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oashackelford's reviews
348 reviews
The Missing Season by Gillian French
2.0
Clara is a new kid in Pender. Her dad has a job tearing down old paper mills so he moves her family from town to town often and she has never really had friends before. The girl next door befriends her and invites her to start hanging out with her friends. Clara soon finds out that in this town kids go missing, a lot.
Two weeks before she got there a kid named Gavin Cotswold went missing, a few weeks later another girl was reported missing. The gang tells Clara that the mumbler did it. A mysterious beast that supposedly lives in the forest. Clara isn't sure she believes in the mumbler, but something is out there and it's taking kids.
***Spoilers***
I didn't like this book. I thought it started out really well laying the mystery of the Mumbler, but the Author attempted a plot twist that seemingly came out of left-field. I think that a good mystery should read a little like an Agatha Christie novel, or be like the movie The Usual Suspects. I think that executing a good plot twist means laying out little clues that the reader could potentially latch onto, then when you get to the plot twist you can go back and re-read the book and see that there were hints all along that pointed to the ending of the book but you didn't notice them.
This book laid out the idea of the Mumbler and gave the gang genuine feelings of unease but the mystery kept taking a back seat to Clara learning how to have friends or be in a relationship. The book would point to something not quite being supernatural but then move on a not really give you any clues to the killers actual identity. When the killer was finally revealed I remember thinking, "Who?" I couldn't remember the killer being anywhere else in the book besides right at the end. The ending action was a very small chapter and it felt like I had wasted my time trying to figure out who did it only to realize there was no way for me to have found out.
Based on the synopsis that I read that made me interested in the book in the first place, it made it sound like the book was going to be about a town that occasionally sacrificed it's teenagers to keep a forest god happy (like that supernatural episode with the harvest god). I was disappointed to find out that the supernatural element was fake and that there was no way for the reader to have worked out who the actual killer was. Also I stuck with the book through the first half (it was very slow) and it felt like a small betrayal that I had stayed with it only for it to end suddenly, abruptly, and without any satisfying resolution.
oh well, this one goes on my do not read again shelf.
Two weeks before she got there a kid named Gavin Cotswold went missing, a few weeks later another girl was reported missing. The gang tells Clara that the mumbler did it. A mysterious beast that supposedly lives in the forest. Clara isn't sure she believes in the mumbler, but something is out there and it's taking kids.
***Spoilers***
I didn't like this book. I thought it started out really well laying the mystery of the Mumbler, but the Author attempted a plot twist that seemingly came out of left-field. I think that a good mystery should read a little like an Agatha Christie novel, or be like the movie The Usual Suspects. I think that executing a good plot twist means laying out little clues that the reader could potentially latch onto, then when you get to the plot twist you can go back and re-read the book and see that there were hints all along that pointed to the ending of the book but you didn't notice them.
This book laid out the idea of the Mumbler and gave the gang genuine feelings of unease but the mystery kept taking a back seat to Clara learning how to have friends or be in a relationship. The book would point to something not quite being supernatural but then move on a not really give you any clues to the killers actual identity. When the killer was finally revealed I remember thinking, "Who?" I couldn't remember the killer being anywhere else in the book besides right at the end. The ending action was a very small chapter and it felt like I had wasted my time trying to figure out who did it only to realize there was no way for me to have found out.
Based on the synopsis that I read that made me interested in the book in the first place, it made it sound like the book was going to be about a town that occasionally sacrificed it's teenagers to keep a forest god happy (like that supernatural episode with the harvest god). I was disappointed to find out that the supernatural element was fake and that there was no way for the reader to have worked out who the actual killer was. Also I stuck with the book through the first half (it was very slow) and it felt like a small betrayal that I had stayed with it only for it to end suddenly, abruptly, and without any satisfying resolution.
oh well, this one goes on my do not read again shelf.
Jackaby by William Ritter
4.0
Abigail Rook is an adventurous young woman living in the 1890s so she does the only thing she can think of; she runs away from home. She leaves behind her family in search of adventure, and soon finds herself in the United States in a bar talking to a Sherlock Holmes-esque detective, Jackaby, that she soon begins to work for. Quickly she realizes he isn't just perceptive, he can literally see things that others can't, magical things. Her interest piqued she soon becomes his assistant as they struggle to discover what kind of monster is murdering innocent people in their town.
