The 39 Clues

Book Review: Storm Warning

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Storm Warning
The 39 Clues #9
by Linda Sue Park

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review will contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Maze of Bones.

On the trail of pirates, someone else is on the trail of Amy and Dan Cahill, but then, what else is new? But now they’re learning that the threat may have been closer than they knew all along.

We’re nearing the end of the main series now, and the story is ramping up appropriately; this book dives right in with Amy and Dan confronting Nellie about her deception. Personally, I’ve figured Nellie was more involved than she claimed from the beginning, when her snake nose ring was described, but that seemed to be a red herring, since it wasn’t brought up again in 9 books. The real truth about what Nellie has been keeping from Amy and Dan isn’t exactly earth-shattering or completely unexpected, but it’s nice to start getting things out into the open. The Madrigal involvement in the clue hunt is close to what I suspected partway through the book, but there are still some surprises.

In this book, Amy is awkward and stumbles over words when she’s with her family, but later, she doesn’t seem to struggle at all talking to people she doesn’t know, even in stressful situations. This might not have been something I’d have pointed out, except that it seems likely it’s due to this book being written by an author who’s new to the series. Though overall, I’ve really enjoyed the journey, I do sometimes feel that the one-off authors could have had more of an understanding of the characters before writing their contribution. Or that there should have been an editor who read all of stories with an eye toward fixing any characterization issues. Though the final book in the main series is written by yet another new author, I’m still looking forward to seeing how all of this ends. I’ve already strongly recommend this series to my 13-year-old daughter who has just recently gotten into reading more heavily, and I think kids as young as 10 would enjoy this series as well.

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Book Review: The Emperor’s Code

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The Emperor’s Code
The 39 Clues #8
by Gordon Korman

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Maze of Bones.

Amy and Dan Cahill are reeling over news of their heritage and take it out on each other. When they get separated, Dan and Amy will have to use the clue hunt to find their way back to each other. 

I really liked the fresh turn this story took with Dan and Amy’s argument. Not that it’s the first time they’ve argued, but the siblings being separated, having different experiences, and working the clue hunt from two different angles, is all new and interesting. The ways that they’re both trying to deal with what they discovered in the previous book about their parents, grandmother, and themselves, adds some realism and seriousness to the story. While there are still some outlandish situations, the climax in particular, I found myself enjoying the ride. I really want to see how Amy and Dan handle their ancestry and what it means for their role in the clue hunt, and I hope to learn for certain who can be trusted and who can’t. The clues themselves seem less important than the hunt to find them at this point, and I look forward to continuing the series.

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Book Review: The Viper’s Nest

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The Viper’s Nest
The 39 Clues #7
by Peter Lerangis

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Maze of Bones.

With both police and a storm closing in on the island where Amy and Dan Cahill just watched one of their rivals in the hunt for 39 Clues die, they first must escape and then try to continue the hunt. Next, it’s off to South Africa to follow the trail of a famous British statesman.

This is the 7th book in the series and the 2nd written by this author. His first book was when I first noted that having a different author for each installment in the series could be annoying, and I noted some glaring differences in this book too, mostly in the way of some of the main characters talking very differently than I’m used to. Dan talks and acts like a 4-year-old sometimes, and Nellie (Amy and Dan’s au pair) suddenly talked like a teeny bopper. I don’t fully understand the reason behind having 7 different authors write the 11 books in a series, unless it’s to get their names in front of people, thus promoting their own works, but I feel like it could have been done better. They should have compared notes more/better.

Still, with all of that being said, it did not diminish my overall enjoyment of the book or series enough to keep me from moving forward. There was still intrigue and some suspense, and a HUGE secret was revealed in this book. I’ve suspected this secret for several books, now, almost to where I didn’t see how it could work out any other way, but I don’t think it will be as obvious to most kids of the age these books are meant for. Instead, it will probably come as a pretty big shock, and it leaves us all unable to trust even more things that we’ve learned throughout this series. I also am sure that things about this book that frustrated me would probably not bother those in the demographic the book was written for. I still have another theory or two related to the big reveal from this book, so I’m looking forward to seeing if I’m right.

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Book Review: In Too Deep

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In Too Deep
The 39 Clues #6
by Jude Watson

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Maze of Bones.

