Reviews

I have not read any of the other books in the series, but it was the only book set at Christmas that my library had that seemed interesting. Luckily, it wasn't too bad of a book to start out with, even though they do keep mentioning stuff that happened in the earlier books.

It did provide the Christmas atmosphere that I was looking for. I loved the subplot that had Flavia trying to trap Father Christmas. The setting was definitely my favorite thing about this book.

I am going to check out the other books in the series. I liked the characters, and I want to know more about them. The mystery wasn't that great. It took a really long time for someone to die. The victim was obvious as soon as we met them. The mystery isn't enough to keep me from wanting to read the rest of the books, because there was some pretty interesting clues even though the mystery didn't seem to have much focus.

vireogirl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious tense medium-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

3.75

The chaos and trouble jumped up a notch. Fun Christmas theme.

Content Warnings

svreads's review against another edition

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5.0

"There were times when I felt as if I were standing astride a cold ocean - one foot in the New World and one foot in the Old. As they drifted relentlessly apart, I was in danger of being torn up the middle."

Flavia de Luce is without a doubt my favorite protagonist ever. Murder and mystery and movie stars and Christmas? I'll take it.

evoss14's review against another edition

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4.0

A fun ride. I love following the ongoing family dynamics!

connormcdavid's review against another edition

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tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

legendary quote ‘“she was more than brave,’” she said. “She was British.”’ possibly redeemed the whole thing

ohhh my goddd this was soooooo slow like the payoff was good but it wasn't really a payoff? like they kinda just jumped out of nowhere but whatever. why did it take half the book for her to die

leasummer's review against another edition

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4.0

Set at Christmastime, when I saw this on a list of recommended holiday mysteries I was intrigued by the young amateur detective with a passion of chemistry and science even though I rarely read male authors (and find a man writing a young female character odd). This did not disappoint as the protagonist was a delight and the way she went about solving the case was entertaining. It was a cozy read on a snowy day just right for the holiday season.

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