Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner's Dilemma (The Mysterious Benedict Society #3) by Trenton Lee Stewart

Synopsis from Goodreads:

IF YOU FAIL,


ALL IS

LOST.

Join the Mysterious Benedict Society as Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance embark on a daring new adventure that threatens to force them apart from their families, friends, and even each other.
 
When an unexplained blackout engulfs Stonetown, the foursome must unravel clues relating to a nefarious new plot, while their search for answers brings them closer to danger than ever before.
 
Review:

The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart was a fitting finale to the trilogy. The action was mostly confined to the house during the first half of the book which reflected the feeling of imprisonment that Reynie, Kate, Constance, Sticky and their families were feeling. 

The book was mainly concerned with the Mysterious Benedict Society attempting to avoid being captured by the sinister Mr Curtain and protecting The Whisperer from his evil intentions. Can Mr Benedict find the cure for the condition that afflicts him?

We learn more about Constance in this book. Light is shed upon her experiences before joining the Mysterious Benedict Society. However her astonishing powers are never fully explained as her parents were normal, unremarkable people and it is hard to believe that Constance would be able to do so much from the age of two. Constance must also find out whether the man claiming to be her father is speaking the truth or whether it is one of Mr Curtain's insidious plots to make use of her incredible mental abilities.

We also discover the full extent of Mr Curtain's cruelty as he punishes Reynie for something Kate did as he knows this would cause her great emotional distress. At a point in the book, Mr Curtain is given an opportunity to mend his ways to become a better person. However, he must choose whether to make use of this chance or not. Surprisingly, a silly character such as SQ Pedalian plays a pivotal role during the climax of the book. 

The characters are well-rounded throughout the trilogy; by this book they are defined. I loved all the characters as they were so vividly written. However, I was not impressed when Milligan, a skilled agent, when locked in perilous combat with Ten Men, uses an old trick that he utilised in the previous book. I felt he should have done something new and original.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner's Dilemma was witty, well-paced and full of action, making sure I kept reading. Yet again, there were interesting riddles to solve and I really enjoyed trying to figue them all out. I liked how the characters interacted with each other and mostly I liked the battle between good and evil.

Overall, The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner's Dilemma was a fantastic read. I would recommend it to everyone as it was funny and full of action. Children and adults alike will love this trilogy. I can't wait to read more from Trenton Lee Stewart, beginning with The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict and The Mysterious Benedict Society: Mr. Benedict's Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums 

Book Rating: 5/5
Cover Rating: 4/5
Author: Trenton Lee Stewart

Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Perilous Journey

Synopsis from Goodreads:

The fabulous foursome readers embraced as The Mysterious Benedict Society is back with a new mission, significantly closer to home. After reuniting for a celebratory scavenger hunt, Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance are forced to go on an unexpected search--a search to find Mr. Benedict. It seems that while he was preparing the kids' adventure, he stepped right into a trap orchestrated by his evil twin Mr. Curtain.


With only one week to find a captured Mr. Benedict, the gifted foursome faces their greatest challenge of all--a challenge that will reinforce the reasons they were brought together in the first place and will require them to fight for the very namesake that united them.


Review:

Set a year after their previous adventure The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Perilous Journey is just as great. Reynie, Kate, Sticky and Constance, the members of the MBS set out to follow a trail of cryptic clues left by Mr Benedict who has been kidnapped by his odious brother, Mr Curtain, in the hope that they will eventually find him.

The beginning started off in a similar way as the first book, with Reynie on his way to a rendezvous. The beginning was a little slow, with the characters dwelling on and reminiscing over their previous adventure, however, once it got going, it gripped me to the end. The book was engrossing. It was action-packed and the members of the Mysterious Benedict Society travelled across the world to locate Mr Benedict. The trail of clues was intriguing and well thought out in Stewart’s usual style.

