Member Reviews
A solid 4 for me, Warren the 13th and The All-Seeing Eye was a fun, quirky, fast-paced read about 12-year-old Warren as he attempts to discover where and what exactly the All-Seeing Eye is while living with his lazy uncle and rather domineering aunt in the family's slowly decaying hotel. My favorite part was the combination of Will Staehle's illustrations and the slightly spooky vibe of Tania del Rio's writing, and I truly do think that the book wouldn't work as well as it does without this pairing.
Distinctive, slightly odd, and great fun.
Absolutely adored it! The perfect read for the month around Halloween. Far from the stereotypical story of an abused orphan that the blurb promises, the book has real heart and the illustrations are wonderful.
Wow! I can't believe I forgot to fully review this! I had received an ARC but my computer crashed and I lost the file, but I did end up picking it up from the bookstore soon after its release and immediately read up to the newest in the series, of which I also received an ARC this past year. A young boy named Warren (the 13th) is basically forced to run his family's old hotel, thanks to his corrupt Aunt and Uncle. However, things are about to change because the hotel is rumored to be home to the All-Seeing Eye, a magical object of great importance, and it suddenly draws large numbers of strange people to the hotel. Warren is now on a race to solve puzzles and mysteries before everyone else.
This story is beautiful down to the creepy Victorian-style illustrations and the puzzles you can try to work out yourself. It quickly became one of my favorite series of all time and earned a hard-to-get five stars from me.
Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.
Main character is very funny. I loved the illustrations as they make the story that much more enjoyable. Would definitely read more by this author.
Weird, gothic kids book with Edward Gorey style illustrations? Sold. The illustrations were amazing and the story was adorable.
This is the type of book that I loved when I was a kid -- it has mystery, a creaky old building, and a spunky child protagonist. The plot twists were fun, and I think that my students will like this book as much as I did!
*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review*
This is a book that I have had on my TBR for quite sometime *sorry Netgalley* and I even made it one of the books to read for #beatthebacklist which I have now achieved *fist pumps the air*
This Middle-grade book is excellent for this time of year the illustrations and story are quite dark- there is an eerie tone set to this book and definitely a Halloween book – it’s not scary but it has witches and other spooky beings.
This book is action packed with loads of fun stuff to read about – Warren has to go on quests and solve mysteries to help him save his beloved hotel that Aunt Annaconda is trying to take over. Supposedly there is an All-seeing eye in this hotel but nobody knows what it is and where exactly to find it – but this all-seeing eye contains a treasure – a treasure so powerful that he can’t let his awful aunt get her hands on it.
This book has a lot going on in it and a varied amount of characters that it doesn’t leave the reader bored for a moment and there is a mystery that you are trying to unravel whilst reading. There are some meaner characters such as Aunt Annaconda and her sisters but then we have other ones that are there for the young heir and help him.
I loved the fact that this book had illustrations and that it complemented the story very well, they were very dark, gothic style and used a darker palette – I just wish at some point I can read the physical copy.
Overall this is a great middle-grade novel,it’s fast paced and intriguing with an eclectic range of characters and will be appreciated by children and adults of any age.
I rated this 4 out of 5 stars
What a cute book! Warren is such an adorable character, and he is the sweetest kid you will ever read about! The story reminded me a little of The Wolves Chronicles by Joan Aiken (which I'm still in the process of reading) because of its wackiness and weird plot twists. The ebook ARC version that I read had some illustrations in it but they were not always in the best format; I think the final completed version of this book has made the illustrations a lot clearer so that will be another element that kids will enjoy. This is definitely a story I can see middle schoolers enjoying because it's got great elements, great pictures, and a great theme!
Fun story and great illustrations. Looking forward to the second book.
My computer went on the fritz while reading a digital copy and I wasn't able to finish this book, so I was very excited when I happened upon it at the library. I'm actually quite glad I got to see a physical copy of this book before reviewing it because it is LOVELY. Warren the 13th is a beautifully executed book. The design and attention to detail make it stand out, the illustrations are fun and odd and add a lot to the narrative.
I loved the characters and the subtle sense of humor that threads through the narrative.
Unfortunately I was less impressed with the plot. The first half of the book is VERY carefully laid out, plenty of interesting world building and important plot details are provided to help the reader figure out the mystery. The last half of the book was rushed, the action and conclusion came about with a lot of convenient moments. The sleep spell for which the important characters happened to have a counterspell, Sketchy saving Warren, and everyone forgetting what had happened in the end, particularly the uncle. These situations/solutions potentially could have been set up somehow earlier in the book, but they came across as hindrances that were suddenly and easily solved. So why bother having them at all if it doesn't complicate the plot or action? I was also disappointed that the perfumiers didn't come across as tough as I expected them to be, especially when up against some pretty incompetent enemies.
Overall this is a very fun book. While I did have some issues, I still enjoyed it and found it to be interesting and creative. This series has a TON of potential and I am looking forward to the next installment to see how the writer and illustrator develop the story and their storytelling.
