January 3, 2016

3 Star Review: The Shrunken Head by Lauren Oliver #3Star #BookReview @OliverBooks #giveaway

Title: The Shrunken Head (The Curiosity House #1)
Author: Lauren Oliver, H.G. Chester
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Genre: Middle Grade, Adventure, Fantasy
Release Date: September 29th 2015
Source: NightOwl Reviews
Purchase: Amazon

What you will find in this book:

– A rather attractive bearded lady
– Several scandalous murders
– A deliciously disgusting Amazonian shrunken head
– Four extraordinary children with equally extraordinary abilities
– A quite loquacious talking bird


Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife- thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events. When the museum’s Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts.

This sensational new series combines the unparalleled storytelling gifts of Lauren Oliver with the rich knowledge of the notorious relics collector H.C. Chester.

What you will NOT find in this book:

– An accountant named Seymour
– A never-ending line at the post office
– Brussel sprouts (shudder)
– A lecture on finishing all your homework on time
– A sweet, gooey story for nice little girls and boys.


I have never read a book by Lauren Oliver. To be honest I was a bit skeptical about it. I have read too many reviews where people have complained about her writing style, or she didn't do her research on some books, but that wasn't the case with this one. 

It starts out by welcoming you to the Dumfrey's Dime Museum of Freaks, , Oddities and Wonders. Almost like you are at a circus. Then it takes you in and starts to introduce you to the characters and then there is a bit of an information drop. It's like the reader at parts of this book gets way too much information about everything before it finally gets back into the story.

I did, however, enjoy the plot of the story. These 4 extraordinary children decide to take the law into their own hands and investigate the stolen shrunken head from their museum and the unexplained deaths that seemed to go along with it. They get into trouble along the way and meet some shady characters. But the ending seemed to fit quite nicely with the story. Except for one part, which might be cleared up in the second book.

Overall, this was a pretty great book. Once you get into the book, you get sucked up into the adventures.



Disclaimer: *I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.



Lauren Oliver is the author of the YA bestselling novels Before I Fall, Panic, and Vanishing Girls and the Delirium trilogy: Delirium, Pandemonium, and Requiem, which have been translated into more than thirty languages and are New York Times and international bestselling novels. She is also the author of three novels for middle grade readers: The Spindlers; Liesl & Po, which was an E. B. White Read Aloud Award nominee; and Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head, co-written with H. C. Chester, and a novel for adults, Rooms. A graduate of the University of Chicago and NYU’s MFA program, Lauren Oliver is also the cofounder of the boutique literary development company Paper Lantern Lit.

Find Lauren: Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Goodreads



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3 comments:

Linda Romer said...

Yes, I think it would be exciting and mysterious ♡ Thank you

Unknown said...

I sure would! I'm quite the curious type.

Mary Crosson said...

In a heartbeat! But I'd take my cellphone :-D

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