My favorite thing about The Housemaid's Secret is it was written in the same enjoyable style as The Housemaid, I was worried it would have a different flow and not the same dual point of view that I enjoyed.
Despite figuring out some of the mystery I thoroughly enjoyed the whole story. It did take me longer to read but that is due to my asthma acting up and interfering with reading time.
I wanted Ursula and her minions. I wanted back story, anger, pain, revenge, and information on what made Ursula the most powerful sea witch of her time. What I got was three stories shoved into one. Prince Tulip from The Beast Within, the odd sisters and Circe, and then flavorings of Ursula.
Despite not liking Poor Unfortunate Souls I did finish it without skimming and I did the read included sample for Mistress of All Evil. I will continue to give the series a try.
I did figure out most of the mystery. Parts of it did elude me but that is alright. However what is not alright is the ending. I want a sequel! The story slowly builds and it can be hard to follow at times. With constant characters point of views when something exciting happens the point of view is switched. Normally I am not a huge fan of this but Mrs. Lapena makes it work.
Having finished A Stranger in the House I believe I have read all but one of Mrs. Lapena's published work. I enjoy her stories and writing ability enough to continue to read future work and the last published novel I have not read.
The storyline is cute, feel good, and predictable. Nothing really revealing that I was not expecting. However due to my person circumstances I did have issues with the last ten percent or so. It is really impossible to warn readers about this since it would ruin the overall story.
The writing was fine and even with the transitions back in time it was clear when it was done. I also appreciated that when Mel was texting Pita it was clearly a text. Like a hallmark movie in a book.
Considering Then She was Gone is the third book by Lisa Jewell I did not like I am thinking she was a one shot wonder for me.
The premise sounded promising and like it could be a fun mystery. Nope I figured it all out around the ten percent mark. It is not fun figuring out the whole mystery that soon. The characters were shallow and unbelievable.
Poppy was the best character but only because she came off as creepy and clearly needing guidance on how to act with peers her own age.
I did finish but I was bored and skipped "fluff" paragraphs.
Lina was such a fun character, at the age where she is starting to learn adult responsibilities but can still have the carefreeness of a being a child. It was a lot of fun to read the story and see the parts that were incorporated in Spirited Away. The side characters were all unique and well thought out. As the story progressed I was eager to see how Lina would learn from each job and evolve into a more responsible young adult.
The reading is easy, it is perfect for a middle school student, and I was able to read it all in one sitting. The illustrations added to the story a lot and I loved the whimsy and magical fun each picture did to help build the story. Since I read it in English I have to judge how the translator did and not once did I get confused, lost, or try to figure out what a word was used. The writing flowed smoothly and the story made sense.