I will definitely recommend this to young readers who are interested in darker worlds or beginning to explore graphic novels.
Luscious illustrations in black & white with a hint of colour. Story will appeal to those who like scary witch craft mixed in with a bit of mystery. Must concur that it was very long for its intended audience but I did enjoy it.
Super cute, not just for kids since it's got a dark kind of goth edgar allen poe feel. Very much enjoyed.
An endearing and quirky middle-grade read. I loved the unique illustrations and I believe this will stand out for any kids. Those looking for a fast-paced story will enjoy this read, and will keep turning each page to find out what happens. A great addition to any juvenile collection.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A great, intriguing storyline with beautiful illustrations throughout.
It really doesn't matter how old you are to really appreciate the beauty of this book.
I adore how unique this book is. I think it's a great middle grade adventure full of lots of twists and turns and quirky characters. I love that even as an adult reader, I really had no clue where this story would go and how things would turn out. I'm looking forward to reading the next adventure in this series.
A dark, twisted middle grade adventure reminiscent of The Mysterious Benedict Society and A Series of unfortunate events complete with beautiful imagery. Fillled with mystery and lots of twists and turns, any reader will enjoy this unique book.
This is a really nice story about a kindhearted boy, Warren, who lives with and is being raised by his lazy uncle and his witch of a wife who hates Warren and is really nasty to him. Yes, it's all quite stereotypical but it's still an entertaining enough read. Unfortunately the story wasn't quite as dark as I'd hoped for (based on the cover and description) but there were still a number of evil characters to keep things interesting. The story is fairly simple and lacks complexity, making this a story for younger middle grade readers. It was an easy and fast read, although I did find the odd word here and there fairly advanced and I think that young readers who are reading the book themselves may struggle now and then. But, I don't think it's a big deal or enough to put anyone off. This book was enjoyable without being great. I did love the illustrations, however, many of them were not clear of properly visible on my Kindle as I received an ARC, but I could get the general feel for them. I can imagine that this book will be an entertaining read for younger readers, although parents reading the story to their kids might not be quite as entertained.
Many thanks to the author, Tania del Rio, the publishers Quirk books and NetGalley for my review copy.
I thought it was a really great book. I think my ten year old nephews would love it. it has the feel of Neil Gaiman and Lemony Snicket and made me smile and laugh several times out loud.
*Possible Spoiler Alert*
This was a really cute book by Tania del Rio. There was a contest and I was given this book as a prize. I wasn't sure what it was about when I started reading it, but it's a great book. I think my kids would enjoy it also. It's not a book for grown ups necessarily but if you can appreciate a good story, you'll like this book. Poor Warren is an orphan being raised by his inattentive uncle and evil aunt is a run down hotel that he will inherit someday. Nobody has been the the hotel in years, when one day they get a strange guest. After that Warren finds out about his heritage and courageously saves his friends and the hotel.
I received this book for free but all opinions are honest and my own.
So this book was so much fun! I realize the cover kind of promises this to you, but I am please to report that the cover is not lying to you!
Warren the 13th and the All Seeing Eye is about Warren the 13th (can I tell you anything more obvious? Probably not). Warren the 13th lives with his Uncle Rupert, Aunt Annaconda, and a few others in an pretty run down hotel. However, the hotel wasn't always run down. When Warren's father was alive it was a beautiful place and business was thriving. Unfortunately, he died when Warren the 13th was still too young to take over so his Uncle Rupert moved in to help him out.
And Uncle Rupert is lazy.... so things started falling apart, employees quit, and guests stopped visiting.
But that is really only the back story of how we get to the actual story that this book contains. What happened is this - Uncle Rupert ended up marrying Annaconda and Annaconda is determined to find the mythical all seeing eye that is rumored to be hidden somewhere within the hotel!
One thing leads to another and everyone, including Warren the 13th, end up on a search for this All Seeing Eye. This leads us to meeting quite a few fun and interesting people and takes us on quite the adventure!
Really, it is quite fun!
So, this book is meant to be a middle grade novel, but I think maybe some of the younger in that group might be a little turned off because the cover and the illustrations within (YES ILLUSTRATIONS) seem to have a darker Tim Burtonesque style to them and they might take it to mean this story will be scary. And it isn't! Not really!
Also, in regards to the illustrations....they are quite interesting to look at. I know I enjoyed them all. The ones in this book are done mostly in blacks/grays/reds/whites. Pretty much like how you see them on the cover. I think it really adds something to this story. I don't think it would have been the same without them.
Also, random side note, my two year old kept taking the book from me so she could flip through and look at all the pictures. She did this on multiple occasions. My little book thief.
All in all, I found the story super fun. It had a lot of puzzles you found yourself trying to figure out along with the characters - some of which were depicted in the illustrations. And it was over all a great middle grade level mystery and I look forward to reading more of Warren's adventures.
This review is based on a copy provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.
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