The Book of Blood and Shadow

Apr 08, 2012 Giselle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, own, favorites, mystery-thriller

The claims of this being like a YA Da Vinci Code are not false; mysterious documents, coded messages, religion, murder - it easily reminded me of this well loved book by Dan Brown which is a favorite of mine. The Book of Blood and Shadow is cryptic and dangerous, with a phenomenal writing style - I loved every single minute of this novel!

It all starts with the Book. The Voynich manuscript to be exact. This book is, in fact, real, and deemed as the most mysterious book on earth that no one has of...more The claims of this being like a YA Da Vinci Code are not false; mysterious documents, coded messages, religion, murder - it easily reminded me of this well loved book by Dan Brown which is a favorite of mine. The Book of Blood and Shadow is cryptic and dangerous, with a phenomenal writing style - I loved every single minute of this novel!

It all starts with the Book. The Voynich manuscript to be exact. This book is, in fact, real, and deemed as the most mysterious book on earth that no one has of yet been able to decipher. This is their assignment. However, Nora is, instead and to her dismay, given 400 year old letters to translate which she doesn't believe is as important, or nearly as interesting as the manuscript. This is where her story begins. Some have mentioned how it took them a while to get into this book due to the slow pace at the start. I can easily see this being the case, but I was completely captivated from its very first sentence: "I should probably start with the blood." From then, I hung on to every word, to every page, to every chapter until I swallowed it whole. Where some may find it slow, I found it increasingly cryptic. It was clearly the beginning of something major. Something very mysterious, and full of peril. There are books that don't need to start with a bang, but rather a thud. This is one of them.

However, if you do have trouble getting into it, page 100 is where you can find the bang, and from then on it's a fast forward until the end. Believe me, you won't even know what hit you. You'll think the story is going one way, only to find yourself completely baffled by the sudden, unexpected turn of events. I could never foresee what was going to happen next, and, for this, I am undoubtedly impressed. Some may find that you have to suspend disbelief in the final chapters, but when it comes to faith and extremely old circumstances, I was definitely fine with it.

The writing: splendid! The narration is extremely intelligent. I was blown away by this girl's way of thinking. Nora's perceptions, analysis, her reflective chain of thought, it was all so smart and put together. I felt connected to her words in a way I've rarely felt before. She took me in her head and made me see who she really was, how SHE saw the world around her. Positively outstanding!

The Book of Blood and Shadow is not your typical YA novel. It's raw and it breaks rules, with an intense insanity that does not stop until you turn that last page. To say it simply: It's nothing short of brilliant!

--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads (less)

like 30 likes · see review

Mar 30, 2012 Emily May rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-na, arc, mystery-thriller-horror, 2012, its-me-not-you, boring

I imagine that The Book Of Blood And Shadow will impress most of my friends, it just so happens that this is one of those books that appears on occasion which is well-constructed, well-written, clever and absolutely nothing that I want to read. I've seen this before and will surely see it again in the future, thankfully I'm getting better at spotting them early on - the only reason I finished this book was because it was provided by UK book tours for review purposes.

The story is about Nora who...more

I imagine that The Book Of Blood And Shadow will impress most of my friends, it just so happens that this is one of those books that appears on occasion which is well-constructed, well-written, clever and absolutely nothing that I want to read. I've seen this before and will surely see it again in the future, thankfully I'm getting better at spotting them early on - the only reason I finished this book was because it was provided by UK book tours for review purposes.

The story is about Nora who tries to solve the mystery around her friend's death and prove her boyfriend's innocence by travelling to Prague and following the clues from centuries-old manuscripts that lead her into a world of secrets, lies and conspiracies. It's just a shame that, for me, this was nowhere near as exciting as it sounds.

Though the books are nothing alike, the reading experience I had with The Book Of Blood And Shadow was almost identical to the ones I had with The Book Thief and Feed. This could be a good indicator of whether or not you should read this book. If you liked those two I just mentioned - and I know most people did - then you may have more patience with a novel like The Book Of Blood And Shadow. It is equally long-winded and spends a lot of time with the characters and the world before any of the main plot gets going.

Did you enjoy those discussions about politics and occasionally medicine found in Feed? Did you like the numerous flashbacks and stories throughout The Book Thief? Or did you grow tired of them like me? You see, Mira Grant, Markus Zusak and Robin Wasserman are all great writers in the very technical sense but I think they lose something from the story in being so... well, that's just how I see it. It's easy to be drawn in by them at first because you immediately recognise that they are talented at writing, the characters are always well-developed from the start. I like the characters, I like the writing, and I wait and wait for the story to get interesting but I'm often bored.

