The League of Beastly Dreadfuls
Written by Holly Grant
Narrated by Rosalyn Landor
3.5/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
A creepy Victorian house, secretive aunties, and a great escape combine in this debut that is part Mysterious Benedict Society, part Roald Dahl, and all quirky, smart, hilarious storytelling. Join the League. . . .
Anastasia is a completely average almost-eleven-year-old. That is, UNTIL her parents die in a tragic vacuum-cleaner accident. UNTIL she's rescued by two long-lost great-aunties. And UNTIL she's taken to their delightful and, er, "authentic" Victorian home, St. Agony's Asylum for the Criminally Insane.
But something strange is going on at the asylum. Anastasia soon begins to suspect that her aunties are not who they say they are. So when she meets Ollie and Quentin, two mysterious brothers, the three join together to plot their great escape!
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Reviews for The League of Beastly Dreadfuls
36 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is a perfectly serviceable but nonetheless ersatz knockoff of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. Missing/dead parents, evil/unscrupulous guardians, and scrappy/resourceful child heroes. The setting (Victorian former lunatic asylum) is pretty great, though!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5After Anastasia's parents die in a tragic vacuum cleaner accident, she is whisked away by her aunties who live in an abandoned asylum. They work her hard. She discovers many strange things included two other boys there. The three of them figure they should to run for their lives after the aunties are revealed to be not what they seem. It's campy. Slow at first, but it grew on me eventually. Not enough to continue on with the series, however.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is a wonderful young adult book, one that is both amusing and classic. Young misfit girl is mysteriously orphaned then taken in by mysterious aunties who live in a spooky isolated mansion. There are creepy animals, strange gardeners, and a thrilling rescue- all of the best elements of this type of tale. I loved it and can't wait to read more in the series! A great entry into the genre that is sure to delight those who love The Wolves of Willoughby Chase or the Lemony Snickets books.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Received this is my November Lit-Cube. Not my style and it doesn't help that pages 23-54 are repeated where pages 247-278 should be so I'm missing a few chapters of story.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5"Anastasia's day began with a funeral, and it went downhill from there." For fans of the Series of Unfortunate Events, here's a new series that starts out similarly. Like the Baudelaire children, Anastasia is suddenly left an orphan after her parents' demise. She is whisked away to live with heretofore unknown great aunts in a former asylum, scrubbing chamber pots and battling cobwebs by day and locked in her room each night. Her sleuthing uncovers a host of mysteries and the realization that her life is in danger and she must escape. Who exactly are these sinister aunts who wear matching pinkie rings and have a collection of missing children photos that go back 100 years? Why are there vicious poodles patrolling the ground and who's the boy with the birdcage on his head? An omniscient narrator breaks the fourth wall and addresses the reader directly, often clarifying the calamitous events that are becoming part and parcel of Anastasia's dreadful new life. While the book gets bogged down about halfway through, the action picks up substantially and becomes more fantastical by the end. Recommend to readers who enjoy grim humor and mysteries with a fantastical element.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was an interesting book. I don't think it compares to Roald Dahl, though (I hate it when they throw out comparisons like that). The main character is unfortunate and an unlikely hero, and her captors are sneaky and creepy, but that's about it. There's a lot of farting and that sort of humor; sometimes it's funny and sometimes you get the feeling that the author is trying too hard. Same with the sarcastic parts directly addressing the reader. Sometimes less is more. The very beginning and very end are the areas with the most action, while the middle was slow and slightly fluffy. I think the book could have been much shorter while still setting up for the next book in the series. Regardless of the things I didn't like I'll be looking forward to the next one because the ending of this one has me curious. I just hope book 2 is more even.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Anastasia is an ordinary 11 year old girl, until one day she is picked up from school by two "aunties" who claim her parents were in an accident. They take her to an old Victorian mansion and set her to work cleaning. During her cleaning, she discovers a secret room and starts to learn there is more to the story than her "aunties" are telling her and she may be in danger. This book started out so intriguing - I loved the quirky voice but thought "this might be too much quirky for over 200 pages." And it was...it reminded me of James and the Giant Peach mixed with The Bad Beginning, but trying too hard to be those things.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I started reading this book months ago- but first one, and then another of my children "stole" it. I found parts of the book creative, the artwork was delightful, and I was definitely rooting for the main character to escape St. Agony's. However, the ending left a major plot point unresolved-which left me feeling a little sour.