Where I'm Glad I Kept Reading

Gold! by Grace Cavendish
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I continue to enjoy this YA (or MG) series, although the beginning of this book is the first time that I thought it talked down to the reader, and it put me off. I almost set it aside. (Lots of choppy sentences and exclamation! marks! And an odd tone that felt strangely light.) I wondered if it was a new author--there are several involved in this series--but Sara Vogler and Jan Burchett wrote two earlier volumes that I liked, so that wasn't it.

It may have just been me.

In any case, the tone evened out (or so it seemed), and the voice once again sounded like that of Lady Grace, and I once again found the plot and characters charming. It's cute how Lady Grace, who has been starting to show an interest in men without quite realizing it, comes a little closer in this story to recognizing that she's a young woman and actually has someone whose attention she enjoys. The authors have been pretty consistent in developing that gentle arc, and I think it's well done.

I'm glad I didn't give up on the story. There are a few more sequels and I'm still planning to read each one.

Recommended (book and series) for adults who enjoy cozy kids' mysteries with not inconsequential stakes and a little bit of action. Highly recommended for young readers. I was gonna say girls, but it'd be good if boys read it, too.

(TBH--I wouldn't have read this as a boy, sorry to say. But here's to a new generation growing up better than the last...)

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