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The Mystery of Alice
Thirteen-year-old Emily Poe has been given the opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to attend the exclusive Audyn School in Manhattan. But to win the scholarship, she has to pass a test like nothing she’s ever experienced before: a nearly bare room, a set of strange clues, a locked door. Plus, a mysterious organization—the Leopold Foundation—is watching her every move.
But the real test has just begun. Despite the strange circumstances—in a new house, at a new school—Emily instantly bonds with fellow scholarship winner Alice Wray.
And then Alice goes missing.
Chronicling every surprising twist and turn of her search through her own private video diary, Emily sets out to find the truth behind Alice’s disappearance. Soon, she’s drawn deep into the inner circle of the Audyn School’s elite, the Nobility, who each have secrets of their own. As clues and lies mount, Emily must sort truth from fiction to solve The Mystery of Alice before it’s too late.
But the real test has just begun. Despite the strange circumstances—in a new house, at a new school—Emily instantly bonds with fellow scholarship winner Alice Wray.
And then Alice goes missing.
Chronicling every surprising twist and turn of her search through her own private video diary, Emily sets out to find the truth behind Alice’s disappearance. Soon, she’s drawn deep into the inner circle of the Audyn School’s elite, the Nobility, who each have secrets of their own. As clues and lies mount, Emily must sort truth from fiction to solve The Mystery of Alice before it’s too late.
285 pages, Audible Audio
First published May 2, 2019
147 people are currently reading
1724 people want to read
About the author
Lee Bacon
20 books232 followersI grew up in College Station, TX and first began writing in elementary school. I would write stories and poems with the intention of making my classmates laugh. Twenty years later, I used this same technique to write my first kid’s book.
Over the years, I’ve worked a lot of different jobs—farm laborer, art gallery assistant, bartender, assistant literary agent—before settling on the two jobs that I currently hold: Writer and freelance translator. I now live in Brooklyn with my wife and two cats.
Over the years, I’ve worked a lot of different jobs—farm laborer, art gallery assistant, bartender, assistant literary agent—before settling on the two jobs that I currently hold: Writer and freelance translator. I now live in Brooklyn with my wife and two cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 875 reviews
January 5, 2021
This was an okay mystery. These are supposed to be middle school kids.... 😬 ummmm..... they should have made this high school or college level. The way they speak and behave is not believable of that age group. 🤔 That aside, I didn’t guess the ending. So, that should count for something.
June 25, 2019
3.5 stars
Audiobook narrated by a full cast 6h 24mins
What's up Goodreads? My second Audible original for the month of May was almost near impossible to find on your site. That's a shame because this type of story is a cotton candy treat that made me miss Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl real bad. Emily Poe was just the type of overdramatic and angsty type of character I needed to listen to on my roadtrip today. Also I just love reading/ listening( to) about the evils of rich entitled private school kids. Call it a guilty pleasure!
Audiobook narrated by a full cast 6h 24mins
What's up Goodreads? My second Audible original for the month of May was almost near impossible to find on your site. That's a shame because this type of story is a cotton candy treat that made me miss Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl real bad. Emily Poe was just the type of overdramatic and angsty type of character I needed to listen to on my roadtrip today. Also I just love reading/ listening( to) about the evils of rich entitled private school kids. Call it a guilty pleasure!
May 6, 2019
This book was interesting enough to really keep my interest. Really the only problem I had with it is all of the characters seemed as though they were juniors/seniors in high school versus the seventh graders they were in the story.
October 22, 2021
This was a surprisingly good listen.🎶🎵🎼🔊
This story is about Emily a dorky but extremely likeable and smart girl, who makes friends with a girl called Alice.
Emily and Alice become quick friends as the two girls start a new school together at the same time, but it doesn't take Emily long to realise that Alice has alot of secrets, and never talks about her family or home life.
I'm not going to say much more because I don't want to give anything away,but I will say this, Emily's video dairy is peppered throughout the book and really added to the audio experience.
Overall I really enjoyed the audiobook and wouldn't have change a thing, the plot twist too was well thought out and executed. Good clean mystery for most ages. Love it!
Happy Reading 📚📚📗📘📙📕📖📔📓📚📘📗📚📖📕📘📓📙📖📔📗📒
This story is about Emily a dorky but extremely likeable and smart girl, who makes friends with a girl called Alice.
Emily and Alice become quick friends as the two girls start a new school together at the same time, but it doesn't take Emily long to realise that Alice has alot of secrets, and never talks about her family or home life.
