Review – Warren the 13th and The All-Seeing Eye (Warren the 13th, Book 1) by Tania del Rio, Will Staehle (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Mystery/Fantasy
Length: 224 pages
Publisher: Quirk Books
Release Date: November 24, 2015
ISBN-13: 978-1594748035
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Warren the 13th series
Source: Review Copy from Publisher
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Warren the 13th is the lone bellhop, valet, groundskeeper, and errand boy of his family’s ancient hotel. The strange, shadowy mansion is full of crooked corridors and mysterious riddles—and it just might be home to a magical treasure known as the All-Seeing Eye. But if Warren is going to find the hidden treasure, he’ll need to solve several other mysteries first: What is the strange creature lurking in the hotel boiler room? Who is the ghostly girl creeping around the garden’s hedge maze? And why is the hotel’s only guest covered in bandages?”

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Warren the 13th trilogy. I got a finished copy of this book from Quirk Books to review.

Story (4/5): This is a well done story about a preteen boy who is a bit different and works to keep a creepy hotel up and running. His evil aunt is determined to find an All Seeing Eye and Warren gets help from unlikely places to beat her to the find. It’s a well done middle grade story with some light humor and an eerie vibe to it.

Characters (4/5): I enjoyed all of the characters here but didn’t deeply engage with any of them. They are all well done but don’t have a ton of depth.

Setting (4/5): The whole story takes place in the hotel Warren runs. This was a fun and slightly creepy setting that I enjoyed. There seem to be more mysteries to unravel about this house.

Writing/Drawing Style (4/5): This book is beautifully put together with an amazing binding, larger format, and delightful pictures throughout. This is one of those books that is just as fun to look at as it is to read. The writing style is easy to read and targeted at a younger audience. However, adults may also enjoy the quality of the book and the fun little story it contains.

Summary (4/5): Overall this was a fun read, the highlight of this book is really how beautifully the whole thing is bound and put together. This would make a great coffee table book or book to display in a classroom. The illustration is very well done and the story is fun. The characters don’t have a lot of depth but there is a nice mystery set in a slightly eerie setting.