Mystery

What We Saw At Night by Jacquelyn Mitchard Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Friends, I absolutely love the cover of What We Saw At Night by Jacquelyn Mitchard, I love the silhouettes against the night sky. I love how the title font goes from yellow to green. I just think everything about the cover is gorgeous. Yet, this is not a review of the cover, but of the book. Unfortunately, I did not find everything about What We Saw At Night to be gorgeous, nor did I absolutely love it. However, to set the record straight so you aren’t confused about my rating or anything, I LIKED Mitchard’s latest, I just did not think it was mindblowing or amazing, nor am I rushing to put it on my favorites list.

What We Saw At Night by Jacquelyn Mitchard | Good Books And Good Wine

Allie Kim has XP, a rare genetic disease that makes her allergic to light. Luckily, she lives in a small Minnesota town where there is a huge study on XP, so she’s not alone. Her two best friends Juliet and Rob have the disease as well. Due to XP, the trio cannot hang out during the day, they have to be nocturnal. It’s cool though because they don’t have curfews or anything. The teens have almost complete freedom, except for the whole daylight thing. Juliet is determined to live life to the fullest, and so she convinces Allie and Rob to take up parkour with her, which is basically where you jump from building to building, my whole idea of parkour is based on The Office where Micheal, Andy and Dwight see some videos on youtube and start doing it too with awful results. Anyways, while finding places to hone their new sport, the trio witnesses something sinister, a possible murder. Also! Juliet starts acting super sketchy and Allie can’t figure out why she’s so hot and cold, meanwhile Rob is starting to give Allie special attention.

The Office Parkour

Allie Kim is kind of compelling as narrator. I mean, okay, I liked her for the most part. She is a very smart girl who is level headed, plus she treats her friends very well. Yet, I had a hard time understanding why she was so cool about letting Juliet treat her like garbage. Allie is quite timid and didn’t seem to fully believe in herself. And okay, I get that teenage girls aren’t always bastions of confidence, even I wasn’t Captain Confidence, but I just wanted to shake her and be like COME ON LADY SNAP OUT OF IT. I guess it was hard for me to sympathize with Allie because as a reader I felt distant from her. It’s hard for me to explain what exactly the distance was caused by, maybe the writing? I just spent all of What We Saw At Night feeling as though I was being held at arm’s length.

However, I don’t want to be totally negative about Jacquelyn Mitchard’s YA debut, there were things I actually enjoyed. The mystery, for example. I did spent a lot of the book in the dark as to who the murderer was and I like when that happens. It’s awesome to not immediately be able to guess who the killer is. What We Saw At Night is quite suspenseful, once you get to the teens actually seeing something at night. That’s when it starts to get scary and suspenseful and you get that feeling of something bad looming, which I prefer when I read suspense books.

The pacing of What We Saw At Night kind of felt off to me. It is a short book, it clocks in at 272 pages, but feels like it takes forever to read. It’s because it drags in the first half until we get to the scary bits 42% of the way in, according to my goodreads updates. I don’t want to say that the writing is dense, but it’s not quite as breezy as the YA that I am used to. Not that this is a bad thing, I am fine with slower, more literary YA books, but it just seemed like the pacing didn’t really suit the story. I suppose to me, if a book is a thriller, it should be fast paced and enthralling and this one just wasn’t. Also, there’s a cliffhanger ending which really irritated me because I suppose I just expect a mystery to be solved by the end of a book at this point. Alas.

Look, there is definitely an audience out there for What We Saw At Night, but I just was not that into it. I was not very invested. However, maybe people who love mysteries and crime fiction will love this book. The concept is interesting and unique — I haven’t really read about teenage protagonists with XP before. Yet, I’ve read Dean Koontz’s Fear Nothing and I will admit it was in my brain while reading, because that main character also has XP, only he has a dog and it’s written for the masses, thus faster paced. Anyway, I think that if you’re really into crime fiction, you should give What We Saw At Night a chance.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley

Other reviews of What We Saw At Night by Jacquelyn Mitchard:

The Book Smugglers – “its execution decidedly is not Hitchcock-grade material.”