I'm not going to say much more because I don't want to give anything away,but I will say this, Emily's video dairy is peppered throughout the book and really added to the audio experience.
Overall I really enjoyed the audiobook and wouldn't have change a thing, the plot twist too was well thought out and executed. Good clean mystery for most ages. Love it!
Happy Reading 📚📚📗📘📙📕📖📔📓📚📘📗📚📖📕📘📓📙📖📔📗📒
May 10, 2019
I really wanted to like this book. It had an interesting premise and reminded me of other books I have read recently that I enjoyed. Unfortunately, it fell very flat and had a completely unrealistic ending.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic. Having a few snippets every once in a while from the other characters helped to nail down the feel that the author was going for with a 'teenage personal vlog'. I wasn't a huge fan of the vlog format at first, but it started to grow on me the further into the novel I went. It isn't a format that I have read/listened to before and it was definitely interesting.
I can't really comment on the character development without major spoilers, but I will say that a majority of the characters came up lacking. There were too many adults who failed to act like adults, which resulted in much of this plot line actually occurring. Too many of the characters were one-dimensional and really left something to be desired. It was also very difficult to believe that the main characters were in middle school. The setting would be much better in high school and would lend a little more realism to the story.
I really only gave this book 3 stars because the ending actually surprised me, but only because it was so far outside the realm of plausibility that I never would have thought it would actually happen. Overall, it wasn't awful, but it definitely wasn't great, more mediocre than anything else.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic. Having a few snippets every once in a while from the other characters helped to nail down the feel that the author was going for with a 'teenage personal vlog'. I wasn't a huge fan of the vlog format at first, but it started to grow on me the further into the novel I went. It isn't a format that I have read/listened to before and it was definitely interesting.
I can't really comment on the character development without major spoilers, but I will say that a majority of the characters came up lacking. There were too many adults who failed to act like adults, which resulted in much of this plot line actually occurring. Too many of the characters were one-dimensional and really left something to be desired. It was also very difficult to believe that the main characters were in middle school. The setting would be much better in high school and would lend a little more realism to the story.
I really only gave this book 3 stars because the ending actually surprised me, but only because it was so far outside the realm of plausibility that I never would have thought it would actually happen. Overall, it wasn't awful, but it definitely wasn't great, more mediocre than anything else.
September 20, 2019
Eh, it was okay.
The Mystery of Alice was a confusing and short audio. I feel like it was a smidge all over the place but then again.. I was kind of busy at work so I could totally see how easily distracted I was while listening. So this is definitely a bully book but there's also a smidge of mystery.
Is Alice really missing or no?
Are there a ton of spoiled rotten kids that are douche bags? Yes, yes there is.
That being said, I didn't like a lot of people in this book. Heck, maybe even everyone. I did like the whole vlog idea but again.. it was also kind of boring to listen to. Plus the ending was just kind of meh. It happened and I moved on. Glad I listened to yet another original audible but I'm currently looking for one that just holds my attention from start to finish.
The Mystery of Alice was a confusing and short audio. I feel like it was a smidge all over the place but then again.. I was kind of busy at work so I could totally see how easily distracted I was while listening. So this is definitely a bully book but there's also a smidge of mystery.
Is Alice really missing or no?
Are there a ton of spoiled rotten kids that are douche bags? Yes, yes there is.
That being said, I didn't like a lot of people in this book. Heck, maybe even everyone. I did like the whole vlog idea but again.. it was also kind of boring to listen to. Plus the ending was just kind of meh. It happened and I moved on. Glad I listened to yet another original audible but I'm currently looking for one that just holds my attention from start to finish.
May 8, 2019
The story would have better fit if it had been set in a private high school rather than a middle school. At least then it’d be much more believable.
The mid part of the story was hard to get through and was focused too much on teenage drama. I almost stopped listening entirely.
The ending was good overall though the climax was disappointing. The story ended tying up most loose ends though no final conclusion to what happened to the antagonist(s), just a statement that sounds more like speculation rather than concrete fact.
The mid part of the story was hard to get through and was focused too much on teenage drama. I almost stopped listening entirely.
The ending was good overall though the climax was disappointing. The story ended tying up most loose ends though no final conclusion to what happened to the antagonist(s), just a statement that sounds more like speculation rather than concrete fact.
May 15, 2019
I haven’t finished the book yet. I’m not sure if I will. There is one major flaw in the form of the book and it’s bothering me.
