A review by asphodelic
The Mystery of the Tenth by Chantel Acevedo
3.0
(+) The themes in this book worked much better than the ones in its predecessor.
(+) Callie's final choices were really great, making for a strong ending. Again, much better and rewarding than its predecessor.
(+) No one mentioned Callie's weight this time. (Which is weird considering how much it was emphasized before.)
(+) Diverse cast
(-) The main plot is little more than a giant fetch quest.
(-) The goth girl on the cover (name withheld to prevent spoilers) was given much more time than the other three Muse Squad members. This also, unfortunately, meant that the other three girls in the squad suffered greatly. None of them had any character development or legitimate exploration.
(-) There were many obstacles, but no tension. The Muse Squad overcame everything so quickly and easily that it barely mattered. (I would've rather had more purposeful dialogue between the Muse Squad and goth girl as they journeyed around NYC.)
(-) Inconsistencies with Callie's knowledge of mythology. (She doesn't know who Dionysus is, but knows that Venus is the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite? What?)
(-) Acevedo uses "Hercules" instead of "Heracles," and there are some inaccuracies in the simplifying of the myths. (No, Hera was not the one who kept sending the labors to Heracles.)
(-) So few new named characters were introduced, making the titular mystery not difficult to solve. But, I am fully aware that I am not the target audience for this book, and younger readers might find the reveal to be better than I do.
(-) In the end, Callie is simply not a very compelling heroine. Her choices throughout the book give her agency. But if you asked me to describe her personality, I wouldn't be able to say much.
Overall, the Muse Squad duology is a fun, diverse, and female centric set of books for young readers. While heavily flawed, both books have positive messages at their core. Would not reread them, but would recommend.
(+) Callie's final choices were really great, making for a strong ending. Again, much better and rewarding than its predecessor.
(+) No one mentioned Callie's weight this time. (Which is weird considering how much it was emphasized before.)
(+) Diverse cast
(-) The main plot is little more than a giant fetch quest.
(-) The goth girl on the cover (name withheld to prevent spoilers) was given much more time than the other three Muse Squad members. This also, unfortunately, meant that the other three girls in the squad suffered greatly. None of them had any character development or legitimate exploration.
(-) There were many obstacles, but no tension. The Muse Squad overcame everything so quickly and easily that it barely mattered. (I would've rather had more purposeful dialogue between the Muse Squad and goth girl as they journeyed around NYC.)
(-) Inconsistencies with Callie's knowledge of mythology. (She doesn't know who Dionysus is, but knows that Venus is the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite? What?)
(-) Acevedo uses "Hercules" instead of "Heracles," and there are some inaccuracies in the simplifying of the myths. (No, Hera was not the one who kept sending the labors to Heracles.)
(-) So few new named characters were introduced, making the titular mystery not difficult to solve. But, I am fully aware that I am not the target audience for this book, and younger readers might find the reveal to be better than I do.
(-) In the end, Callie is simply not a very compelling heroine. Her choices throughout the book give her agency. But if you asked me to describe her personality, I wouldn't be able to say much.
Overall, the Muse Squad duology is a fun, diverse, and female centric set of books for young readers. While heavily flawed, both books have positive messages at their core. Would not reread them, but would recommend.