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    The Book of Blood and Shadow
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    The Book of Blood and Shadow
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    The Book of Blood and Shadow
    Audiobook14 hours

    The Book of Blood and Shadow

    Written by Robin Wasserman

    Narrated by Emily Janice Card

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateApr 10, 2012
    ISBN9780307968036
    Unavailable
    The Book of Blood and Shadow
    Author

    Robin Wasserman

    Robin Wasserman is the author of Girls on Fire, an NPR and BuzzFeed Best Book of the Year. She is a graduate of Harvard College with a Master’s in the history of science. She lives in Los Angeles, where she writes for television.

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    Reviews for The Book of Blood and Shadow

    4/5

    142 ratings21 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Whoa! Talk about a hook! The Book of Blood and Shadowstarts off with a bang. From that first sentence, I definitely knew something creepy was going on and that I needed to know more about it. Let me tell you right now: the hook was not a trap. Every bit of this book is so good. Two five star reads in a row = I'm getting spoiled!

      Robin Wasserman has managed to write an original YA story, by which I mean one that's not remotely like the standard YA book. Nora, for example, is not your standard YA heroine. She's not absurdly clutzy, but she is incredibly intelligent, as in a genius at Latin. Nor is Nora particularly attractive; she's kind of average looking. Her hair is mousy brown, her nose too large for her face and she doesn't wear makeup almost ever. In short, she looks like a lot of girls, rather than some super shiny-haired YA cover girl. This makes her so much easier to relate to.

      Then there's her storybook love. Well, he's not your usual guy fare either. The perfect-ish guy is her best friend, Chris, who's dating her other best friend. Her boyfriend is Max, who she thought was creepy for quite a while after first meeting at him. Apparently, he stares a lot, perhaps to a Maureen Johnson-esque degree. Max wears glasses and is totally socially awkward, very much not your usual YA hero.

      Actually, this book has a lot more in common with novels like The Rule of Four. Both focus on academic research of an old text about which very little is known. Where Caldwell and Thomason's book is solely historical fiction though, Wasserman has added a paranormal element. In some books, paranormal is overdone and melodramatic. Here it creates the perfect creepy, gothic atmosphere. For most of the book, you don't even know what the paranormal is; you just sense its presence lurking just off screen, creating serious suspense.

      As Nora's story progresses, so does her research into the letters of Elizabeth, which could possibly provide insight into The Book her group is researching for Hoff (crotchety professor in search of glory). Although the individual letters are fairly short, I found myself getting just as sucked into Elizabeth's tale as into Nora's. In some historical fiction with this setup, the 'historical documents' are the weak point. Wasserman deftly avoids that trap with the grace of the dancing hippo from Fantasia.

      The book is dark, unrelenting, soul-breakingly, fabulously, perfectly dark. Everything in Nora's life has pretty much already fallen apart, leaving her bruised, even before the book has begun. Well, things are just getting started for poor Nora. Her world gets shaken on its foundations. Robin Wasserman definitely goes on the list of awesome YA authors not afraid to do terrible things to their heroines/heroes. I love this, because, well, have you met life?

      In undergrad, I was a theology minor, despite having been an agnostic all of my life, leaning much closer to the atheist side of things than the religious. The reason for my study of theology is that, simply put, I find belief fascinating, both on a global and individual scale. Certainly, it's interesting as a historian to look at how the religions themselves developed from a single person or group to a massive organized thing. Even more so, though, I love hearing the stories of individuals, of how they came to subscribe to their particular faith (or lack thereof). The theology in this book is wonderful, and, if you have any interest in that, I highly recommend this. Again, I think Wasserman was very daring to write this, and I applaud her for it. My favorite quote was one that pretty much sums up my opinions on the idea of God.

      The story of The Book of Blood and Shadow is also incredibly intricate. I have so much respect for Robin Wasserman for having pulled off a book of this scope. She did so much research, both into Prague's history, into ancient languages, and into secret codes. To sum up this review into just a few words: Robin Wasserman is BRILLIANT, and so is her book. It's out now, so what the heck are you waiting for? GO GET IT!

      This was my first foray into Robin Wasserman's books, although I have checked out Skinned from the library at least three times and then not had time to read it, but it will by no means be my last. In fact, I'm pretty sure Skinned is getting bumped up the TBR list.
    • 4/5
      The Book of Blood and Shadow is a hard book to describe. On one hand, it is full of action, intrigue, mystery, and betrayal. On the other hand, it has parts that are slow and might put some readers off. I have to say, I did not have any problems with the slow parts, because they were fascinating to me. Nora is working with her best friend, Chris, and his college roommate, Max, to help translate 400 year old letters from Latin to English for high school credit. These letters hold the secret to an alchemical creation that shadowy groups have sought for hundreds of years. Nora's work on the project puts both her and her friends in terrible danger. Nora begins her story after Chris has been murdered, and Max, the prime suspect, disappears. She and her friend Adrianne must travel to Prague to help clear his name and find the real murderer.
    • 4/5
      High school senior Nora Kane is working with a local college professor translating the 16th century Voynich manuscript. The ancient, coded text might hold clues to unlocking the Lumen Dei, a device that legend says lets the user connect directly with God. Nora's task is to translate the Latin writing of Elizabeth Weston, whose letters to her brother resonate across the centuries with Nora's own life. But Nora's involvement sparks a chain of tragic events: the professor is found dead, one of her best friends, Chris, is murdered and her other best friend is left in a catatonic state. Nora's quiet, nerdy new boyfriend is not only missing but a suspect. Hoping to prove his innocence, Nora travels to Prague with Chris's cousin Eli. But not all is as it seems, and Nora quickly becomes embroiled with ancient, secret groups who either want to solve the Lumen Dei puzzle and use the device or who are sworn to protect its secrets and prevent the device's use. While deciphering the string of clues left behind four centuries ago, Nora questions who she can trust. The appropriate answer? No one.Author Robin Wasserman has written a masterful plot-twisting novel unlike anything most teen readers have likely read before. The obvious literary comparisons are to Dan Brown's Robert Langdon books (Angels and Demons, DaVinci Code, Lost Symbol), but the title is perhaps most similar to Ian Caldwell's Rule of Four. I was also reminded a bit of the Indiana Jones movies. The Book of Blood and Shadow has its share of standard YA angst and drama. Late in the book the story seems to drag momentarily under the weight of all the plot twists, but the ultimate payoff is worthwhile. I'm buying multiple copies of this one to book talk with high schoolers.
    • 4/5
      I am a nearly daily user of a website called Random Buzzers which is an online book community for Random House publishing geared toward teens. So when they started looking for people willing to promote some of their new books I jumped at the chance. The book they chose for me was The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman, a book I had planned on reading anyway, it was sitting on the top of my "To Read" pile of books I had checked out from work. Let me tell you, I am so happy to have been chosen to spread the word about this book.For Nora Cane there are certain undisputed truths. She has two best friends: Chris and Adriane, who are the perfect couple. She has a boyfriend, Max, who loves her. Her brother is dead, but no one except Chris knows about it. And Latin always makes sense. But soon everything Nora thought she knew will be tested. Chris will die. Max will be blamed. And Nora and Adriane will be left to solve the mystery of a book that has driven a man insane. The plan is simple; go to Prague, save Max, clear his name, and learn to with without Chris. But nothing is ever that simple and soon they will find themselves in the middle of a centuries old mystery that only Nora can solve. They will have help but no one is what they seem. The only thing Nora can trust are the words of a long dead woman, written in Latin, and the clues they leave to a machine that may be better left unsolved.I can not even begin to explain how amazing this book was. Every time I thought I knew what was going on and who was who, it was all switched up and I was left guessing, racing to get to the next page. Wasserman's use of real historical figures only adds to the amazing story she has woven. This is a must read!
    • 3/5
