Julie Mathison

The Starlet Letter is the first book in The Canary House Mysteries series by Julie Mathison and set in 1931. I have mixed feelings about this partly because I was not aware that it was aimed at a YA audience when I started it and so my expectations were out of sync with the story. The protagonists were seventeen-year-old twin sisters, Vivian and Viola, who are identical in looks and best friends as well as sisters, but polar opposites in personality. I liked Viola well enough, quiet, usually right but also willing to give way to her sister. I was less enamoured of Vivian, out-going, popular, but bossy and constantly dismissing her sister’s ideas. The mystery itself was interesting but I also found the momentum kept being stalled by the requisite romance which is definitely suited for a audience much younger than myself. And I guess that’s my point - I often enjoy YA novels and feel they can appeal to adults as well as their intended audience but. I didn’t find that here.

Still, in fairness, given the number of five-star reviews, mine seems to be a minority opinion and I did finish it so I think this is one I leave up to individual readers to decide but they should be aware that it is definitely suited to it’s target audience rather than a broader one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.… (mais)

*Thank you to vro and Julie Matheson for the complimentary Ebook copy!

I don’t usually read middle grade, but I am very glad I had the opportunity to read this!

To be honest with you, I don’t know a lot about Russian folklore stories, so the initial concept of Vasilisa was new to me. I think Julie did a fantastic job of the world building in this novel, and it was super beautiful and mystical to read about. It was a short read, only 200 or so pages, but I kept savouring the story as I went along. At the beginning, I was worried that there would be an abundance of folklore (like, far too much), as it means the story can become quite tiresome especially for mg readers, but I was pleasantly surprised when I kept reading and there was a lot of contemporary elements thrown in.

Vasilisa as a character was fabulous. I love her so much. She reminded me a lot of Anne from Anne of Green Gables because of her detailed and meaningful perceptions about life as a whole. She acts well above her age. For me, this wasn’t an issue as I am older than the typical middle grade readers, but for younger ones that may struggle relating to Vasilisa as she is more mature. Again, there were some parts of the story that felt distinctly young adult due to the vocabulary, but to me I think it fit the fairytale vibe and I really enjoyed it.

This is just rated 4 stars due to the fact that I think there should be a glossary at the back of the book with all the Russian words. I am delighted that they are included in the story as it really makes it authentic, however ensuring readers don’t have to google Russian words all the time would be a good plan! I think it would enhance Vasilisa quite a lot.

Overall, highly recommend! It’s a great adventure story that really warmed my heart. Older middle grade readers will really enjoy this one… (mais)