Ada Goth lives in the enormous Ghastly-Gorm Hall, where things are anything but normal. Between the monsters that her father invites to visit, and the creepy indoor gamekeeper, there are lots of spooky mysteries to investigate and discover.
AGE RANGE KIDS
Suggested for ages 9+
THEMES
Spooky
Mystery
Comedy
Magical Creatures
OVERALL RATING 4/10
I really thought I would love this book, because I really love the other series by the same author; Ottoline. I soon found out, though, that this series can't compare. The first issue I noticed was that the first book is shockingly gruesome for a little kids' book (look at 'Violence and Scariness' below). The format of this book is that of one for 5-8 year olds, but it should not be read by kids in that age range. By the end of the second book, though I could confirm that this series also had no plot. Things happen in the story, but they don't really intertwine, and there is never a satisfying conclusion, which is disappointing because the books are set up like mysteries, only to have the most interesting questions posed by the story forgotten about before they are answered. The books are funny at times in a wacky and completely ridiculous way, so if you like comedy and don't care much about a story being coherent, you might enjoy this series after all! Also, the second book I read (Goth Girl and the Wuthering Fright) was in no way overly gruesome or scary, so you can also just skip the first book if you are worried about that. I'm disappointed to be giving a book that I had such high hopes for a negative review.
PROS Funny Interesting setting | Violence and Scariness 5/5 Severed foot, mouse caught in trap, cutting doll's head off, Frankenstein monster made of dead body parts, creepy characters, gnomes heads shot off, vampire drinks a glass of blood, talk of hanging animal friends' heads on wall of hunting cabin. Sex and Romance 0/5 Not present. |
CONS First book is rather disturbing for kids Story is not coherent Mysteries left unresolved | Emotional Intensity 1/5 Mother died a long time before the story starts. Father is depressed and distant. Drinking and Drugs 0/5 Not present. |