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bessadams's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
eleanor37485's review against another edition
5.0
I am was enchanted, bewildered, and absolutely enraptured with this beautifully crafted world brought to us by Laura Ruby. With flawed main characters that will warm your heart, who act out a story that will capture your mind, and set on a backdrop of a whimsical view of present-day New York City, this story will carry you along like its featured magical elevator, taking you to a place you didn't know existed but exactly where you needed to be.
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this one about kids trying to save their building by solving an ancient cipher, but I hate that I have to wait until May to read the second installment.
caffeine_library's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
tiffani_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
joe16210's review against another edition
5.0
This was so good. Perfect reading for every fan of The DaVinci Code or National Treasure films. I loved that slightly futuristic and steampunked New York and the fact that there is no romance. Already looking forward the other two books from the series.
amlibera's review against another edition
4.0
A long middle grade puzzle mystery set in an alternate history New York, a little bit of steampunk, a little bit of Mary Rodgers - a book to "read read" - exactly the kind of thing that I want when I want this kind of thing. And lucky for me the entire trilogy is available so... on to book two.
jennyd83's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bremna101's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
ameserole's review against another edition
3.0
First half of this book was eh. Second half was a step up from eh.
The Shadow Cipher is one of those books that has an awesome cover. That's it. The story was interesting but it ended up being a disappointment. I feel like the story building was good, information dumping was eh, and the characters were a bit forgettable. Honestly, I just kept zoning in and out of this book which broke my heart because I was so psyched for this book.
The kids in this book are probably smarter than I am and they are 12. They were okay (in a sense) but nothing really struck out at me. Maybe it's because I was listening to the audio instead of reading the actual book.. but yeah, I just wasn't invested into them like I should be. I expected to be head over heels with this book and these characters but overall, it was just okay.
Overall, I could see myself diving into the next book because this one is so fresh in my mind. However, I would probably try to get the physical or the ebook of it - just to see if there's a difference in my opinion on these characters.
The Shadow Cipher is one of those books that has an awesome cover. That's it. The story was interesting but it ended up being a disappointment. I feel like the story building was good, information dumping was eh, and the characters were a bit forgettable. Honestly, I just kept zoning in and out of this book which broke my heart because I was so psyched for this book.
The kids in this book are probably smarter than I am and they are 12. They were okay (in a sense) but nothing really struck out at me. Maybe it's because I was listening to the audio instead of reading the actual book.. but yeah, I just wasn't invested into them like I should be. I expected to be head over heels with this book and these characters but overall, it was just okay.
Overall, I could see myself diving into the next book because this one is so fresh in my mind. However, I would probably try to get the physical or the ebook of it - just to see if there's a difference in my opinion on these characters.