Reviews

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages by Trenton Lee Stewart

cozytea's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

 The society has grown up. They are worried about the future, frustrated with the people around them, and learning communication gets a lot harder as young adults. The one thing I did not enjoy about this book was the new character that followed the society on this mission. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I found him annoying. I understand his purpose, but why did he have to have a power that is the same as someone else in the group? It seems like an unnecessary complication for an already complicated mission. I don't know. It is a middle grade, so maybe I should calm down, but that is the reason it is a three, out of five stars. That being said, I did like the rest of the book. I would recommend this one if you like adventurous missions full of action and puzzles. 

ksjsaige's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful tense 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

4.75

milli_54's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

katrenia's review against another edition

3.0

3.5. This was a good story, but not as good as the previous ones. The time since the last book was ambiguous, somewhere between 6 and 12. I would have preferred to have a solid understanding of the age of each kid. Also, I realize the prequel was written between books three and four. But including characters from that era in the book, after no mention in previous books, just felt forced.

Lastly, I don’t like when the audio narrator changes in the middle of the series. This one was ok, but I miss the original.

meminger's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ruthsturm94's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

eewass's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

3.0

kailiyahknight's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, and Vomit

jessauch's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

what_ella_reads's review against another edition

4.0

My rating: 4.5 stars

What a superb conclusion to the Mysterious Benedict Society series!

Like all of the other books in the series, "The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages," has crazy action scenes, hard to figure out puzzles, and heartwarming interactions between the main cast of characters.

While I really liked all the aforementioned things, I think my favorite thing about this book was just to seeing how the characters had grown and changed. This book takes place 5 years after the 3rd book, so the characters have aged a bit. Reynie, Sticky, and Kate are now teenagers, who are trying to figure out what they want out of there future, while still feeling much attached to their past. Constance is much younger than the other members of her team and struggles with feeling left out.
I think the author did a great job of changing things a bit, without changing it so much that it felt like it didn't fit with the rest of the series.

My only complaint about this book was that the ending was way to short! I really, really would have liked a more substantial epilogue, as I think it would have made the series feel more complete. Maybe someday we will get a novella that shows what the characters got up to after the events in this book?

I'm so glad I read this series! I do think I will someday end up re-reading it.