Calculated Risks
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- Create Date：2021-04-12 13:52:26
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Seanan McGuire
- ISBN：0756411815
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Summary
The tenth book in the fast-paced InCryptid urban fantasy series returns to the mishaps of the Price family， eccentric cryptozoologists who safeguard the world of magical creatures living in secret among humans。
Just when Sarah Zellaby， adopted Price cousin and telepathic ambush predator， thought that things couldn’t get worse， she’s had to go and prove herself wrong。 After being kidnapped and manipulated by her birth family， she has undergone a transformation called an instar， reaching back to her Apocritic origins to metamorphize。 While externally the same， she is internally much more powerful， and much more difficult to control。
Even by herself。 After years of denial， the fact that she will always be a cuckoo has become impossible to deny。
Now stranded in another dimension with a handful of allies who seem to have no idea who she is–including her cousin Annie and her maybe-boyfriend Artie， both of whom have forgotten their relationship–and a bunch of cuckoos with good reason to want her dead， Sarah must figure out not only how to contend with her situation， but with the new realities of her future。 What is she now？ Who is she now？ Is that person someone she can live with？
And when all is said and done， will she be able to get the people she loves， whether or not they’ve forgotten her， safely home？
Just when Sarah Zellaby， adopted Price cousin and telepathic ambush predator， thought that things couldn’t get worse， she’s had to go and prove herself wrong。 After being kidnapped and manipulated by her birth family， she has undergone a transformation called an instar， reaching back to her Apocritic origins to metamorphize。 While externally the same， she is internally much more powerful， and much more difficult to control。
Even by herself。 After years of denial， the fact that she will always be a cuckoo has become impossible to deny。
Now stranded in another dimension with a handful of allies who seem to have no idea who she is–including her cousin Annie and her maybe-boyfriend Artie， both of whom have forgotten their relationship–and a bunch of cuckoos with good reason to want her dead， Sarah must figure out not only how to contend with her situation， but with the new realities of her future。 What is she now？ Who is she now？ Is that person someone she can live with？
And when all is said and done， will she be able to get the people she loves， whether or not they’ve forgotten her， safely home？
Reviews
Faye Rix
，
I like how the main characters met each other， I love the plot and everything about this book。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Kate
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I'm sure we all come to InCryptid for different reasons。 But I read the series for it's over-the-top action and antics （and the Aeslin mice）。 I don't read it for the angsty drama between characters。This book is nearly all angsty drama between characters。 Yes， action happens， but it's not the focus of the book， and the angst is the focus for half of the novel。 I really didn't feel like anything happened until about halfway through the book， and then I was disappointed with what happened。I had exp I'm sure we all come to InCryptid for different reasons。 But I read the series for it's over-the-top action and antics （and the Aeslin mice）。 I don't read it for the angsty drama between characters。This book is nearly all angsty drama between characters。 Yes， action happens， but it's not the focus of the book， and the angst is the focus for half of the novel。 I really didn't feel like anything happened until about halfway through the book， and then I was disappointed with what happened。I had expectations for this book based on where the previous book left off。 Because at the end of the previous book the characters （view spoiler）[had just ended up on a weird， alien planet with strange creatures flying in the sky and a strange orange glow。 I was looking forward to exploring the planet and finding all sorts of strange things！ But instead everyone spends half the book debating whether they should kill Sarah and then generally mistrusting her and being mad at her。 This may be realistic， but it does not make for an interesting read， particularly as I don't read InCryptid for the relationships。 （hide spoiler）] I read it for the action and weird cryptids and Aeslin mice。On the plus side， there were some Aeslin mice。 Aeslin mice are the best and the real reason why I keep reading the series。I did also enjoy the novella at the end。 。。。more
Heather McLaughlin
，
So， if Seanan didn't win the Hugo for best series， who did？ Because I want to know who they think has a better scifi series than this one。 Prove me wrong。 So， if Seanan didn't win the Hugo for best series， who did？ Because I want to know who they think has a better scifi series than this one。 Prove me wrong。 。。。more
Jon Allanson
，
