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A review by bellatora
The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman
4.0
Kind of the perfect summer read. It's a YA thriller that hits all the necessary tropes of that genre: a centuries-old document (the Voynich manuscript), cryptic clues and ciphers (contained in the letters of Elizabeth Weston), a MacGuffin that could destroy (or at least change) the world, not one but TWO secret societies (one of religious fanatics trying to destroy the MacGuffin for being a crime against God & one trying to get its hands on the MacGuffin to use it) and an exotic locale (Prague). Add in a personal, grisly death (Nora's best friend gets murdered and his girlfriend goes briefly catatonic) and a mysterious protector (Eli, cousin to the murdered best friend) and it has all the ingredients for the perfect summer (literary) blockbuster.
I liked it for what it was. I think the pace could've been tightened - it takes about 100 pages for the murder to happen and for the real action to begin (Nora trying to prove her boyfriend wasn't the murderer, hunting down the MacGuffin, running from the Most Evil of the Secret Societies). I understand the need to establish how important Chris (the murdered best friend) meant to Nora and the relationship dimensions between Nora, Chris, Adriane (Chris' girlfriend and Nora's only other real friend) & Max (Chris' roommate, Nora's boyfriend and the police's number one suspect in Chris' murder). Plus, showing how these teenagers got involved with the manuscript in the first place (research assistants to a crazy college professor whose career stalled after becoming obsessed with the manuscript). But I still feel like the action should have kicked in sooner. The middle section was the best - after the real hunt had begun, but before it just got kind of silly.
This book suffers by not being quite clever enough. For instance, Nora and her pals sneak into the Most Evil Secret Society's headquarters by putting on robes and just getting inside. This is a ruthless, centuries-old secret society. And yet they can be tricked in the same fashion as a Scooby-Doo villain. I mean, seriously, ANYONE who can find the right color robe can enter their Fortress of Evil. It is just ridiculous and an obvious plot contrivance. I want to see these characters be smart but beyond solving a few puzzles and codes (and, I guess, knowing Latin) they aren't particularly brilliant. The whole ending had a feeling of wrapping up about it, since neither of the Secret Societies were particularly clever either and the heroes surviving had more to do with deus ex machina more than anything else.
Nora seems like she should be an unreliable narrator but the author treats her as a reliable narrator except for one key point. Mostly this involves what we learn about her relationship with Adriane.
Oh, and it is RIDICULOUS how much Nora's and the long-dead Elizabeth's lives parallel each other. I know that this was purposeful as a plot point for the most part and I'm cool with that, but I really think that having love interests who are incredibly similar is a little too much.
I liked it for what it was. I think the pace could've been tightened - it takes about 100 pages for the murder to happen and for the real action to begin (Nora trying to prove her boyfriend wasn't the murderer, hunting down the MacGuffin, running from the Most Evil of the Secret Societies). I understand the need to establish how important Chris (the murdered best friend) meant to Nora and the relationship dimensions between Nora, Chris, Adriane (Chris' girlfriend and Nora's only other real friend) & Max (Chris' roommate, Nora's boyfriend and the police's number one suspect in Chris' murder). Plus, showing how these teenagers got involved with the manuscript in the first place (research assistants to a crazy college professor whose career stalled after becoming obsessed with the manuscript). But I still feel like the action should have kicked in sooner. The middle section was the best - after the real hunt had begun, but before it just got kind of silly.
This book suffers by not being quite clever enough. For instance, Nora and her pals sneak into the Most Evil Secret Society's headquarters by putting on robes and just getting inside. This is a ruthless, centuries-old secret society. And yet they can be tricked in the same fashion as a Scooby-Doo villain. I mean, seriously, ANYONE who can find the right color robe can enter their Fortress of Evil. It is just ridiculous and an obvious plot contrivance. I want to see these characters be smart but beyond solving a few puzzles and codes (and, I guess, knowing Latin) they aren't particularly brilliant. The whole ending had a feeling of wrapping up about it, since neither of the Secret Societies were particularly clever either and the heroes surviving had more to do with deus ex machina more than anything else.
Nora seems like she should be an unreliable narrator but the author treats her as a reliable narrator except for one key point. Mostly this involves what we learn about her relationship with Adriane.
Spoiler
Nora claims that Adriane is one of her best friends, though she often feels like a third-wheel with Adriane/Chris. Then Adriane keeps dropping comments post-murders suggesting that SHE doesn't see herself as Nora's best friend, though Nora keeps claiming she is. THEN at the very end, Adriane was like "we weren't ever really friends" and Nora is like, "yeah." actual quote: "I'd thought she was spoiled and selfish and an excellent liar." Ummm....so they were frenemies??? Though it was clear throughout that Nora was jealous of Adriane, THIS level of dislike was never really evident. That's why I'm saying: unreliable narrator.Oh, and it is RIDICULOUS how much Nora's and the long-dead Elizabeth's lives parallel each other. I know that this was purposeful as a plot point for the most part and I'm cool with that, but I really think that having love interests who are incredibly similar is a little too much.