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3.5 stars. This one honestly deserves a reread from the beginning of the series for a more fair review. It's been so long since I've read the last two that I struggled a bit with the ins and outs of the plot. I will reevaluate on reread down the line. Still a good and interesting series, just didn't grip me quite as well.
The writing for this novella is far too heavy-handed for a middle grade read. Had this been shelved as young adult, or even adult, perhaps it would have felt more appropriate, but still the narrative was just delivered too bluntly. There was a desperate lack of nuance. The characters do not seem appropriately written for their ages and the concepts handled are delivered in an overly intense way. There was a lot of potential for the concept and the world, but it felt like a lot of the opportunities were missed. What resulted was my not really caring about the characters and truly losing interest in the story. Unfortunately, I would give this one a pass.
4.5 stars...sooo close to 5 I had to round it up for Goodreads.
This is like an updated Series of Unfortunate Events with a fun trio of siblings, some gothic atmosphere, and mysterious circumstances involving absent parents and an unknown aunt.
I loved White's semi-sarcastic writing style and the relationships between the siblings. In fact, the whole story is full of quirky characters who just had me giddy. The waterpark was perfection. Pale lifeguards in black and white dress accompanied by black parasols? Oh, the gothic vibes. I think this is the collision of characters and world that I have been looking for.
The mystery was fantastically written. The book is definitely middle grade, but the level of deception is well done. Adults will figure out some of the twists, but there are some great red herrings in the mix and it was just honestly a really intriguing and entertaining read. Highly recommend and I will be anxiously awaiting the sequel.
This is like an updated Series of Unfortunate Events with a fun trio of siblings, some gothic atmosphere, and mysterious circumstances involving absent parents and an unknown aunt.
I loved White's semi-sarcastic writing style and the relationships between the siblings. In fact, the whole story is full of quirky characters who just had me giddy. The waterpark was perfection. Pale lifeguards in black and white dress accompanied by black parasols? Oh, the gothic vibes. I think this is the collision of characters and world that I have been looking for.
The mystery was fantastically written. The book is definitely middle grade, but the level of deception is well done. Adults will figure out some of the twists, but there are some great red herrings in the mix and it was just honestly a really intriguing and entertaining read. Highly recommend and I will be anxiously awaiting the sequel.