      The Book of Blood and Shadow is a historical-murder case-with hints of magic involve. It talks about a young girl, Nora Kane, who lost her older brother tragically. Once she enters high school the only two people who can put her back together is her two new best friends: Chris & Adriane (who eventually become a couple).Then Nora gets her own boyfriend: Max. Everything seems to be going dandy. Nora is brilliant at Latin and spends her days (alongside Max & Chris) translating. More specifically Nora is translating Elizabeth Weston's (Historical person) diary entries to her brother. Soon an unsolved mystery is unravelled that is starting to mirror Nora's life and what is happening in the late 1500's is now happening in the twenty first century. Bad things are starting to happen: Chris ends up dead. Now it up to Nora, Adriane, Max & Eli to solve Chris's murder, unravel the mystery, figure out who Nora is and put an end to what is happening. All of this leads them to Prague.This novel has a brilliant plot concept. It part History and part magical fantasy. The author knows the past and it really shows in how she writes. It even states in her bio that she "once studied to be a historian". This isn't the authors first book. She wrote the Cold Awakening Trilogy & Chasing Yesterday Trilogy. Both of which I have not read yet, however I have on my tbr pile.As I read the novel I got to learn of Historical people that I had never once heard about (Elizabeth Weston, Edward Kelley, ect). The author states in her afterword section that "not much is known about Elizabeth Weston's youth" and "using my (her) imagination to fill in the blanks". Which I thought was pretty cool. I got to learn about people I have never heard about. To learn more, click here!!Robin Wasserman is an amazing author. I love her writing it is absolutely stunning. However even though the idea behind this novel was really good, I was not jumping up and down for joy about it. I did not hate it, however I did not love it either.It is fast pace and four hundred pages will go by in a jiffy, however I thought it was too long. It could of been shorter. The problem with The Book of Blood and Shadow is it has too much information. To much details a reader has to remember. So much details that I felt the imagery for setting and minor characters got over looked. It got confusing at times and I would easily forget the slightest details and then when it was mention a hundred pages later I would be like: what??There was too much telling then showing. I could not really get clear imagery of Prague. I just felt like a bunch of tourist names were listed off which made it hard for me to imagine them in a foreign country.I thought the character development for Nora was brilliant. That was where this book strive. Nora's loss of her old brother was really well done and you could definitely feel her pain. You could also really see the resemblances between her and Elizabeth. The translated diary entries were practically my favourite part of the novel. They intrigue me and kept me wanting more.The killer behind Chris's death was a little to obvious to me. It was not really hard to guess who did it. I was a bit annoyed with Nora's constant non acceptance of who could of killed Chris. However I guess if I was in that situation I would do the same.My absolute favourite part of the whole novel was : Eli & Nora's relationship. I absolutely loved how the two interacted. The dialogue between them was brilliant and how they slowly went from strangers to friends was awesome.Overall it was an okay read.
    • 3/5
      I had really high hopes for this book. The cover is stunning and just left me with a strong idea of what to expect. The synopsis sounded really interesting. Sadly, for me it didn't live up to my expectations. That's not to say it's a bad book, far from it, but it just wasn't what I expected and that left me disappointed.What didn't work for me was the constant info dumps. There were lots of them, and if you have no interest in the history of the late 1500's you'll probably do what I was so tempted to - skip page after page of it. Oh, it's well written and it is tied to the plot, but it just seemed to take up space that the book could have done without considering it's 448 page count.There were good things about the book, and they are what kept me reading. Despite the issues I had with the slow plot, I did enjoy the mystery of what the machine was, what it's purpose was, and who was willing to kill for it. Wasserman also gives us tons of twists and keeps us guessing about who Nora should trust and what their motives were. I just wish the first half of the book had been more condensed, so that the twists came a bit earlier.Overall, this was a good read and I did enjoy it. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who likes to read about history and in-depth mysteries.
    • 5/5