I really liked this book. I think it is very difficult to write in a true Sherlock Holmes style because you have to be well-versed in deductive reasoning, but I think that adding in the fantasy element helps the author here. Because anything that is fantastical can be made up, the author is the expert, so when he writes Jackaby does seem all knowing because the reader, like Abigail, is also learning about the creatures for the first time. I thought that this was an excellent adventure with a good twist. The twist was foreshadowed, which is always fun as a reader because it actually allows you to try and solve the mystery with the main characters. I did, however, only give the book four stars because I did feel like it moved a little slowly, and I was hoping for a little more suspense. All in all, I would recommend this book to mystery lovers.
I really liked this book. I think it is very difficult to write in a true Sherlock Holmes style because you have to be well-versed in deductive reasoning, but I think that adding in the fantasy element helps the author here. Because anything that is fantastical can be made up, the author is the expert, so when he writes Jackaby does seem all knowing because the reader, like Abigail, is also learning about the creatures for the first time. I thought that this was an excellent adventure with a good twist. The twist was foreshadowed, which is always fun as a reader because it actually allows you to try and solve the mystery with the main characters. I did, however, only give the book four stars because I did feel like it moved a little slowly, and I was hoping for a little more suspense. All in all, I would recommend this book to mystery lovers.
The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson
5.0
Stevie Bell was made to leave Ellingham academy after one student died and another went missing. Until one day, when their senator, Edward King, showed up at her house with a proposition for her. She could go back to Ellingham as long as she kept his son David in school. Stevie does whatever she can to get back to the school and away from her parents so she takes the deal and goes back to try and solve the Ellingham case. Armed with a new lead will we finally get answers to who kidnapped Iris and Alice?
I liked this book a lot more than the first one, mostly because I felt like I got a few answers. The mystery still isn't solved for me though and again it leaves me longing for more of a case of the week sort of set up. However, the answers that you are given are satisfying and the questions that the book leaves you with are enticing enough to warrant further reading of the series. I am hoping that the case is resolved in the next book, although I don't think it will be because supposedly there is a fourth book coming out this month. We shall see...
I liked this book a lot more than the first one, mostly because I felt like I got a few answers. The mystery still isn't solved for me though and again it leaves me longing for more of a case of the week sort of set up. However, the answers that you are given are satisfying and the questions that the book leaves you with are enticing enough to warrant further reading of the series. I am hoping that the case is resolved in the next book, although I don't think it will be because supposedly there is a fourth book coming out this month. We shall see...
The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson
5.0
Stevie Bell came to Ellingham Academy to do one thing, solve a one hundred year old mystery. All year she kept finding pieces that connected the past together and even managed to figure out who kidnapped Iris and Alice Ellingham but she can't help but think that the accidents that keep happening around her are just accidents. Will she be able to figure out what is going on at Ellingham Academy in time? Will she ever be able to prove that she solved the case of the Ellingham murders?
I liked this book a lot. I felt like three books is a long time to wrap up one mystery but when the author finally does wrap it up it is satisfying. It reads a lot like an Agatha Christie novel, but with a less sure detective. All the clues were technically in the book the whole time but there was no way I would have pieced it together myself. I just appreciate that the villain didn't come out of left field somewhere. There was a twist but once explained it made sense and was a satisfying conclusion. I am excited to read her next Truly Devious book which has been described as a stand-alone mystery.
I liked this book a lot. I felt like three books is a long time to wrap up one mystery but when the author finally does wrap it up it is satisfying. It reads a lot like an Agatha Christie novel, but with a less sure detective. All the clues were technically in the book the whole time but there was no way I would have pieced it together myself. I just appreciate that the villain didn't come out of left field somewhere. There was a twist but once explained it made sense and was a satisfying conclusion. I am excited to read her next Truly Devious book which has been described as a stand-alone mystery.
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
5.0
Avery Kyli Grambs is doing everything she can to survive high school and make it to college where she will be able to get a degree and help herself and her older sister start to live a better life. She works multiple jobs and lives out of her car and does everything she can to keep her grades up enough to get into a good school. Even her life plan after school is practical. She wants to be an actuarial, not because it's fun, but because of the employment opportunities. So imagine Avery's surprise when she gets called down to the front office to find out she has been named in a will by a billionaire and left his entire estate, effectively taking the family's inheritance. The only stipulation is that she has to live in the billionaire's mansion for one year with the family she unintentionally robbed. Will she make it?
I loved this book so much. There are so few books that I literally couldn't put down but this was one of them. Trying to solve the mystery of why Avery was named in the will is so interesting and the author keeps the book moving along at a good pace with new complications and developments for Avery at every turn. I would recommend this to any lover of mystery. It gives me the same sort of feeling that Knives Out gave me when I watched it, only not all the heirs are bad and evil all the time. Excellent book, excellent enough to warrant a second reading for anything I might have missed the first time.
