Review of: The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

Title: The Book of Blood and Shadow

Author: Robin Wasserman

Published by: Knopf

Released: 2012

Summary: Nora Kane has a broken family life. Her life was shattered when her brother and a popular female high school student were killed in a drunk driving accident. Nora's brother was at fault. Nora transfers to a new school where she becomes best friends with Chris and Adriane. Nora is also good at Latin. Chris, his roommate Max, and Nora help a professor translate letters and try to break a code in a centuries old book. Little do they know a group is watching them. 

The professor has an accident and then Chris is brutally murdered. Nora gets caught up in a centuries old mystery, traveling to Prague and trying to uncover the Lumen Die, a machine that can purportedly talk to God. Will she find it before it's too late and who should she trust?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. Upon reading the synopsis, I was a little iffy. The machine that can talk to God threw me off a little, but, the overall story was really fun and intriguing. I really enjoyed the blend of mystery, history, and suspense. Through the use of Elizabeth Weston's letters, I was drawn into her life and times.

The main character Nora was okay. I didn't love her, but I didn't hate her either. I did question her judgement at times. She seemed too trusting with certain characters and events. I liked the character of Eli, even though you didn't know exactly what his story and intentions were, it was fairly obvious that he was a good guy. He was a guy that was looking out for Nora and the two of them would make a good pair.

One thing that was a little confusing about the book was the way the story was told. Sometimes it was told like everything was happening in the present and at other times, it felt like Nora was talking about the events from a future time. It was just a little weird.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. Robin Wasserman's writing style was easy to follow and she told a good story. Good for people who like big, historical treasure hunts and scary, secret religious cults.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5

History, Mystery, and Suspense!