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protoman21's review against another edition
3.0
This started out very strong for me, but I lost more and more interest as the story unfolded. I was never interested in the story that unfolded through the letters Nora was translating, and the trip to Prague hinged on things from the past which I just didn't care about. Whatever intrigue there was with relationships was lost early on when one of the characters dies and leaves the others in no position to be thinking about going to the prom. I'm just glad this isn't the first book in a series.
abaugher's review against another edition
5.0
Wasserman does it again! i'm not even done just yet, but I've loved this book! looking back on it, i probably would have totally enjoyed this on audio because of the Czech names used so frequently. I think i'll try listening to parts of it for the auditory "taste", as it were.
***Done! amazing! If you enjoy epic mysteries, this one is for you: spanning several centuries, countries,and people from widely varied backgrounds, all converging in one horrific battle for power. From ancient Prague to modern America and back again, this has got to be one of the most awesome, beautifully confusing, and thrilling books I've read in decades!
***Done! amazing! If you enjoy epic mysteries, this one is for you: spanning several centuries, countries,and people from widely varied backgrounds, all converging in one horrific battle for power. From ancient Prague to modern America and back again, this has got to be one of the most awesome, beautifully confusing, and thrilling books I've read in decades!
renuked's review against another edition
2.0
I don't know it just didn't strike me the way I thought it would. It was too slow in the beginning, there were so many twists it got repetitive, the characters didn't make my heart beat faster, and though I can see how many people could like it, it wasn't for me. Disappointing.
bookishmadness's review against another edition
2.0
I wish I could say I loved this book. Believe me, I really wanted to. Let's start with the fact that it took me the space of 8 days to actually read the whole book. By that I meant, it took me 8 days to get through 55 odd pages. After that, I spent one day powering through.
The start was slow. I was bored from the beginning which was a bad indication. But after reading all the 5-star reviews, I just had to keep going.
I loved all the characters from the start, mostly Elizabeth - the dead girl from the letters. But as the story continued, I just wanted to shake everyone. WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THESE PEOPLE?!
I haven't read the Da Vinci Code, although this book has been compared to it many times. Religion, mystery and all that jazz? Yep, this book certainly has it. I love my history, but the way it was gilded was too much for me. There is plenty of betrayal, and a killer ending, but unfortunately it wasn't enough for me.
I wish I could write more for this review, but I really don't know what to say.
But don't take my word for it, try reading it for yourselves!
The start was slow. I was bored from the beginning which was a bad indication. But after reading all the 5-star reviews, I just had to keep going.
I loved all the characters from the start, mostly Elizabeth - the dead girl from the letters. But as the story continued, I just wanted to shake everyone. WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THESE PEOPLE?!
I haven't read the Da Vinci Code, although this book has been compared to it many times. Religion, mystery and all that jazz? Yep, this book certainly has it. I love my history, but the way it was gilded was too much for me. There is plenty of betrayal, and a killer ending, but unfortunately it wasn't enough for me.
I wish I could write more for this review, but I really don't know what to say.
But don't take my word for it, try reading it for yourselves!
christiana's review against another edition
4.0
I could not finish this book fast enough. Every time I was doing something else, I found myself annoyed that I wasn't with this book instead. I definitely get why this book was being touted as a teen DaVinci Code. The suspense and mystery are similar, and reading it made me desperate to know more about the setting (Prague-so hot right now) and the other aspects of the plot (which you'll just have to find out for yourself). The characters are well developed and despite the length of the book, I wanted to take in every word.
I never saw the end coming.
Fun read for high school and later middle school, especially 8th grade (I actually wish I could read this with my 7th grade book group, but I think the length is a bit off putting for a group).
I never saw the end coming.
Fun read for high school and later middle school, especially 8th grade (I actually wish I could read this with my 7th grade book group, but I think the length is a bit off putting for a group).
tippyloohoo's review against another edition
4.0
I am a nearly daily user of a website called Random Buzzers which is an online book community for Random House publishing geared toward teens. So when they started looking for people willing to promote some of their new books I jumped at the chance. The book they chose for me was The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman, a book I had planned on reading anyway, it was sitting on the top of my "To Read" pile of books I had checked out from work. Let me tell you, I am so happy to have been chosen to spread the word about this book.
