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A review by actuallyjusthanne
Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I didn't know that this book was coming out, so it was a pleasant surprise to learn about its existence, and to get it from the library very quickly after it was released! I really liked reading the Truly Devious series, but I did think that those characters and that setting was getting pretty old, so I was glad to see that Maureen Johnson was branching out and writing new stories with similar vibes.
This story is told in a split timeline: one present day, of Marlowe Wexler learning to be a tour guide at this old estate, and the other of the people who used to live on the estate in the 1930s. I thought the historical storyline was much more interesting to follow, especially because I wanted to learn about the history of the house and the vibes of that family. The family that owned the estate--the Ralstons--gave serious Cheaper by the Dozen vibes and I thought it was so interesting to follow! The present-day mystery timeline wasn't as interesting to me, but following the characters and what they were up to was still really fun. The vibes of the estate, both past and present, were really good and it was so fun to read it over the summer!
The solve for the historical side of the mystery was so well done, and it was super satisfying to see the pieces come together. However, I thought the modern-day side mystery was just okayApril, the perpetrator, was given far too little screen time to really be a suspect, and so I thought she just came out of the blue? Though with that being said, I suppose the historical perpetrator was also similar, which I suppose was intentional. . I also really liked that Marlowe and her crew weren't the ones who solved the historical mystery, which I think would have killed the believably of the story, but that it was revealed THROUGH LETTERS! MY FAV which I thought made it really well done.
The cast of characters was super diverse, which I liked. A huge part of the story was Marlowe and her crush on Akilah, and this book also featureda lesbian love triangle, which I have never seen in a book before , which was super exciting! All the characters were interesting, and I was sad they didn't get more screen time, because they felt really interesting to follow!
I was hoping that Marlowe'sfire background wasn't going to feed into the mystery, because that would really be too cliche, but of course they went there. It really wasn't my favorite but it is what it is, I suppose. . To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of her narration voice: it seemed really young (which may be a me issue; I am 24 and she is literally in high school) and some of the decisions she chose to make, especially in the name of her crushes, were questionable.
I did think that her character wasn't very self consistent: there were a lot of mentions of her being awkward and weird, but at the same time she integrated into a group of people who have been friends for their whole life with very little problem and was very smart and adept at solving a mystery? It may just come down to being a teenager, but I did think that her personality could have been more consistent.
If I had to describe this book, I would say it's We Were Liars by e. lockhart x Cheaper by the Dozen, which is a weird mix but it was fun! I read it really quickly and had a good time, which is the best kind of book. I would recommend, and I am looking forwards to reading future Maureen Johnson books!
This story is told in a split timeline: one present day, of Marlowe Wexler learning to be a tour guide at this old estate, and the other of the people who used to live on the estate in the 1930s. I thought the historical storyline was much more interesting to follow, especially because I wanted to learn about the history of the house and the vibes of that family. The family that owned the estate--the Ralstons--gave serious Cheaper by the Dozen vibes and I thought it was so interesting to follow! The present-day mystery timeline wasn't as interesting to me, but following the characters and what they were up to was still really fun. The vibes of the estate, both past and present, were really good and it was so fun to read it over the summer!
The solve for the historical side of the mystery was so well done, and it was super satisfying to see the pieces come together. However, I thought the modern-day side mystery was just okay
The cast of characters was super diverse, which I liked. A huge part of the story was Marlowe and her crush on Akilah, and this book also featured
I was hoping that Marlowe's
I did think that her character wasn't very self consistent: there were a lot of mentions of her being awkward and weird, but at the same time she integrated into a group of people who have been friends for their whole life with very little problem and was very smart and adept at solving a mystery? It may just come down to being a teenager, but I did think that her personality could have been more consistent.
If I had to describe this book, I would say it's We Were Liars by e. lockhart x Cheaper by the Dozen, which is a weird mix but it was fun! I read it really quickly and had a good time, which is the best kind of book. I would recommend, and I am looking forwards to reading future Maureen Johnson books!