Word For Teens – “this was one creepy ass book”

The Picky Girl – “an intriguing premise and realistic characters”

Shadowlands | Kate Brian | Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Look, I tried, I genuinely tried to like Shadowlands by Kate Brian, but apparently I am the worst at suspending disbelief because I ended up actually laughing out loud at serious and suspenseful sections. Don’t get me twisted, Shadowlands is mostly entertaining and it’s got a snappy pace, however, I just wasn’t entirely invested and for most of the time my brain was shouting that THIS IS RIDICULOUS.

Shadowlands by Kate Brian | Good Books And Good Wine

So main character Rory Miller has been stalked by her math teacher, and she’s cutting home through the woods when he comes after her. She’s like oh it’s cool, it’s my teacher. BUT THEN he tries to kill her and she fights back and gets away. This leads to Rory and her family having to enter witness protection. They get sent to this island that’s totally cute. However, Rory is understandably still scared and nervous, but she ends up meeting a boy, but he’s weird and stares all the time. OH and people keep ending up missing on the island.

Rory Miller is kind of a nerd. She wears sweatshirts with physics equations, has blonde hair, enjoys running and does not go to parties. She always feels a bit second best compared to her sister Darcy who is outgoing and popular. Yet, on the island, Rory ends up fitting in much better than Darcy. Regardless, I wasn’t entirely attached to Rory. She’s nice and all, but kind of a wet blanket. I never really rooted all that strongly for her. Sure, she’s brave and it is so awesome that she fights back against her attacker, but she never really impressed me.

The romance is pretty boring. Like, the guy she is into basically is mysterious and creepy and just stares at her. It’s weird. Sorry, I just don’t see the sexual tension in that. On the upside there is no love triangle. However, I really think Shadowlands could have used a healthy injection of swoons and kissing, just to make me as a reader a little bit more invested in the story.

I will admit, the writing was not terrible. In fact, I think this would be a strong book to give reluctant readers. Shadowlands is a very fast paced read and it’s not like there are many boring moments. Plus, it is fairly suspensful — what with a seriel killer on the loose and all.

I do have to put it out there that I hated the ending, it ruined the story for me, yet it fits in with how ridiculous some of the book is. For example, in the beginning when the Miller house is under FBI surveillance, the killer manages to get in and leave a note. And then the law enforcement officer was all oh by the way I neglected to mention this but the last time someone escaped the killer, he murdered the victim’s whole family two weeks later. YO THIS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU SIT ON FOR OVER A WEEK. You straight up tell what happened so the latest victim knows how to safety plan and prepare. Then, there was this part where I just started laughing because it’s one bad thing after another, in the beginning. I won’t spoil it though.

Okay, so back to my thoughts on the end after that side ramble. The ending totally changes Shadowlands. Like there is this big red herring reveal and you guys I hate those. Like, okay sometimes I like when my mind is messed with by a book. But this was one of those ones that made me so mad, I was like UGH WHAT A CHEAP GIMMICK, because I tend to feel that way about endings. I won’t tell you the twist in the interest of not spoiling, but if you’ve read it, let me know in the comments if you liked the twist or not — but don’t be explict, I don’t want to ruin the book for anyone.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley

Other reviews of Shadowlands by Kate Brian:

The Book Rat – “I spent the first half of this book being really frustrated with damn near everything”

Mundie Moms – “pick up Shadowlands when you’re in the mood for a tense mystery”

Fiction Folio – “oozes a creepy vibe from the very first page.”

