Scan barcode
A review by vjlp22_reader
The Cipher by Isabella Maldonado
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
I'm finally finished.
This book has such a great premise and started off so well, but gradually started to decline for me round about the 1/3 mark and just kept on going downhill as the book progressed.
It's a very well written book, with little to no grammatical issues and it moves relatively quickly, however the story just wasn't gripping and there were multiple things in my opinion that banded together to bring the book down.
Firstly, let me talk about the characters. The only character that felt truly fleshed out and complex was The Cipher, himself. He was layered, had a well defined motive for what he did (from what I can tell, although we never truly find out) and was interesting and engaging.
Nina, unfortunately, didn't have much character development. What she had been through when she was 16 seemed to define her entirely. Every inner thought we get from her revolves around how The Cipher has degraded, dehumanised, broken and humiliated her. There is no true grit or thought about the other girls suffering at his hands or their families. She is stubborn, refuses to accept help and always seems to ruminate on how others have done her wrong e.g her past experience with Agent Wade. Whilst, yes, she has become a fighter since her attack, she has not truly, deeply developed or grown.
In all honesty, I found more of the side characters more interesting and well developed than the main protagonist. Wade and Kent were two particular favourites.
Bianca is the most infuriating character of all. At 17 years of age, she acts like a brat through most of her interactions with Nina, refusing to take no for an answer and completely going against everything she is told. She is irritating at best and it drove me mad reading any chapters she was a part of. Also, the interactions between her and Nina became increasingly tedious, as all that ever happened between them was Nina tell her to keep away from the case and Bianca exasperatingly and injudiciously waving off any concerns and doing the exact opposite anyway.
Another thing that infuriated me about this book was how unrealistic it felt in places. I cannot believe for a second that an FBI agent would discuss an ongoing investigation with anyone outside of the organisation, let alone a 17 year old next door neighbour who has a penchant for using social media.
I also cannot believe that a member of law enforcement, whether in the FBI or not, would be allowed to remain on a case when they have a personal involvement.
Finally, there was a particular scene within this book that had me feeling like the author was trying to teach their granny how to suck eggs. As an FBI agent of about two years, Nina should have been fully aware of motive and modus operandi, even though she didn't work specifically in the BAU, however in this particular scene, she asks questions about both in order to give the author the opportunity to inform the reader, who it seems is expected to know nothing about either. It felt like the incorrect way to address the information to me.
Overall, I thought there was a great premise and fantastic potential, but for me, the execution of this book fell short and left me unsatisfied. I don't think I'll be reading other books from this author.
This book has such a great premise and started off so well, but gradually started to decline for me round about the 1/3 mark and just kept on going downhill as the book progressed.
It's a very well written book, with little to no grammatical issues and it moves relatively quickly, however the story just wasn't gripping and there were multiple things in my opinion that banded together to bring the book down.
Firstly, let me talk about the characters. The only character that felt truly fleshed out and complex was The Cipher, himself. He was layered, had a well defined motive for what he did (from what I can tell, although we never truly find out) and was interesting and engaging.
Nina, unfortunately, didn't have much character development. What she had been through when she was 16 seemed to define her entirely. Every inner thought we get from her revolves around how The Cipher has degraded, dehumanised, broken and humiliated her. There is no true grit or thought about the other girls suffering at his hands or their families. She is stubborn, refuses to accept help and always seems to ruminate on how others have done her wrong e.g her past experience with Agent Wade. Whilst, yes, she has become a fighter since her attack, she has not truly, deeply developed or grown.
In all honesty, I found more of the side characters more interesting and well developed than the main protagonist. Wade and Kent were two particular favourites.
Bianca is the most infuriating character of all. At 17 years of age, she acts like a brat through most of her interactions with Nina, refusing to take no for an answer and completely going against everything she is told. She is irritating at best and it drove me mad reading any chapters she was a part of. Also, the interactions between her and Nina became increasingly tedious, as all that ever happened between them was Nina tell her to keep away from the case and Bianca exasperatingly and injudiciously waving off any concerns and doing the exact opposite anyway.
Another thing that infuriated me about this book was how unrealistic it felt in places. I cannot believe for a second that an FBI agent would discuss an ongoing investigation with anyone outside of the organisation, let alone a 17 year old next door neighbour who has a penchant for using social media.
I also cannot believe that a member of law enforcement, whether in the FBI or not, would be allowed to remain on a case when they have a personal involvement.
Finally, there was a particular scene within this book that had me feeling like the author was trying to teach their granny how to suck eggs. As an FBI agent of about two years, Nina should have been fully aware of motive and modus operandi, even though she didn't work specifically in the BAU, however in this particular scene, she asks questions about both in order to give the author the opportunity to inform the reader, who it seems is expected to know nothing about either. It felt like the incorrect way to address the information to me.
Overall, I thought there was a great premise and fantastic potential, but for me, the execution of this book fell short and left me unsatisfied. I don't think I'll be reading other books from this author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture