lightasrain's review
4.0
I liked the first book better, even though I like this one as well. This one has less mystery and more lore building. Still a 4.5 stars read for me! I cannot wait to see how the story ends.
danilanglie's review
3.0
Super cute, as always. This is a loyalty read since I know the author's sibling and now I buy all her books. I also like the opportunity to check in on the state of middle-grade fiction sometimes, since I don't have any kiddos in my life who are at this reading level, and I find what kids these days might be reading to be an interesting topic!
I love the spooky vibes, and the simple moral lessons here. This is a book that deals with trauma and anger, and also has a very clever conceit in its worldbuilding as to why the adults in these children's lives cannot help them in their dangerous quests. Often you have kids with dead parents for just this reason, so they can go on adventures without anyone there to notice what they're up to. This is a clever twist on that premise that I quite enjoy.
The atmospheric elements, the scary monsters, the chilling adversaries, are all the kinds of things that I bet would genuinely have frightened twelve-year-old me! Hell, there's a moment when Eleanor sees a creepy man tapping on the glass from the inside of a portrait and that might just end up haunting twenty-eight-year-old me just as well!
I love the spooky vibes, and the simple moral lessons here. This is a book that deals with trauma and anger, and also has a very clever conceit in its worldbuilding as to why the adults in these children's lives cannot help them in their dangerous quests. Often you have kids with dead parents for just this reason, so they can go on adventures without anyone there to notice what they're up to. This is a clever twist on that premise that I quite enjoy.
The atmospheric elements, the scary monsters, the chilling adversaries, are all the kinds of things that I bet would genuinely have frightened twelve-year-old me! Hell, there's a moment when Eleanor sees a creepy man tapping on the glass from the inside of a portrait and that might just end up haunting twenty-eight-year-old me just as well!
megandherbook's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-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? Yes
4.0
The next book in the Thirteens series starts with three friends, Eleanor, Otto, and Pip, anxiously waiting to see what Mr. January’s sisters have in store for them. Soon they start realizing people are disappearing and there’s a monster lurking around. Soon they are living in a real life fairy tale and are fighting for not only the town, but their families.
I enjoyed this one even more than the first one in parts. It seems that the stakes are higher, but this group has proven that they aren’t easy to beat. With some characters being introduced and a chance for the grown ups to join the fold (even if they don’t realize it) it made the story just hopeful enough, even when things are looking a bit dim for them. I can’t wait to read the third book to see what happens to this group and this town.
liv_ingmydash's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
2.5
tiffani_reads's review
4.0
*Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for providing me with an advanced copy of this book to read and review.
This second instalment of this series picks up a few months after the events of the first book have concluded. When we meet Otto, Pip, and Eleanor again, they have been hard at work trying to figure out a way to beat the curse that Mr. January placed on them and their town. However, the season for his sister is almost upon them and they will have to survive her first if they have any hope of defeating Mr. January.
This book is just as good as the first one, a super quick read but I found that I was missing something that made me love it as much as I did the first one. I still think that this friend group is one of my favourites I have ever read. I think I didn't love all the new characters introduced, they added a lot of busyness that the story didn't need. I know they helped to propel the story along but I could have done without a few of them because we were already getting a different story line with Mrs. Prosper. It will be interesting to see how they factor into the stories as this series progresses and what role they play in the overall conclusion. My guess is that there will be at least 2 more books in this series because they still have to defeat Mr. January's other sister, and then beat the curse and that seems like too much to cram into just one book.
I am really loving all the subtle Greek mythology references in these books and the whole hero storyline that is going on throughout these books. I am interested to see who this next sister is and if she will play into the seasonal theme like the last one did with the spring reference. Or, if her "season" will be something else entirely. Overall, still loving this series and cannot wait to see where it goes in the future.
This second instalment of this series picks up a few months after the events of the first book have concluded. When we meet Otto, Pip, and Eleanor again, they have been hard at work trying to figure out a way to beat the curse that Mr. January placed on them and their town. However, the season for his sister is almost upon them and they will have to survive her first if they have any hope of defeating Mr. January.
This book is just as good as the first one, a super quick read but I found that I was missing something that made me love it as much as I did the first one. I still think that this friend group is one of my favourites I have ever read. I think I didn't love all the new characters introduced, they added a lot of busyness that the story didn't need. I know they helped to propel the story along but I could have done without a few of them because we were already getting a different story line with Mrs. Prosper. It will be interesting to see how they factor into the stories as this series progresses and what role they play in the overall conclusion. My guess is that there will be at least 2 more books in this series because they still have to defeat Mr. January's other sister, and then beat the curse and that seems like too much to cram into just one book.
I am really loving all the subtle Greek mythology references in these books and the whole hero storyline that is going on throughout these books. I am interested to see who this next sister is and if she will play into the seasonal theme like the last one did with the spring reference. Or, if her "season" will be something else entirely. Overall, still loving this series and cannot wait to see where it goes in the future.
shouldireadthis's review
4.0
4 stars.
Things I liked:
- super creepy vibes yet again
- another great horror series like small spaces
- Mr January’s family is rly grim and eerie, which is fabulous and suits this book
- great Halloween atmosphere
- interesting stories about how jack, the hedge witch and the girl with the backward hands fit in - lots of places the author could go with this story in the next instalment and I’m interested to hear more about the girl with the backwards hands
Things I didn’t like:
- characters are less likeable in this book than in the first, pip for example is extremely annoying
- super confusing ending and although this seems like the point it’s very cliff hanger-y and needs more explanation (hopefully via a sequel) to make things slot into place more
Fave quote: ‘I am brilliant at many things. Chores are not among them’ (honestly a vibe, same)
Fave characters: Eleanor/Elle
Ratings
Worldbuilding: 3.5/5
Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Writing style: 4/5
Things I liked:
- super creepy vibes yet again
- another great horror series like small spaces
- Mr January’s family is rly grim and eerie, which is fabulous and suits this book
- great Halloween atmosphere
- interesting stories about how jack, the hedge witch and the girl with the backward hands fit in - lots of places the author could go with this story in the next instalment and I’m interested to hear more about the girl with the backwards hands
Things I didn’t like:
- characters are less likeable in this book than in the first, pip for example is extremely annoying
- super confusing ending and although this seems like the point it’s very cliff hanger-y and needs more explanation (hopefully via a sequel) to make things slot into place more
Fave quote: ‘I am brilliant at many things. Chores are not among them’ (honestly a vibe, same)
Fave characters: Eleanor/Elle
Ratings
Worldbuilding: 3.5/5
Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Writing style: 4/5
legithdnelson's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
sirensaria's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't as scary as the first one, though. This was more about mystery and the three solving it. I still thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a lot more character growth in this, too. Pip especially grew a lot. I seriously can't wait for the next book!
iamcaryn's review against another edition
5.0
This series is seriously astonishing!
It has the perfect level of spook and thrills all mixed together with a great gang of teens.
I found this just as enjoyable as the first book and it left me eager to read more.
It has the perfect level of spook and thrills all mixed together with a great gang of teens.
I found this just as enjoyable as the first book and it left me eager to read more.