      Where do I begin with this book? I literally could not put this book down. Any time I had a spare second - I would be reading this book. This was hands down one of the best books I've read so far this year. It's like a YA Da Vinci Code. I loved the mysterious plot that kept you guessing - there were so many twists and turns. Wasserman keeps you on your toes until the last page. The story is very well-written and is original - especially in the YA genre. The characters are complex and deep - you feel the pain and confusion that Nora goes through so easily. It was like I was inside her head - but it felt authentic, not scripted. Like the things the characters did and said would actually occur in real life - it wasn't phony at all. The story takes place in the U.S. and in Europe - which gives it a good feel of setting - especially with all the historic background that goes into the plot. The book flows really naturally and well - it's a fast-paced mystery that had me struggling to pinpoint the "bad guy" and trying to understand what could possibly be going on. Overall - READ THIS BOOK! You will not regret it.
    • 5/5
      From the opening line, Wasserman captivated me with Nora's voice and her story--and with the power of the words themselves, the way Wasserman chooses to present events to us, the readers. It is mysterious and enthralling. There is no need for the story to start with a bang; instead, it builds up for the first hundred or so pages before diving into heart-pounding action.Nora is intelligence with humor, and her friends are just as engaging. Nora is highly perceptive and acute. Her reflections over events give good insight into what's going on around her without distancing her from the reader. On the contrary, she pulls the reader into her mind and shows them how she perceives the world.Wasserman kept me guessing and puzzling throughout the entire book. The plot is complex, filled with surprises at every turn. The plot may seem to start out slow, but if you think this way it will hit you before you know it. This has been a brilliantly unique read. I highly recommend getting a copy. You do not want to miss out on it!
    • 3/5
      The Book of Blood and Shadow has a Dan Brown feel to it but it written in a way that will speak to young adults. We have a trio of teens - two that are in love and Nora who is best friends with Adriane but also loves Chris and feels like the third wheel at times. All their lives are thrown out of balance when Nora begins to unravel a centuries old secret manuscript that Chris is murdered for. Nora's boyfriend, Max is missing and considered to be the only suspect. Nora, Adriane and Eli will then travel to Prague to uncover the secret of the ancient Lumen Dei and find Max before the secret sect finds them first. The story moves well and jumps back between modern day and old Prague through Elizabeth's letters. I enjoy historical fiction with a twist and I think there are readers of all ages who will enjoy the mystery.
    • 5/5
      My thoughts:There is a lot going on in this book. Intrigue and secrets and hidden secrets and lies - friendships and broken promises and in the end, a whole lot of mystery and suspense that adds up to a really fantastic read. I was really impressed with this book's complicated and engaging storyline. I couldn't help but be reminded of Dan Brown's Robert Langdon series while reading The Book of Blood and Shadow. It has that same feel to me. Of ancient secrets of God and the unknown; secret societies and hidden clues. It was very easy to get wrapped up in it's world and taken in by it's mysteries. What I really loved about this book was how different it is. It's a fantastic tale but it's not really paranormal. It's contemporary but at the same time, it's too far fetched to be real. It's a mystery but there are so many layers to it that you really need to pay attention to catch it all. It's also a book that really could fit any age range. The characters could just as easily have been in their 30s or 40s then their teens. The setting is modern day Prague, which was perfect for the story. While the scenarios the characters find themselves in aren't very believable, their reactions are. Especially Nora. I love Nora! By far, one of my favorite YA female characters. Final verdict:I highly recommend this book to mystery fans. If YA isn't your thing, pretend you didn't know this book was written for a younger audience because it really doesn't make a difference. The story is one that will appeal to all types of readers, not just young adult ones. The mysteries will drag you in and you will find yourself unable to put this book down until you unlock every one.As an added bonus, The Voynick Manuscript? The book that leads Nora and her friends on this crazy and dangerous journey? It's real! How fantastic is that?
    • 5/5
