Reviews

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart

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meganchristine's review against another edition

3.0

⭐️3.5⭐️

This installment of the Mysterious Benedict Society and their quest to defeat Mr. Curtian… begins months after the groups has safely returned home from their “ Perilous journey”. They are under strict rules, which includes rarely leaving the house, in fear of Mr. Curtian capturing them.
When the house is attacked one night… the families have no choice but to flee. In the midst of all this commotion, they are also dealing with Constance and her new found memories (which has resulted in her defying Benedict’s rules). Along with the fact that the “whisperer” has been stolen again!
When the kids come face to face with Mr. Curtian, they find themselves in dire need of another “infamous M.B.S. escape”. This is where the real fun begins!

This book was quite interesting, but there wasn’t really anything new! I enjoyed following along with the children’s adventures as usual, however it lacked the uniqueness the other books had! I really enjoyed the riddles and puzzles in the last two books, but there was barely any in this one! It focused/ relied on Constance and her power a little too much. It just made the whole thing seem a little to easy!
One thing this book did have though was suspense! I was actually nervous during the attack on the house. Not to mention what Milligan was faced with! I think this would have been a decent end to the series.. but I am very glad there is still one more left!

Also one last important question… is anyone certain of what Mr. Curtian’s plan for the whisperer actually is?! I get the concept of it… but I don’t really understand the details! Like is he just that obsessed with power? If that’s the case, was the only plot in this specific book about the government officials and their secrets? Also…. HOW DIDN’T S.Q. end up like the others?!

a_writer_guy's review against another edition

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4.0

This was probably my favorite of the three books. It took a little while to get going, but when it did, the story was funny, exciting, and gripping. I think it was a perfect ending for The Mysterious Benedict Society, although somewhat bittersweet. But, as Reynie would say, "Maybe we should get a taste for bittersweet, then everything would feel wonderful." I'd love to see these four kids back in action, but at the same time, seeing them finally be able to rest and be kids is satisfying. It was a great book and perfect for anyone who loves an innocent caper.

a_____a's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

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

5.0

artmajorese's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced

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

4.0

lozziereads's review against another edition

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3.0

man... not the telepathic four year old curing his narcolepsy

mdjohnson's review against another edition

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2.0

A favorite quote: "What good did worrying do? At this very moment Sticky was sitting beside him on the step, recounting a study he'd read on the 'potentially salubrious effects of daydreams on mental health,' and below them Constance was attempting to retie her shoe with her mittens still on, and Kate was there in the yard, spinning with her arms out wide and gazing up at her falcon in the sky. Reynie took a mental picture, and saved it." (p. 36)

Did I cry?: no/a little bit/a good amount/wept

Loved:

I love the idea of basing this book around the "prisoner's dilemma" presented at the very beginning. The themes of loyalty, trust, and honor are interwoven throughout the story, forcing both the reader and the characters to face the "dilemma" in a variety of scenarios.

Other notes:

We all know this is the weakest book of the original trilogy. The pacing is a little weird. Nothing really "happens" until about halfway through the book, and by the time you get to the end, everything is happening very quickly.

Spoiler

Stewart spends all this time building up Mr. Benedict potentially being able to cure his narcolepsy using the Whisperer, and then when Constance is actually able to cure him at the very end of the book, the scene is about two pages long and gives no real details as to how she actually did it.

This book's sense of "purpose" isn't as strong as the first two, at least to me. The first book, like any good introduction to a series, establishes the characters and their enemies in an action-packed adventure. The second book takes those characters we have grown to love and lets them bloom; each member of the Society experiences a good amount of character development. But what does this book do for the characters? It's obvious to me that Stewart intended this to be the original ending to the series, although we now know he wrote a fourth book about a decade later.

Spoiler

Was the point of this book to provide a satisfying ending to Mr. Curtain's story? Because, due to the aforementioned pacing issues, I don't think it really does that. There seem to be a lot of loose ends and plot holes, unless I'm missing something. Do we really think Mr. Curtain is just going to sit in jail for the rest of his life without attempting any more evil plans?

Of course, I haven't read the fourth book yet, so maybe this is coming. But for the original ending of the series, it just doesn't stick the landing. Maybe this re-read just rubbed me the wrong way. I'm open to the possibility that I might revisit this book in a few years and love it and think it's actually the best book in the series.