I'm still a tad confused, and confused if I am confused or not, . . but that probably has something to do with the fact that I read it in about five hours.
AHH I LOVE THIS SERIES, I was actually really happy that I got to see the characters grown up! It was interesting how you didn't know what some of what the characters already knew at least I didn't, again that could be because I missed something because I hadn't seen that as much in the other books, but it turned out great! I LOVED IT.
I wasn't a huge fan of the new member, but it didn't bother me a ton.
edit rereading mbs right now i forgot this book existed, also who wrote this review because what, its actually well written and makes sense, who types like that not me, definitely
The Mysterious Benedict Society has been one of my favorite series for a couple of years now, and I've always loved the characters, the plot, and the detailed yet interesting writing.
To me, this installment had none of those qualities, This is by far the longest I've taken to read one of these books, and I found myself incredibly bored or confused throughout most of the story.
We were thrown into a plot if you can even call it a plot that was supposed to reveal itself as it went, but instead left me feeling like the author simply didn't know where he was going with anything until a 'reveal' that didn't make much sense.
For example, the KEEP being a 'trap for Ten Men' didn't actually acheive anything, They were still trapped and still in danger, so what was the point Also, the conflict resolution at the end felt way too fast compared to the pacing of the rest of the books which was another major issue for me.
I find that I could sum up the book in a few short sentences, because nothing important even happened.
I'm sure other people will disagree with me, but I hated Tai Li, He was useless, he got in the way often, and his dialogue pulled the other characters down.
It seemed like half of the book was spent trying to keep Tai or Constance from knowing what was actually going on, which effectively kept the reader from knowing what was going on.
While this might sound like a clever plot device, like I said, the reveals were pointless.
Back to another plot issue I could have predicted the whole thing before reading it.
Seriously more Ten Men and Mr, Curtain I understand that that's the The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages's appeal for some people, but I just found myself thinking we're doing this AGAIN!
The only things that kept me from giving this book a onestar is Constance, who is as always my favorite due to her witty humor and sulky attitude, and Kate's mad dash to the button I will admit made me smile.
Overall, I really wanted to like this book, It had so much potential for a REAL new Society member and a new plot, However, after reading it, I have to say that this book completely fell flat,
It was so much fun returning to the Mysterious Benedict Society, and really fascinating seeing them all grown up.
The riddles and puzzles are fantastic, and the twist at the end blew my mind, I love the Society so much, Tai! Tai! Tai!
I read this book ina about four hours, but as I started
it late last night I did read it over two days.
.stars
I wasn't sure what the author was going to do with this one since the previous one felt kind of like the end of the trilogy.
But they are a bit older now and the three older ones are on the cusp of moving onto more adult things they're still teenagers, while Constance is worrying about being left behind, but at the same time is settling into being the daughter of Nicholas Benedict.
A new threat emerges that involves Mr, Curtain and the team needs to deal with solving many puzzles while taking care of a new team member who is probablyyears old and dealing with a moody preteen Constance.
But as much as she may be driving them crazy, we learn that she's going through a lot more than they realize, including another telepath.
With all these changes, the kids need to relearn how to work as a team, I enjoyed this book more than the third one but not as much as the first one because I feel like there were a lot more breakthroughs for each of the kids in how they related to each other, as well as understanding themselves.
However, I think the main reason I really enjoyed this book was because of Taihe was truly adorable and exactly what they needed to help them step back a little.
His worship of Constance well of all of them helped them each see some of the amazing things the others were doing for the group.
And as much as Constance should not have been rude, she also really grows on you, especially as you find out what she's been going through.
And we should always remind ourselves that she's probably still onlyin this book, while the others areorMy favorite character in this series is probably Kate because she's the one I wanted to be when I was younger.
She is always positive, she doesn't hold grudges, she can't sit still, and she gets things done.
Honestly, even as an adult, I wish I was more like her I am very messy, but not as bad as Constance.
I think what I like about these kids is that each of them has strengths and weaknesses, but they all complement each other.
I can see parts of myself in Kate, Sticky, Reynie, and Constance, And that makes me want to read these books, THERE'S A FOURTH BOOK!!!!!!!
HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS!!!!! I really love how this series follows the characters as they grow up.
Each of them face inevitable change in life circumstances and relational dynamics, and the tensions the feel with their growing uncertainty about the future.
There were a few especially wellwritten passages that illustrated how the characters' insecurities and hesitation affected their friendships, and how a simple but vulnerable conversation could have saved them much difficulty and hurt.
We see constance move into a caretaking role, and see her powers develop intosimething spectacular, and as always, the children who aren't so young anymore have to relearn how to trust each other as they problem solve their way out of incredible danger.
This book was my favorite of the series, Spoilers ahead
Wow, this hurts,
The first "Mysterious Benedict Society" novel is so good its almost unfair to other books.
There are many things you can enjoy as a child that then fade as you grow older, that first novel is not one of them.
It remains a beautifully plotted and paced story I love the atmospheric dystopia, citizens of an anonymous city trapped in a vaguely defined political "Emergency", a mysterious academy on Nomansan Island, an exiled genius recruiting a team of children to infiltrate the heart of darkness that is "The Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened.
" I love the nightmare nurseryrhyme classes and the horrific secrets of the academy, "The Waiting Room" of sludge and insects, the Drapeweed Traps if you stray too far off the path.
There is a demented fairytale madness to the first novel Jackson and Jillson, rhymes and riddles.
. . and this oldtime atmosphere is married to a steampunk aesthetic and a truly heartwarming story of adventure and friendship.
"The Mysterious Benedict Society" is like a perfect brew of Roald Dahl and Franz Kafka, a gripping, engaging, moving story which evokes, chapter to chapter, nearly every emotion one could ask from a book.