      This book does not yet have a cover. *sadface* But when it does, I'm sure it's going to be awesome.This book was amazing. Of course, that doesn't even begin to describe it, but be assured. It was amazing, astounding, gush-worthy, and definitely worth my time.I guess I had pretty high expectations to start off with - I've read some of Robin Wasserman's other books, and I thought they were pretty good. But when I read this, I couldn't even tell that the same author had written this. The Book of Blood and Shadow bypassed her other books by far.For one thing, I loved Nora, the main character and narrator. I think I related to her a little bit, because she wanted proof for things. Things like if God existed or if Eli was really trying to help her. She didn't just automatically accept things like too many teens in YA do. She was realistic. I was frustrated by her actions a few times, sure, but isn't that pretty much inevitable? Either way, Nora was real. Easy to understand. And she didn't annoy me with any whining - she dealt with everything that was happening. Her emotions over Chris and everything else that had happened were realistic, too. She was in pain. Obvious pain. But she didn't just give up, and she didn't just move on so fast it was like nothing had happened. It all just made an amazing character. And Eli. Oh, Eli. It doesn't matter if you have no idea who he is because he's not mentioned in the summary, but rest assured, he was an amazing character, too. And he wasn't a pansy. I loved that about him. He didn't let his feelings get in the way of things, usually, and yet he did everything he could to help Nora with everything. He was just awesome. The other characters, I wasn't really a fan of, but Max and Adriane? I'm pretty sure it was okay to hate them. They did some pretty terrible things.Another plus of this book: the writing. It was so powerful, so descriptive, even action-filled. Nora's thoughts weren't skimmed over like I've been seeing too often lately. It was just an amazing style of writing.And what I thought was really cool about this book was the plot. It was so original; I've never even heard of a lot of the things involved.Overall: The Book of Blood and Shadow is a new favorite of mine. It was powerful, original, and I finished it within a day because I couldn't stop reading. It's not mushy, but there's still some romance mixed in, and there was so much suspense surrounding this huge mystery that I can't think of a single negative thing to say. 5 stars.
    • 3/5
      Nora gets a work study job translating century old letters as part of a professor's project to find the clue to unlock the Voynich manuscript. A gruesome murder of her best friend, leads to increasing dangers. Nora seems to have a link with Elizabeth, the girl whose letters she has been translating. As Nora and her group sneak to Prague to look for answers and her missing boyfriend, they are embroiled in a centuries old battle between secret societies and the quest for humanity to know God through science. There is a lot going on in the book. Nora is engaging as is Elizabeth's story from the 16th Century.
    • 5/5
      **spoiler alert** This book has the best first chapter, hell the best fist line, that I have ever read. Out of all (and there have been way too many to count) the books in my life. This is on my top 10 favorite book read in the past 5 years.Here is Chapter One (it is short and sweet):1I should probably start with the blood.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? And the mystery blood, all those unaccounted-for antibodies, those faceless corkscrews of DNA— who left them behind? But beginning with that night, with the blood, means that Chris will never be anything more than a corpse, bleeding out all over his mother’s travertine marble, Adriane nothing but a dead-eyed head case, rocking and moaning, her clothes soaked in his blood, her face paper white with that slash of red razored into her cheek. If I started there, Max would be nothing but a void. Null space; vacuum and wind. Maybe that part would be right. But not the rest of it. Because that wasn’t the beginning, any more than it was the end. It was— note the brilliant deductive reasoning at work here— the middle. The center of gravity around which we all spiraled, but none of us could see. The center cannot hold, Max liked to say, back when things were new and quoting poetry seemed a suitably ironic way to declare our love. Things fall apart. But things don’t just fall apart. People break them.
    • 4/5
      I loved this book. It was a good old fashioned thriller. There were parts of it that were down right creepy scary but at the heart of The Book of Blood and Shadow was a great mystery. I am one of those people who normally picks out the murderer halfway through a book and spends the rest of the book confirming my suspicion. I can't remember the last time I was so tempted to flip to the end of a book and find out who the killer was. I spent three nights laying in bed forcing myself not to turn to those back pages and spoil the ending.

