bookshop_b's review against another edition
4.0
This book gave me a major case of the hebe-gebes. No joke, I seriously felt like someone was watching me while I read this book...
Maybe it was Epsilon...
Besides the spookiness, this book was AMAZING! This book was probably written for me to be honest as it contains all my favourite things.
Favourite things:
1) Books set in the UK
2) Riddles and poems (especially creepy ones)
3) Treasure hunts
4) Weird old ladies
5) Castles next to lakes
And this book had them all!! :D :D :D
The only problem... It's a stand-alone. No more treasure hunts :(
Maybe it was Epsilon...
Besides the spookiness, this book was AMAZING! This book was probably written for me to be honest as it contains all my favourite things.
Favourite things:
1) Books set in the UK
2) Riddles and poems (especially creepy ones)
3) Treasure hunts
4) Weird old ladies
5) Castles next to lakes
And this book had them all!! :D :D :D
The only problem... It's a stand-alone. No more treasure hunts :(
rjdrakey's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
bookmom92's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
jgyweniverel's review against another edition
5.0
The Riddles of Epsilon keeps you on the edge of your seat after you realize you don't know who to trust.
I love to try and break codes and so this book was great for me, plus you put in the fact that you don't know who you can trust.
I like how the author combine all the past with the present and trying to save the future.
I love to try and break codes and so this book was great for me, plus you put in the fact that you don't know who you can trust.
I like how the author combine all the past with the present and trying to save the future.
heydreamer09's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
givethatbooknerd's review
2.0
This book was a trainwreck. An enjoyable one, but still a trainwreck.
The first thing that bothered me was that there didn't seem to be a specific target audience. The main character is 14, so you'd guess that the target age is 12-14ish. The writing is easy enough to follow, but the content sometimes isn't. The main character talks about having drunk alcohol and smoked a cigarette (admittedly only once) before the start of the book. Her friend talks about taking drugs. Her mom had an affair before the story starts. All these things might belong in a middle grade book, but not in such an offhanded way as here. The first three are not relevant to the story at all, the last one only a bit.
Another thing I found very annoying was that people's roles were very unclear. Epsilon wants Jessica to solve all these riddles and sort of gives clues to how to solve them, but he already knows the answer. It's not explained anywhere why he doesn't just tell Jessica the answer. Same goes for the old lady. The doctor and Ely remain a mystery.
Yet another thing was the urgency in the book: it went back and forth from end-of-the-world urgent to not urgent at all, so fast I got a whiplash. Jessica's just encountered Epsilon in a private chat room and he asks her to do something and she should do it now. Jessica kind of puts it off, and Epsilon reacts something along the lines of "May I remind you that we don't have time? Hurry!". It's never said why they don't have time, or even what might be coming when time runs out, or when the time will be up. When her mother was in danger one night at this island gathering, Jessica went from "OMG IS MOM OKAY WHERE IS SHE" to chillin' at the campfire. As for the bad guy, we don't even know what he wanted. World domination? Vengeance? A McDonalds on the island? Who knows!
Figuring out the riddles was fun tho.
The first thing that bothered me was that there didn't seem to be a specific target audience. The main character is 14, so you'd guess that the target age is 12-14ish. The writing is easy enough to follow, but the content sometimes isn't. The main character talks about having drunk alcohol and smoked a cigarette (admittedly only once) before the start of the book. Her friend talks about taking drugs. Her mom had an affair before the story starts. All these things might belong in a middle grade book, but not in such an offhanded way as here. The first three are not relevant to the story at all, the last one only a bit.
Another thing I found very annoying was that people's roles were very unclear. Epsilon wants Jessica to solve all these riddles and sort of gives clues to how to solve them, but he already knows the answer. It's not explained anywhere why he doesn't just tell Jessica the answer. Same goes for the old lady. The doctor and Ely remain a mystery.
Yet another thing was the urgency in the book: it went back and forth from end-of-the-world urgent to not urgent at all, so fast I got a whiplash. Jessica's just encountered Epsilon in a private chat room and he asks her to do something and she should do it now. Jessica kind of puts it off, and Epsilon reacts something along the lines of "May I remind you that we don't have time? Hurry!". It's never said why they don't have time, or even what might be coming when time runs out, or when the time will be up. When her mother was in danger one night at this island gathering, Jessica went from "OMG IS MOM OKAY WHERE IS SHE" to chillin' at the campfire. As for the bad guy, we don't even know what he wanted. World domination? Vengeance? A McDonalds on the island? Who knows!
Figuring out the riddles was fun tho.
amberacks12's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book because it is something that I am not used to. It is an intriguing mix of mystery and fantasy. I found myself gripped in the mystery of Lume Island as much as Jessica was. The Lumic code and the clues that were left by the being Epsilon kept me involved in solving it myself. This novel also explores some fascinating ideas about time and life that really made me think and see the world in a different way.