Allison Reviews The Aviary by Kathleen O’Dell

by Allison L

When one of your closest friends suggests a book to you and swears that it is “TOTALLY BITCHIN’”, you know you must go out and purchase that book, right? Well that is what happened to me when April suggested that I check out The Aviary by Kathleen O’Dell, and I can assure you that once again she knows exactly what she is talking about. Girl has amazing taste in books! I should probably mention that this recommendation came before I joined Good Books and Good Wine as co-blogger which just goes to show you how carefully I listened to April’s recommendations even before I entered the world of book blogging. Anyway, now it’s my turn to put my thoughts on this book down, and I am so excited to do so. Why you ask? Because truthfully The Aviary is simply divine!

The main character of The Aviary is twelve-year-old Clara Dooley. She has spent her whole life confined to the Glendoveer mansion where her mother is a servant to the very kind and elderly matron of the house. Clara has been confined to the grand estate due to a mysterious heart condition but normally she doesn’t mind it. It’s actually a pretty comfortable quiet life except for the creepy birds in that aviary out back that always seem to be squawking. Growing up, Clara never had any reason to question her life but now that she’s a bit older, she’s getting restless. She’s tired of being alone all the time. She wants a REAL friend that she can visit and share secrets with. She wants to go outside. Oh, and she wants to know WHY the birds are squawking all the time. Especially when she swears that one actually spoke to her saying the word “Elliot”. But birds can’t talk, can they? Or can they? How is this connected to the fact that the Glendoveer’s youngest child was named Elliot? WHAT does all of that mean?

The writing for The Aviary is gorgeous. I’m serious about this. It has a vibrant old school gothic feeling to it which you can become easily wrapped up in. Major kudos to Kathleen O’Dell. You are able to guess a few of the things regarding the mystery but, there are still a few twists and turns which you do not expect. It is all exquisitely woven together, and provides a very strong frame work for the characters to interact within. Speaking of the characters all of them have such a strong foundation. There is not a weak character in the group! They all have their own personalities, and sense of drive and direction, and they were wonderful to read about.

Another thing that was wonderful about The Aviary was the pacing of the story. I was never bored with this story. Even though it took me a while to read due to my work schedule at the time, whenever I did get a chance to read it, I never wanted to put it down because just like Clara I wanted to solve the mystery of the Glendoveer mansion and the birds and find out if she was able to set things right. Also, speaking of the Glendoveer mansion, I loved the description of the mansion and the surrounding area. It really left me with a gothic feel that resonated with me through out the entire novel.

If you’re looking for a magnificent middle grade book filled with mystery, magic, and a lesson on the value of a good solid friendship, I highly recommend The Aviary to you. I honestly feel that you will not regret picking this book up and giving it a chance. I know I don’t!

Disclosure: Purchased copy

Other Reviews of The Aviary by Kathleen O’Dell:

April’s Review: “The Aviary is fan-fricken-tastic.”

The Book Smugglers: “Oh my, The Aviary is lovely.”

The Lupine Librarian: “The mystery at the heart of the story will keep you reading, but the book also brings up good points about independence and family and friend relationships.”

The Bookinista: “While many parts stretched the limits of imagination I still enjoyed my reading of the book.“

Secrets Of Shakespeare’s Grave Deron R. Hicks Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Treasure hunters take note, Secrets Of Shakespeare’s Grave by Deron R. Hicks is an utterly charming debut middle grade read that will appeal to your questing sensibilities. The Letterford family owns and operates the prestigious publisher Letterford And Sons. When the family patriarch dies, Mull Letterford takes over the business. A series of disasters occurs and so the family must question whether to take the ownership from Mull or not. Colophon, Mull’s 12 year old daughter, is positive foul play is behind the accidents. Hearing about a rumored family treasure, Colophon decides finding the treasure is the best way to save her dad and keep the business in his hands, thus launches the treasure hunt.

Secrets Of Shakespeare’s Grave

Secrets Of Shakespeare’s Grave is quite clever in that it subtly slips history in. The hunt for treasure is what has the reader’s main attention and little by little as Colophon unravels the mystery, we get little history snippets. The history mostly follows Shakespeare, but it is quite fascinating. I could see this book being used to generate more interest in Shakespeare during a classroom’s free reading time.

