Scan barcode
rballenger's review against another edition
3.0
Type of read: Weekend/Lunch time read.
What made me pick it up: Here's the deal, sometimes you just need an easy read for lunchtime or appointment waiting or those little moments where you can sneak in a few pages, Nancy Drew is just that. As a child of the 90s, I grew up on Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. These were the books that taught me how to read and adventure through pages. It's been fun revising the Nancy Drew series.
Overall rating: As I reread through the Nancy Drew series, I'm not going to rate them significantly or provide a detailed review. I'm simply reading these because it makes me happy and makes me think of simpler times. I will always recommend books like Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Box Car Children, Babysitters Club, Goosebumps, Animorphs, and so on as those are the books that drew me into reading and kept me excited to continue turning pages.
What made me pick it up: Here's the deal, sometimes you just need an easy read for lunchtime or appointment waiting or those little moments where you can sneak in a few pages, Nancy Drew is just that. As a child of the 90s, I grew up on Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. These were the books that taught me how to read and adventure through pages. It's been fun revising the Nancy Drew series.
Overall rating: As I reread through the Nancy Drew series, I'm not going to rate them significantly or provide a detailed review. I'm simply reading these because it makes me happy and makes me think of simpler times. I will always recommend books like Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Box Car Children, Babysitters Club, Goosebumps, Animorphs, and so on as those are the books that drew me into reading and kept me excited to continue turning pages.
blondierocket's review against another edition
When Nancy’s friend Emily finds that some very precious inherited jewels are stolen, the mystery begins. The fourth book was almost again like two mysteries in one, not only about the stolen jewels but a mysterious ghost like figure leaving messages in the middle of the night
Nancy traces all the evidence back to a maid service who has employed various women who have helped out at the house. Soon Nancy finds herself in danger when a gang traps her in a sinking ship with the jewels and only a prayer that she will be able to escape.
Nancy traces all the evidence back to a maid service who has employed various women who have helped out at the house. Soon Nancy finds herself in danger when a gang traps her in a sinking ship with the jewels and only a prayer that she will be able to escape.
noosh's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
heatherj02's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
laura_cs's review against another edition
5.0
Sometimes, I play the Nancy Drew games and think, wow, that's very intense. This is a very intense mystery, with all of these very dangerous things happening. Things that could (and do) get Nancy killed (and then revived via the Second Chance function, no matter how many times it takes, long after it stops being a 'second' chance). Even some of the more modern Nancy Drew books have some intense action and stakes and close calls. But all of that pales in comparison to "The Mystery At Lilac Inn". It set the precedent. There's bombs. Like, an actual bomb. And not set with the intent to scare, but to kill. The first three books all have minor inconveniences compared to the 'accidents' at Lilac Inn.
alesehunter's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
planet_taffy's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
I found this one to be quite rep titive compared to other entiries in the series: the opening is very similar to the Bungalow Mystery, the new companion Emily Willougby is a rehashing of companion Helen Corning (three years older, & soon to be married), several events in the false haunting narrative bring me right back to The Hidden Staircase etc. Interesting events happen almost randomly, and the motives & goals of the villains seem to shift for the sake of adding more excitement. Though the Nancy Drew books can sometimes be rather dramatic, Lilac Inn features one wildly impossible development after another; the bar is really low for suspension of disbelief in a middle grade novel but I found it difficult not to roll my eyes. The use of a miniature river submarine, a "vibration machine" to shake a building, and a time bomb in the same book was a little much.
Nancy has a lot of charming quips in this one and it's interesting to watch Maud pull different emotions out of her than the usually good-girl persona, but the other half of the cast (the villains) were just names on a page. This is my current least favorite book, and I predict it will remain at the bottom in my final ranking.
Nancy has a lot of charming quips in this one and it's interesting to watch Maud pull different emotions out of her than the usually good-girl persona, but the other half of the cast (the villains) were just names on a page. This is my current least favorite book, and I predict it will remain at the bottom in my final ranking.