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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Gun violence, Hate crime, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Medical content, Murder
I liked this book, but I guess I was expecting a bit more. Brad Meltzer has written some amazing books about secret societies and mysteries behind some of the symbols found on national monuments. Those books like [b:The Book of Lies|3202905|The Book of Lies|Brad Meltzer|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348758756s/3202905.jpg|3236143], and [b:The Book of Fate|85322|The Book of Fate|Brad Meltzer|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344271447s/85322.jpg|986639]were very captivating and kept me from putting them down because I wanted to know more about what each symbol might mean. When I first heard about this book I thought it would be full of presidential secrets and a society that secretly runs the country unbeknownst to the rest of us. Well, there was a little of that but not what I had expected.
The book starts out strong with a possible conspiracy involving the president and a secret drop for passing information. I was really drawn into the book early on. Once I got to about the middle of the book it just lost some steam in my opinion. I found myself wishing Meltzer would just get to the point already at times, and some of the myster and intrigue in his previous novels was missing. The ending, although a bit predictable, was better. If you read this book and get to the middle and feel the same way, I would recommend to keep reading. It does pick up again. It wasn’t a stellar reveal but the action does pick up and all of the questions you might have are answered.
I am not a fan of Meltzer’s earlier work because it seems to be more of a political fiction novel. The last two books were more mysterious and filled with the secrets of different signs and symbols through out our history, and that is what I had hoped would be in this book. That being said, Meltzer does write a solid story and I am glad I read it.
The book starts out strong with a possible conspiracy involving the president and a secret drop for passing information. I was really drawn into the book early on. Once I got to about the middle of the book it just lost some steam in my opinion. I found myself wishing Meltzer would just get to the point already at times, and some of the myster and intrigue in his previous novels was missing. The ending, although a bit predictable, was better. If you read this book and get to the middle and feel the same way, I would recommend to keep reading. It does pick up again. It wasn’t a stellar reveal but the action does pick up and all of the questions you might have are answered.
I am not a fan of Meltzer’s earlier work because it seems to be more of a political fiction novel. The last two books were more mysterious and filled with the secrets of different signs and symbols through out our history, and that is what I had hoped would be in this book. That being said, Meltzer does write a solid story and I am glad I read it.
You have to turn your brain off to enjoy this one. Another time I might have done that, but I just wasn't in the mood for that kind of book this time. The ending that was more focused on setting up the sequel then resolving anything was irritating too.
This is the first by this author that I have read. And, I have to say that I think I found my next favorite author. The Inner Circle will have to captured by the very first page and will still have you captured on the last. This is the first book of the Culper Ring series and I can't wait to read the next!
Nothing about this book was particularly memorable. The main characters were cliche. The plot and outcome were predictable. A quick but boring "suspense" novel.
At first, I couldn’t get into the book. First off, I should say that I picked this up because of the show Decoded and the episode about the Culper Ring, and because I heard the Meltzer speak at the Tucson Festival of Books.
I liked the idea of nerds taking on hero roles. The twists of the novel were good. You didn’t know for sure who was working what/both sides. You might think you know and yet it turns out that you weren’t exactly right. The inner strength and inner deception of people was well done. The history included in the novel was good, although I wish there was more since the concept was based on that history.
There were such unique levels of loyalty within the characters; who they would stand by and for what reasons and to what length they would go.
I actually felt for Nico more than the other characters, certainly more than Clementine. Whether the delusions were from outside sources as she insists or not, and the story leaves you wondering about or if it is just that the paranoia is genetic. You feel for him in that place especially with the mind he has. Beecher, the main character, was flawed, which I appreciate-always good for the hero to be real. The George Washington/Benedict Arnold vs. Nico/Beecher thing, I felt disappointed about. I feel that a book with such significance being put on history, there should be an important purpose to that reference, not just the ramblings of a crazy man. Or did I miss it?
I wasn’t on the edge of my seat with the book; possibly it was a bit outlandishly conspiracy theory to me. But it was a well-developed book and I enjoyed reading it.