Off to Australia to find more clues, Amy and Dan Cahill seek out a relative that isn’t involved in the hunt. As they travel around the country—and outside of it—they are trailed by other Cahills who are searching for the same clues. As one Cahill seems to be trying to help them, another Cahill has much more sinister schemes in mind.

I enjoyed the trip to Australia, both the more populated areas and the outback, and then to some islands of Indonesia. Though the Cahills, and thus us as well, are brief visitors to most of these places, they still gave me a chance to learn a little bit about somewhere I’ll never go. Plus, I was curious enough to look online at some maps of the islands involved, which gave me a nice visual. The story was similar in pacing, mystery, and intrigue to previous books in the series, and I didn’t notice any major differences in characterization either. Amy and Dan seem to be maturing, which one would expect, given when they’ve gone through so far.

I suppose it’s all on purpose, but I struggle a lot with a book series in which I truly cannot trust anyone except the two main characters. And more than that, even supposed deaths can’t be trusted in this series. This book in particular introduced a dangerous new character, (maybe) lost an existing one, and started to cast suspicion on someone that’s seemed trustworthy from the start. I do appreciate being given some insight into the death of Amy and Dan’s parents and assume more information about that will come in later books.

While I have had some frustrations with the series, and with this book in particular—for example, how do the other Cahills always seem to know where Dan and Amy are going to be? Sometimes it can be explained by saying they’re going to an obvious place to find clues, but randomly going surfing, spur of the moment, and being found by the Holts? Really? Who’s the mole in this outfit?—from past experience, I think they’re the kind of thing that kids won’t be as bothered by. There is a lot that I enjoy about this series, and now that I’m more than halfway through it, I’m pretty invested. I really do want to know what’s going to happen, especially since, as of this book, I have developed a theory and a prediction about the ending. It’s the kind of thing I feel like I should have been able to start guessing at sooner, but that kids of the age this series is meant for might not think of at all. I’m looking forward to seeing if I’m right!

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Book Review: The Black Circle

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The Black Circle
The 39 Clues #5
by Patrick Carman

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Maze of Bones.

A cryptic telegram leads Amy and Dan Cahill to Russia without the one adult that’s had their backs in the clue hunt so far. Palaces and lost treasure looted by the Nazis pale in comparison to the promise of learning more about their parents, but are Amy and Dan walking into a trap?

Five books in, I’m starting to feel like every time I’m ready to read the next book, I should re-read all the ones before it again to remember the important details. I know some of that is my own memory problems, but there’s just so much happening over the course of these books. It’s hard to keep up with who might be bad, who definitely is bad, and who seemed to be good but double-crossed someone else. Little hints that aren’t followed-up on right away get lost in the greater story. The fact that this bothers me probably means that I’m enjoying the series, though, and I am. I just may have to start taking notes about what’s going on. 

Somehow I knew that when, in my review for the previous book, I said that a future book might give me a different look at the Holts than the family of meatheads they’ve been portrayed as so far, it would end up happening soon, and I was right. Though really, it’s only the eldest son, Hamilton Holt who has a bit of character development here. I thought it was weird that after receiving actionable intel, he takes part in some kind of family capture-the-flag game before telling his dad that they need to get moving. Makes little sense. I also didn’t really get how the black circle was a big enough deal in the book to be put in the title. But overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to continuing the series.

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Book Review: Beyond the Grave

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Beyond the Grave
The 39 Clues #4
by Jude Watson

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

Looking for a clue in Egypt involves a lot of sand and a lot of mistrust. Though that’s to be expected when you’re trying to outsmart some of the smartest people in the world, who also happen to be related to you. Amy and Dan Cahill have been attacked by fellow clue hunters and betrayed by false allies. But when a message from their dead grandmother, whose death started off the clue hunt, leaves them wondering if they can even trust her now, will they succumb to becoming like their nasty relatives themselves?

This was my favorite book in the series so far. It was still filled with some of the same zany antics and cheesy dialog from the previous books, but I really liked the way the story unfolded. Dan and Amy had some serious sibling things to work out between them, and Nellie, their au pair, really took a step up in my estimation too. I appreciate more and more the scenes shown now and then from the perspectives of various opponent Cahills, as we get to see that they’re more than just evil villains. And frankly, I’m glad the Holts weren’t in this one, because so far, they’re just an annoying family of meatheads. Maybe some future book will give me a different view of them though.

