Κυριακή 22 Ιουλίου 2012

The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

 Publication Date: 10 Apr 2012
 Series or Standalone: Standalone
 ISBN-13: 9780375968761
 Format: eBook
 Pages: 448
 Websites:
 Robin Wasserman - Official Site
 Robin Wasserman - Blog
 Robbin Wasserman - Twitter
 Robbin Wasserman - Goodreads


 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

 Blurb:

It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up. When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love. When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark.

But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead. His girlfriend Adriane, Nora’s best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora’s sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.

Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world. Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.
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I had heard over and over again this book being referred to as a YA version of the Da Vinci Code. Only after having read it did I realize that these people were actually right. The suspense, mysterious documents, puzzles, religion, a murder, it was all there, wrapped up in an extremely intelligent narration.

After reading it I tried thinking of the first word that came to my mind to describe it and that word was dangerous. The danger was palpable throughout the story; it kept me on edge and made me desperate to find out what happened next. Not once however was I able to foresee what would happen and I found myself being constantly baffled by unexpected turns of events, and there were many of those.

Another aspect I really enjoyed was Nora’s character. Unlike many female characters I’ve read about recently, she was very smart and mature. She felt real and likeable. All in all, great book, definitely one of my favorites and one I would read again with delight.

Challenge(s): 2012 eBook Challenge

Source:  ARC Review Copy from NetGalley