If you're okay with long sentences, a little too much of the stuff that we don't really care about like translations - or maybe that's also just me? - and the kind of story that doesn't hit you like WOWSHAZAM but creeps in slowly and steadily until you realise "oh yeah, so something seems to be going on now..." then this is your kind of book. Sorry, I'm not selling it too well, am I? I probably shouldn't be too negative as I am confident many of my friends on goodreads will love this kind of story. It's just way too slow and hard-going for me.(less)

like 27 likes · see review

May 31, 2012 Maja rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-a-dtb, ya, are-you-kidding-me, failed-to-impress, highly-anticipating-2012, huge-disappointment, incredibly-stupid-choices, murder-mystery, totally-saw-that-coming, wake-me-up-next-year, reviewed-in-2012

After a promising start, The Book of Blood and Shadow turned out to be my biggest disappointment in 2012. I never expected to have to struggle to finish this book. In fact, when I ordered a copy, I was pretty certain it would find a place among my favorites, but the more I read, the more disappointed I became. I’ll start with the good…

Characters and relationships are Wasserman’s strong point. I loved getting to know Nora, Chris, Max and Adriane in the first part of the book, loved finding out ho...more After a promising start, The Book of Blood and Shadow turned out to be my biggest disappointment in 2012. I never expected to have to struggle to finish this book. In fact, when I ordered a copy, I was pretty certain it would find a place among my favorites, but the more I read, the more disappointed I became. I’ll start with the good…

Characters and relationships are Wasserman’s strong point. I loved getting to know Nora, Chris, Max and Adriane in the first part of the book, loved finding out how their friendship developed, adored reading about Max and Nora and those first months of their relationship. It was all incredibly convincing, the slow falling in love, the realization of differences between a best friend and a boyfriend, Nora’s constant questioning of herself and her place in the group, and that moment when she needed to choose whose number to dial in time of trouble. There were so many layers and complications between these four people, and all of them came from great understanding and experience.

It was easy for me to connect with Nora. She squealed when she got a Latin dictionary for her eleventh birthday; when she was sad or lost, she consoled herself with endless declinations and conjugations… in short, she was a linguist at heart, which made her all the more dear to mine. In addition, both our lives were divided into two periods by a huge event and I was able to recognize how, through Nora’s situation with her brother, Wasserman offered her astute understanding and portrayal of a family devastated by grief.

The premise itself is where it all went wrong. It was just too farfetched – the idea that two college boys and one high school girl could discover something a very determined secret society and hundreds of scholars couldn’t, that the said society was willing to kill for the knowledge, but not research all available texts, Elizabeth’s letters included. The codes were too easy to decipher, the riddles were something a child could solve, everything was just a Google search away and finding the pieces of this precious, mysterious machine proved to be almost effortless. I’m not sure if Wasserman couldn’t do better or if she simply dumbed it down for her targeted young adult audience, but either way, I felt almost insulted by the simplicity of it all.

If I were a Czech citizen, I would be unbelievably angry about the way Wasserman described Prague. What she wrote may very well be true about some god forsaken village in the middle of nowhere, where the communist mindset is indeed still very much alive and hygiene is not high on the list of priorities, but Prague is a beautiful city that combines centuries old culture and modern ways, a city that has moved forward considerably in the last twenty years, and her version of it is simply unfair, or at least outdated. If that’s how she sees Prague, I don’t even dare imagine how she would describe Zagreb, or heaven forbid, Sarajevo. Her words were both inaccurate and rude.

The writing suited me, she has a great feeling for rhythm and punctuation and a talent for using short sentences to emphasize her very dry sense of humor. I do hope that Robin Wasserman’s next project will be a nice contemporary YA (or better yet, New Adult), about growing up, falling in love and finding your place instead of another mystery-adventure-The-Da-Vinci-Code-wannabe novel that simply won’t work, just like this one didn’t. Characters and relationships is where her strengths lie, and everyone should just stick to what they do best.

Also posted at The Nocturnal Library (less)

like 33 likes · see review

Mar 30, 2012 ♥Rachel♥ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-e-book

This was an exciting read with a murder mystery, suspense, romance, and betrayal.

Nora lives with her fractured family, still reeling over the loss of their son, Andy. Andy drank and then drove, killing him and one of the most popular students in their high-school. This in turn caused Nora to become a social leper in school. Nora was able to transfer to a more prestigious school, on a Latin scholarship. Her father was a teacher of Latin and instilled in his daughter a love of the language from a...more This was an exciting read with a murder mystery, suspense, romance, and betrayal.

Nora lives with her fractured family, still reeling over the loss of their son, Andy. Andy drank and then drove, killing him and one of the most popular students in their high-school. This in turn caused Nora to become a social leper in school. Nora was able to transfer to a more prestigious school, on a Latin scholarship. Her father was a teacher of Latin and instilled in his daughter a love of the language from an early age. The transfer is the best thing for Nora because she meets her best friend (crush, at first), Chris, and soon Adriane, Chris's girlfriend is added to their clique. Often Nora feels like the third wheel. This changes when Max, Chris's college roommate, enters into the equation. Nora is no longer a third wheel.

