Review: The Trapdoor Mysteries #1 + #2: A Sticky Situation + The Scent of Danger

Review: The Trapdoor Mysteries #1 + #2: A Sticky Situation + The Scent of Danger

The Trapdoor Mysteries A Sticky Situation by Abie LongstaffThe first two books in a magical mysterious fun series!

In these first two book we get to meet Tally, see her discover all the secrets the mansion she lives in holds (and there are a lot including many codes), and also solve to mysteries! In the first one things are being stolen from the house and in the second the new puppy from the lady of the house is stolen.. plus several others in the village nearby. In both books Tally goes on to investigate along with her very fluffy furry and cute friend, Squill! The mysteries are both wonderfully written and I loved seeing Tally use the resources she has to figure things out. And it was also wonderful to see her invent things from what she learned at the library + magic + with the help of an animal important to the story.

One of those resources is a place I would LOVE LOVE to go to as well, namely a hidden library filled with books old and new and tons of magic. I know I have said this many times before, but I seriously wanted to step in the books and be part of the library. Read some books! Discover new things!

Plus, there is also the mystery of what happened to Tally’s mom as she disappeared (off the cliff near the mansion) one day. We get some hints in the second book (plus a big twist) and I am very curious how that will play out in the next books.

Tally is a wonderful character, despite all she is forced to do and how much she does and the fact she sleeps in a sink (yes really), she stays strong, finds things to make her happy, and tries to have a good life. Learning all she can.

I have to give extra credit and points to Squill the squirrel who is adorable and a true friend. But I also want to mention the lord of the mansion who listens to Tally and also gives her new opportunities!

We also get footnotes with extra facts. I didn’t always read them, while I love them at the moment my ADHD is just a bit too much in overdrive and I would just lose thread of the story.

The baddies (the one who took in Tally) are very frustrating, but also very well written. They reminded me a lot of how Roald Dahl would write his baddies.

The only thing I wasn’t entirely a fan of was the rehashing in the second book. I get it, you want people who haven’t read the first book to know what is going on, but it got a bit much and I would have rather seen that recap at the beginning and then just a bit more story.

The illustrations dotted her and there are a fun addition!

I really had fun reading these books and I am glad that I cleaned up my shelves and discovered book 1 again and then discovered there were now 3 more books! I would recommend it to everyone looking for a magical mysterious read, it is perfect for Spooktober if you want something lighter.

Star rating, 4.5 stars for book #1

Star rating, 5 stars for book #2

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