Wednesday 15 March 2017

The Mystery of the Painted Dragon - Book Review


The Mystery of the Painted Dragon - Book Review
Katherine Woodfine
MG Mystery 
(The Sinclair’s Mysteries #3) 
UK Publisher: Egmont 

Other books in the Series:
The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow #1
The Mystery of the Jewelled Moth # 2

Synopsis:

When a priceless painting is stolen, our dauntless heroines Sophie and Lil find themselves faced with forgery, trickery and deceit on all sides!

Be amazed as the duo pit their wits against this perilous puzzle! Marvel at their cunning plan to unmask the villain and prove themselves detectives to be reckoned with — no matter what dangers lie ahead…

It’s their most perilous adventure yet!

Review:

I haven't read the previous two books in this series, but The Mystery of the Painted Dragon has ensured I will be picking them up at the first opportunity. This Middle Grade novel was utterly compelling and I throughly enjoyed both the characters and mystery it provided. 

When a famous painting is stolen from Sinclair’s department store, Sophie and Lil find themselves drawn into a mystery that leads them through doors of forgery, secret societies, and into the arms of old enemies. It’s their biggest mystery yet…

Despite starting with the third book in the series, I had no trouble following this story. Not only was the mystery unique to this book, but the bigger picture elements were easy enough to follow since just the right amount of backstory was offered. 

The first thing that struck me about this series though was the historical setting of 20th century London. Theatre was a massive thing, motor cars were relatively new and I adored the inclusion of the suffragettes as they fought to give women the vote. Combined with lovely descriptions, interesting facts and fitting dialog, Katherine Woodfine has done an exceptional job of bringing this world to life.

The main characters, Lil and Sophie are strong heroines and I like how despite the odds, they always look out for each other, even when they aren't in agreement. In fact, the relationships between all the characters are really enjoyable, and I also liked the introduction of Leo — an antisocial artist with a bad leg — who added an element of compassion to the story, especially as nothing about her fitted the social conformities of the time. 

As for the mystery, following the clues was interesting although I actually worked out straight away who the culprit was. Having said that, despite having guessed the bad guy, this didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book. In fact it enhanced it, and I felt all smug when it was revealed I was right. Not that I had any doubts.

With lots of intrigue and nefarious deeds, all delivered inside a fast paced plot, I can’t help but give this book 4 stars! A most enjoyable read!

Talk to me! Have any of you read this series? If so let me know which book has been your favourite so far? I’m can't wait to pick up the rest :)

9 comments:

  1. I have this on my pile and also haven't read the first two books. Did you find it mattered or were you able to pick it all up just fine?

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    1. Hey Maia - I picked up the storyline just fine. The backstory is woven in through the beginning, but anything not said was easy to figure out. I really don't think it matters what book you read first :)

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    2. That's good to know :) I probably want to read the others too but might just go for this one while it's sat on my shelf! Thanks :)

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  2. I haven't heard of this one before!! BUT ARE THERE ACTUAL DRAGONS!?!/ Because I need all the dragons in my life ASAP hehe. I'm glad it was a really good book and you loved it though!!

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    1. Ha ha - sadly not real, but the dragon paintings do hold secrets of their own... :)

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  3. It's great to know that this could be read as a standalone! I need to catch up on the series! Thanks for linking up to the British Books Challenge x

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    1. :) It's such a great challenge - I love that its got me reading more book by British authors, otherwise who knows how long this would have sat on my shelf collecting dust. It would have been a real shame - this is a great book!

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  4. AH I gotta add this to my already never-ending TBR mass :) Love this review!

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    1. Thanks Jazzy! I really hope you read this one - it certainly piqued my curiosity to find the rest of the series :)

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