A review by catparkins
The Valley of Secrets by Charmian Hussey

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

The Valley of Secrets. The story of Stephen, an orphan boy who inherits a large estate in Cornwall after his great uncle passes away. The book is based upon the mystery of the estate known as Lansbury Hall of which Stephen must discover via researching his uncles past and adventures in the Amazon. This book was very slow paced. For me it’s amount of description regarding plants became quite repetitive and unengaging, having to read about 250 pages before actually beginning to uncover or learn about the mystery. Although the mystery itself is very interesting and engaging, the slog to actually get to that section of the book was not fun. I wish the author cut to the chase a little bit more and had a better balance of the use of description rather than over using it. Overall the book was a decent read. I probably wouldn’t pick it up again to reread due to the beginning just dragging on a to long. I also think young readers to whom the book is targeted for may struggle to stick with the book as the mystery does not unfold until much later.