Max, Nora, and Chris start working as research assistants, to an eccentric and obsessed professor, trying to crack the code of ancient symbols in an old Latin manuscript. Nora is assigned to translate letters written by Elizabeth Weston, the daughter of a man the professor suspects solved the code of their manuscript. The more Nora translates and reads of these letters, the more Nora feels connected and parallel to the author, Elizabeth. Things take a violent turn as the professor is attacked, has a stroke, and the manuscript, along with all the letters are stolen. All letters, except for one Nora couldn't help but take. Nora is so nervous at taking this valuable letter that she confesses to Chris. This leads to disastrous events ending with Nora discovering Chris brutally murdered with Adriane sitting in his blood, catatonic. Add to that, Max is the prime suspect in the murder.

I had so much fun trying to figure out who was the murderer in this story, and solve the mystery of this manuscript, and why cracking its code was so important. There are many clues that leave you suspicious. You're led to believe one thing, and then something else happens that blows your theory out of the water. The relationships were also a puzzle to be solved. You'll end up going back to piece a few things together. I don't want to say too much because I think it's best to go into this without having prior conceptions. I will say my heart went out to Nora on several occasions. Read the book and get back to me. We can have some discussions. Trust me, you'll want to talk about a few things when you're done!

My only complaint about this story is that in the middle, the plot seems to be weighed down by some very wordy descriptions. I'm all for descriptions to set mood and atmosphere, but this was too much for me. I felt that it interrupted the pace of the story and slowed the plot down. Other than this small drawback, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I ended up staying up late because I had to finish this! (I paid the next day at work!)

Thank you to Netgalley and Alfred A. Knopf for allowing me to read this.
(less)

like 13 likes · see review

Apr 06, 2012 Ashleigh Paige rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: shit-or-get-off-the-pot, the-decent-shelf-of-meh, edelweiss, arc

Also appears on my blog, The YA Kitten! My copy was an ARC I received from the publisher via Edelweiss.

The power of a good mystery caper through history and literature that takes intrepid investigators around the world and forces them to hide from secret societies that want them dead or otherwise stopped cannot be denied. The Da Vinci Code is evidence enough of this. The Book of Blood and Shadow is easily comparable to the famous novel and will find an audience in the people who love those kinds...more Also appears on my blog, The YA Kitten! My copy was an ARC I received from the publisher via Edelweiss.

The power of a good mystery caper through history and literature that takes intrepid investigators around the world and forces them to hide from secret societies that want them dead or otherwise stopped cannot be denied. The Da Vinci Code is evidence enough of this. The Book of Blood and Shadow is easily comparable to the famous novel and will find an audience in the people who love those kinds of stories. Me? Not so much.

It all starts with Nora's night of blood: the night she finds her best friend murdered and his girlfriend practically catatonic next to his body. An exciting novel seems to await the reader, but then the narrative backtracks to a few months before the murders--back when it was Nora, Chris, and Max working with a professor on the mysterious Voynich manuscript.

The hundred or so pages spent just on what happened before the night of blood establish the main players and their personalities, but the effect this backtracking has on the pacing is like dropping a person into a hole two miles deep and telling them to use some kitchen utensils to get out. It takes the novel just as long to get going as it does for the person to climb out of the hole because of the lengthy detour. Is it necessary? I think so. Does that better the pacing of the novel or make the sluggish pacing okay? Not at all.

It's when the plot kicks in and Nora sets off for Prague--which unfortunately takes about half the novel--that Blood and Shadow hits its stride. The intricacies of the Lumen Dei mystery and two societies formed around it, one dedicated to finding it and the other to destroying it, are well-plotted and the novel itself is well-written, if a little bloated. The length was once again necessary for all the ideas and twists going into the novel, but it felt twice as large as it was. Few twists couldn't be seen coming one way or another; fewer still packed the punch that all good twists do. As compelling as Nora found the mystery, I can't say I felt the same way.

I found the story of Elizabeth Weston, the poet whose letters and accounts of her work on the Lumen Dei lead the way for Nora and company, more interesting than Nora's own story. More intelligent, more compelling, more lively despite the whole "being dead" misfortune--she's overall more interesting than Nora was ever able to be. I became impatient for Nora to get back to Elizabeth's letters and reveal more of the original search for the Lumen Dei.

The Book of Blood and Shadow is best suited for adventurous readers with a taste for the mysteries of the past and an endless amount of patience for novels that take a while to get where they're going. A quick read this is not, but a fascinating read it most certainly is.(less)

like 7 likes · see review

Oct 14, 2012 April rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, mystery, ya, ereader, for-review, own

I’m kind of ashamed to admit this, but I really liked The Da Vinci Code when it came out. So much so that I read Foucault’s Pendulum and Holy Blood, Holy Grail and even wrote a college paper on the Knights Templar. To say that I enjoy conspiracy theory is an understatement. You guys, I am SO glad that The Book Of Blood And Shadow by Robin Wasserman is published in 2012 and not 2003 because with how deftly Robin Wasserman handles secret societies, I would have inevitably been disappointed in the...more

like 6 likes · see review

Mar 13, 2012 Cate added it · review of another edition

Shelves: from-publisher, netgalley, kindle, abandoned

I honestly cannot bring myself to give this book a rating...out of fairness for not finishing or ability to express my disappointment.

