Amazing. Raising Arcadia is such a strong and powerful mystery that has you intrigued from the very first page. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Very good

A book that leaves you with more questions than answers. I picked up this book thinking it was a murder mystery, only to figure out that the murder took place within the last twenty pages, and is solved almost immediately. Arcadia is “not like other girls,” going to a predominantly male school, and having an interest in codes, tabaco, and death. Arcadia also appears to be savant coded, from the puzzle piece book cover design, to her intense fixation on tabaco, odd social skills, and her prowess to solve puzzles, however it is never outright stated she has savant syndrome. This book is written very analytically, and airs on the side of telling rather than showing. This makes a bit of sense, considering the author also writes political non fiction. The book is only a little over 200 pages, so it is incredibly fast paced, and yet feels very slow. We never get to become attached to her friend Henry, or her parents, which I feel is a bit of a detriment. There is also mild talk of Nazis and eugenics, which never is tied back into the plot, it just… exists.

I received a copy of this in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed this! This is the story of a teen girl, possibly with Aspberger's or something similar, who finds herself in trouble, and must use her extreme intellect to find her way out. She is so likable, and I found that I really cared about her. It was a quick read, and easy enough for teens, but not too easy for adults.

I am looking forward to completing the series.

An intricately thought-out book with clever plot twists and unusual character relationships. It was perfectly strange. One thing I would say would be that it was slightly far-fetched, realistic fiction that wasn't very realistic.