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tracamiller's review against another edition
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
4.25
lynnietakalele's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I absolutely loved the main character and can’t wait for more books about her! Hilarious, engaging, just the description of her edging along a ledge was super entertaining and fun. Relationship with sisters was so hilarious, loved it, and love it when girls are written sassy, smart, quarreling, strong, spitfire-y, etc. There was a bit of a weak point about three quarters of the way in when I felt the author found it too difficult to maintain that level of hilarity and Flavia dulled up a bit only to regain her usual strength a bit later. The plot was ver A-. Almost awesome. The scene in the pit was not doing it for me though. Her sister suddenly leading everyone to her, even though there was a funny twist to that with the kiss, just wasn’t doing it for me Great read, highly recommend.
yukarin's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
It was quiet an entertaining read altough I wasn't fond of the translation and guessed the murderer and plot quiet easily. Will read the next one in english to see, if the writing style suits me more.
It was quiet an entertaining read altough I wasn't fond of the translation and guessed the murderer and plot quiet easily. Will read the next one in english to see, if the writing style suits me more.
jobustitch's review against another edition
3.0
While I loved the main character (Flavia), the rest of the characters seem a little hollow. Good, fast, fun read.
novelette's review against another edition
3.0
Much better book than I thought it would be. I'll probably read more in the series
annashiv's review against another edition
5.0
Great book. I usually don't read mysteries, because I don't read them for the mystery. I read them for the characters and it is hard to find good mystery solving characters. Flavia is one of them though. Definitely one of the best mystery books I've ever read.
jennrocca's review against another edition
3.0
It took me ages to get through this book because I just never felt compelled to pick it up. It wasn’t *bad*. The two things that held me back were:
1) The age of the main character. She is supposed to be 11 and, even for a brilliant 11-year-old, I found her unrealistic.
2) It was a classic murder mystery which, for some reason, rarely seems to appeal to me.
It was fine. I can see why others might like it. Not my cup of tea.
1) The age of the main character. She is supposed to be 11 and, even for a brilliant 11-year-old, I found her unrealistic.
2) It was a classic murder mystery which, for some reason, rarely seems to appeal to me.
It was fine. I can see why others might like it. Not my cup of tea.
ec_newman's review against another edition
3.0
Entirely too many similes. - more later.
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I started with the audiobook, in fact got to the 6th CD of 8 when some scratches on it made it impossible to continue. With a mystery, everything matters and I hated to skip what could be vital info.
The narrator of the audiobook was wonderful. The young, energetic British accent gave life to Flavia and her world. In fact, that (after finishing the book) was and is the most redeeming thing about this book.
Halfway, maybe a bit more through the book, I realized that practically everything was a simile. I could almost predict when Flavia would compare the next thing to something else. While the device is helpful, it really started to grate on my nerves.
I bought the book on my Kindle to finish it and found where I'd left off easily. It wasn't nearly as fun reading it on my own. The audiobook narrator made the story come alive, whereas in reading it on my own, I found it pretty normal/dull.
The answer to this problem, of course, would be to continue with the series and only do it as audiobooks (hoping that the voice stays the same). You'd be right, but unfortunately, I got frustrated with how long it takes to finish an audiobook. Despite enjoying the narrator's interpretation and vocal choices, I kept thinking how much quicker I'd be done if I could just read it on my own.
So, yeah, probably not going to continue, though I suspect my issues with the book are pretty particular to me.
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I started with the audiobook, in fact got to the 6th CD of 8 when some scratches on it made it impossible to continue. With a mystery, everything matters and I hated to skip what could be vital info.
The narrator of the audiobook was wonderful. The young, energetic British accent gave life to Flavia and her world. In fact, that (after finishing the book) was and is the most redeeming thing about this book.
Halfway, maybe a bit more through the book, I realized that practically everything was a simile. I could almost predict when Flavia would compare the next thing to something else. While the device is helpful, it really started to grate on my nerves.
I bought the book on my Kindle to finish it and found where I'd left off easily. It wasn't nearly as fun reading it on my own. The audiobook narrator made the story come alive, whereas in reading it on my own, I found it pretty normal/dull.
The answer to this problem, of course, would be to continue with the series and only do it as audiobooks (hoping that the voice stays the same). You'd be right, but unfortunately, I got frustrated with how long it takes to finish an audiobook. Despite enjoying the narrator's interpretation and vocal choices, I kept thinking how much quicker I'd be done if I could just read it on my own.
So, yeah, probably not going to continue, though I suspect my issues with the book are pretty particular to me.
mehsi's review against another edition
3.0
It was an interesting book, but I felt it lacked a bit. Maybe because I don't really care about stamps and all that, and practically the whole book is about stamps.
I also didn't really like the main character, maybe because she was such a know-it-all character and I tend to dislike those, especially if they act like how she did.
Also I noticed some spelling/grammar mistakes, while a lot was good British-English, there were some parts that had the wrong spelling/grammar. Favorite? Color? Nope.
In overall a fun book, if you like murder, a little girl and lots of stamps.
I also didn't really like the main character, maybe because she was such a know-it-all character and I tend to dislike those, especially if they act like how she did.
Also I noticed some spelling/grammar mistakes, while a lot was good British-English, there were some parts that had the wrong spelling/grammar. Favorite? Color? Nope.
In overall a fun book, if you like murder, a little girl and lots of stamps.