I could not finish this book. The writing style grated my personal preference. The sentences were too long with too many commas and breaks. Some sentences were 10 lines long and had so many commas that I had to re-read many pages and paragraphs 3 times. I got lost in what the author was trying to say.

I think what has taken me so long is that the story line is stil...more

like 5 likes · see review

May 31, 2012 Amy (Turn the Page) rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Book of Blood and Shadow is not an easy read. It's complicated and intricately woven, perhaps even a little convoluted in places. It's not all action and takes its time. There are a lot of scenes where Nora is simply translating and decoding Latin manuscripts and a few parts I raised my eyebrows at. The old lady in me was quite distressed for the poor teachers who have three of their students run away during a school trip abroad. Several times I wondered why no one just went to the police. T...more The Book of Blood and Shadow is not an easy read. It's complicated and intricately woven, perhaps even a little convoluted in places. It's not all action and takes its time. There are a lot of scenes where Nora is simply translating and decoding Latin manuscripts and a few parts I raised my eyebrows at. The old lady in me was quite distressed for the poor teachers who have three of their students run away during a school trip abroad. Several times I wondered why no one just went to the police. Then there's the ending, which is little insane.

But I still enjoyed this book.

Nora, Max and Chris are earning extra credit by helping a grumpy, ill-humoured, professor translate a historically important manuscript, one that purportedly holds the secrets of the Lumen Dei, a device that is said to communicate directly with God. Nora has been saddled translating the less important, but nevertheless, fascinating, diary of a 16th Century girl, Elizabeth. As Nora begins to form an emotional connection to her, a girl who perhaps knows more about the Lumen Dei than anyone else, she starts to care more about keeping Elizabeth's secrets then sharing them. But there are dangerous people out there who will do anything to know the secrets of the Lumen Dei, and others still who would kill to keep it a mystery.

Wasserman develops her characters with a sophistication that is not often found in YA. After an opening chapter that begins with death and blood, The Book of Blood and Shadow jumps back in time and slows right down, as Wasserman takes the time to introduce her characters and carefully build up their messy, complicated, enviable relationships. I loved the centuries-old mystery, the atmosphere of the book, the setting, the sense of history, alchemy and religion, the conspiracies, secret societies with hidden agendas, the five hundred year old diary of Elizabeth Weston. But it was the characters that made this book for me That you were never quite certain who to trust, or who was lying, made the story all the more compelling.

Nora is exactly the type of heroine I love. Ordinary, down to earth, intelligent, funny. The raw pain over loosing Chris, even before we know and mourn the character ourselves, was on every page. Max, quiet and studious, was the perfect match for Nora, despite his (irritating) tendency to quote poetry and his sullen mood-swings. Their relationship is sweet and grounded, and nicely built up, so that we believe in his innocence, along with Nora. (view spoiler) And Chris! Even now, my heart aches a little whenever I think about him and what should have been. Chris is dead. It's his blood all over the walls and Nora's hands in the opening chapter. And yet, I loved him the most. I was devastated at his death, even though I knew it was coming.

The Book of Blood and Shadow is an intelligent, on the whole, well-crafted story by a skilled writer. It won't be for everyone. And it's not perfect. To enjoy this you'll have to suspend belief and look past the unlikelihood of no one discovering the (poorly) hidden pages in Elizabeth's diary before now, that a young school girl could decipher an ancient manuscript where scholars have failed, the ease in which Nora figures out the code, how important clues and artifacts have remained safely hidden and untouched throughout Prague over the centuries etc. The ending suddenly became a bit too Raiders of the Lost Ark for my liking, but the closing chapter was poignant and perfect.

For readers who love a rich setting, a historical feel and a centuries-old mystery, this is an interesting mixture of truth and fiction.

Things don't just fall apart. People break them.

~ page 1

*Many thanks to Atom and UK Book Tours for making this available for review*(less)

like 5 likes · see review

Feb 20, 2013 Trinity marked it as dnf

Oh book sadly we are not friends. You are dull and full of Latin. You are what I think is an attempt at that other book about a book I haven't read...you know the one with Tom Hanks in it, only watered down for the youth of today. But still your first chapter was incredible, and short.

like 4 likes · see review

Feb 18, 2012 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-or-galley, other, other-favourites, romance, mystery, thriller

'I should probably start with the blood.'

When a book has an opening line as wonderful as that, the only rational reaction would be to be intrigued. I most certainly was. What blood? Whose blood? First line in and Robin Wasserman already had me asking questions. And then we are followed by this:

'If it bleeds it leads and all that, right? It’s all anyone ever wants to know about, anyway. What did it look like? What did it feel like? Why was it all over my hands?'

