Catacomb

"I really like the story in this book and would give 3.5 stars, but I had mixed feelings about this book just like I did the first two. I will say I like this book a lot better than the second book but I still think the first was my favorite. The first book had a real creepy vibe to it as well as a mystery and I really felt the tension in that story. Well this story had more of that action/thriller feel to it with some mystery with some creepy old buildings but I didn't get the same creepy vibe. This one definitely had more of a mystery to it and a lot more action I think which was still good. <br/><br/>The one thing that bothered me about all the books, particularly this one, was all the strange coincidences of how everybody that's a main or semi main character is absolutely connected in some weird way. It just started to get kind of ridiculous, for example, when Abby's photo project just happens to tie in to their trip to New Orleans which happens to tie in with his birth parents. But I had to kind of let that go considering the premise of the first book was Dan happens to be related to the warden of the asylum located where he happens to end up going to school. <br/><br/>What kind of disappointed me in this book was there was really no mention of his connection to the warden anymore or the sculptor. Besides passing references it just seems like after the second book that was just forgotten about. So I guess Felix is just crazy and that's that? I guess I missed something somewhere in the second book that would explain why he would just suddenly stop having visions of the warden. However, I did like the exploration into his mothers side of the family. <br/><br/>But even though I was left with some nagging questions (see below). I still really liked this book and got caught up in trying to figure out how things were connected. I personally don't see much of a comparison between these books and Miss Peregrine (admittedly I'm only halfway through the first book) except kids involved in something creepy and otherworldly or magic is involved. For me, I felt more like in Miss Peregrine the main character stumbles into another time that's still active while in these books the main character sees and experiences visions of the past. <br/><br/>SPOILER QUESTIONS:<br/>This book left me with a lot of questions and weird loose ends that kept me from giving a higher rating. I don't have to have everything tied up with a neat little bow but some things just didn't make sense to me:<br/>1. The supposed ghost who helps them change their tire. what was the point of that? It just seemed like it was thrown in there or maybe the author had an idea to make it mean something but then It didn't. <br/>2. In the end of the book Dan's mother says that she didn't want to interfere in his life but when she learned that he was going to New Orleans she had to follow him. So I guess we are supposed to assume that she's somehow been keeping tabs on him from a distance throughout his life. Otherwise how would she have known he was going to New Orleans? So if she was keeping tabs on him how come she didn't help him in either the first two books when his life was clearly in danger? Logically I get why she didn't appear in the first two books otherwise there would've been no surprise in the third book but it's still a question. <br/>3. The whole Maisie reporter thing just didn't make any sense to me either. So she was clearly in danger and clearly followed because she didn't venture into the city (like that would protect her) and she was killed after she met with Dan. if she was that much of a danger she had to be killed, why wasn't she killed BEFORE she got to Dan? It just didn't make sense to me that she got conveniently hit by a car right after she gives Dan all these important papers. And what was so important about those papers anyway? it all related to stuff that was published. I don't have a problem with her giving him the papers because it provides more back story but the fact that she was all secretive about it and saying don't tell anybody I gave you that stuff just didn't make sense. <br/>4. A BIG question for me was why would the Good Samaritan rescue Dan and drop him on Oliver's doorstep when Oliver was the one who ratted him out?Assuming the Samaritan didn't know that, they still should have thought Oliver was questionable choice. (Knowing who the Samaritan is later, you'd understand why they would have some good investigative skills and know a lot more about Oliver, enough to make him an unfavorable option)<br/>5. I totally didn't get the meaning of the writing on the walls and then the cover up of the writing. I understood the French and yes it was creepy. But why was it covered up later? It really bothered me because it was referred to and given such importance that Dan texts Oliver about it. But I just couldn't grasp the connection to Oliver and asking him to look across the street. <br/>6. Why did Oliver's dad have a box of stuff belong to Dan's mother? It's mentioned to give another "coincidental" connection between Oliver and Dan but it's never explained so it felt too contrived to me."