whitneydaniell

by: Mackenzie Reed
Published: Oct 31, 2023
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Fiction
368 Pages, E-Book ARC Courtesy of NetGalley
GoodReads Link

The Rosewood Hunt was a slow burn for me. It took me a few days to get into it and even once it started getting better, I skipped the descriptive paragraphs and only read the dialogue. The whole premise and plot felt dry to me. I sniffed out where the treasure would be; who was involved with the hunters, and figured out the ending almost to a “T”.

The book’s pacing was slow in the first half but, once it picked up toward the middle, everything moved quickly with the exception of a big final moment where there is way too much talking and observing when they should have been moving! To be fair, I also hate this in movies but, why is there so much dialogue and reflection with others when someone is chasing you?… R U N!!

This idea of a treasure hunt has been done before. There is a need for antagonists and others who throw a wrench in the plan, to throw you off the hunt. That’s a given. The family drama is not new either. But my one real complaint is that I wish the drama had some more depth. For me, it seemed like all the conflicts were surface. The two cousins, once their “issue” is revealed is something so basic and immature – well, they’re young so *shrug*. Then the family drama with Nonna and Leo also made no sense. Why would his grandmother have an issue with HIM, of all people involved, his own grandson? That didn’t make sense to me. However, I did like Caleb’s story about being brave.

Final Thought: Where are Lily and Daisy’s mothers? Why did they just run away never to be heard from again? That has bothered me since I finished the book.

One-Word Summary: St. Anthony