly didn't know how it would end!
This absolutely shoots up to the top of my favourites list. I'm so thankful that Waterstones is taking good care with their books of the month, I would probably never have found this otherwise!!
I wasn't too sure where this was headed at first. The humour was pretty dark (though I did personally enjoy it!) and the characters were fun to read about. As the mystery and tension grew though, it evolved into a suprisingly deep, dark and complex book! Certainly like nothing I'd expect from a childrens book, and honestly parents/teachers if you're thinking of giving this book to a kid, read it through first. Obviously, it's fine, but it can get heavy and there's a lot of topics that could create interesting and important conversations!
I just absolutely loved the characters, strong neurodiversity traits from 2 of the kids, the queer representation was very cute as well! There was a ton of characters, and honestly I did get a bit confused on who was who, but suprisingly I think it actually manages to handle them all pretty well. It really just felt like my issues remembering who was who was more on my really bad memory and less on the book, because as soon as I picked up a trait from someone I remembered exactly who they were! Each character was just so different and unique!
A lot of important messages throughout the book but none felt forced or trying to fight for attention over all the other messages. They all fit quite nicely together in my opinion. The story felt well paced, just fast, but flowed quite well. The chain of mysteries and plot twists kept be very well gripped hard throughout all of the last third and I honestly didn't know how it would end!
This absolutely shoots up to the top of my favourites list. I'm so thankful that Waterstones is taking good care with their books of the month, I would probably never have found this otherwise!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Abandonment, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Gore, Deadnaming, and Alcohol
There's no mentions of the deadname, and there's no overt transphobia. It contains a small side story of a family member not easily understanding chosen vs dead names.daniel_ov's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was a lot of fun! Very voice-y narrator, interesting cast of characters and some twists and turns that kept things moving. I have some issue with what exactly I was supposed to take away from this -- the book's message seemed to oscillate between "words have meaning" but also "words don't define us" -- but either way looking forward to more from this author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
jess_tries2read's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
This book is very fun! The back cover says it is a Knives Out situation in Lemony Snicket's world, and that's definitely true!
I dock it half a star for issues with pacing. Eventually, it felt like a litany of things happening without much interaction or action taken from the main characters until the end sequence. But it was a blast, and I can't wait for the sequel!
I dock it half a star for issues with pacing. Eventually, it felt like a litany of things happening without much interaction or action taken from the main characters until the end sequence. But it was a blast, and I can't wait for the sequel!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Violence