I had the impression that this book was about discovering lost areas in a big house. The story fit the mold for about 20 or 30 pages, but it lost focus after that. We are thrown details about the military, a prisoner, soul stealing, and other houses. I was interested in the childish butler and Flora exploring, but I was less intrigued by the rescue attempt and the long solutions to restoring Flora's diminished soul. I wanted to the like book and I did finish it, but I skipped large sections where nothing was happening. None of the characters are particularly interesting, and in the end I really didn't care what happened to any of them. Mixed with my pet peeve of the story being told from a typical 14 year old's perspective, yet having words like pernicious, fastidious, and cajoling, the novel just fell flat. It was less enjoyable and fun than the title would have you believe, and I was not at all impressed.