My one criticism of Secrets Of Shakespeare’s Grave is that the characters felt a little bit flat. Colophon is academic, loves reading and is clever beyond her years. We don’t really get much deeper than that. She doesn’t seem to have any real faults. The villain is the stock bad guy who is pretty much evil throughout the whole book, with not much more under the surface. However, I do not think the intended audience will mind the characters, as Colophon and her family are quite likeable.

What really enhances Secrets Of Shakespeare’s Grave by Deron R. Hicks are the illustrations by Mark Edward Geyer. Geyer’s illustrations are pen and ink drawings which appear at the beginning of each chapter. The pictures are relevant to each chapter and add an extra dimension to the book. Plus they are quite pleasing to look at.

If you’ve got a reluctant middle grade reader in your family or classroom, I highly recommend you hand them a copy of Secrets Of Shakespeare’s Grave. It is a quick and engaging book where they will learn something in the process of reading it.

Disclosure: Received for review via Amazon Vine.

Other reviews of Secrets Of Shakespeare’s Grave by Deron R. Hicks:

I can’t find any yet. If you review this, please drop me your link in the comments so I can add it!

Three Times Lucky Sheila Turnage Audiobook Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Middle grade is one of the most charming age-group genres out there. I love that middle grade is unencumbered by love triangles. I love that kids get to be more than cardboard stand ins. Further, I like how fresh the middle grade section feels. While I usually stick to my fantasy fare, I found myself utterly won over by the contemporary Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage. There are a myriad of elements that made Three Times Lucky really work for me.

Three Times Lucky

When Moses ‘Mo’ LoBeau was a baby, an awful hurricane hit her town and her mother sent her downstream in a basket where she ends up in Tupelo Landing. Mo lives with the Colonel and Miss Lana. An enterprising sixth grader, Mo helps out at the Colonel’s Cafe with best friend Dale. When a detective rolls up into town investigating a murder, Dale becomes a suspect. It is up to the two, Mo and Dale, to clear his name and find the real murderer. Obviously there is more to the plot of Three Times Lucky, but I firmly believe the best parts are discovered on your own and not for me to regurgitate it to you.

Mo LoBeau is totally legit for a kid. She drives a hard bargain when it comes to selling food at the cafe and is quite the salesperson. Yet, she’s got this softness and vulnerability when it comes to the identity of what she deems to be her upstream mother. Mo consistently sends messages or rather, letters in bottles to her upstream mother hoping that one day she will learn who her real mom is. As an adult, it’s a little heartbreaking to read, but ahhhh ultimately, ultimately I can’t tell you anything! Anyways, the side of Mo that I like BEST is her courageous side. She’s tough as nails when it comes down to it and does not back down. Further, Mo has a kind streak to her rather than a mean streak and she is not afraid to speak out against injustice. She’s the sort of heroine I love reading about.

Perhaps the most charming element of Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage is the small town setting. Tupelo’s Landing has diverse residents with STRONG PERSONALITIES. From Lavender, Dale’s older brother who is a race car driver and mechanic (also Mo is in love with him) to the mean girl Anna Celeste Simpson who is totally stuck up to beautiful Miss Rose (Dale’s mom), Tupelo’s Landing is peppered with awesome. The residents come together in a pinch and watch out for each other. Plus, the town is set right on the coast. Yet, the residents aren’t millionaires or anything, just humble hardworking folk. It’s a total Southern town, or at least what I would imagine a Southern coastal town to be.

As for the audiobook production, I thought it was well done. The late Michal Friedman narrated the whole 7 hours and 57 minutes of the unabridged Three Times Lucky. Friedman changes her voices for each of the characters, yet maintains a North Carolina twang throughout the whole audio. I loved her voicing of Mo, she did earnest kid so well. Penguin Audio has produced quite the charming audiobook. I think if you like middle grade, mysteries and the South, you’ll like Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage.