      This was the first book I read by Robin Wasserman. I recently saw her on a panel at the Decatur Book Festival and she was talking about her newest book The Waking Dark. She was claiming that it is a horror novel reminiscent of the old Stephen King novels. I have been wanting to read a horror novel recently. Maybe I'll be picking that one up soon.
    • 5/5
      Guys this book. Really guys. This book wins all the awards for it’s title, first off. Then it went ahead and began with a quote from Dr. Faustus and The Tempest (and to show how much I love those plays, the man who can quote those two plays to me I’ll just marry on the spot, let’s be real here). It began with two quotes from those plays (and quoted Faustus again later on). If it hadn’t already won me over there, the beginning did for sure. I really like when books begin in media res even though it’s a spoiler right off, I like when books plunge you immediately into the action and then take the time to build up the rest of the story. This definitely did that.
      I have a lot of feelings about this book and it’s difficult to put them all down in words, I don’t even know. I read somewhere that this was a YA Da Vinci Code, but I’ve never read that book so I wouldn’t really know. This book was intense, and I loved it a lot, but I can also see how a lot of people would struggle with it. It just hit a lot of my favourite things so I guess there’s the grain of salt you take my review with, this book is not gonna be for everyone because of the pacing, the plot (which bordered on a bit convoluted every so often) and what was done with the romance of the novel. For me though, oh man I adore it and it was brilliant.
      Norah is a high school senior who, for extra credit, is spending her time in a dusty basement helping her best friend, Chris, and his roommate, Max, as they translate ancient letters for a crazy old professor. She spends her time translating letters from a young girl who is in the middle of her dead father’s legacy, the Lumen Dei - which was supposedly an ancient machine that would be a link to God and man - it would show man the mind of God.
      Things spiral wildly out of control, leaving her best friend dead, and her boyfriend accused of murder, thus sending her to Prague and the middle of an ancient war that’s been going on for the Lumen Dei for centuries.
      Norah is a Latin whizz due to her father being a Latin professor (I appreciate when the quirk the main character has actually has basis and reason behind it), she has emotional issues due to an accident that killed her brother, and she frequently feels like a third wheel with her best friends even though she doesn’t really let them know that.
      I just really loved a lot of what happened in this book. The basis of the book was basically parallel narratives with Norah and Elizabeth - the writer of the ancient letters - and I’m a sucker for parallel narratives. It deals a lot with betrayal and dealing with loss and death and it was just a lot of things that I love in a story. Was the plot a bit convoluted with the Lumen Dei and what not? Well, yes, but it actually ended up making sense in the end and being explained better than I thought it was going to be (when the writer pulls the ‘it’s alchemy’ card, it can get really sketchy. And this was actually reasoned out in a way that satisfied me). The only thing I had an issue with was the character Adrianne and what happened with her. I felt like she had little point in the story and I guess I just didn’t understand why the drama with her was totally necessary… It wasn’t enough to dampen my love of this book though. It really was excellent. It was dramatic and tense and it was just a really good story. It was intelligent and I loved the narration a lot. I loved the set up and it was a first person style that I really liked a lot. It’s one of those books that I just need to read again to catch up with all the things that the narration was doing even at the beginning of the book.
    • 4/5
      An ancient coded manuscript leads four teens into a world of mystery, secret societies, and murder. Nora and her friends start decoding a manuscript rumored to contain the secret to a machine that can connect man to God. Nora’s relegated to translating the letters of the manuscript author’s daughter when she discovers that the letters actually hold the key. Now they’re the target of a secret society that will do anything, including murdering one of Nora’s friends, to gain this knowledge. Will they discover the secret before it’s too late?
    • 4/5
      Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: A young adult Da Vinci Code that kept me turning pages as Nora tries to clear the name of Max, her fairy tale Prince Charming. This book has an understated beginning that fills the reader with tension because you know something major is just around the corner.Opening Sentence: I should probably start with the blood.The Review:There’s a difference between slow and cryptic. The very first sentence of this book is what keeps the first few sections (I hesitate to use the word chapters) from being boring. You read the first page and immediately know the middle of the book. Who’s dead, who’s not, but what you don’t know if why Nora is covered in blood. Why they were in a position to be killed in the first place. So Nora takes you back to her senior year of high school at Chapman Prep, to her broken family as they grieve for her dead brother Andy, and to the first time Nora learns about The Book.The Book (Always Said In Capitals) is the Voynich manuscript. Professor Hoffpauer, who was supposed to be the perfect teacher for her easy senior year, is obsessed with deciphering this manuscript as much as with keeping it a secret. Despite her expert skills in Latin translating–her father was once a professor in Latin–The Hoff puts her in charge of letters from Elizabeth Weston. The daughter of Edward Kelley, who may have authored The Book, her letters may not even be significant. These 400 year old letters are nearly as exciting as the manuscript, or as important. Nora is furious that the Hoff has written off her skills, and this is where her story really begins. Because the more Nora translates, the more parallels between Elizabeth’s life and her own become clear. Then the Hoff is attacked, has a stroke and the letters