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hrmason's review against another edition
5.0
Fast paced action novel. Perfect for middle school students. The QR codes were fun for some readers, but most ignored them. The mystery is a little over the top, but still makes sense.
wordnerd153's review against another edition
4.0
Thoroughly entertaining and fast-paced art-based mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat.
satin's review against another edition
1.0
This book was kinda slow to get through but just not my cup of tea either
laylamckane's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
maidmarianlib's review against another edition
4.0
Fun adventure/mystery with spunky characters love the QR codes to see the real paintings.
mckenzie22's review against another edition
5.0
This was a fantastic mystery! Deron R. Hicks crafts a suspenseful, intricate, amazing story that I couldn't put down. Told from different third person points of view, the story follows a boy and a girl, named Camille, around Washington D.C. as they are chased by mysterious people for reasons they don't know. The boy has amnesia and has no idea who he is. They outsmart the people and try to get closer to solving the mystery of why the people are after them in the first place, and who the boy is. Clues are dropped throughout the book and everything comes together at the end to form a stunning and spectacular story. I loved everything about it, and the author certainly knows his stuff about artists and their paintings. It was very informational, but very entertaining at the same time. Hicks does a wonderful job with the characters. He makes it clear that small things can have a huge impact, that sometimes even in the worst situation, logic and intelligence will prevail, and that love and friendship are very important. There are two things I still have questions about, and would appreciate answers to, if you have them ***SPOILERS AHEAD***- number one, what was the piece of paper Camille had? Was it just information Art had given her on where to be and when to be there, and who to bring with her? And number two, if Palmer and his men were so highly trained and everything, why did they choose a painting with a watermark on the back to paint over? Wouldn't they have checked everything out to form an absolutely perfect, flawless copy? I may not have read it and understood it correctly, but it seems to me like they could have picked a different painting that didn't have any distinct marks. Anyway, I am looking forward to reading the rest of Deron R. Hicks' books. If you are looking for a great mystery to read, I recommend this book!
labraden's review against another edition
3.0
A young boy who has forgotten his name and everything else about himself is found sitting on a bench in the National Gallery in Washington DC. Doctors at the hospital pronounce him healthy except for his amnesia. When the police can't find anything about him, an article asking for the help of the public is placed in the newspaper, and the boy is assigned to foster care with Mary Sullivan and her daughter, Camille. Mary and Camille start calling the boy Art because the name inside his jacket says, "Arthur." Mary decides to try and jog Art's memory by taking him back to the National Gallery where he was found, but as Art starts to regain his memory, he finds that he and Camille are in danger and they must use all of their resources to save their lives.
The Van Gogh Deception is filled with QR codes allowing the reader to access pictures of the paintings mentioned in the book, not only making the story more enjoyable, but also educational. The story is clearly well researched, including all kinds of information about art forgery and art history. The plot is fast-paced, especially once Art begins to remember who he is and why he was at the museum. Overall this is a good middle grade story with a wealth of facts and details.
The Van Gogh Deception is filled with QR codes allowing the reader to access pictures of the paintings mentioned in the book, not only making the story more enjoyable, but also educational. The story is clearly well researched, including all kinds of information about art forgery and art history. The plot is fast-paced, especially once Art begins to remember who he is and why he was at the museum. Overall this is a good middle grade story with a wealth of facts and details.
eclectic_creative's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
divine529's review
With this book, it'll be my third Deron R. Hicks book, and the book that solidifies him as a favorite author for me.
I absolutely loved this, and I'm finding that middle grade art mysteries like this, are one of my favorite things. It's advertised as Dan Brown-esque meets Jason Bourne for a younger audience and in a lot of ways it really is (art history and mystery mostly with amnesia and thriller elements).
This book follows our main protagonist, a boy who is discovered in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, but who has amnesia. As the book continues on, we find out that the boy, who has been dubbed Art, is being chased for a reason he's not sure of, and things kind of go from there.
The writing of this was well done - fast-paced, keeps you on the edge of your seat, decent plotting and characterization and twining plot. As with all of Hicks books, they're great for both adults and kids, but sometimes he goes on tangents about concepts and legal things, that could go over the "target age range's head" if you will. I absolutely loved those elements though, so it didn't really bother me, just something I thought I should mention.
The plot is generally what I mentioned above, but it's quite a bit more complex than I let on, but as it's a mystery/thriller, I don't want to give too much away.