Disclosure: Received for review.

Other reviews of Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage:

Story Snoops – “would make a great read aloud”

The Scribbler In The Rye – “Mo’s voice is so unique, so touching, and so hilarious”

Book Nut – “There’s a little something for everyone here”

Mister Death’s Blue-Eyed Girls Mary Downing Hahn Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Mister Death’s Blue-Eyed Girls by Mary Downing Han is a well-written historical fiction YA novel about the murder of two girls which shakes a small town in the 1950s. Nora, the main character, is at the heart of Mister Death’s Blue-Eyed Girls. Nora is friends with the victims, Cheryl and Bobbi-Jo and hangs out with them the night before their murders. The deaths of the two girls come as a shock to Nora. Much of Elmgrove, the Baltimore suburb in which this book is set, believes Cheryl’s ex, a ne’er do well named Buddy was the killer, but Nora has her doubts, which the book explores.

Mister Death’s Blue-Eyed Girls

The structure of Mister Death’s Blue-Eyed Girls is quite interesting. The book is divided into alternate point of view chapters with letters as well as diary entries. Further, we also get the point of view of the killer which is incredibly creepy. The narrative structure lends itself quite well to exploring themes of tragedy and growing up.

Tragedy changes Elmgrove. The residents’ sense of safety is shaken. Those close to it experience deep hurt and pain, as is typical to the grieving process. Yet, we also get to see Nora’s reactions to those who sensationalize the tragedy, those who are kind to her because they want the lurid details. Mary Downing Hahn does a fair job portraying the very real emotions and different faces that tragedy can wear.

Perhaps the best part of Mister Death’s Blue-Eyed Girls is the dynamism of Nora as a character. She starts out as quite an immature young girl, with her biggest worry being if the popular jock notices her or not. Then we see Nora deeply questioning different aspects of her life as an outcome of the murders. Nora does question her faith as well, but in a respectful manner. I think that a lot of teenagers will be able to identify with Nora’s turning points and with her questioning, even if tragedy has not struck their lives.

In all, Mister Death’s Blue-Eyed Girls by Mary Downing Hahn is a book that stands out. It is fast-paced, engaging and thought-provoking. While Mister Death’s Blue Eyed Girls may not have the fanfare of bigger YA releases, it is a gem of a book that I absolutely would recommend for readers who enjoy true crime as well as historical fiction.

Disclosure: Received for review via Amazon Vine.

Other reviews of Mister Death’s Blue-Eyed Girls by Mary Downing Hahn:

Rather Be Reading – “has the meat, the themes, and the human insight to be received by a wider audience with open arms”

The Hiding Spot – “I found the character development and plot intriguing”

Attack The Stacks – “a quietly moving novel”

Other Mary Downing Hahn Books:

The Ghost Of Crutchfield Hall

I Hunt Killers Barry Lyga Audiobook Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Can you imagine the sorts of messed up you might be if you had a serial killer for a dad? I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga explores the effect the sins of the father has on Jazz Dent, son of the infamous serial killer Billy Dent. While Jazz comes across as fairly well adjusted to outsiders, he grapples on the inside with the darker side of his humanity.

When a mysterious murder occurs in Jazz’s small town, he sees it as what may be the first in a line of serial kills. And so to atone for his father’s crimes, Jazz takes it upon himself to play the hero and solve the murder. The main character of I Hunt Killers certainly brings a unique perspective to the table as his father used to give him serial killer lessons. As readers we are privy to creepy flashbacks of these lessons with dear old dad during I Hunt Killers.

Barry Lyga’s Jasper ‘Jazz’ Dent is a fascinating character caught between nature and nurture, battling a messed up family history. We see that he desperately wants to be good, yet has all of these issues. Like, for example he thinks about how easy it would be to kill someone and get away with it. Honestly, I found myself pulling for Jazz despite the super scary moments.