I loved this book so much. There are so few books that I literally couldn't put down but this was one of them. Trying to solve the mystery of why Avery was named in the will is so interesting and the author keeps the book moving along at a good pace with new complications and developments for Avery at every turn. I would recommend this to any lover of mystery. It gives me the same sort of feeling that Knives Out gave me when I watched it, only not all the heirs are bad and evil all the time. Excellent book, excellent enough to warrant a second reading for anything I might have missed the first time.
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
4.0
Stevie Bell wants to be a detective. Not only that, but someday she'd like to work for the FBI. In order to start working on her dream she applies to the Ellingham Academy, a school where there is no set curriculum, just an expectation that the learner's will apply themselves. This serves two purposes, that Stevie will be able to get away from her overly conservative parents, and that she will be closer to solving the Ellingham murders that happened somewhere on the estate. As she tries to dig in a student dies on campus and Stevie has a chance to try and understand what happened first-hand as cops take on the case.
I liked this book a lot because I thought that the mystery that it set up was really enticing and I thought that it was going to be wrapped up at the end of the novel like most mystery novels. I am actually really glad that I am coming to this series late because Maureen Johnson did not wrap up the mystery at the end of the book and actually left me with more questions than I started with. I am excited to read the next novel to hopefully find out what happens, but I'm not holding my breath that I will find out in book 2 because there are four novels in the series. I would recommend this book if you love mysteries and you can be patient, but I would not recommend it if you like a mystery of the week type set up and you will want some kind of resolution at the end of the book.
I liked this book a lot because I thought that the mystery that it set up was really enticing and I thought that it was going to be wrapped up at the end of the novel like most mystery novels. I am actually really glad that I am coming to this series late because Maureen Johnson did not wrap up the mystery at the end of the book and actually left me with more questions than I started with. I am excited to read the next novel to hopefully find out what happens, but I'm not holding my breath that I will find out in book 2 because there are four novels in the series. I would recommend this book if you love mysteries and you can be patient, but I would not recommend it if you like a mystery of the week type set up and you will want some kind of resolution at the end of the book.
Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter
4.0
Abigail Rook is a pretty good detective now. While she still can't see the things her employer Jackaby sees, she does notice the ordinary things that help propel their investigation forward. This time Jenny is finally ready to discover who killed her, and why she was killed, so the gang go about beginning to solve her murder and finding out who the pale-faced man is, and what he wants.
I loved this book a lot. I really like the wat that William Ritter weaves in fantasy elements and mythology to make the mysteries more interesting. I also like Abigail getting to really be the hero a lot in this volume as there are things that she can do that Jackaby can't and her bravery and willingness make her an invaluable member of their investigative team. I also like how much more depth we get for Jenny's character. The author really makes you care for her in this book, whereas in the first two she is kind of just there so that Abigail has someone to talk to about how weird Jackaby and sort out small details of the case.
I gave this volume four stars instead of five because I did love the last third of the book and it was really exciting but the first two thirds were really slow and I almost gave up on the book (not intentionally, I just wasn't picking it up as much as the first two.)
I loved this book a lot. I really like the wat that William Ritter weaves in fantasy elements and mythology to make the mysteries more interesting. I also like Abigail getting to really be the hero a lot in this volume as there are things that she can do that Jackaby can't and her bravery and willingness make her an invaluable member of their investigative team. I also like how much more depth we get for Jenny's character. The author really makes you care for her in this book, whereas in the first two she is kind of just there so that Abigail has someone to talk to about how weird Jackaby and sort out small details of the case.
I gave this volume four stars instead of five because I did love the last third of the book and it was really exciting but the first two thirds were really slow and I almost gave up on the book (not intentionally, I just wasn't picking it up as much as the first two.)
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
5.0
Five years ago Andie Bell went missing, and the boy accused of murdering her committed suicide, or so everyone thinks. Enter Pippa Fitz-Amobi, an amateur detective. Pippa starts looking into the case as a part of her Senior capstone project but no one in the town really wants to help her or give her interviews for one reason, Pippa doesn't think the boy did it, and the town does. With the help of the accused's brother, Ravi, Pippa starts digging harder and can't believe what she finds, the real question is will she survive long enough to tell anyone?