This girl is making a video diary of her life. But on what? On her phone? But it says at one point that it will only take short videos. It can’t be on her laptop because she often shows what is on the screen to her “unintended” audience. I suppose it’s possible that she could switch between a webcam and a cam that shows her screen and she toggles between them. But, does she have a laptop? When she is at school she is excited that her school gives her a laptop. So...new laptop?
Also, if it is a video diary, why does she feel like she needs to describe things that her audience would see?
Which brings up one more thing:
she says that she isn’t intending for anyone to see this, however, she is very clearly not talking to her future self. It seems ridiculous to me that she would make a video diary that she only intended to be for her eyes, but talk to it like she was talking to someone who had never experienced anything she had.
I have two simple solutions to these two problems. 1) listening to a video diary isn’t working. Make it just a recorded voice diary. 2) Have her say that she wants to be a writer or a journalist to explain why she feels the need to include every detail.
This girl is making a video diary of her life. But on what? On her phone? But it says at one point that it will only take short videos. It can’t be on her laptop because she often shows what is on the screen to her “unintended” audience. I suppose it’s possible that she could switch between a webcam and a cam that shows her screen and she toggles between them. But, does she have a laptop? When she is at school she is excited that her school gives her a laptop. So...new laptop?
Also, if it is a video diary, why does she feel like she needs to describe things that her audience would see?
Which brings up one more thing:
she says that she isn’t intending for anyone to see this, however, she is very clearly not talking to her future self. It seems ridiculous to me that she would make a video diary that she only intended to be for her eyes, but talk to it like she was talking to someone who had never experienced anything she had.
I have two simple solutions to these two problems. 1) listening to a video diary isn’t working. Make it just a recorded voice diary. 2) Have her say that she wants to be a writer or a journalist to explain why she feels the need to include every detail.
September 25, 2024
3.5. Geared towards the middle school crowd, but another audible freebie, and to my surprise one I really enjoyed. It is a book of hunt and search, finding and deciphering clues, and entering the world of an elite private school. Has the usual teenage angst, drama but it kept my interest. What is real and what is not.
The narration was more of a performance, with full immersion to the point where we can hear the computer being turned on for the video journal being kept by the main character. Traffic sounds, raindrops etc. Quite entertaining.
The narration was more of a performance, with full immersion to the point where we can hear the computer being turned on for the video journal being kept by the main character. Traffic sounds, raindrops etc. Quite entertaining.
May 14, 2019
Well I can’t get those hours back
May 21, 2019
This was a free Audible book with fairly good reviews, so I figured what the heck. I was hoping it would be something like The Mysterious Benedict Society, which is transporting and wonderful. But no - it's not. It's many hours of listening to the reader try to sound like a middle school girl, which is kind of painful; the book gets off to a fair start and then muddles to a terrible conclusion; and, ultimately, it's too much time given to a middling YA mystery rather than to what I hoped it would be, which was a celebration of its protagonist's geeky cleverness. Ah, well.
June 2, 2019
The story line was ridiculous.. a group of 13 yr old millionaires secretly offer scholarships to 2 other 13 yr olds just to get them into their private school in order to kill them to satisfy some adrenaline rush addiction. RIDICULOUS. It would be more believable if it was high schoolers not ignorant 13yr olds.
I was also getting very annoyed at Emily's narrations. 13 yr olds don't talk the why she does. They also don't go over board with insignificant details. It was all just too ridiculous. I'm surprised I finished the whole book.
I was also getting very annoyed at Emily's narrations. 13 yr olds don't talk the why she does. They also don't go over board with insignificant details. It was all just too ridiculous. I'm surprised I finished the whole book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2020
While I completed it, this one started much stronger than it finished. I can't say it held me in rapt attention.
The narrator felt melodramatic, the character choices juvenile (which is unfair since this was geared towards middle schoolers), and a lot of telling rather than showing. While I was sooort of interested enough to finish, I was pretty sure I had it figured out fairly quickly. And was mostly right when all was said and done.
I'd rate this a PG for some scary scenes and perilous situations.
The narrator felt melodramatic, the character choices juvenile (which is unfair since this was geared towards middle schoolers), and a lot of telling rather than showing. While I was sooort of interested enough to finish, I was pretty sure I had it figured out fairly quickly. And was mostly right when all was said and done.
I'd rate this a PG for some scary scenes and perilous situations.