Ok， so I unabashedly love this series。 And， for me， I've liked each volume slightly more than the previous one。 This is certainly no exception。 Picking up with Sarah's story from the prior book， this tells a very interesting tale。 Both plot and character beats went places I wasn't expecting。 These stories continue to be my literary happy place。 Highly recommended。 Ok， so I unabashedly love this series。 And， for me， I've liked each volume slightly more than the previous one。 This is certainly no exception。 Picking up with Sarah's story from the prior book， this tells a very interesting tale。 Both plot and character beats went places I wasn't expecting。 These stories continue to be my literary happy place。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Henry Lazarus
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Sarah Zellaby， an alien telepath descended from wasps， was kidnapped by others of her kind in Imaginary Numbers （paper） has somehow taken her friends and part of the college campus to another world of three suns an giant insects。 Now， as Seanan McGuire tells us， she has to take Calculated Risks （paper from DAW） to get everybody back， including taming a giant spider。 Light fun and it obviously works out in the end。
Chuck Ledger
，
Enjoyable handling of a different environment。
Josh
，
Another successful outing the InCryptid series， with a very nice second out featuring Sarah， the cuckoo member of the weird-ass Price family of cryptozoologists who alternate between species preservation and saving the world it seems。 They ain't normal。 But that's what makes these books fun， and the fact that they're always done in a first-person style really works as the focus shifts between different family members， which definitely allows you some varying perspectives on each of them。This one Another successful outing the InCryptid series， with a very nice second out featuring Sarah， the cuckoo member of the weird-ass Price family of cryptozoologists who alternate between species preservation and saving the world it seems。 They ain't normal。 But that's what makes these books fun， and the fact that they're always done in a first-person style really works as the focus shifts between different family members， which definitely allows you some varying perspectives on each of them。This one actually digs in even deeper into who Sarah is as a person and what she wants and how she determines her life through how she chooses to interact with the world， even moreso than the previous book; the driving force of that book was around the cuckoo convocation that was going on and the fallout from that event completely changes the perspective of the book for Sarah， and really makes her work to simply interact with even her own family members。 It's very nicely done， and devastating at times。Also， nothing better than the Aeslin Mice， who remain my absolute favorite。 （Hail！） 。。。more
Robyn
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I just don't like Sarah as the narrating POV。 The story was good as always it just doesn't work for me as well as Annie and Verity。 I just don't like Sarah as the narrating POV。 The story was good as always it just doesn't work for me as well as Annie and Verity。 。。。more
Alexander Keane
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I really enjoy the world building and characterization in McGuire's InCryptid series。 Calculated Risks starts right where Imaginary Numbers left off， with Sarah having to deal with the aftermath of that book's events and save her family。There's a big theme about what it means to be a person that gets revisited throughout the book， looking at the consequences for those who get left on the wrong side of the person/not-person line。 I really enjoy the world building and characterization in McGuire's InCryptid series。 Calculated Risks starts right where Imaginary Numbers left off， with Sarah having to deal with the aftermath of that book's events and save her family。There's a big theme about what it means to be a person that gets revisited throughout the book， looking at the consequences for those who get left on the wrong side of the person/not-person line。 。。。more
Anita
，
This writer is amazing - completely compelling and thoroughly entertaining in everything she writes。 I highly recommend her as a gateway into contemporary fantasy。 This is the 10th in the InCryptid series， which I've loved every step of the way。 In this one， Sarah isn't dead。 That's important because it sure looked like she should have died at the end of the last book。 Instead， she and her cousins Artie and Annie， along with about another two dozen humans， a college campus， and some zombie-like This writer is amazing - completely compelling and thoroughly entertaining in everything she writes。 I highly recommend her as a gateway into contemporary fantasy。 This is the 10th in the InCryptid series， which I've loved every step of the way。 In this one， Sarah isn't dead。 That's important because it sure looked like she should have died at the end of the last book。 Instead， she and her cousins Artie and Annie， along with about another two dozen humans， a college campus， and some zombie-like creatures have been transported to another dimension through a sentient and malevolent math equation。 Yes， I said a math problem that is very mean。 And dead now。 Because that was the climax of the book before this one。 To save them all， Sarah used the brains of her friends and family as computer storage， but she didn't have enough room， so in a last second bid to survive， she wiped all their memories of her （she thought she was about to sacrifice herself anyway）。 Then they woke up on a different planet that has giant insects， some of which float like hot air balloons， and her family things she's the enemy。 The book is about how they get home。 If you're thinking "hot air balloon giant insects are so weird，" and you like weird things， this author is for you。 She is brilliantly creative。 。。。more
