Ratings3
Average rating2.5
THE INHERITANCE GAMES meets HOTEL MAGNIFIQUE in this genre splicing YA fantastical mystery.
The only thing sixteen-year-old Mullory Prudence has left of her mom is a warning: "Run if the strange finds you." But mysterious warnings don’t pay the bills or help take care of her sick Gran. And they certainly don’t make her miserable after-school job any more bearable. When unexpected letters start appearing in peculiar places––sealed in bags of dog food and hidden in the refrigerator––Mullory knows she should avoid them to heed her mother’s warning, but her curiosity thinks otherwise. She uncovers an invitation from Stoutmire Estate to compete in a game of Mystery Royale for the chance at a sizable inheritance.
Dizzy with the prospect of billions, Mullory enters the game only to unearth the true prize––the illusionary magical properties of Xavier Stoutmire, a recluse without an heir. A recluse who was expected to keep his magic in the family, especially when there isn’t enough for each member. With a prize worth killing for, the game is simple: be the first to solve the mystery––who killed Xavier Stoutmire? One week full of lavish parties dripping with enchantments, in a mansion brimming with clues of the past, and everyone’s a suspect. To win, Mullory will need to untangle a twisted family web and decide who she can trust…
Whitaker Stoutmire, the golden boy who’s harboring deadly secrets?
Ellison Stoutmire, his closed off twin, who saw something she shouldn’t have?
Lyric Stoutmire the youngest sibling, exiled by the family and burning with resentment?
Or Mateo Cruz, the only other outsider whose reserved manner allows him to hide in the shadows... At least at first.
But most of all, Mullory must ask herself, why? Why her? A question most strange, indeed.
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Contains spoilers
I expected more? The magic aspects were fabulous, but the characters were flat and felt rushed. Especially the enraged MMC and the constantly teary-eyed FMC - I'd expect those two to at least be well crafted.
The author also needs to learn the appropriate moments to use word "howled". Because it's used indiscriminately A LOT. Sometimes right out of the blue. Which is jarring.
And the whole "instant love" trope needs to go far, far away.
Inadvertently picked up a supernatural teen drama echo of The Westing Game. Different setting, era, players, but still a will-based game surrounding a murder mystery. Quite entertaining, not too teen drama-y.