The Fearsome Firebird

The Curiosity House #3

by Lauren Oliver, Harold Schechter, H.C. Chester (Pseudonym)

In the the third book in the Curiosity House series, you will find:
- A nefarious spy within Dumfrey’s Dime Museum
- A very unfortunate flea circus
- An evil plot to destroy New York
- A beautiful and mysterious tattooed lady

The extraordinary orphans Sam, Pippa, Thomas, and Max have just started to recover from their capture and subsequent escape from the evil Nicholas Rattigan. But the children’s lives don’t stay quiet for long. A slew of bank robberies is terrorizing the city. And when General Farnum, the ringmaster of the museum’s immensely popular flea circus, is charged with murder, the search for the real killer uncovers a plot much bigger than any individual crime—a plot that can only be the work of Nicholas Rattigan.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Adventure, Childrens

336 pages, Hardcover

First published April 11, 2017

About the author

Lauren Oliver is an author, screenwriter, and media entrepreneur. She is the author of the upcoming novels THE GIRL IN THE LAKE (May 5, 2026) and its sequel, THE SLEEPWALKER (May 5, 2027). Her previous works include multiple New York Times bestselling novels for teens, including Before I Fall (which spent seventeen weeks on the list and was adapted into a feature film released by Open Road), the Delirium trilogy (a two-million-copy-selling dystopian series translated into thirty-five languages), and Panic, which she later adapted into the streaming TV show on Amazon Prime of the same name, for which she wrote every episode and served as Executive Producer. Along the way, Lauren founded the IP company StoryGiants and helped to package and edit nearly one hundred other novels. She is also the co-founder of Incantor AI, a self-scaling digital media engine built on a new and proprietary foundational model of artificial intelligence that respects copyright by providing both IP attribution and royalty shares to contributing sources. Raised in Westchester, New York, Lauren attended the University of Chicago and got her MFA from NYU. She now divides her time between Maryland and Los Angeles. Subscribe to my Substack! laurenoliverbooks.substack.com

Reviews

[Sara Saif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kicking aside some minor disappointments, plot-holes and unanswered questions, I think this trilogy was surprisingly very entertaining! I'm actually very happy with my overall reading experience which was definitely a good one.

I mean, I practically breezed past these books without even realizing it. That's a good sign, isn't it? I'll make this quick because if I dwell on it long enough I might start to miss these books. Wouldn't want that to happen.

Sam, Pippa, Thomas and Max, Mr. Dumfrey, Miss Fitch, Caroline and Quinn, Smalls, Danny, Goldini and Betty, the performers of Dumfrey's Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities and Wonders were a lovable, huggable and adorable family. Strange and extraordinary, unusual and exotic but adorable all the same. I can picture the Museum vividly even now, the attic which all of them shared, the odditorium, the hall of wonders and Mr. Dumfrey's office and I think I had grown quite fond of that place.

The writing was wonderful. The narration was effortless and the transition between the characters' points of view was smooth. Best of all was the ambience created by the writers; a bit dark, a little juvenile, a whole lot of mysterious and adequately fascinating.

I redact one star because of the unanswered questions this book left me with. Like:
a) How DID Dumfrey recognize Max?
b) How can you do genetic experiments on somebody and give them the super-power of knife throwing precision. That does NOT make any sense to me.
c) In the second book and even in this one, Pippa felt on multiple occasions felt as if Mr. Dumfrey was lying to them. Even Rattigan was just about to tell them something related to that when right on cue, he was interrupted. We never learned what this was about.
d) There's nothing about Rattigan's experimentation, no detail besides an almost casual remark that he spliced animal genes with those of the children.
e) The children's families went largely ignored.
f) How did Howie even know of the experimentation in the first place?

And the mild disappointments I suffered:
a) Just when we got to the good part; the children's escape from the dirigible, the scene cut to black.
b) Rattigan was pathetic as a villain. 90% of the book is spent in fear of him and when the actual confrontation takes place he boasts, the children outmaneuver him, he blanches, sputters and is promptly defeated. I still don't think he's dead which is strange because this is supposed to be the last book.

This may seem like a lot but trust me, this trilogy surpassed my expectations. 3.5 stars for all three books.

[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wowza. I still think about this trilogy. It was absolutely phenomenal. Each book was even better than the last. I loved the gothic, strange/unusual vibes, with the Addams Family/The Munsters feel-if they were in a gothic mysterious huge house full of “freaks” & curiosities. Sooooo good. These characters, & all their uniqueness that make them each so extraordinary, grab your heart. So does Mr. Dumfrey, who is basically like their adoptive father. He is kooky, quirky, & so kind. The villain is truly evil, & is willing to do anything to have the perfect weapon(s). There’s a spy, a dastardly plot to destroy beautiful NY, a stunning yet mysterious tattooed lady, & even a FLEA CIRCUS!! Plus so much more. Such an intricate & compelling story that unfolds at the perfect pace, & comes together beautifully & leaves you satisfied. Great messages woven through the story as well. Loved this series. HIGHLY recommend. STUNNING cover & inside illustrations sprinkled throughout by Benjamin Lacombe too.💜

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and thought it was a nice way to end this series. The characters have grown but are just as endearing. The story was fun, and the mystery was intriguing.