Annarella
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I know you should start a series with book one but I didn't and thoroughly enjoyed this one， to be honest i had a lot of fun。There's plenty of humour and great characters， a fascinating world building and a story that kept me hooked。I'm sure I missed a lot but I found it highly entertaining and I will read the previous books as I loved this one。Sometimes to start at the end is a good way to discover an excellent series。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC， all opinions ar I know you should start a series with book one but I didn't and thoroughly enjoyed this one， to be honest i had a lot of fun。There's plenty of humour and great characters， a fascinating world building and a story that kept me hooked。I'm sure I missed a lot but I found it highly entertaining and I will read the previous books as I loved this one。Sometimes to start at the end is a good way to discover an excellent series。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Kerrie P
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Good bookIt was a good book， but I wanted more for Sarah。 Her happy ending was a sentence。 That is not fair to such a strong character。 I would like to see Sarah receive a true happy ending in another book please。
Mary
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I don't have a lot of patience with "the final battle lasting for hours" as a substitute for plot advancement。 Or "oh no， a mysterious accident at just the wrong time" as another substitute for plot development。 And like most of her books， an editor should be catching the small inconsistencies that pop up。 It reads like it was banged out fast， just to get done。 （Why is the majority of the book Sarah's internal monologue？ Why are all the terrified students completely ignored？ Why doesn't anyone i I don't have a lot of patience with "the final battle lasting for hours" as a substitute for plot advancement。 Or "oh no， a mysterious accident at just the wrong time" as another substitute for plot development。 And like most of her books， an editor should be catching the small inconsistencies that pop up。 It reads like it was banged out fast， just to get done。 （Why is the majority of the book Sarah's internal monologue？ Why are all the terrified students completely ignored？ Why doesn't anyone immediately think to get Sarah clothes and shoes？ And why is Terrance only present as a chaos agent？ Who was he？ I'm extremely curious。） But none of that really matters - I love her characters so much， it's good to check in on them。 But hopefully we can go back to Verity and Alex - the less whiny side of the family。 。。。more
Adjectiveplusnoun
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If you enjoy this review， please consider visiting my blog for moreI enjoyed Calculated Risks， but more for the things it brings to the InCryptid series， and the entertaining world， than for the book in its own right。 I don’t connect with Sarah or enjoy her as a protagonist as much as I do the Price siblings。One of my favourite parts of the InCryptid series is the sibling dynamics and the way that effects the Price siblings and the way they relate to the world and their work。 That aspect of the If you enjoy this review， please consider visiting my blog for moreI enjoyed Calculated Risks， but more for the things it brings to the InCryptid series， and the entertaining world， than for the book in its own right。 I don’t connect with Sarah or enjoy her as a protagonist as much as I do the Price siblings。One of my favourite parts of the InCryptid series is the sibling dynamics and the way that effects the Price siblings and the way they relate to the world and their work。 That aspect of the series isn’t as present in the books focussing on Sarah， instead focussing on the way she struggles with her biological differences from humans and the way she tries to be a good person。 Her interactions with her cousins is certainly a part of her character development， and maybe it’s because she doesn’t have outside friends or many interests that get explored—she’s interested in maths and comic books， but this doesn’t effect the books she’s in as much as Verity’s dancing， Alex’s work in zoos and Antimony’s interest in roller derby。 This， or maybe just the only-child feel of Sarah’s development， leave me generally less interested in her story lines。 