Greystone Secrets #1: The Strangers

well. I think I saw that coming from a million miles away but I'm kind of a sucker for that trope so. yea. like the kids though

Well that was...strange..? But good enough that I still want to know what comes next..I think?

Okay, so here’s the thing. Just recently I realized that SEVERAL of my favorite books back when I was in elementary school were written by Margaret Peterson Haddix, like the Shadow Children series and Running Out of Time (which I might have written about for my SAT writing section and, yes, I still got into college). So when I heard she had a new series out that was getting high praise, I knew I had to check it out. Brief synopsis: There’s a news report that three siblings have been kidnapped, and they have the same names and birthdays as our three siblings protagonists…what could this possibly mean? Are they in danger? I LOVED IT. I loved it so much that as we speak I am continually refreshing my Libby app to see if the sequel has come in at the library, because I *need to know what’s happening*. Things I loved: - Short chapters - Well-timed reveals - Fantastic character work, especially in getting perspectives from all three siblings and how they’re dealing with grief and trauma - Strong family and found family - Super cool story/world - MATH NERD GIRL Gonna stop typing now so I can keep refreshing the page for the sequel. 4.5 ⭐️ (will reconsider star rating once finishing the whole series)

4.5 This book was sooooooo good!!!!! I loved the characters and I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXTTTTTT Book 3 for Believathon: read a mystery

This was literally a book that I knew nothing about but purchased because the cover is so intriguing... And I could not have been more pleased about it. This story is not one I'm going to try to explain or summarize. There is too much that twists and turns in different directions, in a good way. The story kept me guessing all the way through it and I was riveted the whole time. Chess, Emma, Finn, and Natalie form their own little tribe to try and solve each step of the mystery together and the end leaves you realizing that the bond isn't going to go away when everything is resolved come the end of the series. I definitely will be getting the rest of the series to read. I am anxious to learn what happens next.

I'm struggling to rate this book. It's a middle grade so some concessions need to be made. From a kids point a view may be all of this makes perfect sense and wouldn't take issue with things. First Finn is supposed to be 8 years old.... However the way he behaves is more of a 5-6 year old and there are huuuuge developmental differences between those ages. Next... There is so much back and forth about who is to be trusted and logically even from a kids stand point some of the leaps made just don't make any sense. There is absolutely no facts to support things and more often than not just comes out of no where. The pacing felt weird. Most of the book takes place in under 24 hours and it feels weird that all these leaps and ah ha moments happen in five minute spans from each other. Some of this could be that the author was attempting to keep the plot moving and engaging but it felt slightly overwhelming. There was very little character building overall because of it which made me a little sad.

I do not know how I feel about this book. It felt odd at first. Too much did not make sense because Haddix rooted the book in a "normal" setting with nothing to indicate that the reader should start thinking along the fantastical vein. When that aspect of the book entered the narrative, it jolted me and not in a good way. It made me disconnect with what I thought the narrative was and what Haddix actually wrote. When she finally put the pieces together, the earlier bits made sense. I do not feel compelled to read the rest of the series.

I’m officially hooked into the world of middle grade genre. It helps that I’ve loved this author so much since I read her YA books. I absolutely loved this story and everything about it. The brothers and sister duo were amazing in trying to find their mom and what skill each of them had. The storyline was so gripping and there was so many plot twists I didn’t see coming. My only complaint was the cliffhanger at the ending, now I have to impatiently wait for the next book.

2.5

This was such a great read, it kept me on the edge of my seat from the very first page until the end!