anuaggarwal's review against another edition
4.0
entering my “reading middle school books as an adult” era
adeperi's review against another edition
3.0
A bit strange, but entertaining enough to keep me interested.
read_with_cereal's review against another edition
I think I may be passed the age range for this.
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
This was a absolutely hilarious book! This book reminds me quite a bit of Lemony Snicket's - Unfortunate Events and of Trenton Lee Stewart's - Benedict Society books.
I absolutely loved the creative narration, the little parts that he stopped the story to tell us something, a secret or a warning of just a hint of information.
The 2 main characters: Cass and Max-Ernest take some getting used to. You might, especially in the beginning, find them a bit annoying, but I really liked them at the end of the book. They really grew and learned things and became better characters.
The story itself was brilliant, the villains were true villains. Not the cutesy one you some times see in stories. No real villains with evil plans. I can't imagine what the secret is, but I am highly curious to what it is!
I just bought book 2 and 3, and hope they are just as much fun, just as interesting and have enough sleuthing as this book has.
Since this book really was great, here are some of my favourite quotes:
Generally speaking, books don't cause much harm. Except when you read them, that is. Then they cause all kinds of problems.
It was like walking into a treasure trove of books, hoarded by pirate librarians.
Only bad books have good endings.
If a book is any good, it's ending is always bad - because you don't want the book to end.
Books can also provoke emotions. And emotions sometimes are even more troublesome than ideas. Emotions have led people to do all sorts of things they later regret-like, oh, throwing a book at someone else.
So I would really recommend this to everyone, be them a child or a parent or just an adult seeking a fun book!
I absolutely loved the creative narration, the little parts that he stopped the story to tell us something, a secret or a warning of just a hint of information.
The 2 main characters: Cass and Max-Ernest take some getting used to. You might, especially in the beginning, find them a bit annoying, but I really liked them at the end of the book. They really grew and learned things and became better characters.
The story itself was brilliant, the villains were true villains. Not the cutesy one you some times see in stories. No real villains with evil plans. I can't imagine what the secret is, but I am highly curious to what it is!
I just bought book 2 and 3, and hope they are just as much fun, just as interesting and have enough sleuthing as this book has.
Since this book really was great, here are some of my favourite quotes:
Generally speaking, books don't cause much harm. Except when you read them, that is. Then they cause all kinds of problems.
It was like walking into a treasure trove of books, hoarded by pirate librarians.
Only bad books have good endings.
If a book is any good, it's ending is always bad - because you don't want the book to end.
Books can also provoke emotions. And emotions sometimes are even more troublesome than ideas. Emotions have led people to do all sorts of things they later regret-like, oh, throwing a book at someone else.
So I would really recommend this to everyone, be them a child or a parent or just an adult seeking a fun book!
danak's review against another edition
4.0
A fun and mystery filled novel - not sure if I have understood the whole mystery but that probably gets revealed in the next books.
martinhope19's review against another edition
4.5
This is an awesome, unique book and I love the second person narrative. I would reread this. It honestly lost points for the ending with the character list (it just made it too long).
jencarp8's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
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? No
4.0
ellozx's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
i loved the narrator and the general writing style of the book, and i genuinely feel like i would’ve loved it if i read this as a kid (missed opportunities indeed 😔) but the ending did feel a little flat and the plot armour was quite evident. also i hate kids so there’s that
agatha_hopkins's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
fast-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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Body horror