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A review by stormwhisper
Curse of the Specter Queen by Jenny Elder Moke
2.0
I received an ARC copy of this book via Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide in exchange for a honest review.
Sam is a small-town girl with a penchant for ciphers and puzzles who's thrust into the centre of an ancient mystery that threatens to tear the world apart. Set against the backdrop of the roaring 20s, Sam's adventure also features her former best friend, Joana, and her childhood crush, Bennett, as the trio tries desperately to stop an ancient evil from being unleashed.
I really wanted to love The Curse of the Specter Queen. Sam sounded like a perfect protagonist, a nerdy girl who loves restoring old books and deciphering clues. Throw in an ancient curse and what could go wrong?
Unfortunately, I just couldn't seem to engage much with the story or the characters. Sam was an fair character but she just didn't have much depth, beyond her archetypical quiet, intelligent, bookish traits. Bennett, the male lead, is portrayed sympathetically as a protective figure who just cares too much about the people he loves, but I was put off by his constant underestimation of Sam's intelligence and constant attempts to control her and his sister. Joana, the best friend, also came across as one-dimensional, ultimately not rising much beyond a "party girl" stereotype. I thought setting the book in the 1920s was a brilliant and well-executed choice, but I didn't feel that the characters rose to match their rich surroundings.
Ultimately I found The Curse of the Specter Queen to be an okay, but not great book. I think I would have enjoyed it a great deal more if the main cast had been more fleshed out, but as it was written, I just wasn't terribly invested in the story.
Sam is a small-town girl with a penchant for ciphers and puzzles who's thrust into the centre of an ancient mystery that threatens to tear the world apart. Set against the backdrop of the roaring 20s, Sam's adventure also features her former best friend, Joana, and her childhood crush, Bennett, as the trio tries desperately to stop an ancient evil from being unleashed.
I really wanted to love The Curse of the Specter Queen. Sam sounded like a perfect protagonist, a nerdy girl who loves restoring old books and deciphering clues. Throw in an ancient curse and what could go wrong?
Unfortunately, I just couldn't seem to engage much with the story or the characters. Sam was an fair character but she just didn't have much depth, beyond her archetypical quiet, intelligent, bookish traits. Bennett, the male lead, is portrayed sympathetically as a protective figure who just cares too much about the people he loves, but I was put off by his constant underestimation of Sam's intelligence and constant attempts to control her and his sister. Joana, the best friend, also came across as one-dimensional, ultimately not rising much beyond a "party girl" stereotype. I thought setting the book in the 1920s was a brilliant and well-executed choice, but I didn't feel that the characters rose to match their rich surroundings.
Ultimately I found The Curse of the Specter Queen to be an okay, but not great book. I think I would have enjoyed it a great deal more if the main cast had been more fleshed out, but as it was written, I just wasn't terribly invested in the story.