Twin Sisters Livingston and the Mystery at Madame Molineaux's

by Mary Knight

Twin sisters Maddie and Jo Livingston have spent their lives traveling the world with their famous archaeologist parents. But when the Livingstons’ work takes them on a mysterious year-long excavation in Siberia, much too dangerous for two twelve-year-old girls, Maddie and Jo are whisked off to a castle in Switzerland, where they find themselves piecing together a mystery of their own.

Madame Molineaux’s School for Girls is filled with interesting students and professors from all over Europe. But it doesn’t take long for the girls to figure out that this is no ordinary boarding school: bizarre animals, hidden tapestries, secret tunnels, and a long list of unanswered questions keep Maddie, Jo, and their new friends searching for clues around every corner. Where is that snotty Rosemary Byron going when she sneaks out of her dormitory at night? What secret is their beloved headmistress trying to protect? Who is concealing treasures in the unlikeliest of hiding places? The girls must put all these strange pieces together to discover the staggering truth, and to save their school before Madame Molineaux’s closes its doors—for good!

Genres: Mystery, Adventure, Middle Grade

430 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 27, 2022

Reviews

[Spiri Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was immediately drawn to this because the cover reminded me of Nancy drew. This is the first in a middle grade series and it’s a fun mystery! It takes place at a school with magical vibes. I think kids will really love this. I enjoyed the writing style a lot, it’s just over 400 pages but didn’t feel it. Can’t wait to read the next in the series.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book by the striking cover design. The illustration is colourful, the fonts are pretty, and I got the impression that it would be a fun book.

I enjoy reading books in the mystery genre, but this book felt to me like an adventure story. It was definitely the type of book that would have caught my attention between the ages of about 10 and 13. Of course, I'm older than that now, but I still found this book very charming. I found the Livingston twins endearing, and there were some other characters who also had the likeability factor. It was fun, entertaining, and probably the kind of book that I would still pick up as an adult, for a comfort read.

Thank you to the author and Booksirens for a free copy to review.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun middle-grade cozy mystery. It reminded me somewhat of a Nancy Drew mystery, but where Nancy Drew stories seemed to focus most on the mystery and clues, this story seemed to give equal weight to character relationships. The old Swiss castle turned into a school for girls was a cool and sometimes slightly spooky backdrop for the shenanigans that the twins and their friends got up to as they worked on solving the mystery. I look forward to the next book in the series!

I received an e-ARC from BookSirens for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Elizabeth Vorce · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for young adults looking for entertainment, suspense and empowerment

I enjoyed the richly defined settings, nicely drawn resourceful characters , and underlying sense of teamwork's value.Mary Knight has mixed all of these things together with just the right measure of mystery to create a slightly addictive read. Looking forward to the next installment of the Livingston sisters' adventures.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a great concept for a mystery, I was invested in what was going on in the story and the characters. It was a interesting story and I enjoyed the time-period and the mystery worked in this. It left me wanting more in this universe.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Serena_Reads_and_Writes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a delightful YA mystery. I look forward to future books.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Knight has written a great mystery in her newest release, Twin Sisters Livingston and the Mystery at Madame Molineaux's. I enjoyed taking this mysterious adventure with the twins, Maddie and Jo. I was captivated from the start and had to keep reading to see how it would all end. I really liked.
I am giving Twin Sisters Livingston and the Mystery at Madame Molineaux's a full five stars. I highly recommend it for readers who are between the ages nine and fourteen and love to read mysteries and detective stories. Even though it is advertised for those ages, I believe older reader like me will enjoy it, as well. I am interested in reading more by Mary Knight in the future.
I received a digital copy of Twin Sisters Livingston and the Mystery at Madame Molineaux's from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

[Malgorzata · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book and I enjoy reading it. It is easy to read book, with great action and mystery. You won't get bored reading it.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Letter From Afifah (Afifah) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and BookSirens for this review copy! This review is voluntarily written by me.

In general, this book is quite an easy read and a good introduction to a new series. In my opinion, the main mystery of this story has been solved, but I still have some questions about the story. For me, this book is targeted as middle grade fiction but suitable for any age. This book for me is a mix of adventure, mystery, friendship, and some action. I do adore the friendship part the most because even though the twins are the main characters, their friends still shine in their own way in solving the mystery altogether. The writing and the plot are also good for me and I’m hoping for the next sequel because I think the boarding school area can be explored more and I still have unanswered questions from this book.

[✧˚ · meda * ˚ ✦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★★

↷ the description . . . ₊⁀➷

Twin sisters Maddie and Jo Livingston have spent their lives traveling the world with their famous archaeologist parents. But when the Livingstons’ work takes them on a mysterious year-long excavation in Siberia, much too dangerous for two twelve-year-old girls, Maddie and Jo are whisked off to a castle in Switzerland, where they find themselves piecing together a mystery of their own.


