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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
3.5 rounded up! I adored my first Alan Bradley book, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, which I read about 13 years ago. It was such a delight to discover that he had continued the series when I stumbled upon an ARC available for request on NetGalley (big thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Bantam). Seeing Flavia still solving mysteries years later brought me so much joy. While this installment seemed a touch darker than my initial encounter with Flavia De Luce, I found it added more fun and suspense to the mystery. Not sure how I feel about Udine, and I sensed there were significant gaps between the first book and What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust. It’s not the type of series where you can jump in anywhere; although I did so and still enjoyed it, I can imagine it being far more entertaining with a few missing pieces of Flavia’s and her family’s backstory. I’m definitely planning to catch up on books 2 - 10 of the Flavia de Luce series now. They're a perfect cozy mysteries on rainy afternoons.
mysterious
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
mysterious
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Vomit, Murder
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Flavia is back with a very unexpected twist.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Flavia is at it again - solving another local murder (much to the chagrin of the local police department). This time she must clear the name of her beloved housekeeper. Aiding her is her annoying little cousin, Undine, and her trusted butler/overseer. The mystery shows how made family can sometimes be the strongest (lord knows she doesn't get along with her sisters). Family secrets are revealed and Flavia steps into becoming a young women, taking responsibility for their estate, loyal staff and adopted ward.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Not as good as the other ones, but I did appreciate the Kodak-obsessed character from Rochester.
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Flavia does more espionage, on accident, and hates it this time. As always, Flavia's narration is delightful, and extremely nosy, as she should be. This one feels like it's somewhere between a murder mystery and a James Bond for English girls. While the whole Nide mystery of it all is fun, the actual murder felt a little bit like it took the back seat. We get a little more information as to what dad De Luce's whole deal was, which is nice because his whole wet-blanket thing always seemed like a red herring. The whole reveal, as well as Flavia's cutting ties, did feel a little bit canned. Not terrible overall, and I don't hate the whole espionage thing that has been subtly intertwined with Flavia's life, but maybe it's better to keep the espionage aspects in the realm of subtlety.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, Classism