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A review by suzemews
Secrets of the Chocolate House by Paula Brackston
2.0
*Spoilers Ahead*
This book was so frustrating. The general premise was fine, but Xanthe's infuriating insistence on keeping her mom in the dark annoyed me the entire time. Her mother has already accepted that Xanthe can hear antiques singing to her, what's the big deal with letting her in on the secret? It eliminated so many problems! Furthermore, Xanthe seems a little dense in ways that can sometimes grate on a person.
The book also dragged on A LOT. The plot was constantly hampered by Xanthe's several small trips all over the place and a lot of foot dragging on her part. I was also SO DONE with her incessant musings and brooding. YES, we KNOW you have a lot of feelings and wonderings, but they are repetitive. Give it a rest. It also felt that Samuel's very existence as a romantic interest was a fake out, but I can accept her not wanting the complication of him. Still, I got fed up with her whining about him the whole time while neither fighting for his love or admitting to herself at a reasonable point that they aren't meant to be.
After having said all that, Harley is still the best character. He is a fun character full of personality and childlike wonder- all with the ability to toss someone bodily from his pub! What's not to love!
I am torn about whether or not to read the next one. I still do have curiosity about how it all ends, but I am not keene on hearing Xanthe's constant brooding for two more books.
This book was so frustrating. The general premise was fine, but Xanthe's infuriating insistence on keeping her mom in the dark annoyed me the entire time. Her mother has already accepted that Xanthe can hear antiques singing to her, what's the big deal with letting her in on the secret? It eliminated so many problems! Furthermore, Xanthe seems a little dense in ways that can sometimes grate on a person.
The book also dragged on A LOT. The plot was constantly hampered by Xanthe's several small trips all over the place and a lot of foot dragging on her part. I was also SO DONE with her incessant musings and brooding. YES, we KNOW you have a lot of feelings and wonderings, but they are repetitive. Give it a rest. It also felt that Samuel's very existence as a romantic interest was a fake out, but I can accept her not wanting the complication of him. Still, I got fed up with her whining about him the whole time while neither fighting for his love or admitting to herself at a reasonable point that they aren't meant to be.
After having said all that, Harley is still the best character. He is a fun character full of personality and childlike wonder- all with the ability to toss someone bodily from his pub! What's not to love!
I am torn about whether or not to read the next one. I still do have curiosity about how it all ends, but I am not keene on hearing Xanthe's constant brooding for two more books.