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jennab18_9's review against another edition
5.0
a very good YA mystery with a fancy academy, riddles, and crime.
katyslifestory's review against another edition
4.0
I had heard so many people talking about how good this book was, and I thought it would be perfect to read in October. It's a double murder mystery with many twists and turns.
Stevie loves a good murder mystery. It's an obsession, really. And when she has an opportunity her junior year to attend a ritzy school with free tuition that also had an unsolved murder, she took it. But when there is a death on campus, her detective skills have to work overtime, to the detriment of her relationships and schoolwork.
The plot is pretty fast-paced. Most of the chapters include both the present day story and snippets from the original murder mystery from the 1930s.
Stevie's character transformation was really well done. She arrives at the school with anxiety and a loner mindset but slowly learns to trust, have that trust broken, and trust again. The ending revealed a surprise that might test that trust yet again. I'm looking forward to learning more in the next book.
There is profanity in the book. It shows up in the later chapters so it took me by surprise. As far as sexual content, there is a makeout scene, kissing, and some discussion of sex but no graphic sex scenes. And the violence in the book is not graphic at all. The deaths are not discussed at length, though they do describe the position the body is present day is found in.
Overall, I thought it was a good mystery, not too scary and perfect for this month. The book ends in a major cliffhanger, so I'm definitely anticipating the next book in January!
Stevie loves a good murder mystery. It's an obsession, really. And when she has an opportunity her junior year to attend a ritzy school with free tuition that also had an unsolved murder, she took it. But when there is a death on campus, her detective skills have to work overtime, to the detriment of her relationships and schoolwork.
The plot is pretty fast-paced. Most of the chapters include both the present day story and snippets from the original murder mystery from the 1930s.
Stevie's character transformation was really well done. She arrives at the school with anxiety and a loner mindset but slowly learns to trust, have that trust broken, and trust again. The ending revealed a surprise that might test that trust yet again. I'm looking forward to learning more in the next book.
There is profanity in the book. It shows up in the later chapters so it took me by surprise. As far as sexual content, there is a makeout scene, kissing, and some discussion of sex but no graphic sex scenes. And the violence in the book is not graphic at all. The deaths are not discussed at length, though they do describe the position the body is present day is found in.
Overall, I thought it was a good mystery, not too scary and perfect for this month. The book ends in a major cliffhanger, so I'm definitely anticipating the next book in January!
kaylor_reads's review against another edition
4.0
This pulled at my nostalgia strings a lot. Growing up I was obsessed with Nancy Drew and really thought I was a detective. Also I loved that the female lead was awkward and made mistakes as she was trying to solve the case. She is still learning and didn’t make it as if all of her detective skills were natural.
christinamapes's review against another edition
3.0
It got off to a slow start for me, but I wasn't expecting it to end with a literal "to be continued" so I've got to get the next one asap. I'm lost.
stephielb78's review against another edition
5.0
First off - I adore books about boarding schools. Growing up in rural Kentucky this was definitely not an option so if you give me a YA book with a boarding school, chances are I'm going to like it. For some reason this book started slowly for me but I think that was actually more to do with me & less to do with the book itself. I got sucked in pretty good about 25-30% of the way in & couldn't stand to put it down. I did, because I need sleep & stuff, but I didn't want to.
The mystery writing is strong in this. Honestly, some of the best I've read lately. Agatha Christie would be proud. If you like murder, mystery & boarding school then I highly recommend!
The mystery writing is strong in this. Honestly, some of the best I've read lately. Agatha Christie would be proud. If you like murder, mystery & boarding school then I highly recommend!
cardigoth's review against another edition
2.0
I suppose this book just wasn't my cup of tea. I thought a YA mystery could be fun, but it ended up feeling too predictable with not very much forward momentum. That being said, I finished it. In the end, it's probably me, not the book.
juliciously's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
miiimmm's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Audiobook. Better than the heritage game but still not for me