[Amita · Rating 4 out of 5]

better than the 2nd, not as good as the 1st. the mystery set-up and the twist were really good. I actually didn't figure out the entire thing this time! however, the big dramatic final confrontation I was hoping for (since this is the last of 3 books against the same villain) felt SO short and kind of anticlimactic. i'm not super mad tho because my fave pippa got the most iconic moment of the whole thing 🥰

edit: I just saw somebody's review talking about the questions they still had and certain plot holes that weren't fixed by the end of this book and you know what? they're so right. I'm also wondering about those things. probably the only reason I haven't been questioning this as much is because I read this entire series back to back in like 4 days

regardless, a fun little series

p.s. if I was into these books more I'd probably also be irritated about the pippa and chubby thing but as it stands I don't care very much (though I will defend that it was unnecessary!)

2023 popsugar reading challenge: A book with alliteration in the title

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

is it only me or is this really a cliche? why should every crazy person plan to kill or hypnotize a whole city from the sky? come on! this idea is really boring. and can someone explain to me how releasing 2 ton of a toxic gas will just save everyone?://///
also, many things were left unexplained. like why these kids were chosen in the first place? what happened to Howie? Pippa wanted to know her parents but she never thought about it after her chance was ruined.
overall, I think this book was written in a rush and wasn't thought thoroughly.

[Sofie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun read again!! The whole series gives me so much cofort, even though its kids solving murders.... the end was again finished off easaly :/

[Sulhan Habibi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well.
Lumayan.
Sayangnya buku 2 lebih seru 🤣

[Troy Hinkley]

it was an ok book i didn't really like it that much

[Jossie Solheim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads competition and was really pleased as it's the first book I have won that I knew my son might enjoy.

The plot is fantastic and kept both myself and my son engaged, along with a wonderful cast of characters. Having Aspergers, my son really enjoyed reading about this unique bunch of characters and quickly felt connected to them. He felt that like him they were different and often judged to harshly when deep down all they wanted was to be accepted and celebrated by society, on their individual merits instead of being feared for being different.

It really was a great read and we would both very much read the rest of the series.

[Aisyia Zahra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually prefer the book 2.

I thought it has a same pattern as the previous one, but I expect more. The puzzle pieces seem like it's too constrain? Idk, maybe it's just me. And, did Rattigan really die? It's like, when we don't see the corpse, we will not really sure about it😅 Plus, it's Rattigan, not ordinary people. But it's still fun tho.

[nahes. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5🌟

"𝑲𝒆𝒋𝒂𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒌 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒍𝒖 𝒌𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒏. 𝒀𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒋𝒂𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒃𝒖𝒌𝒂𝒏 𝒄𝒖𝒎𝒂 𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒊 𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒖 𝒑𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒖𝒏𝒖𝒉 𝒚𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒌𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒌𝒖𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒚𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒊 𝒌𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒏-𝒌𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒏. 𝑲𝒆𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒏 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒌 𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒌 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒂 𝒋𝒂𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒈𝒂. 𝑩𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒕𝒖 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒂 𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒏 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒌 𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒌 𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒊. 𝑺𝒆𝒌𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒌𝒖𝒕𝒊 𝒂𝒓𝒖𝒔—𝒊𝒕𝒖 𝒋𝒖𝒈𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒔𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒌𝒆𝒋𝒂𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒏. 𝑫𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒏 𝒌𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒌𝒊𝒕𝒂 𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒖𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒔𝒂 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒂𝒅𝒊 𝒔𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒌𝒊𝒕 𝒋𝒂𝒉𝒂𝒕." (𝒉𝒍𝒎212)
***
Buku penutup dari seri Curiosity House ini menyambung cerita dibuku kedua yaitu masih seputar pengejaran Rattigan sang pencipta keempat anak-anak ajaib-Pippa, Thomas, Sam, dan Max.
Museum kali ini kedatangan seorang ahli pertunjukkan kutu bernama Mr. Farnum yang menampilkan atraksi kutu-kutunya yang katanya tersohor. Tetapi, suatu waktu Mr. Farnum menemukan seluruh kutu mati karena diracuni sehingga dugaan pelaku jatuh kepada Erskine sang pembasmi kutu.
Selang beberapa waktu setelah kejadian tewasnya para kutu, Erskine ditemukan meninggal dikediamannya karena pembunuhan. Polisi menyelidiki pelaku pembunuhan tersebut dan jatuhlah hukuman kepada Mr. Farnum.
Para penghuni museum termasuk anak-anak yakin bahwa pelakunya bukan Mr. Farnum. Maka keempat anak menyelidiki pelaku seluruh kasus yang belakangan terjadi. Dalam petualangan mereka mengungkap kebenaran, akhirnya terungkap pula dalang dibalik seluruh kejadian yang menimpa mereka dari awal sampai akhir.