Even in Calculated Risks， which had a more novel setting than Imaginary Numbers， the fun of the settings in the other InCryptid books was missing for me。 Other books in the series were set in a strip club， a circus， a zoo。 In comparison， even a magically transported college campus with surprise alien lifeforms doesn’t really compare。Maybe I’m being uncharitable， I’ve already mentioned that I find it hard to connect with Sarah as a character; and as I primarily enjoy fiction through the viewpoint character， and read for character development and interactions， I find the books filtered through Sarah a little less fun for me。 I also wish Cuckoo abilities had more obvious limits， because the way Sarah’s powers currently do/don’t work currently seem very dependant on what is needed in the plot， becoming more of a MacGuffin than an interesting and satisfying way to overcome obstacles。 I was glad to learn more about Jorhlac culture and magic， and I look forward to the magic system and abilities becoming more fleshed out in future InCryptid novels。 So far I’ve been fairly abivalent in this review， so I feel the need to say that I genuinely did find Calculated Risks gripping。 I read it in a night， and I’m very excited for the ways the series will continue to develop from where this book ended。 Calculated Risks had an interesting storyline， with clear tension and obvious punishments for failure。 While it seemed unlikely from the beginning that everyone would be left inter-dimensionally stranded， most long-running series have the assumption that the main characters will end up living in the same world they started off in。 The question then becomes， what will the cost be？ Seanan McGuire has a way of writing meaningful， narratively satisfying and interesting consequences for heroism， and Calculated Risks is no different。 I found the set up for this book to be very interesting， and really liked the science-fiction esque challenge of interacting with a family member who had forgotten you。 Mark was a somewhat minor character in Imaginary Numbers， he gets a little more page time here and I really want to know where his character ends up。 James also gets some more development， and some other characters that shall remain nameless to avoid spoilers also promise to be great additions to the series and the family。 I was also absolutely thrilled to find out that the next InCryptid book will feature Alice （at last！）。 Spelunking Through Hell is a fantastic title， and I want to meet Thomas， even if it happens at the very end of the book。 The Healy family luck gets explained a little in this book， and promises to come into play more with Alice as a main character。 I love the way the InCryptid world continues to develop， and I can’t wait for the next instalment。 Absolutely don’t read this book if you haven’t read the previous novels， start at Discount Armageddon （book one） and work your way forward， or you’ll miss a lot and possibly have a hard time following some storylines。 I’d recommend the InCryptid series to fans of Devon Monk’s Ordinary Magic series， Lisa Shearin’s SPI Files or Raine Benares series， or Shelly Laurenston’s Smith Shifter World series。 。。。more
WorldconReader
，
I found "Calculated Risks" by Seanan McGuire to be an exciting continuation of the InCryptid series。 This book had all of the crytozoological and survivalist-defend-the-world Price family excitement that readers have come to expect from this series。 As with the previous book， having the first-person protagonist be a （literal） math-wizard and telepathic non-human sentient gives the series a new and welcome point of view。 This and the challenge of surviving in and learning how to return from a pre I found "Calculated Risks" by Seanan McGuire to be an exciting continuation of the InCryptid series。 This book had all of the crytozoological and survivalist-defend-the-world Price family excitement that readers have come to expect from this series。 As with the previous book， having the first-person protagonist be a （literal） math-wizard and telepathic non-human sentient gives the series a new and welcome point of view。 This and the challenge of surviving in and learning how to return from a previously unknown dimension made for very good reading。 I am looking forward to the next book in the series。 。。。more
Andrea Rittschof
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Brilliant and EmotionalSeanan McGuire managed the impossible。 The previous novel， “Imaginary Numbers”， ends in a cliffhanger and I don’t mind because it is just that good a book。 And with every novel in the Incryptid series， she gets better and better。 In “Calculated Risks”， she catapults her readers right into the middle of the action。 The characters are in a strange dimension， with no way home that they know of and none of Sarah’s family even knows who she is。 Despite that less than advantageo Brilliant and EmotionalSeanan McGuire managed the impossible。 The previous novel， “Imaginary Numbers”， ends in a cliffhanger and I don’t mind because it is just that good a book。 And with every novel in the Incryptid series， she gets better and better。 