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Review: Arsenic for Tea

by Robin Stevens

arsenic for tea

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“Mr Curtis may have been awful, but he had been a person.
If we were right about what had happened to him, then someone was responsible for the fact he was not a person any more and that was terrible.”
-Page 109

Title: Arsenic for Tea
Author: Robin Stevens
Publisher: Puffin
Book: 2# of Wells and Wong
Genre: YA/Mystery
Found: Book shop
Rating: 3 Voodoos

Schoolgirl detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are at Daisy’s home, Fallingford, for the holidays. Daisy’s glamorous mother is throwing a tea party for Daisy’s birthday, and the whole family is invited, from eccentric Aunt Saskia to dashing Uncle Felix. But it soon becomes clear that this party isn’t really about Daisy at all. Naturally, Daisy is furious. Then one of their party falls seriously, mysteriously ill – and everything points to poison. With wild storms preventing anyone from leaving, or the police from arriving, Fallingford suddenly feels like a very dangerous place to be. Not a single person present is what they seem – and everyone has a secret or two. And when someone very close to Daisy looks suspicious, the Detective Society must do everything they can to reveal the truth . . . no matter the consequences. ‘The second book in Robin Stevens’ fabulous Wells and Wong schoolgirl detective series – think St Trinians mixed with Miss Marple. These are thrilling books for tween detectives who adore solving dastardly murders, jolly hockey sticks and iced buns for tea’ Guardian ‘A delight . . . The Agatha Christie-style clues are unravelled with sustained tension and the whole thing is a hoot from start to finish’ Daily Mail ‘A feelgood blend of Malory Towers and Cluedo . . . Stevens has upped her game in this new volume’ Telegraph-Goodreads

My review. of book one can be found HERE.

Wells and Wong are at it again, this time it’s a little closer to home. A little too close…

I did rather enjoy Daisy’s family, they were pretty eccentric and fantastic and their house was splendid too. I was however rather annoyed at the map at the front of the book.
For a house old in the 1930′s there is NO WAY that the Kitchen would have been in the middle of the house. NO WAY. That’s servant territory and that’s hidden away, as far from the grand rooms as possible, with the back door for deliveries and easy access to the kitchen gardens. The servants stairs would have been tucked in there too, not all over the house! It’s also likely that all the servants rooms would be in a part of the house that would have been less well appointed and they may have even had servants passages to keep them from view. Also the rooms are either fantastically huge, OR it’s a tiny house for a Lord. So my advice is to completely ignore this map.

I got a little bored with this some time in the middle I have to admit, but that’s likely because it’s aimed at a younger audience and it didn’t keep me quite as entertained as it could have. But I was desperate to see who was the murderer! I peeked at the end and saw who it WASN’T which was fantastic – but my guess of who it was from that was incorrect! Which was actually quite fantastic.

This murder seems to have brought Hazel and Daisy closer together, which I’m glad about. Their relationship always felt a little lopsided to me but it seemed to be evening out. They also have a future heading which is grand too.

I think I would continue with this series, but  most certainly in small doses. I’m guessing all the books shall be murders and I do wonder where they’ll be picking up the next one from!

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2 comments on “Review: Arsenic for Tea

  1. ichabod2014ic

    You peeked at the ending?!?!
    I am shocked!

    Nice review.
    Happy Reading!
    ~Icky. :-)

    1. Paein

      I often peek! Life’s too full of good books to read one with a bad ending! Well, often is a bit of an exaggeration but still.

      I swear there was a character in something that always read the ending first in case they died before they finished the book, but I don’t remember what that was from. I’m not THAT bad so it’s all good XD

      Thank you for your comment!

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