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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
This was a very sweet and mildly magical book. It gave me similar vibes to TJ Klune’s writing, but this is a middle grade book rather than adult. The pacing was quick and the mystery very intriguing. I loved the setting of such a unique house and the twist at the end. I was in a bit of a reading slump and I really enjoyed this. 4*
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I bought hot chocolate and made it almost everytime I sat down with this book because the vibes were that strong! I, a previously-self-proclaimed-hot-choc-hater, was no match against the sheer childish delight of this story. It’s a perfect Christmas cozy read. And the fact that a middle grade, Christmas mystery is one of my favorite books of 2023? Unexpected, but I’m so happy I picked this up.
If you wish you could spend a wintery week snowed in at a historical inn. With a massive fireplace and beautiful stained glass windows on every floor. Hot chocolate on demand and a book to read by the fire every night. You simply must read this.
If you wish you could spend a wintery week snowed in at a historical inn. With a massive fireplace and beautiful stained glass windows on every floor. Hot chocolate on demand and a book to read by the fire every night. You simply must read this.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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:
Complicated
A rare 5-star review from me. Despite being a children's book, it takes itself seriously, and deals with themes of family, belonging, death, change, and even corporate greed/corruption in satisfying and comforting ways. It has stellar, whimsical world-building that only gets better in the sequels. It's also in my opinion the perfect christmas book -- it's centered around the holiday season, but it never comes off as cheesy or cliche, and the messages of the book are only indirectly related to the holidays.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Death of parent
We listened to the audio book and it was quite good. A nice listen for the whole family
Overall, a very cute read. Things I enjoyed: the sweet friendship and the delight of knowing adventure can happen right where you are. Things that were not my favorite: the pacing (too slow for me and didn't ramp up until the end) and the amount of characters was sometimes hard to keep up with (but that may have been due to me listening to it).
medium-paced