Also, I briefly want to touch on the supporting characters of I Hunt Killers. There’s Connie who is Jazz’s girlfriend. She shows him that he is capable of love and caring for someone besides himself. I like that she is rational and tough as nails and down to help Jazz out. Then there is Howie who is Jazz’s hemophiliac best friend. Howie brings humor and a light touch to the book — having Jazz’s back despite his physical limitations.

I read this book, I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga, via audio which turned out to be a pretty great choice. Charlie Thurston is the narrator and lends a bit of growing pain timbre to his voice — he does a rather wonderful job voicing all of the characters and narrating the terrifying bits. I Hunt Killers is a fabulous audiobook produced by Hachette Audio. It is 9 hours and 32 minutes unabridged.

Disclosure: I purchased my copy with my Audible credit.

Other reviews of I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga:

Makeshift Bookmark – “I think I lost quite a bit of my sanity in the process of reading”

Book Harbinger – “Thrilling, creepy, and unpredictable”

Bites – “Unique and thoroughly disturbing”

Sash & Em – “It was CREEPALICIOUS“

Size 12 Is Not Fat Meg Cabot Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

I had no intention of ever reading Size 12 Is Not Fat, even though I love Meg Cabot. My mind did not change until book four, Size 12 And Ready To Rock came unexpectedly in the mail and the general consensus among my friends who read the series is that it is great and worth reading. Of course, my peeps were right.

Size 12 Is Not Fat

Bro, I need to venture outside of YA more often, because there were SO many elements that I love in Size 12 Is Not Fat: college, mysteries, washed up pop stars, and humor of course. So, Heather Wells is kind of a down on her luck former teen pop star. Yet, this luck changes when she is hired as an assistant resident director at New York College. The job is actually pretty great until girls in Fischer Hall start dying. Heather is suspicious that foul play is involved.

I pretty much loved every single character in this book. Heather could have been wicked annoying, you know like one of those people who is like ‘oh I hate them skinny bitches’ like in other books I’ve read with plus sized heroines which totally turns me off. I don’t like being made to feel bad because I’m a size 4. Anyways, instead, Heather is charming, has great taste in food, and shows solidarity with other women regardless of size. Plus, her instincts are dead on. And her friends are great too — like Magda who works in the cafeteria and has the most ridiculous nails, she is a hoot!

You all know how one of Meg Cabot’s trademarks is her ability to always bring some swooning — let’s just say the swoons were brought out full force in Size 12 Is Not Fat. See, Heather lives rent-free in exchange for doing Private Investigator Cooper Cartwright’s books/accounting. Heather wants to do more than his books. There are definitely sparks there. And even though it’s more like a crush – I could see some sizzle. Cooper isn’t a douchebag, but he genuinely cares about Heather, which is the kind of male I like to read about.

Plus? The mystery? I thought I had it solved, but I was TOTALLY wrong and honestly, I don’t mind that. I like not being able to guess the killer in the first 50 pages.

Look, it is pretty much summer, so if you aren’t sure what to throw in your beach bag or what to load on your kindle -Size 12 Is Not Fat is a great entertainment investment. Plus if you are a YA fan curious about adult books, this one isn’t too far out of the comfort zone.

Disclosure: Borrowed from the library.

Other reviews of Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot:

Fyrefly’s Book Blog – “I am of two minds about this book”

Write Meg! – “Campy, light, over-the-top and entertaining”

The Book Scoop – “This book makes me laugh”

The Celery Stalks At Midnight James Howe Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

No matter how you slice it, the fact of the matter is that I am a fan of both zombie vegetables AND mystery solving animals. I also quite like old school book covers and vampiric rabbits. Of course, I really took to The Celery Stalks At Midnight by James Howe, third in the Bunnicula series, gobbling it up during the April 2012 Dewey Readathon in an hour or so.