In “Calculated Risks”， she catapults her readers right into the middle of the action。 The characters are in a strange dimension， with no way home that they know of and none of Sarah’s family even knows who she is。 Despite that less than advantageous beginning， with the odds stacked against a satisfying ending， Seanan McGuire creates a plot that kept me on my toes， reading into the wee hours of the morning， and desperately captivated with the fate of the Price family， especially Sarah and Artie。 Beat for beat， while I have loved all of Seanan’s books， this one in particular， kept me enraptured。 I think because the characters are in such a difficult situation， one in which it is difficult to envision an escape， it makes the stakes so high and creates a story that keeps readers guessing until the end if there will be a satisfying ending。 The plight of Sarah， her grief over the loss of her family， that they’ve forgotten her， also creates a story that is deeply emotional。 Everyone faces loss of some kind over their lives and Sarah’s loss creates a bond between the character and the reader。 Seanan brilliantly taps into that theme of family and loss with this novel。 The solutions that Sarah discovers and the friends that she makes along the way， creates a novel that is complex， layered with emotion and a joy to read。 And while it helps to have read the previous novel， “Imaginary Numbers”， especially given the beginning of the book， Seanan McGuire also does an excellent job of summarizing the events of the previous book。 She always does so with great skill， providing the information in bits and pieces by the characters so that readers are not lost if they just picked up the book for some reason。 Emotional and brilliant， I highly recommend， “Calculated Risks”。 It’s good if you have read the previous books in the series so if you haven’t begun， The Incryptid series are quick and fun reads。 And it is worth reading the rest for the brilliant and satisfying ending to “Calculated Risks。” 。。。more
Ari
，
I thought it was good fun。 It's told from the point of view of Sarah-the-cuckoo -- who has an interesting perspective on the world， even if she sounds just a bit too much like Seanan the author always sounds。More than many previous installments， this one felt like it was going somewhere。 We learn things about the worldbuilding。 I thought it was good fun。 It's told from the point of view of Sarah-the-cuckoo -- who has an interesting perspective on the world， even if she sounds just a bit too much like Seanan the author always sounds。More than many previous installments， this one felt like it was going somewhere。 We learn things about the worldbuilding。 。。。more
Shannon
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Such a satisfying and weird book。 It’s been a year since we were left hanging so it took me a bit to catch up but Sarah’s story is fabulous。 I really want to see how this world continues to grow - I love all of them。 I also really love Seanan’s approach to math that as a nerd I completely love。 After the whirlwind of the first book， this was a good conclusion and left enough threads for future exploration。 CanNOT WAIT！
Traci
，
Not my favorite in the series， but definitely a story that needed telling。
Kathy
，
3。5 stars。 The last book ended on a huge cliffhanger that was nicely （with a ton of action） resolved in this book。 I've always liked Sarah and enjoyed "her" story。 The cuckoo history that was explained here was solid。 Still some open questions for the next book but I felt good with where we ended。 3。5 stars。 The last book ended on a huge cliffhanger that was nicely （with a ton of action） resolved in this book。 I've always liked Sarah and enjoyed "her" story。 The cuckoo history that was explained here was solid。 Still some open questions for the next book but I felt good with where we ended。 。。。more
Carmen
，
I love the mice！ And Greg。
Sara
，
I just love this series。 Any book in it can be in any character's point of view， something I would usually find jarring， and it's all good。 I just love this series。 Any book in it can be in any character's point of view， something I would usually find jarring， and it's all good。 。。。more
Colleen
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YAY GIANT SPIDER NAMED GREG。 Greg was my favorite part of this story。For all that Sarah talked about math a lot， and "the equation，" we never got to see much of it as math。For a rather thick book， it felt really shallow。 We were stuck in Sarah's head for most of it， so we got all the traumatic and frustrating moments IN。 Great。 Detail。 but the pages and pages of stewing didn't really go that far towards advancing either character development or the plot。We met a pile of possibly interesting walk YAY GIANT SPIDER NAMED GREG。 Greg was my favorite part of this story。For all that Sarah talked about math a lot， and "the equation，" we never got to see much of it as math。For a rather thick book， it felt really shallow。 We were stuck in Sarah's head for most of it， so we got all the traumatic and frustrating moments IN。 Great。 Detail。 but the pages and pages of stewing didn't really go that far towards advancing either character development or the plot。We met a pile of possibly interesting walk-on characters who did not affect the plot at all。 Nice ta meetcha？ I hope at least some of you reappear in the next books。 I love the idea of cryptids in college。What was Terrence doing there at the end？ It felt like a forced confrontation， and removing it would not have caused much change to the plot。The ending was disappointing。 All that build up to then jump over the immediate results （consequences？） of the climatic decisions。。。。 And then the magic wand of ResolveItAll appeared。 。。。more
