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aotales's review against another edition
2.0
A completely disappointing sequel that achieved absolutely no forward momentum within the series or character progression, other than to poorly reconfigure all the elements, heroes and villains of book one into a new and less pleasing configuration. Brutally slow pacing combined with turning the main character into a moody, judgemental snoot … Yeah, daughter and I didn’t like this one.
awesomebrandi's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars if I'm feeling generous. What a complete let down after a lovely first book. This was mostly confusing, disjointed; and had weird, heavy moralistic value lessons about putting up with bad behavior and always being nice.. the end got weirdly intense, and then everything was fine again. It was just a mere shadow of the first book. So disappointing!
hannasunshine's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
parmis9819's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
hailey's review against another edition
3.0
What keeps me from absolutely loving this series are the characters. They are exactly that, just characters. They don't really feel like fully fleshed-out people with their own motivations, instead they say and do things more to move the plot along. This series is really fun, regardless, I just tend toward loving more character-driven books than plot-driven. I know people really love this series and I have always recommended it for individuals who love classic, puzzle adventures.
coutures1513's review against another edition
3.0
J’ai bien aimé, ça se lit aussi bien que le premier.
Par contre, la raison pour laquelle je lui enlève une étoile, c’est que l’histoire est pratiquement identique au tome 1.
Spoilers:
Elizabeth mène son enquête contre l’avis de Norbridge avec son ami Freddy qui lui n’est pas certain de s’embarquer dans cette histoire. Ça se déroule au même moment de l’année que le tome, mais 1 an plus tard… il n’y avait pas d’éléments de surprise.
Par contre, la raison pour laquelle je lui enlève une étoile, c’est que l’histoire est pratiquement identique au tome 1.
Spoilers:
Elizabeth mène son enquête contre l’avis de Norbridge avec son ami Freddy qui lui n’est pas certain de s’embarquer dans cette histoire. Ça se déroule au même moment de l’année que le tome, mais 1 an plus tard… il n’y avait pas d’éléments de surprise.
mamradabroskve's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
gemmarobbo4's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
jquellin's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
asreadbykat's review against another edition
4.0
True Rating: 4.35/5 Stars
Content/Trigger Warnings: Discussions of death, brief non-graphic depiction of someone dying
My Thoughts
Like the first boo, my writing of this review is my second time reading this novel (although I never added it to GR). I honestly forgot most of what happened, however, so it was almost like reading it for the first time again. And, just as with "Winter House," this novel is a nice cozy, wintery fantasy/mystery for readers old or young.
This is a pretty good example of how to keep what was good about the first installment in a series, but add in something new. "Secrets of Winterhouse" doesn't ignore the trauma Elizabeth experienced in the first novel; it touches on it, hinting multiple times that she still has a lingering fear over what happened with Gracella, and that she still suffers in different ways from the encounter. Elizabeth also now has to deal with having family that really and obviously cares about her, something she's not used to, and this causes a very realistic conflict when she wants to be involved in the darker and more mysterious goings-on but is held back by her grandfather.
If the first Winterhouse novel focused more on the setting and world building, this one definitely focuses more on Elizabeth as a character and the growth she goes through. There are still fun puzzles, interesting side characters, and that touch of fantasy and whimsy that made the first book so charming and cozy. However, this book adds in the necessary pre-teen angst a 12-year-old may experience and combines it with Elizabeth's particular circumstances.
Again, this isn't a series that's going to rock anyone's world. It's not mind-blowing, it's not trying to get some big message across, and it's not filled with the biggest battles. But it's a warm, cozy novel that's great to read on a cold winter night, and if you're looking for something relatively low-stakes then this is a trilogy for you.
Content/Trigger Warnings: Discussions of death, brief non-graphic depiction of someone dying
My Thoughts
Like the first boo, my writing of this review is my second time reading this novel (although I never added it to GR). I honestly forgot most of what happened, however, so it was almost like reading it for the first time again. And, just as with "Winter House," this novel is a nice cozy, wintery fantasy/mystery for readers old or young.
This is a pretty good example of how to keep what was good about the first installment in a series, but add in something new. "Secrets of Winterhouse" doesn't ignore the trauma Elizabeth experienced in the first novel; it touches on it, hinting multiple times that she still has a lingering fear over what happened with Gracella, and that she still suffers in different ways from the encounter. Elizabeth also now has to deal with having family that really and obviously cares about her, something she's not used to, and this causes a very realistic conflict when she wants to be involved in the darker and more mysterious goings-on but is held back by her grandfather.
If the first Winterhouse novel focused more on the setting and world building, this one definitely focuses more on Elizabeth as a character and the growth she goes through. There are still fun puzzles, interesting side characters, and that touch of fantasy and whimsy that made the first book so charming and cozy. However, this book adds in the necessary pre-teen angst a 12-year-old may experience and combines it with Elizabeth's particular circumstances.
Again, this isn't a series that's going to rock anyone's world. It's not mind-blowing, it's not trying to get some big message across, and it's not filled with the biggest battles. But it's a warm, cozy novel that's great to read on a cold winter night, and if you're looking for something relatively low-stakes then this is a trilogy for you.