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jessblibrarys's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
emsies's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
musicalizzy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really like this book but I do not know how Daisy can just lie like that and THE PLOT TWIST ARE JUST SO GOOD AND PLANNED
Reasons for no/it is complicated
Main flaws= when it comes to Daisy and some of the mistresses and ‘The One’ they can be, but it’s not a huge plot point
Cast= But only main thing is just that one person is from a different country and place than everyone else
Characters lovable= it is quite complicated becauseit is quite important for Daisy’s character at the end of the book but nothing other than that really
Reasons for no/it is complicated
Main flaws= when it comes to Daisy and some of the mistresses and ‘The One’ they can be, but it’s not a huge plot point
Cast= But only main thing is just that one person is from a different country and place than everyone else
Characters lovable= it is quite complicated because
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Suicide
josworld96's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.0
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
I've been eyeing this series for quite some time already. I think it must have been ever since I watched Enola Holmes and landed in some sort of teenage girls detective mood. However, there were always other books getting in between. Until I could get a big chunk of the series at a heavily discounted price. And now today, finally, I had the time to start this series. I needed something light and relaxing, since we're buddy reading an epic adult fantasy, and this sounded just perfect.
And it actually kinda was. This book was exactly what I had hoped it would be and what I had expected it to be. I especially really enjoyed the writing style. Stevens really managed to give the book a casual, written by a teen, kinda sound. It was never wordy, never too novelly, it was very believable that this was the journal of a teenage girl writing down her adventures with her detective society at boarding school. The handwritten word list with explanations only enhanced that feeling.
The mystery in itself was maybe not even that spectacular, but it was entertaining and actually quite nicely done. The girls really seemed to take logical steps, in their own teenage way, and although they were sometimes a little quick to jump to conclusions what they did and thought actually made a lot of sense. I personally wasn't too busy trying to catch the killer myself, but my mind kinda followed the girls and didn't see them doing anything wrong or weird.
What I enjoyed the most though was the relationship between the girls and how they are clearly growing and learning. Not so much as detectives, but more as teenagers and girls. Because of small details and throw away lines we really got a very vivid idea of who these two girls are and why they would become friends and why they would sometimes clash. Their dynamic, their differences and how they completed each other was really well done and worked great on paper.
I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
And it actually kinda was. This book was exactly what I had hoped it would be and what I had expected it to be. I especially really enjoyed the writing style. Stevens really managed to give the book a casual, written by a teen, kinda sound. It was never wordy, never too novelly, it was very believable that this was the journal of a teenage girl writing down her adventures with her detective society at boarding school. The handwritten word list with explanations only enhanced that feeling.
The mystery in itself was maybe not even that spectacular, but it was entertaining and actually quite nicely done. The girls really seemed to take logical steps, in their own teenage way, and although they were sometimes a little quick to jump to conclusions what they did and thought actually made a lot of sense. I personally wasn't too busy trying to catch the killer myself, but my mind kinda followed the girls and didn't see them doing anything wrong or weird.
What I enjoyed the most though was the relationship between the girls and how they are clearly growing and learning. Not so much as detectives, but more as teenagers and girls. Because of small details and throw away lines we really got a very vivid idea of who these two girls are and why they would become friends and why they would sometimes clash. Their dynamic, their differences and how they completed each other was really well done and worked great on paper.
I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
alreadyover's review against another edition
genuinely so good even rereading it as an adult... what if mystery books for little kids were about messy dykes... yay ❤️
sunshine15's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really good mystery! I was kept on the edge of my seat till the very end and the revelations where well worth it. There was a clever plot and actually pretty good character development for the main characters. I had so much fun reading this and cannot wait to read the other ones :)
rjdenney's review against another edition
4.0
4 STARS!!
This was a fun and thrilling read! I loved that the main character Hazel Wong is diverse in that she's Asian and that she's overweight and I think we need more characters like that, especially in Middle-Grade fiction. There was also some incidents where Hazel being Asian was used to hurt her by the other students at this boarding school and I liked how that stayed true, also because this takes place in the 30s it's extremely faithful that this is how POC were treated back then and still today.
Now to the mystery! I did not see the ending coming and I sure as heck didn't see that reveal coming and I really enjoyed that as a mystery lover. This is also very dark for MG and you all know I love dark MG so I loved that so much. I'd say if you're looking for something fun, full of mystery and drama then this one is for you and that U.S cover edition is to die for! I've already ordered book 2 today on Amazon. :)
- Richard
This was a fun and thrilling read! I loved that the main character Hazel Wong is diverse in that she's Asian and that she's overweight and I think we need more characters like that, especially in Middle-Grade fiction. There was also some incidents where Hazel being Asian was used to hurt her by the other students at this boarding school and I liked how that stayed true, also because this takes place in the 30s it's extremely faithful that this is how POC were treated back then and still today.
Now to the mystery! I did not see the ending coming and I sure as heck didn't see that reveal coming and I really enjoyed that as a mystery lover. This is also very dark for MG and you all know I love dark MG so I loved that so much. I'd say if you're looking for something fun, full of mystery and drama then this one is for you and that U.S cover edition is to die for! I've already ordered book 2 today on Amazon. :)
- Richard
amelia19's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0