I got comfortable then. This was...more

like 29 likes · see review

Sep 02, 2011 Ashley - Book Labyrinth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review, from-publisher, netgalley

My Mom did a guest review for this book on my blog, so I'll be posting her review as well as my thoughts here:

Wilma's Thoughts:
I liked this book very much. It was definitely worth the time it took to read it. Because of the recommendation from Ashley I had high expectations and this book (and Ashley’s advice) did not let me down.

I very quickly took to Nora, the main character and narrator of the book. The need she felt to prove things was a good storyline. Her inability to automatically accept...more My Mom did a guest review for this book on my blog, so I'll be posting her review as well as my thoughts here:

Wilma's Thoughts:
I liked this book very much. It was definitely worth the time it took to read it. Because of the recommendation from Ashley I had high expectations and this book (and Ashley’s advice) did not let me down.

I very quickly took to Nora, the main character and narrator of the book. The need she felt to prove things was a good storyline. Her inability to automatically accept things as they are and her need to question made her very genuine and believable. I found myself warming to her and being frustrated at times at some of the things she did. Because of this, her character was very realistic and easy to understand. She dealt with situations in a matter of fact manner without any histrionics or whining. Even when she was faced with the pain of losing her best friend, she never gave up and moved forward in a pragmatic way at a reasonable pace. She is very level headed and takes time to rationalize and assess each situation as it comes up.

There are other great characters in this story as well. Chris was just an all around lovable guy and (spoiler alert) when he is killed, I felt very sad that he would no longer be part of the story. Eli is a character in the book that intrigued me. You are never sure if you should trust him or not but because of his endearing nature you hope he is a good guy. This definitely added to the intrigue of the story.

Two of the other characters, Max and Adriane, I never really cared for. As Nora’s girl friend and boy friend, they did some terrible things. This also, however, added to the believability of the story. It made it more credible since the things they did you could imagine it happening in real life.

'The Book of Blood and Shadow' is a bit reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. This story also has long buried secrets, coded messages, historical searches that span continents, sinister organizations, and a quest for something of the utmost religious and scientific significance that the aforementioned book has. Robin Wasserman pulls this off remarkably well. The beginning was a bit confusing but I quickly found myself completely enthralled with the story and completely reluctant to set it aside. The plot has a great balance of action sequences, peeks into history via translated notes and letters, as well as more internal struggles with grief and trust that make the entire story so suspenseful. The transition between these different sections is very smooth. This helped to make the story as a whole feel more coherent. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and even though it may be long, I ask reader to not let this deter you from reading and finishing it. You will not be disappointed.

My Thoughts:
Umm yes, I totally agree! I made some notes when I was reading this book and the first point reads "Enthralling, intriguing, devastating, wonderful". And really? That totally sums up the book. I also wrote this on Goodreads when I first finished the book: "If you enjoy foreign locations, treasure hunts, history, and relationships that will leave you reeling (and who doesn't?!), then this is definitely a book for you." So yes, pretty freaking awesome. I totally agree with my Mom that this is like the YA Da Vinci Code, because that's definitely the best surface description for it. However that doesn't fully explain the emotional intensity and character depth. I just love how this book discusses and questions truth, religion, faith, honesty, deception, love, and trust. I definitely couldn't set this one down either. It was so exciting, and it really did keep me guessing until the end.(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Apr 22, 2012 Jason rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The half of it set in Prague, where all the ostensible action takes place, kinda sucks. The protagonist loses her positive personality traits and the writing becomes far less clever and witty. The second quarter keeps interest alive by stalling/hinting at what’s to come and the protagonist isn’t on her way to irritating the ish out of me yet. I think what this book shows is that Wasserman can write with great wit about family, friendship, and loss – but not particularly well about romance, intri...more The half of it set in Prague, where all the ostensible action takes place, kinda sucks. The protagonist loses her positive personality traits and the writing becomes far less clever and witty. The second quarter keeps interest alive by stalling/hinting at what’s to come and the protagonist isn’t on her way to irritating the ish out of me yet. I think what this book shows is that Wasserman can write with great wit about family, friendship, and loss – but not particularly well about romance, intrigue, religion, or fully realized characters. I also cut the author some slack because of her barbs about pop culture – so knowing in the first part, while later they become gratuitous and kind of rote.
I'm religious, yet the constant religion talk bored me. The whole thing feels silly and inconsequential – it’s technically possible parody’s the point, but either way as a whole the reading isn’t that enjoyable. The riddles are meh – in The Da Vinci Code (It is entertaining, okay?) they felt right as you breathlessly followed along. I don’t like Adriane, and our heroine’s sappy lovesickness is annoying, and she becomes a lame, angry, bitter, unsympathetic shrew. The second half of the book is largely contrived, unengaging stupidity with an especially anticlimactic, inorganic ending.

*SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* Favorite Quotes (which bump this from 2 to 3 stars):
Under the best of circumstances, middle school is a sixth-circle-of-hell situation, sandwiched somewhere between flaming tombs and flesh-eating harpies.
A right and wrong side of the tracks, although in this case, the tracks are a Walmart.
It would call for substantially more than luck to thrust me into one of those narratives where plain-Jane new girl catches the eye of inexplicably single Prince Charming, because somehow the new school has revealed her wild, irresistible beauty, of which she was never before aware.
A Shakespearean tragedy or at least—if you threw in a lonely stable boy or trustworthy prison guard—a trashy romance novel.
It helped to cultivate a linguistic superiority complex. Or maybe the language without a people just appealed to the girl without a home.
Every time you invite me over here, you give me your implied consent to bore you with the details of my mundane little life.
They somehow still didn’t understand what it meant to never have enough, and I was content leaving them in the dark, because I had no need for their understanding and no use for the pity that would accompany it.
“Look, I’m not the one always whining about not having a boyfriend,” she said.
“No, you’re the one always whining about me not having a boyfriend.”
reason is the last and best weapon of the powerless man. He taught me well the many uses of emotion, the blade that can so easily be turned against its wielder.
I have discovered what fills the vacuum left by love. It is called necessity, and it will not be denied.
“You know, if this were a movie,” Chris said, “we’d probably decide to ditch those ungrateful fools and start making out.”(less)

like 3 likes · see review

May 07, 2012 Reading Teen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: great-on-audio

At a Glance:

Although the pacing was sometimes slow, I found the Book of Blood and Shadow to be intense, exciting, and intriguing. It is full of history, loaded with betrayal, and sprinkled with romance and friendship. I have never read a book like this!

The Audiobook:

Yes, yes, yes. If you're looking for a new audiobook, or you're debating between audio and hardcover, I'm going to just put my vote in for the audio. Why? Well, first of all, the reader is fantastic. She does an amazing job with voic...more

like 2 likes · see review

Oct 26, 2011 Isamlq rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow!

I’d split this book in several parts and love each for different reasons. There’s the part with her laying down her history AND that ending (all on its own) that was awesome. The way things start one would think that one knows how thing turn up. You’d be wrong. That she took her time explaining who she was and who they were assured that I see her story through. And that ending? NOT BAD! I love how things went because it dealt with that long, twisted, complicated ride Nora had found herself...more Wow!

I’d split this book in several parts and love each for different reasons. There’s the part with her laying down her history AND that ending (all on its own) that was awesome. The way things start one would think that one knows how thing turn up. You’d be wrong. That she took her time explaining who she was and who they were assured that I see her story through. And that ending? NOT BAD! I love how things went because it dealt with that long, twisted, complicated ride Nora had found herself part of. If there be a fly anywhere in it, it’d be when things were beginning to click in to place. I just wondered would a wrapping up of things, a tying together of sorts be possible? Again, given the nature and number of things being included.

Look it’s a mystery, but while I was thoroughly engaged by that part and even had a couple “Oh no!” moments, it was the first third that made sure I’d finish this. She’s linguistically gifted and those she surrounds herself with likewise~ unlikely, but incredibly entertaining. HOWEVER, it’s her relationships with them that hooked me. How she described who she was to which one and who another was to her, read complicated. As with her and Chris, theirs was a friendship that went deep. As with her and Adrienne’s, theirs was one that was unlikely. As with her and Max… and I’m still not sure what to say on that aspect *O.o*

But again there’s a mystery to unravel, a couple in fact. And when several secret societies are thrown in, one might think that things got a bit over the top. But honestly? They all tie together. And when one thing leads to another, across oceans in fact, I had to follow. Even when there’s the too conveniently present helpful person or seemingly too -easily deciphered clue, things just all tied in nicely.

And of course there’s that vital part of Elizabeth and her letters whose life seems to be mirror for Nora’s own. That the same fact is seen as fanciful by one level headed charry but regarded (albeit hesitantly) as something more, just upped Book some more in my esteem. And color me surprised, even their discussions on faith were good. Oh Gosh, I need a copy of this this.

4/5
BIG, HUGE THANKS NETGALLEY!

(less)

like 7 likes · see review

Apr 21, 2012 Tanya Marie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Actual rating: 3.5

One must have a willing suspension of disbelief as well as patience for slow starting stories when reading this book. The author tends to become too wordy at times ; but if you held on you would find the middle to the end of the book was worth the read. That being said, I actually enjoyed reading it.

