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sereia8's review against another edition
4.0
Flavia never fails to entertain! A great new installment in this delightful mystery series.
timinbc's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as the others, for me.
The whole relationship with the family, except Dogger, seemed badly skewed, even allowing for her having been away. And after the second time she was unable to visit Dad, we knew she wasn't going to until the end of the book; I think that could have been done better.
Also didn't care for the repeated excursions into the snow on her bike, with no suggestion of gloves or a coat or anything at all.
She's growing up, and allowed more freedom, but that part also seems to have been rushed a bit. She's still 12, but usually acts like early 20s.
The singer. Oh, puh-leese, what a dreadful character. Too bad, because others were quite good, and I like what Bradley did with Inspector Hewitt this time.
Finally, I didn't like the case she was solving. It was pretty clear early on that Things Are Not As They Seem, and in the end the whole setup was quite implausible.
Not bad, but not at all as good as the others.
The whole relationship with the family, except Dogger, seemed badly skewed, even allowing for her having been away. And after the second time she was unable to visit Dad, we knew she wasn't going to until the end of the book; I think that could have been done better.
Also didn't care for the repeated excursions into the snow on her bike, with no suggestion of gloves or a coat or anything at all.
She's growing up, and allowed more freedom, but that part also seems to have been rushed a bit. She's still 12, but usually acts like early 20s.
The singer. Oh, puh-leese, what a dreadful character. Too bad, because others were quite good, and I like what Bradley did with Inspector Hewitt this time.
Finally, I didn't like the case she was solving. It was pretty clear early on that Things Are Not As They Seem, and in the end the whole setup was quite implausible.
Not bad, but not at all as good as the others.
thenovelbook's review against another edition
4.0
The Flavia books keep getting better.
I started to figure out a couple of the plot twists well before they were explained, and the mystery itself was not so compelling as the interactions were. It's interesting to analyze Flavia's world: she's on the brink of growing up, and this constantly surprises her. She's starting to understand why you have to do small talk, why it helps to show sympathy to people, and how to be self-controlled. She's gained a few allies in the adult world around her, and anytime she manages to be a team player with them instead of just the kid in the room, you can feel the victory dance going on in her mind.
At the same time, she's still the kid who invests her bicycle with a name (Gladys), a personality, and feelings. She's still a loner within her family. She's in an in-between state, but on the learning curve to adulthood, she's starting to accelerate. It's a path that is written most effectively and poignantly.
So, quite a good read because of the deft portrayal of a...13-year-old or thereabouts, can't remember for sure?
But oh, that ending. Sad cliffhanger. I was seized with forebodings a few pages from the end, and they proved true.
I started to figure out a couple of the plot twists well before they were explained, and the mystery itself was not so compelling as the interactions were. It's interesting to analyze Flavia's world: she's on the brink of growing up, and this constantly surprises her. She's starting to understand why you have to do small talk, why it helps to show sympathy to people, and how to be self-controlled. She's gained a few allies in the adult world around her, and anytime she manages to be a team player with them instead of just the kid in the room, you can feel the victory dance going on in her mind.
At the same time, she's still the kid who invests her bicycle with a name (Gladys), a personality, and feelings. She's still a loner within her family. She's in an in-between state, but on the learning curve to adulthood, she's starting to accelerate. It's a path that is written most effectively and poignantly.
So, quite a good read because of the deft portrayal of a...13-year-old or thereabouts, can't remember for sure?
But oh, that ending. Sad cliffhanger. I was seized with forebodings a few pages from the end, and they proved true.
bibliophile80's review against another edition
5.0
I adore Flavia! It's good to have her back in Bishop's Lacey. I missed her supporting cast while she was in Canada. This is classic Flavia: chemistry, cooking meals in her lab, finding dead bodies, solving (most of the) mysteries, preening about her deductive skills, enjoying Gladys, bonding with Dogger... There was much less little sister mischief in this volume, so perhaps Flavia really is growing up. This had a tough ending but I won't spoil it. An excellent novel that shows Bradley hasn't gotten lazy.
artbookshelfodyssey's review against another edition
5.0
This book was excellent... especially that wonderful, edge of your seat, heart-wrenching ending.
Alan Bradley had better be hard at work on the next one. Ack! I love this series so much.
Alan Bradley had better be hard at work on the next one. Ack! I love this series so much.
flutegirl24's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
katross4's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
theglossreview's review against another edition
2.0
No! Just no! What a disappointment.
I took notes while reading this detective novel, solving the mystery alongside Flavia de Luce – or so I thought. The case was a disappointment. Every “revelation“ left me wondering why: Why would they do that? Why would they go or stay there? Why would they choose that moment in time? Why would they send these people to that place? As good as nothing made sense.
While I still like the first six and the last volume, I’m sorry to say that this was the weakest instalment in the Flavia de Luce series.
I took notes while reading this detective novel, solving the mystery alongside Flavia de Luce – or so I thought. The case was a disappointment. Every “revelation“ left me wondering why: Why would they do that? Why would they go or stay there? Why would they choose that moment in time? Why would they send these people to that place? As good as nothing made sense.
While I still like the first six and the last volume, I’m sorry to say that this was the weakest instalment in the Flavia de Luce series.
alidottie's review against another edition
4.0
I was disappointed in the ending of this book so if I have any recommendation it's that you don't read this book until the next one is out and you can read that one right away!