You know what I would love? A recap of what clues have already been found, because when I think back on the previous books, I’m not sure I can accurately remember which things they found were official Clues and which things were clues to the clues. But while I’m not sure that the mystery and clue part of these books actually make any kind of logical sense and would really work out in real life at all, I’m still enjoying the ride and look forward to continuing the series.

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Book Review: The Sword Thief

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The Sword Thief
The 39 Clues #3
by Peter Lerangis

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

9/18/24 update after listening to audiobook: Now that I’ve read the rest of the main series, I have a much better overall handle on the characters that I felt acted out of character in this book. While I still feel that the characters tend to swing from one direction to another too quickly and too often for my taste, I no longer chalk it up to the switching in authorship for the series. Overall, I enjoyed the story a lot more the 2nd time through, listening to the audiobook, a bit more than I did the first time, and have thus raised my rating from 3 to 4.

When their next clue leads them to Japan, siblings Amy and Dan Cahill may have no choice but to team up with their uncle Alistair Oh. They can’t really trust anyone in their family, since they all want the final reward from the 39 clues for themselves, but sometimes an alliance is necessary…right?

I felt like the different-author-for-each-book aspect posed an issue for me this time. Because we have a new mind behind this book, I wasn’t sure if the fact that it seemed like so many personalities set up in the first two books were reversed in this one was the author wanting to do his own thing or was a natural part of the flow of the story. But somehow, Alistair is suddenly not such a bad guy, as confirmed by a scene from his own point of view. Amy suddenly isn’t so awkward around Ian Kabra, even letting down her guard quite a bit. Those aren’t the only examples, and in the end, much of what seemed to be reversed in this book was…unreversed? But on the other hand, some of it is left muddy. Anyway, it all distracted me enough from the rest of the story that I can’t really say how much I liked it. I do think it fell a little short of the first two in the series, but I hold out hope that the next author will get back to the intrigue and history I enjoyed in those first two.

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Book Review: One False Note

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One False Note
The 39 Clues #2
by Gordon Korman

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

Through the canals of Venice Amy and Dan Cahill race to find the next of the 39 clues that lead to untold power—and to stay alive. The Cahills may be the most powerful, influential family in history, but they’re also the most deadly.

I enjoyed this book a little more than the previous. It’s probably mostly due to the story already being in progress, whereas the previous one had to start the train going. I feel like there’s a little less cut-and-dry logic to some of what they’re solving and the clues they get, which kind of bothers the escape room enthusiast in me. But I’m liking the series so far and looking forward to continuing it.

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Book Review: The Maze of Bones

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The Maze of Bones
The 39 Clues #1
by Rick Riordan

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

When Amy and Dan’s grandmother dies, her will reading sets off a hunt for treasure that no one in the vast, powerful Cahill family can fully comprehend. The vague prize will make the finder or finder’s team the most powerful members of the Cahill family, which has had some pretty powerful members in the past. Amy and Dan have nothing to lose as they do their best to outsmart and outrace the wealthier, older, and deadlier members of their families.

This book reminded me a lot of some other series I’ve read recently—unrealistic, over-the-top action, characters that know everything they need to know to progress, and one can never be quite sure who to trust. And yet, I enjoyed it more than I feel like I should have. By the time I got to the end, I was invested. I don’t normally enjoy a book where you can’t trust anyone, because characters are betraying each other left and right, but I still couldn’t help but start to trust a couple of the potentially treacherous side characters by the end. And now I want badly to know how it will turn out with those characters. I also can’t help but want to know what the big prize is, even though I suspect it will either be ridiculous or a letdown.

I’ve heard of this series for a long time and considered reading the books years ago, but never have until now. I wonder if I might not have been ready for the style and tone of the book until now, since I’ve read a few other series with the same kind of wildly unlikely storylines—at least one of which I liked and one of which I really didn’t. Now, I’m more able to let some of the things that might have bothered me in the past go and enjoy the story for what it is. I’m not sure how I’ll like the change of authors throughout the series, but I’m definitely going to keep going.

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