I loved this book. There was enough information for you, as the reader, to try and piece together the mystery yourself. One of my favorite things about this book is that the mystery isn't just neat. There were a lot of extraneous details that you think are relevant until you get more information then you realize they aren't actually important at all, I like this because I imagine cases are like this in real life. That extraneous details are out there distracting detectives from the clues they actually need. I loved this book because it did feel like a real case that could happen to someone and because not every single piece of evidence she found was wrapped up with a bow at the end of the book. Some of the details you are curious about just aren't relevant to the case, so although you want to know more about them, they don't apply and you have to leave them behind to be able to g=figure out who is really behind everything.
I loved this book. There was enough information for you, as the reader, to try and piece together the mystery yourself. One of my favorite things about this book is that the mystery isn't just neat. There were a lot of extraneous details that you think are relevant until you get more information then you realize they aren't actually important at all, I like this because I imagine cases are like this in real life. That extraneous details are out there distracting detectives from the clues they actually need. I loved this book because it did feel like a real case that could happen to someone and because not every single piece of evidence she found was wrapped up with a bow at the end of the book. Some of the details you are curious about just aren't relevant to the case, so although you want to know more about them, they don't apply and you have to leave them behind to be able to g=figure out who is really behind everything.
Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson
5.0
Pippa's podcast about catching the murderers in her town has gone viral, but she herself has turned away from detective work, that is until her friend Connor comes to her house looking for help because his older brother has gone missing. She turned away from detective work because of how obsessive and reckless it made her, but when the police tell her that the missing kid is a low-risk case she realizes someone has to do something or Connor's older brother Jamie could be missing forever.
I loved this one even more than the last one! Something that I think Holly Jackson does really well is she starts laying out clues for character shifts long before the character does anything that might shock us. For example, one of Pippa's friends starts behaving meanly towards her, which normally would shock us and we would be wondering where it came from, except that this author really though her writing through so that nothing the characters do seems out of character for them, unless it is supposed to of course. I love reading her mysteries because you can kind of work out who the killer might be right alongside Pippa. I said this in my review of "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder," but I this book series gives me serious Agatha Christie vibes, and that is the highest honor I can give a mystery novel.
I loved this one even more than the last one! Something that I think Holly Jackson does really well is she starts laying out clues for character shifts long before the character does anything that might shock us. For example, one of Pippa's friends starts behaving meanly towards her, which normally would shock us and we would be wondering where it came from, except that this author really though her writing through so that nothing the characters do seems out of character for them, unless it is supposed to of course. I love reading her mysteries because you can kind of work out who the killer might be right alongside Pippa. I said this in my review of "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder," but I this book series gives me serious Agatha Christie vibes, and that is the highest honor I can give a mystery novel.
They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman
3.0
Jill Newman is a scholarship kid going to an elite school on the east coast. Everything she is supposed to be doing should be pointing her towards college, so why is she a part of the players? The players are an exclusive club at school that tortures it's members but making them humiliate themselves in order to gain access to the files, a set of records that has the answers to all the tests at school as well as elite study guides for the SATs and connections to help students get into Ivy league schools. Five years ago when Jill was trying to join the Players her best friend died, but now Jill isn't so sure that the story adds up. Can she go against the players, and the school's wishes and find out what really happened to her friend that night?
This book was only okay for me. The plot was interesting enough for me to keep reading because I wanted to find out what happened, but the book moved really slowly and wasn't enough of a mystery to really call it a mystery. The book mostly just recounts Jill's relationship with her best friend in her memories, and how she is feeling in her current relationships in the present. A lot of the book is how messed up the players are, not about solving the mystery, and when they do solve the mystery it is the smallest part of the book and the twist is clear a mile off. If you like shows like gossip girl about intrigue and elite private groups getting into trouble because they are rich and they can, then this book would probably be perfect for you. If you prefer investigative mystery novels, then I would keep looking. The plot also moved too slowly for my taste. It was okay, but not one I will read again, unless of course I forgot what the plot was, because it was a little forgettable.
This book was only okay for me. The plot was interesting enough for me to keep reading because I wanted to find out what happened, but the book moved really slowly and wasn't enough of a mystery to really call it a mystery. The book mostly just recounts Jill's relationship with her best friend in her memories, and how she is feeling in her current relationships in the present. A lot of the book is how messed up the players are, not about solving the mystery, and when they do solve the mystery it is the smallest part of the book and the twist is clear a mile off. If you like shows like gossip girl about intrigue and elite private groups getting into trouble because they are rich and they can, then this book would probably be perfect for you. If you prefer investigative mystery novels, then I would keep looking. The plot also moved too slowly for my taste. It was okay, but not one I will read again, unless of course I forgot what the plot was, because it was a little forgettable.