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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.purplepenning's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
An enormously entertaining middle grade mystery that's brimming with adventure, wordplay, and shenanigans — both the general mischief sort and the delightfully specific sort of mischief that is Shenanigan Swift! Picture Ramona Quimby as a Lemony Snicket character. Now picture her searching for a legendary family treasure on a sprawling country estate only to be rudely interrupted by the need to solve an attempted murder during a family reunion. With help and hindrance from her sisters, Phenomena and Felicity, new best cousin, Erf, and an unabridged version of her extended family, Shenanigan is determined to sort things out. Lies! Insults! Murder! Hilarity! This book had me in suspense and in stitches throughout, pausing only to fully appreciate the clever and exuberant writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Deadnaming, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Death, Toxic relationship, and Gun violence
Minor: Abandonment and Alcohol
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