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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
This book was a lot of fun to read. Although it has its' faults (Avery can be a bit annoying, and it falls into the YA cliche that every single person in this world is incredibly attractive), the story is fast-paced, and Hall balances the YA romance angle with puzzle-solving and jet-setting. The concept is a good one: twelve families, descended from the generals of Alexander the Great, rule the world from behind the scenes, Illuminati-style, and a teen girl named Avery discovers that she may be related to them. Avery has moved around her whole life with her single mother, not realizing that her mother has been keeping them on the run from the mysterious group called the Circle. However, Avery wants so badly to have a family that she basically gets willingly kidnapped by them and ends up in Paris.
From there, Avery's character definitely improves. She's intelligent, and there are several points when she saves herself or the male characters of the book, and she's quick to point out the sexism of the Circle and its structure. If at first the book starts off seeming a bit too cliche, I would recommend to keep going if you like adventure, history, and treasure hunting. The next book in the series, Map of Fates is out and I'll be reading that one next!
From there, Avery's character definitely improves. She's intelligent, and there are several points when she saves herself or the male characters of the book, and she's quick to point out the sexism of the Circle and its structure. If at first the book starts off seeming a bit too cliche, I would recommend to keep going if you like adventure, history, and treasure hunting. The next book in the series, Map of Fates is out and I'll be reading that one next!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
OMG THIS BOOK WAS FREAKING AMAZING! I NEED THE SECOND BOOK IMMEDIATELY!
If you love Ally Carter, like I do, pick this book up because you'll devour it in seconds!
If you love Ally Carter, like I do, pick this book up because you'll devour it in seconds!
Full review on Musical Bibliolater
Rating: 3 out of 5
Recommended for fans of: adventure, mystery/thrillers
Avery West is the missing heir to the powerful secret organization, the Circle of Twelve. Hiding in secrecy, Avery discovers the lengths this organization will go to and she must travel the world to thwart their dangerous plans. Some want to use her and others want her dead. Avery must solve ancient legends and decipher the clues around her in order to stay one step ahead of Stellan while putting her trust in Jack.
The Conspiracy of Us was great but it wasn't amazing. I was so excited for it to come out and while it did have some very good parts, it seemed to be lacking in certain areas.
Things I Liked:
One of my favorite aspects about this book is the story. The plot is so interesting and intriguing. I can tell that the author put a lot of thought and research into it and the history needed for the back story which made this book believable. Discovering along with Avery the different aspects to the Circle of Twelve's history was quite entertaining. I loved the little clues and the mystery but I couldn't become completely enamored in this book.
The Circle and the different families were interesting. They added such depth and an underscore of violence to this book that I really loved. This made The Conspiracy of Us seem dark and serious which added to the control these people had over the world.
Stellan. When I first read the blurb I thought, "Oh, no, love triangle." Thankfully that is not the case. However, if I was suppose to hate Stellan it didn't happen. By then end of the book I think I liked him more than I liked any other character. Yes, he had his moments were he was quite annoying but he was like James Bond, not the villains in James Bond but, 007 himself. I understood his intentions and motivations, which made him, seem less like a butthole and more like a guy whose trying to do his best and make the best out of his situation. I respected him and by the end of the book I liked him more than the MC.
I also liked Jack but I admit I didn't like him as much as I liked Stellan. Jack was really sweet but I feel that I didn't get to know him as much. I wanted to know how he felt more often because I was seeing him through the MC's eyes and I don't think she really saw him. Jack and Stellan are in the same situation just for different reasons. I loved hearing both of their back story's and seeing how they got involved with the Circle. It really added depth to the organization and their methods. Jack had a lot to lose and his love for the people he cared about was really his driving force and that made me want the best for his character.
Full review on Musical Bibliolater
Rating: 3 out of 5
Recommended for fans of: adventure, mystery/thrillers
Avery West is the missing heir to the powerful secret organization, the Circle of Twelve. Hiding in secrecy, Avery discovers the lengths this organization will go to and she must travel the world to thwart their dangerous plans. Some want to use her and others want her dead. Avery must solve ancient legends and decipher the clues around her in order to stay one step ahead of Stellan while putting her trust in Jack.
The Conspiracy of Us was great but it wasn't amazing. I was so excited for it to come out and while it did have some very good parts, it seemed to be lacking in certain areas.
Things I Liked:
One of my favorite aspects about this book is the story. The plot is so interesting and intriguing. I can tell that the author put a lot of thought and research into it and the history needed for the back story which made this book believable. Discovering along with Avery the different aspects to the Circle of Twelve's history was quite entertaining. I loved the little clues and the mystery but I couldn't become completely enamored in this book.
The Circle and the different families were interesting. They added such depth and an underscore of violence to this book that I really loved. This made The Conspiracy of Us seem dark and serious which added to the control these people had over the world.
Stellan. When I first read the blurb I thought, "Oh, no, love triangle." Thankfully that is not the case. However, if I was suppose to hate Stellan it didn't happen. By then end of the book I think I liked him more than I liked any other character. Yes, he had his moments were he was quite annoying but he was like James Bond, not the villains in James Bond but, 007 himself. I understood his intentions and motivations, which made him, seem less like a butthole and more like a guy whose trying to do his best and make the best out of his situation. I respected him and by the end of the book I liked him more than the MC.
I also liked Jack but I admit I didn't like him as much as I liked Stellan. Jack was really sweet but I feel that I didn't get to know him as much. I wanted to know how he felt more often because I was seeing him through the MC's eyes and I don't think she really saw him. Jack and Stellan are in the same situation just for different reasons. I loved hearing both of their back story's and seeing how they got involved with the Circle. It really added depth to the organization and their methods. Jack had a lot to lose and his love for the people he cared about was really his driving force and that made me want the best for his character.
Full review on Musical Bibliolater
DNF - honestly, I almost never do this. And I don't think it is the fault of this book at all. But I just can tell already that I am not the target audience and I'm in no frame of mind for this one and life is too short. So I'm gonna send it on it back to the library for the next person in the queue to read and enjoy it.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3/5 stars. This book was good. It just really didn't blow me away or anything. The story was fast paced and interesting but didn't really seem special to me. I don't really know what to say about it because I'm so middle ground about it.
This book was incredibly vapid. I swear, motherhood has ruined young adult books for me. I just think about things from the mom's perspective. I wanted to reach through the pages and ground the main character for a) going to prom when her mom told her not to and b) flying to Paris on a private plane with a Russian gangster. I made nearly half way through the book before I realized that I didn't care what happened to anyone in the book. Except the Mom. That poor woman!
The good: the world-building & the idea of twelve powerful families rivaling each other. The bad: characters who feel like poor cutouts from other books. Especially Avery, she of the dark hair & porcelain skin, who spends the entire book sans shower & clueless, neither of which is cute. Worse, her cluelessness lends itself to her making silly observations about people in other countries, which make her seem ignorant. So thanks, but no.