Reviews

You Have to Stop This by Pseudonymous Bosch

lermonysnickers's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious relaxing fast-paced

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

4.0

mehsi's review against another edition

2.0

1.5 stars.

Sorry, I just battled through 3 fun books and 2 not so fun books to find out the whole Secret is THAT? Seriously, what kind of crap ending is that. Super disappointed and also kind of pissed off I wasted my money on this. I expected the Secret to be some kind of magnificent thing. Oh well I could have guessed, given the nature of the one who kept the Secret back then.

I also started to find the characters annoying, how they acted, behaved, how silly they did their things at times. Like putting a trunk of gold and gems somewhere in Cassandra's grandparents place, where it is bound to be mistaken for something to be sold. At least put it in a more secure place, I am sure there are better places.

Midnight Sun was just a silly joke by this book, their antics too old and too repetitive.

I am glad I am done with this series, it was quite a chore to get through the remaining books.

Would I recommend this book or series? Well sure, the first 2 to 3 books. But after that, don't continue.

Review first posted on http://twirlingbookprincess.com/

librarydreams's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense 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? No

4.0

I loved the twist ending. Without giving too much away, Bosch completely reexamines the human condition and the importance of

humor

.

 Perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket. Bosch has a similar tone and style to Snicket, with a seemingly omniscient narrator who may or may not be reliable, but who is definitely funny. The children are clever and good-hearted, much like the Baudelaire's. I particularly liked the production value of this audio recording. The full cast and sound effects brought the experience to the next level.

m1na_'s review

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

3.75

bookishperseus's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense 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

3.5

wrentheblurry's review

3.0

3.5 stars. I've been reading this series as a bedtime story to my boys for most of this year, and the back cover claims this is the "fifth, final, fantastic finale..." I hope so, because as is true for many of the series I read, the premise wears a bit thin. I suspect if I had more of a break between reading each title in the series, I would have liked them even more. Still, this is a good book.

Bosch has a wonderful, irreverent and humorous style to his writing that I find greatly appealing. That continues in this book, but to a lesser extent, it seems, than in the others. There are certainly fewer footnotes (which I love!) than the other titles.

By now I am very familiar with the characters, and they feel like old friends. This time they get into more trouble than usual, involving a museum, a mummy, illegal activities galore and Lord Pharaoh (again), all in the name of finding The Secret.

I am pleased to say that The Secret is finally kinda sorta revealed. The last chapter tries to tie it a bit more together, and I appreciated that. Then came the Epilogue, one of my favorite parts about the whole book...but then again, I really like Bosch's self-referential asides.

I will heartily read more books by this author, though I am not so interested in reading more in this series. The ending was perfect (for me), and I want it to be done now! Then again, this would make a nifty movie...

tinynavajo's review

5.0

At the end of this series, I would like to think that we have all learned something. And that something is that chocolate is the best thing ever! Alright, there is more to it than that, but chocolate is the best. You Have to Stop This is the end of Cass, Max-Ernest, and Yo-Yoji's adventures and the learning of the Secret. It's how all things with secrets go, once learned, you feel kind of silly not knowing in the first place. But as many others will learn throughout their lives, it's in learning that we figure out what it is we want to know.

kautaru's review

4.5

Great finale for this series. Wasn't as good as the 4th book, but still enjoyable nonetheless. I loved the graduation speech and how that evolved throughout the book—genius! My boy Max-Ernest actually got the love he deserved in this book 😭 I  loved how the book ended with the actual speech, made the whole book come full circle. Also, I didn't expect that ending, but it's almost reassuring to think that this isn't the end of our trio's adventures. You certainly protected our imagination, author! 

readacorn's review against another edition

4.0

Beschreibung 
Kass und ihre Freunde Max-Ernest und Jojo-schi werden verdächtigt, eine unersetzliche ägyptische Mumie aus dem Museum entwendet zu haben. Natürlich setzen sie alles daran, um die Wahrheit ans Licht zu bringen, die Mumie zu finden - und vor allem: das GEHEIMNIS zu lüften. Dazu müssen sie allerdings eine sehr weite Reise antreten: in das Land der großen Pyramiden, der düsteren Gräber, der rätselhaften Hieroglyphen, der lebenden Toten. Das alte Ägypten? Oder an einen noch viel seltsameren Ort …?

Kurzmeinung 
Die Geheimnis-Reihe ist einfach zauberhaft. Auch Erwachsenen bietet es gute Unterhaltung. Schade, dass die Serie mit dem nächsten Band (zunächst?) zu Ende ist. Eine unbedingte Empfehlung an alle kleinen und großen Kids, die sich für die Aufklärung von Geheimnissen und für Schokolade interessieren. 

mezzosherri's review

4.0

A satisfying conclusion to the Secret Series, striking a good balance of answered questions and continued ambiguity. Found the closing meditation on the soul-filling benefits of laughter and humor to be sincerely heart-warming, but love that the sweet was leavened with the usual snark of PB's narrative voice.