Pages: 262
Received: Library
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Amelia Peabody rocks and is totally getting a sleepover party invitation. And we're playing Truth or Dare and she's definitely picking Dare.
See Amelia is one of those lite/cozy historical fiction heroines who blazes her own trails, bucks convention, gets it done, and does it all with a witty comment about her situation (including a healthy awareness of when she herself is totally at fault). She's in good company with other adult heroines like Lady Trent or MG counterparts like Kat Stephenson and Theodosia Throckmorton.
Amelia's adventures take place with Egyptian excavations, mummy curses, and similar perils, which are all things I tend to enjoy. There's also a nice female friendship with Evelyn, the shy balance to Amelia's blunt approach (complete with her own sweet romance). Add in a murderous mystery with a possibly supernatural source and I was hooked.
Oh, and did I mention the grumbling, bickering love interest? Yes! This is a hate-turned-love book! Amelia butts heads with Emerson her grudging partner in crime-solving and artifact-finding and listening to the two of them swap notes and zingers elevated Crocodile on the Sandbank from a "good" read to a "reread."
This is the first installment in a very long series (19 books!), but it ends very nicely as a standalone so you can easily read just this one book without having to worry about committing the time for the entire series. I listened to it on audiobook with Susan O'Malley narrating and her voice is absolutely perfect.
So perfect, that I actually stalled out on the series once I got to the third book and realized the reader had switched (and to a voice that seems far too old for Amelia). Moving forward I'll have to switch to reading and not listening, because I'm seriously have issues with that new reader.
Which is also to say that, yes, I will definitely be continuing with Amelia and her adventures! I feel like I've found a bosom friend with Amelia, so thankfully there are many more adventures to come.
This is an adult historical cozy mystery, but there is nothing inappropriate for YA readers and probably has good crossover appeal. Also recommended for fans of the Mummy movies (and you can count me as a fan).
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Click on the cover to go to my review/Goodreads
I have heard such good things about this series, but I haven't picked it up mainly because it contains 19 books. I'm so glad to hear that this can be read as a standalone. I think I'll give it a shot. So glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI think I might have read this one a long time ago, but I can't remember anything about it. It sounds like something I would like!
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