I read this volume all in one sitting before comic club. The first issue is youngest sister Spring chasing a letter to showcase her personality and antics and get a feel for the town, this was a silly goofy time that was too drawn out. The synopsis indicates that the sisters have a tight bond, but that did NOT feel like the case at all throughout this volume, more like the family has somewhat fallen apart and over the course of the story the sisters will have to come together and believe in each other and deepen their bonds to combat the evil. This has the trope already of 'only Spring can see the truth' and because she is the youngest it's leaning into that tired "all adults are idiots" trope. The art style felt somewhat 70s and coloration and style, certain panels were vivid and interesting but many of the other other panels felt untidy or unfinished, overall I didn't particularly care for this visually. Also I felt that there were a couple of shots that somewhat sexualized a 14 year old Spring-- that came across as creepy to me.

This entire volume felt like it was setting up the story and not really starting it or diving into it. I did not feel invested by the end and was not attached to any character. Upon reading some other reviews I agree with one that said they felt like they were being told a story from a basic concept, that the storyline had not been outlined or had purpose. I also agree with comments saying that the setting felt nebulous and that there was no arc within this volume and therefore it ended awkwardly and affected the pacing. I also agree with the review that said that this volume poorly established any conflict, tension, or stakes.

I think one of the main draws for this book is the narration style and having the technique be that the protagonist Ernest is telling the story to the reader and frequently breaking that fourth wall. I did see a couple reviews that did not like this, but I think overall this is one of the main components that people liked the most and made this book stand out. I was listening to the audiobook and I found this to be interesting but not always very clear, as Ernest is telling the story to the reader and sometimes addresses the reader, but also does include his own color commentary and I wasn't always totally clear if he was talking aloud or to another character or to the reader and would have to frequently back up and re-listen.

Additionally there is a large cast of characters as we are introduced to many people in Ernest's family as well as individuals who are staying at the ski resort, as well as characters important to explain people's histories and backstories. It took me a while to get the members of his family straight and to keep track of who was related to whom. At 60% progress I still was finding things confusing, I had lost track of any of the motives for individuals and found that the jumping of timelines and delving into people's histories contributed to this. I couldn't see how any of the past mysteries were connecting to the current one and I was really starting to lose steam and had long since lost interest.

Ultimately I did have some suspicions and made some guesses as to what the answers might be, and I was partially right in some areas, but I felt that the ending came together in a very convoluted way, I still did not fully understand the motivations or reasonings behind characters actions. Without spoiling too much, there were secrets hidden that seem to fall into the wrong hands but then the wrong person was being blackmailed and then again another wrong person was being accused? There was a reveal of someone's identity but they were not actually the reveal of the main mystery? Ultimately the end just made me feel kind of dumb and it didn't feel satisfying as I didn't fully understand people's actions and therefore didn't feel that tension.

After reading some other reviews, I also saw that there were other people who claimed that they thought the mystery was a bit too complicated, the twists could have been a bit more clear and succinct, I saw some that were claiming the book was "doing too much" which I agree. I also saw that some people thought the humor was a bit of a miss, but generally it seemed like people like it. I saw multiple reviews that commented about the "Golden Age mystery rules", and for me this was just another gimmick that didn't really work that well as it was something else to keep track of. I wasn't really seeing any commentary about how this was a thriller or a page turner, some even go so far as to say that the chatty tone Ernest takes lends almost a 'cozy' vibe. While I would not go that far in the description I did struggle to remain engage and connected, which I saw a little bit of mention of as well.