The Celery Stalks At Midnight

I did not read the second in the series, Howliday Inn, but I did not find myself confused, after all these books are aimed at children and haha I am good at filling in the blanks. Also, the author, James Howe does a bang up job at providing backstory so you aren’t left totally confused or anything.

Bunnicula, the vampire bunny, has mysteriously disappeared from his cage. The gardens in the neighborhood are beginning to fill with zombie vegetables that are white because they have no blood. Chester, Harold, and Howie the new puppy must figure out where Bunnicula went and prevent him from making new zombies.

Bro, this book, The Celery Stalks At Midnight is cute to the fifth power. Seriously, Chester the cat is the shit and he totally has my heart. Howie the puppy is mad annoying though, but oh my gosh do I LOVE mysteries and seeing the game try to solve it. It sucks to admit this but even as an adult I was not able to figure out what the solution was until the very end. I would say that you should grab this book for a laugh, if you have kids, or if you need something to pull you through a late hour at a readathon because it isn’t too terribly taxing and is at heart, a fun read.

Disclosure: Purchased copy at a library sale.

Other reviews of The Celery Stalks At Midnight by James Howe:

Story Snoops – “a suspenseful and funny mystery”

Bunnicula Series Order:

Bunnicula (Book One)
Howliday Inn (Book Two)
The Celery Stalks At Midnight (Book Three)

The Book Of Blood And Shadow Robin Wasserman Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

I’m kind of ashamed to admit this, but I really liked The Da Vinci Code when it came out. So much so that I read Foucault’s Pendulum and Holy Blood, Holy Grail and even wrote a college paper on the Knights Templar. To say that I enjoy conspiracy theory is an understatement. You guys, I am SO glad that The Book Of Blood And Shadow by Robin Wasserman is published in 2012 and not 2003 because with how deftly Robin Wasserman handles secret societies, I would have inevitably been disappointed in the aforementioned books. Since you know, a really great book can ruin other similar books for you.

The Book Of Blood And Shadow

Nora, main character of The Book of Blood And Shadow goes to a private school to escape her dead brother’s legacy at the public school. There, she is BFF with a boy named Chris who knows about her bother and his girlfriend, the garish Adriane. Chris graduates and enrolls in local college where he assists a crack pot professor in translating Latin texts. Nora, still in high school, does an internship with the professor as well and so does Chris’s roommate who is Nora’s eventual boyfriend, Max. One night Nora translates a very old letter penned by Elizabeth Weston who comes to prominence in the book. The letter connects to the Voynich manuscript which is kind of a big deal and oh yeah the translation sort of results in murder and some international travel as Nora and crew race to find the identity of the murderer AND to assemble this artifact called the Lumen Dei.

I am pretty sure The Book Of Blood And Shadow by Robin Wasserman was written for me. No joke, it contains THINGS I LOVE: Conspiracies, secrets, BETRAYALS OMG, cryptology, history, chemistry and BIG HUGE PLOT TWISTS. Plus, the vast majority is set in Prague which is like #1 on my places to visit. Y’all I was shocked at how quickly I read The Book Of Blood And Shadow, it’s practically a doorstopper at 432 pages.

A large part of my shock is because the language in The Book Of Blood And Shadow is not at all breezy. Like, I would say that Wasserman’s style feels sort of literary and I actually really like that. It reads as though there’s a certain polish and elegance to the words. But, I was never bored with it. Although, I imagine that the hunt for the Lumen Dei machine had a huge role in this.

I straight up loved The Book Of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman. I loved the device of Weston’s letters. I love the conspiracy and how everything connected. I loved how imperfect the characters were and how I thought a few of them were definitely terrible people. I loved how much I was into Eli (TRUST). Friends, THIS is what I want more of in YA: awesome writing, historical ties and most of all MORE PRAGUE PLEASE.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley.

Other Reviews of The Book Of Blood And Shadow by Robin Wasserman:

A Reader Of Fictions
The Readventurer
Bunbury In The Stacks