May 4, 2019
The four-star rating is based on the intended audience for the story. It should be gripping for the young, young-adult audience for whom it is intended.
I would describe it as Cruel Intentions meets The Secret History for young audiobook listeners.
(I finished reading Tartt's novel today so it is probably a forced, juxtaposed comparison.)
It will be interesting to see how/if this story will work if it is brought to a print edition.
I would describe it as Cruel Intentions meets The Secret History for young audiobook listeners.
(I finished reading Tartt's novel today so it is probably a forced, juxtaposed comparison.)
It will be interesting to see how/if this story will work if it is brought to a print edition.
August 14, 2019
Ah, tween-age angst. I remember it well and am so glad I'm old enough to predate social media. Honestly, the middle school and high school years were hard enough without the added element of being networked!
In this Audible story, the narrator is a middle school student who is given the opportunity to interview for a scholarship to a prestigious New York prep school. The whole story is based on the premise that Emily (the narrator) is making a video diary that we (the listeners) just happen to be overhearing. She describes the interview and life after winning a full scholarship where she rooms with the only other scholarship winner, a girl named Alice. When school begins, Emily and Alice encounter many of the typical new-kid-in-school circumstances, including meeting the popular clique. When Alice joins the clique, Emily is suddenly on her own in a way--until Alice goes missing and Emily and the popular kids team up to figure out what happened.
The story has elements of humor and intrigue and mystery. The characters feel older than they are intended to be; I had to keep reminding myself that they are not yet in high school. Yet it's a clever and captivating listen--and it was fun to try and puzzle out what actually happened to Alice along the way.
In this Audible story, the narrator is a middle school student who is given the opportunity to interview for a scholarship to a prestigious New York prep school. The whole story is based on the premise that Emily (the narrator) is making a video diary that we (the listeners) just happen to be overhearing. She describes the interview and life after winning a full scholarship where she rooms with the only other scholarship winner, a girl named Alice. When school begins, Emily and Alice encounter many of the typical new-kid-in-school circumstances, including meeting the popular clique. When Alice joins the clique, Emily is suddenly on her own in a way--until Alice goes missing and Emily and the popular kids team up to figure out what happened.
The story has elements of humor and intrigue and mystery. The characters feel older than they are intended to be; I had to keep reminding myself that they are not yet in high school. Yet it's a clever and captivating listen--and it was fun to try and puzzle out what actually happened to Alice along the way.
June 16, 2019
The Mystery of Alice is a fun YA mystery from Audible (free for the month of June 2019 for Audible members) told through the video diary of Emily Poe. Emily and her new friend Alice find themselves amid the "Nobility" of Auden, a private school in NYC, where they have both received scholarships. The mysteriousness starts with the "test" Emily takes to even receive the scholarship and continues to her friend Alice and the other students at Auden. While it's not quite the college admissions scandal from the headlines this year, when the truth comes out, it's definitely surprising!
May 12, 2019
This was so bad. I had to skip parts because it was too over the top. If it had been about high school students I think I could have dealt with it better. So many ridiculous things about this. Dont bother with this it will only make you roll your eyes.
October 27, 2020
An audible freebie narrated by a whole cast! Gives you the Pretty Little Liars feels! Not much to say, started off well but got silly towards the end. Okayish!
Why are Audible ratings so misleading?
2.5/5🌟(rounding down).
Why are Audible ratings so misleading?
2.5/5🌟(rounding down).
May 24, 2019
Whoever narrated Emily's character, was awful. She was trying to sound young but it was just annoying. She was pausing after every second word and over enunciating everything. I tried speeding it up, but she wasnt consistent so some parts so talked fast and other parts she paused. It was awful. The story line was pretty good. Would have done a lot better without the video diary thing since she explained everything we would have seen had it been a VIDEO. Neat idea but badly executed. Also, there is no way these kids were 13 and talking about college. They were acting/talking like teenagers. As a written book, I probably would have given this 3 stars but the narration was brutal to listen to.
An example from an early chapter so there arent spoilers "Today! was the dayyyy!!! (Gasp) I applied for the Leopold scholarship (pause) heeeee heeeee heeeee (gasp) wowwww!!!!! I'm still wrappppping my brain around what happpppennnnnnedddd. the (pause) IVY building, the camerrrrrrrras!!!! the testing room!!! but (pause) now (pause) I'm getting ahead of myself. OKAY!! so! this morning! I took thetrainintothecityeithmymom. I got all dressed up in my (pause) fanciest clothes and EVERYTHING!!! and (pause) thewholewaythere (pause) allllllllllllll I could think was (pause)what if (pause) I barf during the (pause) apppppppppppplication!! orthetest or the wwwwwwwhatever. what if (pause) I got so nervous (pause) and excited (pause) and scared (pause) that I barfed?"
oh my f'n God. 6 hours of that. it was brutal and I barely finished it.