I liked the idea of nerds taking on hero roles. The twists of the novel were good. You didn’t know for sure who was working what/both sides. You might think you know and yet it turns out that you weren’t exactly right. The inner strength and inner deception of people was well done. The history included in the novel was good, although I wish there was more since the concept was based on that history.
There were such unique levels of loyalty within the characters; who they would stand by and for what reasons and to what length they would go.
I actually felt for Nico more than the other characters, certainly more than Clementine. Whether the delusions were from outside sources as she insists or not, and the story leaves you wondering about or if it is just that the paranoia is genetic. You feel for him in that place especially with the mind he has. Beecher, the main character, was flawed, which I appreciate-always good for the hero to be real. The George Washington/Benedict Arnold vs. Nico/Beecher thing, I felt disappointed about. I feel that a book with such significance being put on history, there should be an important purpose to that reference, not just the ramblings of a crazy man. Or did I miss it?
I wasn’t on the edge of my seat with the book; possibly it was a bit outlandishly conspiracy theory to me. But it was a well-developed book and I enjoyed reading it.
The Inner Circle was a great read, I couldn't pot it down. The mysteries and twist kept interested and shocked. The character build-up was great!
Despite what appears to be numerous bad reviews floating around multiple sites, I enjoyed this book very much. Maybe I should start by saying the author was mentioned to me in passing, and I've never read any of his other books. I went by the description alone when choosing where to start with this author and a somewhat shy protagonist that works in the national archives seemed like a great place to start.
I liked the main character a lot, and I enjoyed that this book does not consist solely of running around from one place to another while being pursued by the bad guys. Many books of this genre focus entirely too much on action and not enough on plot progression and the twists and suspense that we are reading for. Maybe a somewhat shy, bookish, timid, main character is not up to par for other readers, but I enjoyed Beecher. I understand where he is coming from, and he is portrayed realistically. I enjoy a character with flaws, a character that makes the best out of a bad situation even when it seems overwhelming, and who makes mistakes. I think Beecher is the perfect combination of down to earth, yet willing to take action, nice, but also sarcastic and funny, sometimes gets walked over, but not when it counts, and quirky, yet not too strange.
The plot involving the discovered dictionary pretty much spans the entire novel, and is fairly self contained. Now that I think about it, it's actually pretty straight forward. However, I was hanging on the edge of my seat with every word. It's not "who is going to be behind door number one" style suspense, and it's not a "wow look at that crazy farfetched conspiracy theory", this is the story of real people, and what they do in tough situations. I wish there was a sequel to this because I would love to follow Beecher through some more of his life, but that may never happen.
Most of all, I enjoy the characters and the realism here. The secret dictionary plot is interesting, but this is more about intertwined lives than some old book, and for that, I applaud the author. I can't wait to read more, and I don't give 5 star reviews often.
I liked the main character a lot, and I enjoyed that this book does not consist solely of running around from one place to another while being pursued by the bad guys. Many books of this genre focus entirely too much on action and not enough on plot progression and the twists and suspense that we are reading for. Maybe a somewhat shy, bookish, timid, main character is not up to par for other readers, but I enjoyed Beecher. I understand where he is coming from, and he is portrayed realistically. I enjoy a character with flaws, a character that makes the best out of a bad situation even when it seems overwhelming, and who makes mistakes. I think Beecher is the perfect combination of down to earth, yet willing to take action, nice, but also sarcastic and funny, sometimes gets walked over, but not when it counts, and quirky, yet not too strange.
The plot involving the discovered dictionary pretty much spans the entire novel, and is fairly self contained. Now that I think about it, it's actually pretty straight forward. However, I was hanging on the edge of my seat with every word. It's not "who is going to be behind door number one" style suspense, and it's not a "wow look at that crazy farfetched conspiracy theory", this is the story of real people, and what they do in tough situations. I wish there was a sequel to this because I would love to follow Beecher through some more of his life, but that may never happen.
Most of all, I enjoy the characters and the realism here. The secret dictionary plot is interesting, but this is more about intertwined lives than some old book, and for that, I applaud the author. I can't wait to read more, and I don't give 5 star reviews often.