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shivani_reads's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
The Mystery of Raspberry Hill was a short and easy read, with a few twists (though some of them rather predictable). But I must say I was surprised how dark this was for a middle grade book!
I was definitely drawn in by the premise of a mysterious sanitarium, and think I would have been very intrigued by it all if I were the target age as well (especially as a life-long horror fan).
Unfortunately, I couldn't vibe with the writing style, which seemed clunky in places, and had some odd tone/language choices considering the young age of our main character, and her even younger ghost friend. Though I'm not sure how much of that was down to the author, and how much was down to losing something in the translation from Finnish to English.
Overall, this was an unexpectedly dark little tale, that sadly just fell a little flat in ways I can't quite put my finger on.
I was definitely drawn in by the premise of a mysterious sanitarium, and think I would have been very intrigued by it all if I were the target age as well (especially as a life-long horror fan).
Unfortunately, I couldn't vibe with the writing style, which seemed clunky in places, and had some odd tone/language choices considering the young age of our main character, and her even younger ghost friend. Though I'm not sure how much of that was down to the author, and how much was down to losing something in the translation from Finnish to English.
Overall, this was an unexpectedly dark little tale, that sadly just fell a little flat in ways I can't quite put my finger on.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
hue's review against another edition
mysterious
3.0
So the premise was good, and I liked the main character and her whims, but it fell sort of flat. I'm not exactly sure where it went "wrong" because the twists in the story were still well made and there wasn't anything glaringly bad in the writing either. I guess it missed the mark for me, but I think I'll check out the series(?) either way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Murder
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