I love summer for the unlimited reading time! So I’ve been very good about chipping away at the Shelf Control pile. Unfortunately I seem to be acquiring books at a greater rate than I am chipping. Maybe time to get off Book Bub? Not sure I can do it.

See my shelf control post for the summary.

Why I (sort of) recommend it:

So another bit of a let down with this one. It starts out so strong. The characters are well defined. I love how different they are and how they all come from different family backgrounds. As they are work to figure out the puzzle and sneak into the various buildings to do so, I found I couldn’t read fast enough. They had a great friendship and the author created some wonderful dialogues between them. I really got a feel for these boys and loved their banter. Then for some reason, the book took a turn that made me almost wonder if I was still reading the same book. Once the adults came into the picture and started describing the town’s secret, I found myself plodding through. Even though the boys were still integral to the plot, I found the focus shifting from their dynamic to the “intrigue” and it didn’t work for me. I purchased the other three books in the series when I was still caught up in loving the characters and the “Stranger Things” feel of the novel. I now find I’m not that interested. I may give the second one a go but we’ll see.

Rating: Three stars

Recommended for 10+. Boys may particularly relate to the character dynamic.