For Nora Cane there are certain undisputed truths. She has two best friends: Chris and Adriane, who are the perfect couple. She has a boyfriend, Max, who loves her. Her brother is dead, but no one except Chris knows about it. And Latin always makes sense. But soon everything Nora thought she knew will be tested. Chris will die. Max will be blamed. And Nora and Adriane will be left to solve the mystery of a book that has driven a man insane. The plan is simple; go to Prague, save Max, clear his name, and learn to with without Chris. But nothing is ever that simple and soon they will find themselves in the middle of a centuries old mystery that only Nora can solve. They will have help but no one is what they seem. The only thing Nora can trust are the words of a long dead woman, written in Latin, and the clues they leave to a machine that may be better left unsolved.
I can not even begin to explain how amazing this book was. Every time I thought I knew what was going on and who was who, it was all switched up and I was left guessing, racing to get to the next page. Wasserman's use of real historical figures only adds to the amazing story she has woven. This is a must read!
For Nora Cane there are certain undisputed truths. She has two best friends: Chris and Adriane, who are the perfect couple. She has a boyfriend, Max, who loves her. Her brother is dead, but no one except Chris knows about it. And Latin always makes sense. But soon everything Nora thought she knew will be tested. Chris will die. Max will be blamed. And Nora and Adriane will be left to solve the mystery of a book that has driven a man insane. The plan is simple; go to Prague, save Max, clear his name, and learn to with without Chris. But nothing is ever that simple and soon they will find themselves in the middle of a centuries old mystery that only Nora can solve. They will have help but no one is what they seem. The only thing Nora can trust are the words of a long dead woman, written in Latin, and the clues they leave to a machine that may be better left unsolved.
I can not even begin to explain how amazing this book was. Every time I thought I knew what was going on and who was who, it was all switched up and I was left guessing, racing to get to the next page. Wasserman's use of real historical figures only adds to the amazing story she has woven. This is a must read!
jadeeby's review against another edition
3.0
Originally posted on my blog Chasing Empty Pavements
This book was floating around the blogosphere like crazy last year, and I *finally* got around to reading it. I remembered people getting confused because it came in the rush of books with similar titles-- Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (which I've read and reviewed) and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (which I haven't). I felt like people had great things to say about all three of these titles and I can see why this book got great reviews.
The first half of this book BLEW. ME. AWAY. The opening line! The characters! The beautiful, lyrical sentences! I fell for it all. Especially Nora. I really fell in love with her. She was an atypical character for me--a girl who was more concerned with ancient Latin than boys. A girl obsessed with letters from a dead girl instead of drinking or partying. I just loved it. I loved that there was a very creepy, mysterious element to the story right away and that Wasserman worked up to the action. I love historical, mystery type of novels so this one really hit the spot for me.
While I LOVED the first half of this novel, the second half started to sag. I felt bored and skimmed a lot. It's like once the action started--it didn't make things go faster--it slowed it WAY down. Also once the mystery started unfolding--I hate to admit that it started to go above my head a little bit. I felt like I was constantly missing some important piece of information that would make it all make sense but that never came. I had a feeling who the killer was but once it was confirmed--it almost felt anti-climatic. I wish that could have been hyped up some more.
verall, I enjoyed reading this novel. It reminded me of the YA version of The Da Vinci Code which I liked. So if you're a fan of books like The Da Vinci Code or the movie National Treasure (yes, I just went there), you'll LOVE this book. It's a bit different from the other YA stuff out there right now so I recommend giving this one a try!
**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
This book was floating around the blogosphere like crazy last year, and I *finally* got around to reading it. I remembered people getting confused because it came in the rush of books with similar titles-- Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (which I've read and reviewed) and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (which I haven't). I felt like people had great things to say about all three of these titles and I can see why this book got great reviews.