An example from an early chapter so there arent spoilers "Today! was the dayyyy!!! (Gasp) I applied for the Leopold scholarship (pause) heeeee heeeee heeeee (gasp) wowwww!!!!! I'm still wrappppping my brain around what happpppennnnnnedddd. the (pause) IVY building, the camerrrrrrrras!!!! the testing room!!! but (pause) now (pause) I'm getting ahead of myself. OKAY!! so! this morning! I took thetrainintothecityeithmymom. I got all dressed up in my (pause) fanciest clothes and EVERYTHING!!! and (pause) thewholewaythere (pause) allllllllllllll I could think was (pause)what if (pause) I barf during the (pause) apppppppppppplication!! orthetest or the wwwwwwwhatever. what if (pause) I got so nervous (pause) and excited (pause) and scared (pause) that I barfed?"
oh my f'n God. 6 hours of that. it was brutal and I barely finished it.
November 6, 2019
I really enjoyed this audiobook, the narrators did a great job.
November 13, 2020
❐ Overall Rating 3 | Narration 5
❐ Free Audible Original
❐ These are Middle School age kids???
❐ Mystery
❐ Video Diary
I suppose the story was interesting...but can I see this all being played out by middle-school-aged children...no, not at all. No matter how rich they are. If they had been high schoolers...maybe I could have bought it.
I'm fairly certain that Emily Bauer is the main narrator in this and lots of other listeners have said that she was too immature sounding...but I thought she was perfect.
❐ Free Audible Original
❐ These are Middle School age kids???
❐ Mystery
❐ Video Diary
I suppose the story was interesting...but can I see this all being played out by middle-school-aged children...no, not at all. No matter how rich they are. If they had been high schoolers...maybe I could have bought it.
I'm fairly certain that Emily Bauer is the main narrator in this and lots of other listeners have said that she was too immature sounding...but I thought she was perfect.
August 22, 2024
I was loving the book because of the narrators and sound effects but it threw me off that they were 13. I wish the author would have made them older so it was SLIGHTLY more realistic. Also, WHY IN THE WORLD were the police not more involved?!
June 25, 2019
This was a fun way to pass time. I was reminded of teen mystery dramas such as Pretty Little Liars. I liked the creativity of this being told through a video diary format along with the incorporation of a full cast and sound effects. I also enjoyed the puzzle that Emily had to solve as part of her scholarship admission test as it reminded me of an escape room. I found myself most invested at the start and end of the story as everything was being established and resolved (conveniently and neatly as it may have been). I will say that Emily spent a good chunk of the middle portions just babbling which made listening to this a bit of a chore. The mystery was fairly tame and the characters were rather one-dimensional, but I expected this to be the case based on the targeted audience.
While this is definitely aimed at young readers, the narrators did not sound anything like the middle school students they were portraying. In fact, I often forgot that these characters were supposed to be thirteen years old because they both spoke and sounded like they were much older. It would be more believable if these characters were in their later teens. I imagine that readers/listeners closer to the middle grade age group might enjoy this audio drama.
While this is definitely aimed at young readers, the narrators did not sound anything like the middle school students they were portraying. In fact, I often forgot that these characters were supposed to be thirteen years old because they both spoke and sounded like they were much older. It would be more believable if these characters were in their later teens. I imagine that readers/listeners closer to the middle grade age group might enjoy this audio drama.
June 21, 2023
It was a good read. A little unbelievable that these are middle school kids — but besides that I would recommend it.
A good mystery that kept me wanting to know the outcome the whole time.
3.75/5 stars
A good mystery that kept me wanting to know the outcome the whole time.
3.75/5 stars
July 29, 2019
OK, this was just good. Not great, and certainly not wonderful. This was a nice little mystery. Actually perfect for middle school, but there were some pretty hokey parts. For example, check out these last names of some of the characters: Poe, Melville, and Twain (Fennemore Twain, actually). This is just a bit too much. I thought for sure that one of the characters - Harriet Melville - would certainly have some distant connection to Herman. I mean, these are a bunch of wealthy kids at an exclusive boarding school. It would make sense that they would have some interesting connections, but no. I just found this a little weird. There was not even a nod to any of the literary figures. Just the random last names.