[Ira Booklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cerita yang masih terkesan gloomy bagi saya tapi cukup seru walaupun saya masih lebih suka buku keduanya.

Jadi di buku kedua ini ada beberapa penghuni baru di museum. Diantaranya ada kutu-kutu yang bisa beratraksi dan juga burung api yang doyan berkata-kata kasar.

Mereka bisa dibilang mengakibatkan masalah atau malah mengakibatkan keberuntungan karena ternyata mengarahkan anak-anak ke sebuah misteri yang lebih besar.

IMO, kasusnya tidak terlalu bikin penasaran sehingga saya masih sempat mencatat kutipan-kutipan bijaknya. Cukup banyak ternyata. Bisa jadi poin plus untuk buku ketiga ini.

Sayang saya sedikit kurang puas dengan endingnya. Tapi tak apa, saya tetap suka. Sedikit sedih juga karena harus berpisah dengan anak-anak dan penghuni museum lain.

So, saya beri 4 dari 5 bintang. I really liked it.

[Christine Ditzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel rather torn about this book. It was a good read, but left much to be desired - particularly the ending. It was over too quickly, with lots of loose ends and unanswered questions left about this story, never mind the series as a whole. Additionally, the last scene came across as if this is the final book in the series when, again, there are unanswered questions and loose ends particularly regarding Rattigan and, to an extent, Mr. Dumfrey. My hope is that this is not the final book as I would find it a very unsatisfactory conclusion.

Edit: Unfortunately, I have learned that this is in fact the final book thanks to Lauren Oliver's tumblr. Very disappointing :(

[maria soleil 🌞 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t exactly approve of the language the book sometimes uses due to the literary identity of some adult characters, and the book cover along with the chapter art has some suggestive content that seems evil.
But, this book’s ability to describe and understand the feeling of what it’s like to realise that you’re growing up, and dealing with that fear is remarkable.
I don’t know if any other fictional book I’ve read has done it in such a beautiful way. (It’s evident in the last page and former of the book)

I don’t think I’ll be re-reading this book again, but the last 2 pages will definitely, undeniably be revisited.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

a fun, but not quite satisfying, ending to this trilogy... the elements were all there, but they just didn't get fleshed out very well... the 4 main persons were there throughout, and still their usual smarty/snippy/angry/talented selves... but there wasn't enough of the others... kind of a lame ending too, or purposeful, in that it allows for a new direction... all in all, the plot was a bit thin (the titular beast seemed almost an afterthought) and the action a bit perfunctory...

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 4 out of 5]

When one of the performers at the museum is charged with the murder of an exterminator, Max, Thomas, Pippa and Sam must work together to solve the mystery and clear their friend's name, all while avoiding Rattigan at every corner. Oliver brings this intriguing trilogy to a hearty and fast-paced close that will please fans with its dark humour and ever lovable cast of misfits. Could the fate of the entire city hang in the balance with this latest case?

[Basia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt like there were a few loose ends--nothing drastic, I just generally prefer things a bit more wrapped up and this ending left it a bit more open-ended, which is fine, just not to my taste--but I love these kids, and I'm sorry I don't have any more of their adventures to keep me company on my weekday drives to and from the office.

[Louloute · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je ne sais pas quoi ressentir. Je viens enfin de finir une trilogie que j'avais commencé en 2017. Presque 6 ans pour finir une saga, je sais pas si je deprime un peu ou si je suis heureuse, j'ai un petit pincement au coeur de voir ma toute première serie fav de ma vie en livres se finir, même si justement le dernier tome est sortie en 2017, mais il été pas traduit...😭😂

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun series to read aloud to my girls. There were lots of characters to use voices with and the storyline kept them wanting more. I like how everything was wrapped up nicely by the end of book three.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Kids 10/11 loved these books. They are def for kids, and as an adult I find a lot of loose ends, but kids won't even notice. There's lots of action, and even the tiniest bit of appropriate romance.

[Happy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore happy endings!🤪

This is stress-free reading and so happy that Thomas, Pippa, Sam and Max are finally moving on to the next chapter of their lives. I hope there is a young adult version of them too.

[Lidya · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story didn't surprise me that much. The characters have good development and problems. The final book is good, not that great though, but maybe it's going to be a blast if it's adapted to the screen because the action(s) were very interesting.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This third of the trilogy wraps the story and leaves a door open for future adventures. The four children continue to master their special abilities and defeat their maker.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books have been fun read alouds with the boys!

[Grace Phan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart thumping adventure.

[Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrills abound, and clues that are full of red herrings.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'm not usually one for reviews; only here to say that the climax is seriously underwhelming and not what I expected at all based on the build up in books one and two.

[Susan Forsgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series for 7th and 8th graders and those students who like the Percy Jackson series.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book recently in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

I know my grandson will enjoy this book! It was good as far as it goes, but is really more suited for young teenagers.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tell me this isn't the last one. Because there were a lot of questions left unanswered.