The first half of this book BLEW. ME. AWAY. The opening line! The characters! The beautiful, lyrical sentences! I fell for it all. Especially Nora. I really fell in love with her. She was an atypical character for me--a girl who was more concerned with ancient Latin than boys. A girl obsessed with letters from a dead girl instead of drinking or partying. I just loved it. I loved that there was a very creepy, mysterious element to the story right away and that Wasserman worked up to the action. I love historical, mystery type of novels so this one really hit the spot for me.
While I LOVED the first half of this novel, the second half started to sag. I felt bored and skimmed a lot. It's like once the action started--it didn't make things go faster--it slowed it WAY down. Also once the mystery started unfolding--I hate to admit that it started to go above my head a little bit. I felt like I was constantly missing some important piece of information that would make it all make sense but that never came. I had a feeling who the killer was but once it was confirmed--it almost felt anti-climatic. I wish that could have been hyped up some more.
verall, I enjoyed reading this novel. It reminded me of the YA version of The Da Vinci Code which I liked. So if you're a fan of books like The Da Vinci Code or the movie National Treasure (yes, I just went there), you'll LOVE this book. It's a bit different from the other YA stuff out there right now so I recommend giving this one a try!
**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
michalice's review against another edition
2.0
It all started with a group of students researching a book that is 700 years old. They get hold of a copy of it and work together to study and learn more about it, in the hopes they make a great discovery. One thing leads to another and peoples lives are lost, and what Nora thought was the truth turns out to be a lie, things can only get better from now on can't they???
When you start a book with the words 'I should probably start with the blood' then you have my attention immediately. By the time I had reached the bottom of the first page I was hooked and wanted this to continue throughout the book. Admittedly, throughout the first third of The Book of Blood and Shadow I was hooked and found it hard to put it down, but by the time it got to the middle I was struggling to keep focused and continue reading. Just as I was about to give up The Book of Blood and Shadow did a complete turn around and I found myself engrossed once again.
Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the mystery and intrigue in this book and all the way through continued guessing as to what was going to happen next. During the main parts of the storyline, the history of the Luminis Dei and the ancient letters, I found myself losing interest in what was wrote down, and I think this is really just a personal opinion, I am more of an action, mystery person rather than a person who enjoys reading about the history of certain things.
Even though this is not one of my favourite reads, I would still recommend it to others to read.
When you start a book with the words 'I should probably start with the blood' then you have my attention immediately. By the time I had reached the bottom of the first page I was hooked and wanted this to continue throughout the book. Admittedly, throughout the first third of The Book of Blood and Shadow I was hooked and found it hard to put it down, but by the time it got to the middle I was struggling to keep focused and continue reading. Just as I was about to give up The Book of Blood and Shadow did a complete turn around and I found myself engrossed once again.
Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the mystery and intrigue in this book and all the way through continued guessing as to what was going to happen next. During the main parts of the storyline, the history of the Luminis Dei and the ancient letters, I found myself losing interest in what was wrote down, and I think this is really just a personal opinion, I am more of an action, mystery person rather than a person who enjoys reading about the history of certain things.
Even though this is not one of my favourite reads, I would still recommend it to others to read.
pewterwolf's review against another edition
4.0
Review Taken From The Pewter Wolf
Originally, I wasn't going to read this book. When I first heard of this book, it didn't push my buttons. It didn't get me excited. But then the UK publishers, Atom, asked if I would be involved in a blog tour for this book. I said yes, but knew that if I wanted to take part, I would have to read and review the book. I didn't want to agree to something and go "Read this!" if I haven't read it nor liked it. So, that's how I got my hands on a copy.
Anyway, the story. Nora Kane joins a translation project to unravel a 700 year old book along with other clasicists. So, imagine her outrage when she was given the "girly" task to translate the letters of the author's daughter, Elizabeth Weston. Expect, the more she translates Elizabeth's letters, the more Nora becomes fascinated with her life. And with her busy friend Chris dating Adriane and her budding relationship with Max, Nora has her life under control.
Until Nora finds Chris murdered. Until Nora discovers Adriabe has appeared to have lost her mind. Until Nora discovered Max has vanished into thin air, making him the Police prime suspect in Chris's murder.
But Max couldn't have done it. Could he? Slowly, Nora tries to make sense of what has happened and it seems that the reasons - and the answers - she seek are in Elizabeth Weston's letters...