Anyway, I would totally recommend this one to the younger crowd.
Anyway, I would totally recommend this one to the younger crowd.
May 22, 2019
I was disgusted with the narrator and word choice within the first 10 minutes. “And I was like...and she was like...and I’m all...” I was gagging.
The actress narrating is brilliant as a middle school girl and as such, her performance choices irritated me. Example: She’s describing herself as a nerd and all her qualities as said nerd. The tone and inflection are disdain and loathing for herself. Which is counter to my impression of her based on other things she says and does. She loves her family and hugs her mom in front of other children and she “doesn’t want to let go.” Isn’t she proud and has a goal for her life- Ivy League colleges...?
(And also, how much did you eye roll during that hug moment? What child doesn’t want to let go of a hug before going into an interview? How long did she think she’d be gone? This isn’t a two week trip for crying out loud!)
After I discovered the speed feature, 2x allowed me some relief from the performance and I was then free to eye roll the rest of the writing.
Biggest annoyance - how many times can Bacon write “swallowed me whole”? The couch is said to have done it twice and then the lake. Couldn’t have been swimming in the couch? Oh yeah, he used swimming and brain fogged at another point. So much of the writing was cliche and ridiculous. He’d start a sentence and I could finish it word for word. The language and level of speech- I asked myself so many times, “What value are we supposed to get from this?”
What did you think as you read about the scholarship test? As soon as she read the directions my mind said, “Just go knock on the door.” Imagine my rage.
The one redeeming part of the book was her dictionary. Those entries made the character quite endearing for me.
The author finally hooked me when Alice went missing. That’s when I got a small sliver of why anyone would spend time and energy to produce this. The book is altogether awful and yet he managed to work some interest in after this point. However, still so many flaws. It would have been fun had I the ability to turn off my brain to forget about the inconsistencies. For instance:
She didn’t trust Nathan and yet still used the necklace he gave her. She tells us in her video diary that she’s going to the house alone, but then - haha! The police are on their way to save me! Eye roll.
Please, create a world and stick to the parameters!
The more I think back to all the things that annoyed me (this is by no means an exhaustive list), you may be surprised that I’m giving this 2 stars. However, my whole star rating system was reset earlier with the reading of the book, The Daughter Claus. That is my new 1 star threshold.
And the ending...can we be any more dramatic and milk the spoiled-evil-rich kid saga just one more time? That ending is why I can’t believe it’s middle school kids either. This is more high school/college level plotting.
How much did the “you can’t hug me or I’ll die” annoy you? Had to say it twice...eye roll finale.
The actress narrating is brilliant as a middle school girl and as such, her performance choices irritated me. Example: She’s describing herself as a nerd and all her qualities as said nerd. The tone and inflection are disdain and loathing for herself. Which is counter to my impression of her based on other things she says and does. She loves her family and hugs her mom in front of other children and she “doesn’t want to let go.” Isn’t she proud and has a goal for her life- Ivy League colleges...?
(And also, how much did you eye roll during that hug moment? What child doesn’t want to let go of a hug before going into an interview? How long did she think she’d be gone? This isn’t a two week trip for crying out loud!)
After I discovered the speed feature, 2x allowed me some relief from the performance and I was then free to eye roll the rest of the writing.
Biggest annoyance - how many times can Bacon write “swallowed me whole”? The couch is said to have done it twice and then the lake. Couldn’t have been swimming in the couch? Oh yeah, he used swimming and brain fogged at another point. So much of the writing was cliche and ridiculous. He’d start a sentence and I could finish it word for word. The language and level of speech- I asked myself so many times, “What value are we supposed to get from this?”
What did you think as you read about the scholarship test? As soon as she read the directions my mind said, “Just go knock on the door.” Imagine my rage.
The one redeeming part of the book was her dictionary. Those entries made the character quite endearing for me.
The author finally hooked me when Alice went missing. That’s when I got a small sliver of why anyone would spend time and energy to produce this. The book is altogether awful and yet he managed to work some interest in after this point. However, still so many flaws. It would have been fun had I the ability to turn off my brain to forget about the inconsistencies. For instance:
She didn’t trust Nathan and yet still used the necklace he gave her. She tells us in her video diary that she’s going to the house alone, but then - haha! The police are on their way to save me! Eye roll.
