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frantically's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, and Mental illness
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Racism, and Alcohol
sevenletters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Kidnapping, Death, and Mental illness
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Murder, Toxic friendship, Classism, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Mental illness, Bullying, Child death, and Panic attacks/disorders
headinthepages's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Body horror, Grief, Mental illness, Alcohol, Death, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Cursing, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
some_random_person_hi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Grief, Mental illness, and Death
Minor: Racism
rylin_marie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Murder, Cursing, Torture, Alcohol, Child death, Stalking, Kidnapping, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, and Gun violence
m4rtt4's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death, Murder, Grief, Kidnapping, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcohol, Mental illness, and Child death
emkaho's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Mental illness
themoodreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Child death, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Death, Kidnapping, Blood, and Alcohol
awebofstories's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
My daughter has expressed interest in reading Agatha Christie and loves watching television adaptations. When I heard about this series (on the All About Agatha podcast), I immediately purchased the boxed trilogy and the following 4th book for her for Christmas.
And she still hasn't read it.
However, my interest was piqued. I asked to borrow her books, and she handed over the still shrink-wrapped trilogy, promising that she would start it once summer break arrived. I went into this book as an opportunity to discuss something with my daughter, but I ended up enjoying it on its own merits.
We meet Stevie, a student at an eccentric and exclusive Vermont Boarding school with a dark history. In fact, it was the dark history that attracted Stevie to the school. You see, Stevie wants to be the next iteration of Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, and Miss Marple, and she is determined to solve the mystery at the center of the school's history.
Stevie is a wonderful character. She's a believable teen dealing with many of the problems teens face today. She also suffers from severe Anxiety. If I could only choose one thing to praise in this book, it would be Johnson's depiction of Stevie's anxiety and how she works it into the story. This is probably the best depiction of it that I have read anywhere.
I loved the world of this book. Yes, the basis of the school is a little ridiculous if you spend too much time thinking about it, but it works perfectly here. I wish I could have attended this school, or one like it, without all the murder. I can't wait to come back to Ellingham Academy.
The one thing about this book is that it is the first in a trilogy, and readers need to incorporate that into their expectations. While I gave this book a grade based on my enjoyment, I reserve the right to change that once I finish the trilogy. (To clarify, the first 3 books work as a trilogy. After that, books are more or less series novels).
My only complaint about this book is that I had trouble keeping some secondary characters straight. Set in a school, there is necessarily a not-small cast here. One of the things that I respect most about the book's strongest influence, Agatha Christie, is that she could create a distinct cast. Here, some of the students melted into each other, and I sometimes had trouble keeping track of who was who.
Other than that, this book was a great success for me. I'm excited not only to read the next book but also for my daughter to start this series, as I know that she will enjoy it.
Moderate: Mental illness, Murder, and Child death