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A review by kairosdreaming
Secrets of the Chocolate House by Paula Brackston
4.0
Secrets of the Chocolate House is the second book in Brackston's Found Things series. It's not a series in which you can read them as stand-alone (context matters!), so if you've not read the first, go start there!
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I had ended up with mixed feelings about the first one and the way the plot was driven, but this seemed more thought out without as many plot points thrown in. While it does introduce a new concept, it fits well with the theme and gives the background for other books in the series that the author may do (there's two more that I know of at the time of this writing).
While Xanthe was still a bit foolhardy, she was at least likable this time around and I didn't feel myself growing as frustrated with her actions. Liam was a dear as ever and I can't wait to hopefully see more of him in the coming books. Everyone else, well, the pleasant side characters were pleasant and the not-so-pleasant did a compelling role of playing the antagonist. We also get a little mystery in some of the characters that we meet in this book and it helps to draw a reader in.
I now look forward to the next book in the series and seeing where Xanthe's abilities take her.
Review by M. Reynard 2022
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I had ended up with mixed feelings about the first one and the way the plot was driven, but this seemed more thought out without as many plot points thrown in. While it does introduce a new concept, it fits well with the theme and gives the background for other books in the series that the author may do (there's two more that I know of at the time of this writing).
While Xanthe was still a bit foolhardy, she was at least likable this time around and I didn't feel myself growing as frustrated with her actions. Liam was a dear as ever and I can't wait to hopefully see more of him in the coming books. Everyone else, well, the pleasant side characters were pleasant and the not-so-pleasant did a compelling role of playing the antagonist. We also get a little mystery in some of the characters that we meet in this book and it helps to draw a reader in.
I now look forward to the next book in the series and seeing where Xanthe's abilities take her.
Review by M. Reynard 2022