It is an adventure in its purest form, and I treasure its sheer creativity,
Creativity is something that would diminish, slightly, during the following two installments, although they had their moments.
I loved the European Treasure Hunt of "Perilous Journey", the terrifying fight in the abandoned town, the mysterious "Duskwort Papers".
. . It didn't have the magic of the first novel, but it was an admirable sequel, "Prisoner's Dillema" again represented a slight dropoff in quality, but it was still leagues ahead of its competition.
And then the prequel "The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict" somehow even surpassed the first novel in the series.
"Extraordinary Education" is, in my mind, a perfect novel, the final third of which is almost emotionally overwhelming.
It's more than just a children's book, it's a masterpiece,
All of this, not to mention the fact that Trenton Lee Stewart's first novel "Flood Summer", an adult novel with nothing to do with the Mysterious Benedict Society is.
uh . my favorite book of all time, might have raised my expectations too high for "The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages.
"
But man, I did not expect it to be this bad, Going into the novel, I was looking forwards to the riddles and escapades and adventures, the twisty plot and the comraderie between the team.
I was looking forwards to every chapter introducing some new and clever twist or idea, But it seems Stewart's creativity and passion for the series has run out, which I can hardly blame him for.
Two exemplary novels and two very good ones is a good enough track record to cement the Benedict books as one of the best children's series of all time.
. . but still. Wow.
Almost nothing happens in "Riddle of Ages", And a slow pace has always been a feature of Stewart's novels, the lengthy testing scenes at the beginning of the first novel, the opening scenes in the house of "Prisoner's Dillema.
" Yet in those previous novels, there is always a strong undercurrent of suspense and anxiety pressing the plot forwards even through pages of quiet conversations.
During the firstpages of "Riddle of Ages", almost nothing happens, Only one character even leaves the house for the first half of the novel,
Pacing is one of the main problems, The previous novels spaced the story out over weeks, even months of action, allowing for a real sense of scale and time.
The events of "Riddle of Ages" occur within exactly two days, which comes out to aboutpages a day.
This leads to the story seeming both rushed and dragged out, Almost nothing happens, but it takes forever when it does happen,
The actual story itself is immensely disappointing, A group of Ten Men are attempting to break Mr, Curtain out of prison. Okay, that would be a good first few chapters maybe to set off a new story, but that's the whole plot.
The entire book occurs in two locations, Mr, Benedict's house and the prison on Nomansan Island, For the firstor so pages, the society sits around talking, explaining, and summarizing days and days of backstory that could have been shown rather than told.
It annoys me to no end when the exposition that characters explain during team meeting scenes would have made a better story than the actual plot of the book.
After this interminable opening half, the society go to the prison on Nomansan Island to stop the Ten Men and save Mr.
Benedict. Nearly every scene during this half of the book consists of technobabble and standing around in dark hallways.
Gone are the inventive locales of "Prisoner's Dillema", the secret passages of the original novel, the gothic mansion of secrets in "Extraordinary Education.
" This entire book except for one or two scenes takes place indoors in hallways, This book feels like a low budget movie that couldn't afford to shoot on interesting sets.
I remember a hilariously awful description of two Ten Men avoiding Milligan's tranquilizer darts by moving left and right as if in a "lethal dance".
This is described as something going on in the background as Kate attends to a different task.
Also, this is probably the best scene in the book, which might tell you something about the quality of the surrounding scenes.
This book possesses no magic, very little creativity, and an extreme reliance on nostalgia to evoke emotion.
The only true emotions I felt during this book came with a few cameos of characters from "Extraordinary Education.
" In other words, the best parts of this book were when it was reminding me of other, better books.
I'm honestly shocked by just how poorly written, uneventful and boring this book is.
Trenton Lee Stewart has honestly never let me down before, Even his novel "The Secret Keepers", although deeply flawed, was a fun and unique story, Stewart is truly one of my favorite writers, Like I mentioned earlier, his novel "Flood Summer" is my favorite book ever written by anyone ever
Maybe this book was a contractual obligation, or maybe it was just written to pay the bills.
I don't know.
"Riddle of Ages" does not make me think less of the previous novels, nor does it make me think less of Stewart as a writer not even a little bit.
This is a misstep, to be sure, but, man, the first Mysterious Benedict Society book really is just that good.
So is "Riddle of Ages" an example of wasted potential,
Honestly, I don't think so, "Prisoner's Dillema" was imperfect, but the ending was honestly excellent, leaving just a perfect amount of ambiguity and wrapping up the most important threads.
There was no point to continue the story, the story was over, And it's weird to me that all this novel does is undo the"Prisoner's Dillema" ending and then quickly return it to the same state of equilibrium again.
Maybe here's a better way of stating that, In "Riddle of Ages", all four of the society's members are looking at different, personal paths.
Reynie has been accepted to dozens of top universities, Sticky has been offered the opportunity to head up one of the top science labs in the country, Kate is becoming a secret agent for her father's agency, etc.
Each are afraid to pursue these routes though, because they know it would mean the end of the Society.
The arc this seems to be setting up is an acceptance that people change with time and that you can't keep holding on to the fun things of the past.
I was looking forwards to a scene of Reynie heading to Harvard, Sticky entering the laboratory on his first day, etc.
This would have been an emotionally powerful way to end the story,
But at the end of "Riddle of Ages", the society ends up agreeing to delay or even cancel entirely these personal paths, and to stay together at "home", which seems like not only a tepid, pathetic conclusion to what could have been an emotionally powerful, meaningful story arc, but also a metaphor for the novel at large.
This book is a refusal to move forwards and move beyond, a story that relies entirely on nostalgia and faded laurels to court reader goodwill.
In short, it's a story that like the characters at the end, refuses to grow up.
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Trenton Lee Stewart