The Rosewood Hunt

THE ROSEWOOD HUNT by Mackenzie Reed is a YA Mystery novel, à la PRETTY LITTLE LIARS or RIVERDALE. Lily Rosewood has been through it. Her dad passed away and her mom left, so Lily lives with her grandmother, the ingenious Iris, head of Rosewood Inc., a fashionable coat company. Lily has been isolated from society after her father’s scandal, and when Iris passes unexpectedly too, Lily feels as though she’s totally alone, physically and financially, until… Lily receives a letter from her late grandmother that launches her on a treasure hunt for her inheritance. As Lily uncovers more clues, the road ahead becomes more dangerous than either of them could’ve imagined, including uncovering the reason the treasure hunt was set up in the first place.

Firstly, I love it when a mystery novel surprises me, and this did multiple times over! There are at least three twists I did not see coming, and I was not sure what would happen next in many instances. I did occasionally get taken out of the story when I felt the happenings were out of convenience. For example, I didn’t buy that Lily wouldn’t alert her uncle and cousin of a potential threat in their house, and sometimes Iris’ antics seem unnecessarily difficult, but when I pushed that to the side and accepted that she had other motives tied to her decision, I went on the ride with the characters, and boy, was it fun!

Secondly, I enjoyed all of the characters that made up this story, especially Leo. I could tell from the moment he was first introduced that I would grow to love him, and I certainly did. His plotline with Lily could’ve used more consistent pacing, which kept me from feeling all the feels, but I still really love how everything unravels between them. Reed has created a compelling team of characters and set them in a lush, inventive world. I’d love to see what other adventures they could go on together, and would gladly sign up for a sequel.

THE ROSEWOOD HUNT is an amazing debut for Mackenzie Reed, as it showcases her ability to tell a story that’s gripping, emotional, and personal all at the same time. I can’t wait to see what she does next.