This was being touted as a YA version of the Da Vinci Code and rightfully so. I would have given this a higher rating had I not read the Da Vinci Code. It seems that all the element...more

like 1 like · see review

Nov 26, 2011 Jade added it · review of another edition

Shelves: net-galley, read-2011, ya-thriller

What an awesome book! Like a YA Da Vinci Code, but WAY better. Full of action, murder, and intrigue. Kept me hooked until the very end.

like 2 likes · see review

Oct 10, 2010 Erin Downing rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have my hands on this manuscript, and it is gooooood!

like 5 likes · see review

Apr 03, 2012 Raelynn Fry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

The Book of Blood and Shadow
Robin Wasserman
YA Suspense/Thriller
April 10th, 2012
Rating: PG-13 (strictly for the violence)
Coffee Beans: 4.5/5
Spoilers: Nope
Favorite Line: "But things don't just fall apart. People break them." (pg 16, ebook), "Gone is gone." (pg 89), "The sound that ripped open the night was the sound of my heart, screaming his name." (pg 440, ebook)
Disclaimer: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review
1.Awesome Book
2.REALLY long book
3.Awesome Book
4....more

like 1 like · see review

Apr 30, 2012 Kelly Leigh marked it as did-not-finish · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, mystery-thriller

Failed to reach the 100 page marker, the crucial spot where I make the executive decision on whether to continue or not to continue reading a book I'm iffy about. 41 pages was all it took to realize The Book of Blood and Shadow and I are so not simpatico. Not in the least.

Here's a breakdown of why:
I understand why the word "Blood" is in the title, its purpose. For Nora toils away, sweating blood, while translating Latin texts. Très exciting, no? Has anyone reading this had the pleasure of ridi...more

like 6 likes · see review

Apr 10, 2012 Kindle-aholic rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya

Kind of like a Da Vinci code with teens, except that it deals with alchemy, old letters written in Latin, and high school/college students versus religious conspiracies and famous artwork. It starts with Nora, a high school senior who is a research assistant translating old letters written in Latin. It seems like a boring assignment, with the only upside being the relationship she starts with fellow researcher Max. Soon, though, she stumbles into a centuries old conspiracy, her best friend is mu...more

like 1 like · see review

Apr 09, 2012 Tez rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Robin Wasserman's The Book of Blood and Shadow has been described as some sort of The da Vinci Code meets Indiana Jones. I'm not interested in either of those things, but since I liked the author's Skinned (which has been republished as something else), I gave this a go.

It didn't work for me. Conspiracy theories, creepy religious sects, historical letters, dead languages - they just don't work for me. And did I mention that the narrator is "the chosen"? I really despise that trope.

In short, the...more

like 1 like · see review

Jan 31, 2012 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good old cryptic mystery with hints of historical elements that will damn right fascinate you. It may be a young adult book, but if there's any adults out there reading this review, then don't let it stop you. It's suited to everyone! If you loved Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code or something along the lines of Jennifer Donnelly's Revolution, then this is the book for YOU!

Full review: http://talesoftheinnerbookfanatic.blo...

like 1 like · see review

Jan 30, 2013 James rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Since the death of her brother, high school senior Nora has used her Latin studies to hide from her dysfunctional family. With her friend Chris and his roommate Max, she is working on a complex project at the local college. Attempting to translate late 16th-century texts and letters that discuss the Lumen Dei, an ancient device that purportedly gave humans the insight and power of God and could possibly bring about the end of the world, she is struck by the similarities in her life and the life...more

like · see review

Dec 03, 2012 Karen (Book Light Graveyard) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Take “The Da Vinci Code” and replace the art with a mysterious book and the 40-year-olds with 17-year-olds and you essentially have “The Book of Blood and Shadow,” secret religious societies and all. Not that that’s at all a bad thing. I liked “The Da Vinci Code” and I liked this book well enough too. There’s something to be said for books that take you traipsing across foreign countries while the characters search for clues to solve a centuries-old mystery in between dodging the secret societie...more

like · see review

Nov 09, 2012 Hylary Locsin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Originally posted on my blog: http://libraryladyhylary.blogspot.com ! Check it out for more reviews!

After the death of her older brother years earlier, seventeen-year-old Nora Kane didn’t think she’d ever be able to be close with anyone again. After a scholarship lands her at the exclusive Chapman Prep, however, she meets Chris Moore and his girlfriend Adriane Ames, and the trio soon becomes inseparable. At the beginning of Nora’s senior year, and Chris’ first year at a local university, Nora is...more Originally posted on my blog: http://libraryladyhylary.blogspot.com ! Check it out for more reviews!

After the death of her older brother years earlier, seventeen-year-old Nora Kane didn’t think she’d ever be able to be close with anyone again. After a scholarship lands her at the exclusive Chapman Prep, however, she meets Chris Moore and his girlfriend Adriane Ames, and the trio soon becomes inseparable. At the beginning of Nora’s senior year, and Chris’ first year at a local university, Nora is invited to do a special project and, along with Chris and his roommate Max, assist the eccentric Professor Hoffpauer in deciphering a centuries old book written in a mysterious code. Nora’s job is to translate the letters of Elizabeth Weston, a woman who lived in Prague at the end of the 16th century whose father was thought to have cracked the book’s code. As they spend more and more time together, Nora finds herself falling for the soft spoken Max and, for the first time since her brother’s death, she is happy. Everything changes, however, when Chris is brutally murdered. Adriane, who witnesses the murder, is catatonic and Max, who the police suspect killed Chris, is nowhere to be found. Nora soon realizes that it is the book, and the information it contains, that have caused her and her friends to be drawn into a dangerous conflict that has been raging for centuries. Determined to discover the truth about the book and save Max, Nora finds herself in Prague, on the hunt for answers about a mysterious machine known as the Lumen Dei and the ancient society that will stop at nothing to protect it.