Please, create a world and stick to the parameters!
The more I think back to all the things that annoyed me (this is by no means an exhaustive list), you may be surprised that I’m giving this 2 stars. However, my whole star rating system was reset earlier with the reading of the book, The Daughter Claus. That is my new 1 star threshold.
And the ending...can we be any more dramatic and milk the spoiled-evil-rich kid saga just one more time? That ending is why I can’t believe it’s middle school kids either. This is more high school/college level plotting.
How much did the “you can’t hug me or I’ll die” annoy you? Had to say it twice...eye roll finale.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2019
Meh. Compelling in a weird way but full of downers:
-- inconsistent, the first half is book-like but the second half is old-time radio-ish
-- ages are crazy: according to the narration, the evildoers start when they're left alone at a cabin at age eight years old and decide they love the rush of misbehavior
-- there's no real reason for any of the evil, they don't even seem to enjoy any of it
-- and the fact that Alice joined in? nah, I don't buy it
-- "If they hug you, you could die" and "It's all there on my secret spy necklace video" lol Oh man, does it get weird at the end
-- middle schoolers are all about immediate gratification, no need to vilify them as plotting to take over the world
-- inconsistent, the first half is book-like but the second half is old-time radio-ish
-- ages are crazy: according to the narration, the evildoers start when they're left alone at a cabin at age eight years old and decide they love the rush of misbehavior
-- there's no real reason for any of the evil, they don't even seem to enjoy any of it
-- and the fact that Alice joined in? nah, I don't buy it
-- "If they hug you, you could die" and "It's all there on my secret spy necklace video" lol Oh man, does it get weird at the end
-- middle schoolers are all about immediate gratification, no need to vilify them as plotting to take over the world
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2020
This was unexpectedly so so good! I didn’t know what to expect when I first started listening to it as I started it on a whim but I enjoyed it from the get go. It certainly was a mystery! I was so intrigued to find out what happened to Alice and the mysteries surrounding the school, it had me in suspense and I was hooked. And also getting to know all the characters along the way, although wow some of those characters were not who I thought they were!
I loved the dynamic and set up of the audio, each entry as a video diary recording with the main character relaying here trials and adventures of the day. Filled with plenty of delightful teenage drama, lots of intrigue and mystery and twists and turns I did not expect!
Brilliantly acted and portrayed. Really enjoyed :)!
I loved the dynamic and set up of the audio, each entry as a video diary recording with the main character relaying here trials and adventures of the day. Filled with plenty of delightful teenage drama, lots of intrigue and mystery and twists and turns I did not expect!
Brilliantly acted and portrayed. Really enjoyed :)!
August 2, 2021
This is a fun unique story. It's a young girl with her video diary and the story is told through her entries. Keeps you guessing.
September 3, 2022
I liked the premise of the book and the summary drew me in. Unfortunately, the characters didn’t quite click for me. First of all, they were all way too savvy and confident for 7th graders. This is a time when puberty is wreaking havoc on kids bodies and emotions, but this group are more like a bunch of college freshmen. These are kids who are starting up internet ventures that make them millionaires at 13 years old.
I also found it hard to believe that kids as intelligent as these were so gullible when it came to the Nobility. Clever Alice is willing to lay down in front of a train just to be part of their super-group. This gang of middle-school royalty prove themselves capable of planning and executing plots that comic book supervillains dream of.
I did enjoy the main story of Emily and Alice’s friendship and Alice’s subsequent disappearance. Yes, it was kind of weird that this charity had set up a scholarship fund, complete with lodging allowance for just two lucky winners. You’d think the police would have been focusing on this when one of the girls disappeared, but the investigation was lackluster at best. Everything about Alice was just too mysterious for a girl of her age.
A quick read, but not very deep or believable.
I also found it hard to believe that kids as intelligent as these were so gullible when it came to the Nobility. Clever Alice is willing to lay down in front of a train just to be part of their super-group. This gang of middle-school royalty prove themselves capable of planning and executing plots that comic book supervillains dream of.
I did enjoy the main story of Emily and Alice’s friendship and Alice’s subsequent disappearance. Yes, it was kind of weird that this charity had set up a scholarship fund, complete with lodging allowance for just two lucky winners. You’d think the police would have been focusing on this when one of the girls disappeared, but the investigation was lackluster at best. Everything about Alice was just too mysterious for a girl of her age.
A quick read, but not very deep or believable.
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