The setting of this was also great. It takes place in Washington DC and I thought the descriptions of the places, especially the National Gallery was excellent. The art history elements were some of my absolute favorite things in the world and I LOVED the QR codes element (there are QR codes spread throughout the novel that link you directly to the painting in question on the museum website - it's brilliant). I think it's an absolutely fantastic way to enhance the reading experience and something I've never seen done before, but I'd love to see in more books.
Finally, the characters. Art was a fantastic character and one I felt like I could relate to in a lot of ways. I also adored Camille and Mary. Palmer was a fun bad guy and I enjoyed all of his hench-people too. All of the characters were well written and played a role, and I just really enjoyed them all.
All in all, a fantastic book and I can't wait to dive right into the next installment!
TW/CW: blood, violence, kidnapping, amnesia
I absolutely loved this, and I'm finding that middle grade art mysteries like this, are one of my favorite things. It's advertised as Dan Brown-esque meets Jason Bourne for a younger audience and in a lot of ways it really is (art history and mystery mostly with amnesia and thriller elements).
This book follows our main protagonist, a boy who is discovered in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, but who has amnesia. As the book continues on, we find out that the boy, who has been dubbed Art, is being chased for a reason he's not sure of, and things kind of go from there.
The writing of this was well done - fast-paced, keeps you on the edge of your seat, decent plotting and characterization and twining plot. As with all of Hicks books, they're great for both adults and kids, but sometimes he goes on tangents about concepts and legal things, that could go over the "target age range's head" if you will. I absolutely loved those elements though, so it didn't really bother me, just something I thought I should mention.
The plot is generally what I mentioned above, but it's quite a bit more complex than I let on, but as it's a mystery/thriller, I don't want to give too much away.
The setting of this was also great. It takes place in Washington DC and I thought the descriptions of the places, especially the National Gallery was excellent. The art history elements were some of my absolute favorite things in the world and I LOVED the QR codes element (there are QR codes spread throughout the novel that link you directly to the painting in question on the museum website - it's brilliant). I think it's an absolutely fantastic way to enhance the reading experience and something I've never seen done before, but I'd love to see in more books.
Finally, the characters. Art was a fantastic character and one I felt like I could relate to in a lot of ways. I also adored Camille and Mary. Palmer was a fun bad guy and I enjoyed all of his hench-people too. All of the characters were well written and played a role, and I just really enjoyed them all.
All in all, a fantastic book and I can't wait to dive right into the next installment!
TW/CW: blood, violence, kidnapping, amnesia
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Car accident
aprildiamond's review against another edition
4.0
tbh I was sold when I read the description, because I love anything heist related. And for the most part, the book itself did not disappoint.
As you can probably tell by the name, this book has a lot to do with art. Whenever the book mentions an art piece, there's an actual link (for the ebook) and QR code that takes you to the museum website where you can see the art. I LOVE IT SO MUCH??? I think it's so creative and plus I just like looking at art lol
Story-wise, I really enjoyed how all the different characters and plot points came together. The formatting was cool too; with the time and date stamps it felt very cinematic. I was a bit disappointed by the resolution to the mystery, however. It made sense, I was just expecting more, but it's not a big deal in the context of my overall enjoyment.
Another note is that for the majority of the story, the main character Art is missing most of his memories, which was good for the plot but not so much for characterization. It was impossible for me to figure out what he was like. And since the other MC, Camille, had a lot more personality than him, he seemed like more of a background character. He got his memories back at the end, though, so I don't think this will be a big issue in the sequel.
As you can probably tell by the name, this book has a lot to do with art. Whenever the book mentions an art piece, there's an actual link (for the ebook) and QR code that takes you to the museum website where you can see the art. I LOVE IT SO MUCH??? I think it's so creative and plus I just like looking at art lol
Story-wise, I really enjoyed how all the different characters and plot points came together. The formatting was cool too; with the time and date stamps it felt very cinematic. I was a bit disappointed by the resolution to the mystery, however. It made sense, I was just expecting more, but it's not a big deal in the context of my overall enjoyment.
Another note is that for the majority of the story, the main character Art is missing most of his memories, which was good for the plot but not so much for characterization. It was impossible for me to figure out what he was like. And since the other MC, Camille, had a lot more personality than him, he seemed like more of a background character. He got his memories back at the end, though, so I don't think this will be a big issue in the sequel.