A Word Nerd Book Review: The Silver Box by Margi Preus
I love books that take place in the Midwest. I love books with beautiful covers. And I love books with exquisite word choice. Luckily enough, I was asked to review a book that fulfilled all three of these characteristics!
You might remember that earlier this year I reviewed a middle grade, historical fiction title by Minnesota author Margi Preus. I was even able to meet her and spend a nerd-tastic afternoon with her in Duluth while on vacation. You can read that past post here but continue scrolling if you want to learn about her realistic fiction mystery series I most recently read.
The Silver Box is the third and final book in the Enchantment Lake series. In order to get caught up and be able to adequately review this book, I had some catch up work to do! I’m grateful to Margi’s publicist Heather Skinner and the University of Minnesota Press for sending me all three books!
If you, like me, are new to this series, check out this video in which Margi describes the books.
On the shores of Enchantment Lake in the woods of northern Minnesota, something ominous is afoot, and as Francie begins to investigate, the mysteries multiply: a poisoned hot dish, a puzzling confession, eerie noises in the bog, and a legendary treasure that is said to be under enchantment—or is that under Enchantment, as in under the lake? At the center of everything is a suddenly booming business in cabin sales and a road not everyone wants built.
To a somewhat reluctant northwoods Nancy Drew, the intrigue proves irresistible, especially when it draws her closer to the mysteries at the heart of her own life: What happened to her father? Who and where is her mother? Who is she, and where does her heart lie—in the bustle of New York City or the deep woods of Minnesota?
If Francie thinks things have settled down since her previous adventure, Enchantment Lake, she’s in for a surprise. Francie’s brother Theo has secrets—secrets Francie thinks she wants to know. But what if one of those secrets is that Theo is a murderer?
Francie is about to plunge into her senior year at a small-town high school near Enchantment Lake in northern Minnesota, a radical change from her years at a private school in New York. But when her long lost brother turns up, so does a dead body, and once again, Francie finds herself drawn into another mystery. A long list of suspects, with Theo at the top, keeps her head spinning. When Francie herself becomes a suspect, she starts to feel like she is walking on thin ice, but it isn’t until she is literally walking on thin ice that the pieces start to come together—and by then it may be too late.
In the final Enchantment Lake mystery, Francie’s search for the truth about her mother—and herself—plunges her into danger during a North Woods winter
Everything depends on a small, engraved silver box. If only Francie can follow its cryptic clues to the whereabouts of her missing mother she may finally understand the truth about who she really is. But one ominous clue after another reveal that Francie possesses something so rare and so valuable that some people are willing to do anything to get it. When her pursuit leads her into the snowy north woods, It is only to find out that she, herself, is being pursued.
I mentioned before that this book had many great qualities, but of them, three stood out to me.
First of all, the book takes place in Northern Minnesota. Even though I live in Wisconsin, the sights, traditions, and mannerisms all ring true to home for me. I know that we are currently living in a time when we value diversity and stretching our own boundaries of personal knowledge through reading. I fully support that, but still think that sometimes, it is fun to read about people who live in familiar places and experience life as you know it. I was able to do that with this entire series and in The Silver Box especially appreciated the mentions of the Como Park Conservatory and The Minnesota Institute of Art, as well as lake side cabins, church potlucks and pond skating.
Secondly, a gorgeous cover can pull me to a book like nothing else. The thematic colored and detailed collage style of this series offered not only a beautiful view, but also tiny clues to the plot held in the book’s pages. The Minnesota based artist, Anders Hanson, did a wonderful job and if anyone knows of a book cover contest, please message me so I can nominate these great books!
Finally, I loved the word choice Margi used throughout the story. In addition to colloquial phrases like hotdish and crye-aye, Margi gives readers beautiful descriptive passages like this one that opens the third book.
“Even before she lifted her head from the pillow, Francie remembered: everything about her life had changed. Or was about it. Or had the potential to. Raising on one elbow, she noticed that even the light was different. No longer the egg-yolk yellow of fall, this morning’s light was the pale, skimmed milk color of winter. It had snowed – and was still snowing, falling from the sky in fat, sugarcoated flakes. ”
The Silver Box has been described by Kurtis Scaletta of the Loft Literary Center as… “an engaging story with puzzles and action and heart. “
And I would agree. Of all three books in this series, The Silver Box was my favorite. Have you ever watched a spooky movie and found yourself blurting… “Oh no! Don’t go in there!”? I exclaimed a variation of this phrases dozens of times while reading this final installment, but Francie never listened to me. She ALWAYS went in, made a move, pressed on and I love that about her. I am a play it safe kind of girl, a rule follower to a T. It was fun to read about a character who was reckless in her pursuit of truth in a way I’m not sure I’d ever be brave enough to do on my own.
If you are looking for a modern-day Nancy Drew story or a middle grade mystery for a rebellious reader, I would highly recommend this series.
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