Fans of Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code or films like National Treasure or Indiana Jones will find much to enjoy in veteran author Robin Wasserman’s latest novel, The Book of Blood and Shadow. Although it is complicated and the plot takes a bit of time to really get moving, readers who are willing to stick with the book will discover a story full of twists and turns that combines adventure, danger, religion and history. What makes The Book of Blood and Shadow more complex that most novels for young adults, but ultimately rewarding, is that the author devotes some serious time into developing the characters. Nora in particular is very fleshed out with a great deal of attention given to the backstory of her brother’s death. Her friends are also written with a lot of detail, making it all the more intriguing when the story shifts and Nora begins to discover that what she thought she knew about them might not be true. The historical and geographical aspects of the novel are also well-written, and readers can expect to learn quite a bit about the city of Prague. It is difficult to describe the events of the plot without giving too much away, but suffice it to say that the story keeps the reader guessing at every turn. A good choice for teen readers who want something full of adventure.

I am a big fan of stories like The DaVinci Code that offer a mix of mystery, adventure and history, so I found a lot to enjoy in The Book of Blood and Shadow. The twists and turns in Nora’s quest to discover the truth about the Lumen Dei always kept me on my toes, and I found myself genuinely surprised by some of the events in the story. I did find the novel to be a bit complicated at times and it had a slow start, so I would recommend it to readers who aren’t discouraged if the action doesn’t happen on the first page. For teens who want something that is going to make them think and keep them on the edge of their seat, however, this is easy to recommend!(less)

like · see review

Oct 18, 2012 Despair Speaking rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: cool-books-about-religion, luuuurve, nonstop-action-call-in-james-bond, think-until-your-brain-rots, thriller

Warning: Littered with spoilers!!!

I'd love to go through the book point by point but I'm too tired. Do you know that where I am right now, it's past four-thirty in the morning and I still didn't sleep because I was determined to finish this? I'm almost always like that with books; I try to finish them even if it means losing my sleep. This is not the first review I had to cut short just to sleep. I suppose I can add more tomorrow or the days after but I want to read another book and write anothe...more

like · see review

Oct 16, 2012 Megan Richardson rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was so disappointed by this book. It was a struggle for me to finish it.

One of my may problems with this book was the language used by the main characters. They're supposed to be high school students but they didn't speak like teenagers. I get that Nora, the main character, is a Latin nerd (aren't we all), but what 17? year old goes around using the word insouciant in normal conversation. It seems like Wasserman originally wanted the main characters to be grad students or adults, but then mov...more

like · see review

Sep 23, 2012 Mrs. Severson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Imagine the DaVinci code with teenagers...

Nora is a talented high school student who along with her friends, Adrianne, Max and Chris are helping a professor translate some old books and letters. Nora is drawn to the letters written by a teenager in the 16th century, named Elizabeth. What no one realizes is they are about to be enveloped in a international drama that they won't be able to escape.

I liked the story, I loved the historical drama aspect of it and want to know more about this part o...more

like · see review

Sep 15, 2012 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

I thought this one started out with a lot of potential. The opening chapter was great, I thought. I definitely wanted to love this one, but, by the end, I was beginning to lose my enthusiasm. This unsolved mystery case, which spans several centuries, begins as a translation project for several college students, Max and Chris, and a high school student, our heroine, Nora. The guys are assigned one part of the project, Nora another. Her project includes translating the private letters of Elizabeth...more

like · see review

Sep 07, 2012 Maureen E rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, simply-superb

I just finished my first book for the 168 hour challenge: The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman. It’s a longish read–432 pages–but it also goes by quickly. The story is told from Nora Kane’s point of view and she’s a fantastic narrator. The mystery aspect was well done. I did guess a couple of key plot points long before she did, but I think they were of the kind that she was meant not to see and therefore I wasn’t bothered by that. (There’s also the fact that she’s super good at Latin...more

like · see review

topics	posts	views	last activity
Book Giveaways: The Book of Blood and Shadow Giveaway	1	17	Aug 21, 2012 06:44pm
♥!The Young Adult...: Blogger Book Tour (US only)	1	7	Jul 11, 2012 10:30am
Huntsville-Madiso...: Staff Picks: The Book of Blood and Shadow	1	8	Jul 11, 2012 09:16am

title link	preview: The Book of Blood and Shadow
avg rating	preview: The Book of Blood and Shadow Goodreads rating: 3.62 (2328 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12996183-the-book-of-blood-and-shadow?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1334340198l/12996183.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12996183-the-book-of-blood-and-shadow?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman[/url]

The Book of Blood and Shadow

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (14)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Robin Wasserman

Books by Robin Wasserman

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Book of Blood...

Quotes from The Book of Blood and ...