Reviews - What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust

436 reviews for:

What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust

Alan Bradley

3.94 AVERAGE

bookhound's review

4.5

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-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

Flavia's back! After 5 long years. And this was a really good one (after a few that seemed meandering). Wow, big revelations in this book that actually make sense out of some earlier perplexing events. I liked the mystery, loved seeing the characters again, and am excited to see where the story goes from here.

pallavi_sharma87's review

5.0

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

elladb's review

4.5

mysterious tense 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

jnhamm's review

3.5

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

emlilley's review

4.5

adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense fast-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: Complicated

All of these books are delightful reads, and I’m so pleased to have a new one. This one does a lot but manages to do so without being confusing. Bradley continues to do a masterful job at writing Flavia’s clever, wry voice, even as she grows up. The addition of Undine to the house is very fun.

megancmahon's review

4.5

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense 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: No

Spoilers!

The noise I made upon learning that there was going to be a new Flavia novel was inhuman. I laughed in joy when I saw this guy at the bookstore, and it did not disappoint.

The last few Flavia de Luce novels were wonderful as they always are (full of Flavia's wit and her unique perspective, as well as the cast of characters that make Bishop's Lacey such a delight to visit). But I found that after the 7th and 8th books (As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust and Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mewed) my favourite subplot kind of fell off a bit: WHERE were the discussions of the Nide???

I'm happy to say that the Nide, and their mysterious mission, and their nebulous connection to the de Luces, take centre stage here.

The sections where Flavia runs through the tunnels beneath Leathcote, seeking a mysterious figure behind the Nide's activities, made this book unputdownable - I stayed up really late finishing this. And, when she finds HER FATHER waiting for her there?? My jaw dropped. Flavia had every right to be angry - I did think it was weird, at the end of the 8th book, when her father died so abruptly. I also enjoyed the continuing mystery: who knows that her father is still alive? Not Daffy, at least (poor Daffy. I hope she and Carl Pendracka end up together) but loads of others seem to.

Flavia's denoument with Aunt Felicity (what was her father talking about, "until recently she was a high-ranking member"? What happened??) was the best part of the book for me. Despite being slated to be part of the Nide since birth, Flavia denies them, in all their power. She set herself against them from the moment they accused Mrs. Mullet and hurt Undine. This is why I love her.

Some minor gripes are I would have loved to have the Major Greyleigh mystery matter a bit more - the death of a public hangman is just so fascinating and I wanted to know more about his life. I also thought some aspects of the mystery wrapped up a bit too neatly, and others weren't explained enough. What's next for Flavia?? Will we learn more about the Nide?? Will they and Flavia become enemies??

All that is to say: I want more, much more. I truly hope this isn't the end for Flavia - I hope she takes the Nide down, brick by brick.

kathiemac's review

5.0

In WHAT TIME THE SEXTON'S SPADE DOTH RUST, Alan Bradley takes the reader on another ride with Flavia deLuce. This time Flavia’s housekeeper, Mrs. Mullet, thinks she accidentally poisoned and killed Major Greyleigh, a man she’s been cooking and cleaning for at Moonflower Cottage. The Major, a former hangman, dies after ingesting a dish Mrs. Mullet made with foraged mushrooms. I read on to see if Mrs. Mullet is responsible for the man’s death or if Flavia, a child, amateur chemist, finds the evidence to expose another reason for the Major’s demise.

This book is a joy to read, beginning to end. The author places the reader directly into a child’s world. Flavia deLuce may be quirky, but she is a hoot. She makes you think like a kid again. What fun. With her sister, Ophelia, married and her father deceased, Flavia handles her orphanhood alongside her sister, Daffy, and her younger cousin, Undine. I find myself laughing aloud at some of the childhood antics described in this book, including those perpetrated by Flavia’s cousin, Undine. About halfway through the book my mind is blown. That’s all I can say—no spoilers. I hope Alan Bradley writes many more books in the Flavia deLuce series. Thank you, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review and advance reader copy of WHAT TIME THE SEXTON'S SPADE DOTH RUST.