divine529's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I had an absolutely fantastic time with this book.
This follows our main protagonist Emmy who is living alone with her mother in the U.S. when one day she gets shipped off to a prestigious boarding school in the UK where she discovers a secret society that may have ties to her father who she hasn't seen since she was three and things go from there.
Even though this spans an entire school year, this had a very autumnal vibe to it with the boarding school and the forest and secret societies and everything it's just perfect for this time of year. The plot was engaging and I really liked the balance between school work, fun and the mystery plot, it was all very well done. Emmy was a delight and I adored both Lola and Jack as well as Barlowe. They were all absolutely fantastic characters and the dynamics were great. It makes me want to go to Wellsworth and join them all in the action (football/soccer included).
This was an absolute delight and I can't wait to pick up the next installment!
This follows our main protagonist Emmy who is living alone with her mother in the U.S. when one day she gets shipped off to a prestigious boarding school in the UK where she discovers a secret society that may have ties to her father who she hasn't seen since she was three and things go from there.
Even though this spans an entire school year, this had a very autumnal vibe to it with the boarding school and the forest and secret societies and everything it's just perfect for this time of year. The plot was engaging and I really liked the balance between school work, fun and the mystery plot, it was all very well done. Emmy was a delight and I adored both Lola and Jack as well as Barlowe. They were all absolutely fantastic characters and the dynamics were great. It makes me want to go to Wellsworth and join them all in the action (football/soccer included).
This was an absolute delight and I can't wait to pick up the next installment!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Abandonment
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/injury detail, Violence, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Car accident, Medical content, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Grief
genny's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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
3.75
Just what I needed to get me out of my reading slump: a middle-grade mystery with endearing characters in a gloomy-yet-cozy boarding school setting. It did remind me of Harry Potter, but maybe that's my own bias showing, as English boarding schools always remind of Harry Potter. 😅
Emmy is a protagonist you'll root for from the very beginning; there were times I wanted to just hug her. Jack and Lola are great foils to her character. I wish we were given time to linger over their more mundane school days so we could feel even more immersed in the setting. I did love all of the talk about architecture! As for the mystery, it was intriguing enough with a suitably thrilling climax, though some of the twists were easy to guess. This is a middle-grade, though, so I'm not docking points for that. I think this would be a nice starting point for young readers interested in the genre!
Emmy is a protagonist you'll root for from the very beginning; there were times I wanted to just hug her. Jack and Lola are great foils to her character. I wish we were given time to linger over their more mundane school days so we could feel even more immersed in the setting. I did love all of the talk about architecture! As for the mystery, it was intriguing enough with a suitably thrilling climax, though some of the twists were easy to guess. This is a middle-grade, though, so I'm not docking points for that. I think this would be a nice starting point for young readers interested in the genre!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Abandonment and Violence
Minor: Injury/injury detail, Blood, and Death of parent
delwithit's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Abandonment
mandkips's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Abandonment
kaylaphaneuf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Abandonment, Blood, Bullying, and Injury/injury detail
yvonne_cl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Bullying
Moderate: Violence
More...