The Tiara on the Terrace - a review

I grew up with Nancy Drew.  Each mystery was a new adventure, a new place to journey to, new suspense to fall into.  I loved reading what was going to happen to the girls next - who they would meet, who would help them, who would end up being their enemies.

It's time for the next generation of detectives.

Enter Young and Yang.

The Tiara on the Terrace

by Kristen Kittscher

published by HarperCollins Publishers

January 5, 2016

I first met Sophie Young and Grace Yang in author Kristen Kittscher's debut novel The Wig in the Window.  We see Young and Yang's ability to find trouble, or maybe trouble finds them, as they work together to solve, what they think, is a local mystery.  

In her sophomore book, The Tiara on the Terrace, Young and Yang are back to solving mysteries, along with their friend, Trista Bottoms.  Each with their own talent, each with their own ideas, they come together to figure out mysteries, and maybe learn a little bit more about each other along the way.

I loved this second book in the Young and Yang collection.  I hesitate calling it a series, because this second book really can stand alone from the first book.  Quick details from the first book are mentioned, but the reader does not need to have familiarity with the book in order to read Tiara.  The clues add up to create a bigger picture, each one giving the reader a better idea of what happened.  But it's not without twists and turns.  They don't feel forced or unnatural.  They are fun and add to the ultimate suspense.

The setting takes place during the Winter Sun Festival.  Loosely based on the Rose Parade, readers will recognize similarities and enjoy, perhaps, some inside details of what happens in parade preparation.

The tween angst between the friends and the boy/girl drama felt real and relatable.  The underlying tension added just enough to the multiple story lines to create personal drama along with the drama of the mystery.  Readers will relate to Sophie and Grace and Trista needing to figure out what being a good friend to each other means.  

Be sure to look for Tiara on the Terrace when it releases January 5, 2016.  I'm already looking forward to more books with Young and Yang.  

I'll leave you with this highly entertaining book trailer.  Be sure to watch it!