Friday, May 20, 2011

Review: Wrapped

Wrapped
By Jennifer Bradbury
Publication date: May 24, 2011

My review:

Agnes Wilkins is expected to make a brilliant match during her first London season. Already she has captured the attention of the most desirable bachelor, Lord Showalter.  Everything is going according to her mother's plan as Lord Showalter invites her to the first big event of the social season, a mummy unwrapping at his estate. It is there that everything begins to unravel and Agnes finds herself caught up in a mystery involving a murder, Napoleon and a mysterious Egyptian artifact. Everyone who came in contact with the mummy seems to experience some kind of disaster. Is it a curse or the work of someone sinister and will she be next on their list? It is up to Agnes to solve the mystery before it is too late.

Wrapped is a historical mystery with a hint of romance and plenty of humor. Agnes is a fun, spunky and smart heroine who can quote Jane Austen in several different languages. Her bravery and intelligence aid her as she tries to solve the mystery and outwit the villain. While I found the mystery to be straightforward and not very surprising I did enjoy reading about Agnes's near escapes and how she pieced together the truth. The romance was also nice without taking over the storyline and I like how it developed. I also loved all the references to Jane Austen which was a nice touch. The historical information about Napoleon and Egyptology was interesting but not overly detailed. Something else that pleased me was Agnes's relationship with her family. While her mother didn't always understand Agnes she did mean well and they had a cordial relationship but it was her father who really stood out to me with the way he respected Agnes and encouraged her education. It was nice to see how close they were which isn't often the case in YA fiction.

Overall I really liked this book even though I quickly figured out who the villain was and the story could be a little unbelievable at times. I found that I didn't care about those minor flaws because I was having too much fun reading about Agnes and her adventures! Bradbury leaves room for a sequel and I certainly hope there will be one.

Readalikes: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee, The Body at the Tower by Y.S. Lee, Sovay by Celia Rees, Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle (similar but with a paranormal element)


Note: I received an e-ARC of this title for review as part of the Simon & Schuster GalleyGrab program. This in no way affects my opinion of the book

5 comments:

  1. This sounds like a fun read. I had no clue that there were Austen references in addition to the historical fiction piece. I must check this one out then since I love both aspects. I also like that you say this similar to A Spy in the House--loved that book! Great review, Christina!

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  2. I am adding this to my wishlist and giving it to my librarian to buy for the school library. Great review. Thanks

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  3. I enjoyed this book too especially with the Austen references and with the sweet romance. It also has a great cover, which is what attracted me in the first place.

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  4. I liked this one too, it was such a fun read and yeah the villain was pretty obvious but it didn't bother me :)

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  5. I'm not a huge fan of the cover, but I'm in the mood for a fun read. Plus, I enjoyed the books you have listed as Readalikes...so I'll definitely have to add this to my wishlist.

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