Lissa
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4。5。 I really liked it but it didn’t move the same way the others do。 It was great and the consequences were real and so were the rewards but it moved a little bit slower。 I’m glad for Mark and Greg and I can’t wait to see if Sarah’s powers stay this level or if they drop back down to something she can manage a little easier。 She can’t treat everyone’s shields like soap bubbles for the rest of her life， poor dear would be exhausted from the simplest encounters。
Raymond
，
Still enjoying the series overall。 This one felt a little formulaic in places， but the characters are good and the world is still interesting for me。 It's strange with this series because part of me wants to read them as soon as possible， but I feel like McGuire needs to also take some time and flesh out some of the characters as well。 In any case， I'll keep reading them as long as she keeps writing them！ Still enjoying the series overall。 This one felt a little formulaic in places， but the characters are good and the world is still interesting for me。 It's strange with this series because part of me wants to read them as soon as possible， but I feel like McGuire needs to also take some time and flesh out some of the characters as well。 In any case， I'll keep reading them as long as she keeps writing them！ 。。。more
Karen
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would like to see another couple of books on Sarah。
K
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Why do I keep holding out hope for this series？ Probably cause the first few books were excellent， and there are cool elements even in the later ones， they're just overshadowed by a lot of nonsense。 At this point it feels so contrived。 The weird preachiness， the moral hypocrisy， the author's exacerbating obsession with trying to seem woke。 The lost-memory plot is tailor-made to add unnecessary angst and drama。 The whole book was fairly grim and didn't go much of anywhere。 Don't even get me start Why do I keep holding out hope for this series？ Probably cause the first few books were excellent， and there are cool elements even in the later ones， they're just overshadowed by a lot of nonsense。 At this point it feels so contrived。 The weird preachiness， the moral hypocrisy， the author's exacerbating obsession with trying to seem woke。 The lost-memory plot is tailor-made to add unnecessary angst and drama。 The whole book was fairly grim and didn't go much of anywhere。 Don't even get me started on what happened to Artie， that was not the solution it was made out to be。 There is no way you could rebuild a person's mind base on outside observations。 。。。more
Joanne Watkins USA
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Gripping but not funI still enjoy the writing as this was hard to put down。 I found this really hard to read from a character arc。 Sarah continues to suffer and it’s tough to read throughout。 I getting up resenting the other characters and the situation。 I think this is the end for me， I don’t won’t to read more of the tone and emotion is like this。
Alinna
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Sarah lets her hair down！！
Katie
，
I love this series， and I'm eagerly awaiting the next one。 This one's not my fave。Sarah as a narrator has grown on me a little （especially since she acknowledges how obnoxious Antimony can be）。 But I like them better when we're more in the mystery solving caper format， not。。。 whatever adventure this was。 The character stuff was fun。 The plot， even looking back from two weeks out， is a little fuzzy。 "Run around for a while， try to get home without dying。" We were 50-60% of the way through the boo I love this series， and I'm eagerly awaiting the next one。 This one's not my fave。Sarah as a narrator has grown on me a little （especially since she acknowledges how obnoxious Antimony can be）。 But I like them better when we're more in the mystery solving caper format， not。。。 whatever adventure this was。 The character stuff was fun。 The plot， even looking back from two weeks out， is a little fuzzy。 "Run around for a while， try to get home without dying。" We were 50-60% of the way through the book and turned to each other and wondered "what exactly has actually happened so far？" 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Calculated Risks
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Calculated Risks&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Calculated Risks&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0