↷ my opinion . . . ₊⁀➷

So, you want to read a dark academia book but make it middle grade? Well, let me tell you what perfect read I just have in mind, Twin Sisters Livingston and The Mystery at Madame Molineaux!

Having an archeologist parents are no joke, and that is why twin sisters Maddie and Jo have been used to traveling around the world. But they were simply not ready when their parents (and some other fashionable people) decided to ship them alone and unchaperoned in Saint-Marcel, in which where Madame Molineaux’s School for Girls is located.

This school is not like any other. Filled with interestingly diverse population of students and professors from around the world, living in a bizarre yet spellbinding old castle doesn't get any better. Clearly, there's more mystery to it than what's meet the eyes.

And in this fresh comfort read, Mary Knight brings us all in an incomparable universe full of high stakes adventures and strong minded girls, perfect for young tweens and tweens at hearts.


↷ thank you note . . . ₊⁀➷

Thank you so much to the author; Mary Knight, and to BookSirens for providing this free e-ARC, I'm leaving this review voluntarily!! Xx

[Dianne Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is written for a young audience and it is refreshing to find a book (hopefully a series?) directed at this age group which is purely entertainment. No hidden agendas or political statement here, just a good old fashioned who-done-it, well written with interesting and believable protagonists dropped into exciting and fun circumstances. Every young girl is going to identify with Maddie & Jo, drawing the reader into the story and away to lands and adventures yet unknown.

While intended for the ~ 8 to 12 year old reader the author has done a wonderful job of avoiding any dumbing down of the story line or characters, so it was an enjoyable read even for a 68 year old bibliophile like me. Well edited and descriptive enough but not overly much, I was walking through the Christkindlesmarkt right along with our 12 year old adventurers. I could see the castle on the lake and feel the cold stone floors beneath my bare feet. The storyline moves along at a good pace, and as I "watched" the scenes unfold in my head I thought, "This would make such a great tween movie!".

At 3:00 a.m., when I finished reading, I immediately placed the paperback on my Christmas shopping list for our 9 year old granddaughter. I can't give any book more praise than that.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

All about Jo and Maddie, fraternal twin sisters, who are sent to live at a Swiss boarding school while their parents - who are famed archaeologists - are working to uncover their own mysteries in Siberia. Taking the reader to another time and place, the author has really captured the nuance of youthful excitement in a way that is neither scary or immature, making this the perfect middle-grade mystery that even adults will enjoy!

I really liked the twins and their smart way of approaching the world. With the help of their new friends they are able to figure out what's going on at Madame Molineaux's school before it's too late! The dialogue brought the characters to life and I just loved how clever these girls were!!

This book is Volume 1 in a series of 24 books to come - can't wait to see what adventures they will get into in the following works.

[Delphia Von Heeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twin Sisters Livingston is Book 1 in The Mystery at Madame Molineaux's by Mary Knight. I thought the author did a good job of introducing the twins, Maddie and Jo, and their parents. The target readers for the book is Middle School, ages 12--13--14, and Maddie and Jo are 12. I thought that it was great to have the mystery at their boarding school. However, I felt that 443 pages was too long based on my own reading at that age. I also thought that the pace was a little bit slow. I felt that the ending closed the story while leaving it open for a sequel. I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Twin Sisters Livingston and the Mystery at Madame Molineaux's by Mary Knight is about two sisters, Maddie and Jo Livingston, who discover something is amiss at their new boarding school, Madame Molineaux's. The twelve year old twins have spent most of their lives traveling the world with their famous archaeologist parents. However, when their parents take on a new assignment in Siberia, they decide to leave the girls at a new boarding school in Switzerland. The girls are disappointed that they can’t join their parents but they are excited that their new school is in a castle.

The school is filled with students and professors from all over the world. Shortly after arriving at the school, the girls realize that the school is unlike anything they have ever seen. Not only are the residents interesting but the school is filled with secret tunnels, weird hybrid animals, and tapestries that are hidden under artwork. Maddie and Jo are excited to try and figure out all the mysteries the school contains while they wait for their parents to return.

I was excited to read the novel because I love mysteries. However, I was thoroughly disappointed at how boring and unnecessarily long the novel was. The book clocked in at a little under 450 pages but nothing happened for more than 400 pages. I was more than 95% done before I stopped reading the novel because we learned nothing after 400 pages other than something is happening but we don’t know what, who, or why. There was nothing keeping me tethered to the novel to continue reading the last few pages. I am very surprised that this book was targeted towards middle school aged readers as it is a hefty read without any humor or engaging plot to keep young readers entertained.