THE BOOK OF BLOOD AND SHADOWPUBLISHER: Random House Children’s Books
IMPRINT: Alfred A. Knopf BFYR
PUB. DATE: April 10th, 2012
CATEGORY: Fiction – Juvenile
SOURCE: Netgalley
One girl is determined to find the truth and
avenge the dead.
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.
My Thoughts:
This book
was incredibly impressive! The storyline, the characters, and the history were
impeccable, and I could not put it down. I’m actually having a difficult time
putting how I feel about this book into words. I’m trying very hard not to just
sit here and gush about it, because I really want to convey how I loved every
aspect of THE BOOK OF BLOOD AND SHADOW.
It’s complicated; every part of it, but
in an incredibly good way. So, I’m going to attempt to lay it out without
stepping all over myself in excitement. So, here it goes.
The Story:
The
attention to detail was amazing, in both the historical and fictional aspects.
Everything was so well developed that I felt like I understood everything Nora
did and why she didn’t understand some things. The complexities of some plots often cause
confusion for some readers; however, the complexities within The Book of Blood and Shadow, though
numerous, were so well developed, explained, and executed, that I found the
confusion limited to the things Nora found confusing. The history was
intricately and seamlessly woven into the fiction, and the past was
fascinating. I’m not usually a history buff, but the Voynich manuscript and the
historical locations and events were amazing. The Latin ingrained in the story
was intriguing, and the Elizabeth letters, though fictional, were fantastic and
well written! The imagination behind the Lumen
Dei and the societies associated with it, the Hledacˇi and Fidei Defensor,
was incredibly imaginative and the histories behind them were detailed and believable.
I would not have been able to separate fact from fiction without the details
being provided.** I also loved how part of the story was set in Prague, and
there are several historical locations visited. The setting really added to the
story and made it memorable.
The
Characters:
The
characters in The Book of Blood and
Shadow are, well, amazing and so are the relationships between them. Nora, the main character and narrator, is
extremely intellectual. She translates Latin texts at a college for fun, and I
love that the narration is so in character. The word choices for her reflect
her level of education and her interests in Latin. I could clearly see how her
past affected her present and how the relationships she had were affected by it
as well. So overall, she is an extremely well developed character, and I felt
so close to her that I wanted to cry with her even when she wouldn’t allow
herself to do so. I felt her every pain, loss, and betrayal, and when she was
alone I felt alone. It was truly amazing. After a while, I could even tell when
she was lying to herself, and only seeing what she wanted to see. It was
heartbreaking and eye-opening at the say time.
There are
four other characters of significance (in my opinion). The first two are Nora’s
best friends Chris and Adriane. These three have been inseparable since they
first met, and their relationships to each other are as complex as the plot
while at the same time as simple as can be. I don’t want to give any part of
the story away, so I will just leave it at that, but this relationship is an
aspect of the plot that was very important. There’s also Max, Chris’s best
friend, and Nora’s boyfriend. He’s one of the most complex characters in the
story. He’s the group transplant that makes Nora no longer the “3rd
wheel” but he doesn’t exactly fit in seamlessly. And he’s just as vague about
his past as Nora is, which seems to suit her just fine. Max’s motivations and
actions are a huge source of mystery and unease, and his devotion to Nora is,
well interesting.
The fourth
character, and perhaps my favorite, is the mysterious Eli. I don’t want to give
away his role in the story, but he quickly became my favorite. His diverse
skills, questionable family background, and ability to show up at the best and
worst of times was surprising. And the relationship he develops with the group
and his interactions with minor characters along the way left me, along with
Nora, questioning his every move. He seems to play the role of Nora’s
protector, but that’s supposed to be Max’s role. The developments among the
group dynamics become complex and problematic; relationships are challenged,
betrayals are confirmed, and lives are never the same.
Overall:
A creepy tale of murder, betrayal, history and
mystery, that will mesmerize and entrance teens and adults alike. 
**Details
regarding the fictional and historical aspects (including plot and characters)
provided by the author in the Afterword
of the book.
Pre-Order Here:
Random House
Amazon
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ROBIN WASSERMAN is the author of the Seven Deadly Sins series, Hacking Harvard, and the Skinned trilogy, which bestselling author Scott Westerfeld called "spellbinding." She has a master's degree in the history of science, and is fascinated by Renaissance philosophy, religion, magic, science, and the interplay among them. She lives in Brooklyn.
CONNECT
WITH ROBIN:
Thanks for the review. The summary really intrigued me, but was wondering if the task could be pulled off. I now know where to place it in my pile.
ReplyDeleteregards,
grace (Help Me Sleep Better)