Secret Seekers Society and the Beast of Bladenboro by J.L. Hickey

Secret Seekers Society and the Beast of Bladenboro by J.L. Hickey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Secret Seekers Society and the Beast of Bladenboro follows the young protagonists Hunter Glenn, and Elly Ann through an adventure ripe with adversity, paranormal monsters, secret societies, and most haunting of all, a life without their parents.

The book follows both, the sibling’s emotional struggle from their parent’s sudden loss, as well as their physical journey into a new and strange “home”, an ancient and creepy mansion known only as the Belmonte Estate.

It is here where they first learn of their new guardian, an eccentric old man named Professor Clandestine and the rest of the mansion's caretakers. Tossed into their bedroom, and locked away under the pretense of “safety concerns” it does not take long for the children to hatch an escape plan.


Follow the children as they slowly unravel the secrets of their parent’s true identities, the origin of the strange Mansion, and their inheritance into an ancient secret society of monster hunters known as Seekers.

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This is a creative, fast-paced story with an underlying theme of the importance of togetherness and family. Personally, I enjoyed the book but I don't think that there was quite enough depth to satisfy most adult readers. That said, I can imagine younger ones going crazy over it! There's plenty of action and suspense to keep them entertained for awhile.

13 year old Hunter was as impulsive and stubborn as you might expect from a young man his age and a character I connected with almost instantly. As the book begins, he and his sister Elly are dealing with some heavy issues with losing their parents so suddenly and the upheaval caused by the move to their new guardian's mysterious estate. Hunter's grief and confusion were almost palpable and there were a few moments where I wished I could hug him. I also really liked Uncle Joe and Margot, who have their own struggles. Despite that, they’re both whole-heartedly devoted to the kids and their love for them was clear.

Professor Calenstine’s estate was so well captured! It was sinister on first impression but charmingly magical and alluring. Think along the lines of Hogwarts… complete with secrets and surrounding forest concealing who knows what. If you and your children enjoyed Harry’s adventures, then this is going to appeal to you.

Just a warning… the book is in need of much better editing but that shouldn’t ruin your experience.


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