This Book is Not Good for You

A sweet treat or a poisonous disaster?  The third installment to the enthralling Secret Series is as spectacular as the rest. This Book Is Not Good For You by Pseudonymous Bosch is a hilarious and captivating read. For the past two adventures, Cassandra and Max-Ernest have been protecting mysterious artifacts from the terrible Midnight Sun.  This exclusive society searches for the Secret, but fails at every turn. In this epic mystery, the Secret is a little more sweet. But don’t be fooled, this book is not good for you. Cass and Max-Ernest are of the younger crowd in the mysterious Terces Society, whose sole mission is to protect the Secret. The newest character is Yoji, or Yo-Yoji, a shoe-obsessed computer whiz with an unclear attraction to Cass. In all of the evolving friends is Max-Ernest, who is wary of the idea that people change. In fact, the idea that his crazy divorced parents might get together again makes Max-Ernest uncomfortable.  He had always been used to his parents hating each other, but now they seemed closer than ever, and it was his worst nightmare.  Cassandra, the nub of the group, worries about who her parents are, as her ‘mother’ admitted that she was adopted.  A mysterious man had just delivered her to her ‘grandparents’ and left.  Cass wanted answers.  The trio search for the ancient Aztec ‘tuning fork’ which turned any liquid into a chocolate delight, and it’s ties to the Secret. All these delicious sweets will be revealed in a wild trek through the past.

I could not close this book. Every word kept me guessing to the end.  Normally I can guess who has a crush on who, but in this book it is unclear if one boy or both like Cass, and if she likes them in return.  Although unimportant, the romance section of this book needs work.  Another topic that could have been modified was the predictable reaction from Cass about being adopted.  It seemed cliché that Cass felt hurt that she wasn’t her mother’s child and lashed out at everyone.  I felt less respect for Cass because of her reaction, but I still enjoyed the book.  Other than that, I felt the secrecy was superb, and the little fun facts about random things like monkey breeds or mythology from the author were interesting.  The serious story was kept light by the author’s little sarcastic notes on the character’s actions and feelings. Overall, I can’t stop praising this book, and I would suggest reading all of the prior books to fully understand this delicious treat.

Author: Pseudonymous Bosch

Genre: Mystery/Adventure