Now, this book has been described as "The Secret History by Donna Tartt or The Lessons by Naomi Alderman meets The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown". So, already, there's a high standard. So, will it live to the hype that surrounds this book?
Yes, it does. I was surprised on how quickly I fell into this book and this strange world of Latin and universities and then, suddenly, how it switches to murder, Prague, secret societies and the Lumen Dei (you have to read the book to find out what that is). And it's also surprising how smart this book is. There were times I read this that I feared that the book would come across "too smart" and, I think, this only happened once or twice with me, but it was over very little things.
Don't get me wrong. This book is good! But it's flawed too. Some of you guys won't like it as it's slow going. It took over 100 pages (in my copy) for something to happen and it kinda does this all the way through the book until the end where everything falls into place. And there were several occasions that I felt that it went a bit flat. Sometimes it was characters, other times it was dialogue but it always picked itself up within a few paragraphs (I says this as my copy was a draft so this might be changed in the real version).
This is a very smart read, even when it goes into the realms of secret societies. I'm just fascinated on how much research the author, Robin Wasserman, did as (according to her Acknowledgements and Afterword) she talks about Elizabeth Weston, Edward Kelley, Don Giulio & Rabbi Judah Loew Ben Bezalel and the Voynich Manuscript and explains that they were real and briefly explains them to us.
While this book won't be everyone's cup of tea, but this is one smart read to start 2012 and I will be very intrigued over Robin Wasserman write next...
Originally, I wasn't going to read this book. When I first heard of this book, it didn't push my buttons. It didn't get me excited. But then the UK publishers, Atom, asked if I would be involved in a blog tour for this book. I said yes, but knew that if I wanted to take part, I would have to read and review the book. I didn't want to agree to something and go "Read this!" if I haven't read it nor liked it. So, that's how I got my hands on a copy.
Anyway, the story. Nora Kane joins a translation project to unravel a 700 year old book along with other clasicists. So, imagine her outrage when she was given the "girly" task to translate the letters of the author's daughter, Elizabeth Weston. Expect, the more she translates Elizabeth's letters, the more Nora becomes fascinated with her life. And with her busy friend Chris dating Adriane and her budding relationship with Max, Nora has her life under control.
Until Nora finds Chris murdered. Until Nora discovers Adriabe has appeared to have lost her mind. Until Nora discovered Max has vanished into thin air, making him the Police prime suspect in Chris's murder.
But Max couldn't have done it. Could he? Slowly, Nora tries to make sense of what has happened and it seems that the reasons - and the answers - she seek are in Elizabeth Weston's letters...
Now, this book has been described as "The Secret History by Donna Tartt or The Lessons by Naomi Alderman meets The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown". So, already, there's a high standard. So, will it live to the hype that surrounds this book?
Yes, it does. I was surprised on how quickly I fell into this book and this strange world of Latin and universities and then, suddenly, how it switches to murder, Prague, secret societies and the Lumen Dei (you have to read the book to find out what that is). And it's also surprising how smart this book is. There were times I read this that I feared that the book would come across "too smart" and, I think, this only happened once or twice with me, but it was over very little things.
Don't get me wrong. This book is good! But it's flawed too. Some of you guys won't like it as it's slow going. It took over 100 pages (in my copy) for something to happen and it kinda does this all the way through the book until the end where everything falls into place. And there were several occasions that I felt that it went a bit flat. Sometimes it was characters, other times it was dialogue but it always picked itself up within a few paragraphs (I says this as my copy was a draft so this might be changed in the real version).
This is a very smart read, even when it goes into the realms of secret societies. I'm just fascinated on how much research the author, Robin Wasserman, did as (according to her Acknowledgements and Afterword) she talks about Elizabeth Weston, Edward Kelley, Don Giulio & Rabbi Judah Loew Ben Bezalel and the Voynich Manuscript and explains that they were real and briefly explains them to us.
While this book won't be everyone's cup of tea, but this is one smart read to start 2012 and I will be very intrigued over Robin Wasserman write next...
karireyn's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! Such a fun read and lots of twists and turns I never expected.