Constance suddenly developed extremely powerful psychic abilities and extra-fast pattern recognition skills. She did not have this in the last book where her stubbornness was her saving grace. The origin of these abilities remained unexplained and I hope it is explained in the next book. I wonder whether she is someone’s laboratory experiment as she has no memory of her family and she is very advanced for a three-year old.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Perilous Journey was very humorous and entertaining. Even the villainous characters had their little jokes. There was one occasion where Mr Curtain would not have helped one of his henchmen because he is not that type of person- but he did- which was convenient as it got him out of the way for the main characters to make a bid for freedom. This was out of character for him.

The book went into more detail about Mr Benedict and Mr Curtain’s narcolepsy and how it affects their lives. This was interesting and frightening. If you read the first book, I am sure you would want to read The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Perilous Journey as it was a highly enjoyable read and laugh-out-loud funny. If you haven’t started the series, I highly recommend it. You won’t regret it.

Book Rating: 5/5
 
Cover Rating: 4/5
 

Author: Trenton Lee Stewart

Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Young readers who have worked their way through Lemony Snicket may well find their next obsession in The Mysterious Benedict Society, a dandy YA debut by novelist Trenton Lee Stewart. This engaging tale has all the elements tweens find intriguing: gifted kids, a dangerous mission, and a secret society where nothing is as it seems. Stewart throws plenty of challenges -- physical, mental, and moral -- in the path of his young protagonists, and readers will have fun solving the riddles and unraveling the clues in this smart, unconventional mystery. Complex, unpredictable, and deeply respectful of children's innate intelligence, The Mysterious Benedict Society is highly recommended for thoughtful preteens.

Review:

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart is a very interesting book as it is reminiscent of a 1920s spy story, though it is set in the present. It has a wide array of strange and intriguing characters, with Reynie Muldoon as the main character. After being initiated into a secret society, Reynie and his friends must discover who is sending sinister messages through media broadcasts and communication devices to everyone in the world.

The Mysterious Benedict Society was a humorous book and allowed the reader to see the strength of the various characters. The tests that the characters had to go through to be accepted into the mysterious society were very unconventional and challenging and lead the characters to think outside of the box.

The book kept up the mystery and suspense without becoming monotonous or frustrating at any point. Enough information was given to satisfy the reader and keep them gripped until the very end. The end was shocking, surprising and full of twists.

The book was well paced and the characters were three-dimensional, except for a few caricatures. The Mysterious Benedict Society is from Reynie Muldoon's perspective, in third person narration. Reynie was the leader, a good puzzle solver, a great mediator between the difficult team members and kept them focussed. Kate Weatherall was entertaining to read about. Her strength was escaping and getting past tricky obstacles. This skill proved to be invaluable in this adventure.

Sticky Washington had an impeccable memory. There wasn't much he didn't remember and he absorbed facts like a sponge. Constance Contraire was an enigma. I wasn't sure what she was good at until the climax where her strength became evident. These four had one thing in common and that was that they were all alone and only had each other.

Mr Benedict is also a mystery for much of the novel. I was unsure whether he was good or had sinister motives. There were also a number of other interesting characters such as Ledroptha Curtain, Number Two, Rhonda Kazembe and Milligan.       

Morse code was used in the book which was quite unexpected but Mr Benedict insisted that that is the reason why they should use it. Mr Curtain's Whispering Machine was a strange contraption which was powerful but limited- in the sense that it was pedantic.

There was one shocking pronouncement at the end of the book which was the age of one of the characters which I felt was unrealistic. However, for the most part, The Mysterious Benedict Society was a well-rounded adventure where all the puzzle pieces fitted perfectly and all the loose ends were tied. Most importantly, there is further scope for plenty more adventures in the future as their journey has just begun.

The Mysterious Benedict Society was a worthwhile book to read as it was full of action, adventure and humour. If you liked Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer, you'll enjoy this. I recommend The Mysterious Benedict Society for a bit of light reading. I look forward to reading the next book, The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Perilous Journey.

Enjoy!
Ledroptha Curtain!:)

P.S. The reason for why Kate carries a bucket is still a mystery. Why doesn't she have a bag? Though- it is pretty useful.

Book Rating: 5/5
Cover Rating: 5/5
Author: Trenton Lee Stewart