Sunday, November 18, 2012

Book Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey


Review:  #275
Title:  The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey
Series:  The Mysterious Benedict Society - 2nd book
Author:  Trenton Lee Stewart
Read Before:  no
My Comments:  A fairly fast paced and intense book for the most part.  Half of the book is spent with the protagonists heading to destinations to look for clues on where to go next.  It feels like The Amazing Race, but better, since the clues required some thought in order to understand them.  Some clues were very easy and typical, while others were slightly better (but still a bit weird and forced).  There are a lot of unusual things in the book, such as how characters act and the thoughts of the characters, which doesn't do the novel any favours.  I found the constant display of Constance’s ability to be overdone, and although Milligan is hyped up to be the most resilient and resourceful man ever, you never get to see him in action.  It’s just, he did this and he just did that, this makes him overrated.  Mr Curtain, the antagonist, along with the rest of his crew, the Ten Man, never feels much of a threat or having the right balance of malice and evilness.  The plot isn’t exactly the most original, but it was done well for what it was.  You would be hooked to finish the whole book just to find out what happened.  I would have loved it if the background of Benedict’s parents were explored more, especially about their discoveries.  It seems there would be a lot of interesting tidbits, but none would be fleshed out to their full potential (and some details that were iterated a lot, yet was never important in the whole book).  Nevertheless, this is a solid book to read for passing the time (if a bit too long).
Rating:  6.5/10
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