disappear along with the manuscript. Except for the one Nora had to take with her, couldn’t stop herself from taking. But if she tells Chris she has it, then it’s not so bad. Then it’s not a secret. Except telling Chris will set in motion a series of disastrous events that end with Chris brutally murdered, Adriane sitting in a pool of his blood and her boyfriend Max suspected of murder.I said this book starts out cryptic, but if cryptic begins to feel slow for you then around page 100 you will be rewarded. This book runs full-tilt until the very end, so quickly you barely have time to realize what hit you! There are so many twists and turns that even as an experienced reader and mystery lover I couldn’t see where it was going or what would happen next. The ending required a suspension of disbelief, but not so much that I was pulled from the story. In fact, it completely fit within the set up Wasserman’s mystery created, which relies on faith and archaic circumstances.The writing was wonderful. I absolutely loved the way the narration was broken up, the fact that the sections, in lieu of chapters, were all varied in length. Nora is an intelligent, perceptive teenager who has been thrust into a mystery that people have died trying to solve. Everything she said sounded put together and well thought out. Part of that, I think, comes from the first part of this book being a flashback–to the time before all the blood–but the sense of integrity in the writing continues beyond that.Notable Scene:“Why’d you do that?”Because I’d wanted to kiss someone. Because my two best friends were best friends with each other, a seamless unit who probably spent the majority of their time together waiting for me to go away. Because his eyes were brown in one light and green in another, magnetic in both. Because I’d worked a miracle–or maybe because I’d done so only by imagining I was someone else, someone intrepid and intense and long dead, and I wasn’t ready to go back to being me. “I don’t know.”He laughed. Now I wanted to kill him–then die.“That’s a terrible reason,” he said.“Yeah? You’ve got a better one?”He leaned forward. He cupped his hands around my face, one warm hand over each cheek. He kissed me.“Because I wanted to,” he said when he let go. “That would have sufficed.”FTC Advisory: Random House Children’s Books provided me with a copy of The Book of Blood and Shadow. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 5/5
      It’s not often that I come across a book so finely crafted as The Book of Blood and Shadow. The author must have done copious amounts of research, because everything—from the mythology to the foreign languages—feels real and clear and right. I dislike comparing books to other books, but The Book of Blood and Shadow resembles The Da Vinci Code in the way it takes a new look at old myths and guides the reader on a journey-slash-scavenger hunt through a different country. I’m a huge fan of these kinds of books—the ones that are well researched to the point of believability and still fun.The Book of Blood and Shadow has a dark tone, but Robin Wasserman’s writing helps lighten the tone. Nora sounds like a real (albeit highly intelligent) teenage girl, so she isn’t going to be narrating in complicated or overly flowery prose. But you can tell that Wasserman is a great writer because of her versatility—she writes in Nora’s voice, but also in the voice of Elizabeth, a girl from the fourteenth century—and because of the way the story develops.There is a large cast of characters in The Book of Blood and Shadow, and Wasserman takes the time to develop each of them. Even the minor characters—like Nora’s older brother—are memorable in their own way. This attention to detail (in both characters and story) is impressive, and it makes The Book of Blood and Shadow all the more enjoyable.If you’re looking for a mystery-thriller, The Book of Blood and Shadow is a great choice. It’s smart, complex, and interesting—especially if you’re into history (like me).
    • 4/5
      4.5 Stars!GoodReads Synopsis: 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 was my first Robin Wasserman book. I’ve had a few of her others on my “to read” list for quite a while, but just never had the time. Now that I’ve read “Blood and Shadow” I’ve moved some of her other books higher up on the list and am on the lookout for those that I don’t have!Wasserman created an incredible renaissance world where men tried to create a bridge between God and Man. The amount of research that she had to do to create this world and make it as credible as it was had to be staggering…and has blown my mind! I hesitate to use other books to describe this, but am going to anyway. This felt like a YA “Da Vinci Code”…and I can hope Dan Brown lovers will give this wonderful story a try.We have Nora, a high school senior, who is fluent in Latin, thanks to her Latin Professor father. Nora is incredibly smart if a little naïve. She’s not had much experience with boys even though her best friend is one. She has a tendency to hide behind the death of her older brother…sometimes she uses it as an excuse to try something new, and other times as an excuse to not try something. She is tasked with translating some letters from the daughter of the man the rest of the team is researching. It’s through these letters that she feels a kinship with the author and is able to start picking up on nuances that lead the team in the right direction.The story is incredibly complex, and I must say I was confused a bit in the beginning. I read the first 4 chapters about 3 times to makes sure I understood who the characters were. Maybe I was having a “bad brain” day. My only other real complaint is that some of the letters from Elisabeth got a little long. There is so much mystery and intrigue in this story, and the pace is fast. Get on and hold on!This is the second book I’ve read that has a lot of the story taking place in Prague, the other being “Daughter of Smoke and Bone”, by Laini Taylor…and both these authors have done such a wonderful job of describing the beauty therein that I’ve added it to my bucket list. It sounds like such a wonderful and beautiful city!
    • 4/5
      I should probably start with the blood.I knew the minute I read the opening line that I was going to enjoy this book. I’d heard it was very reminiscent of “The DaVinci Code”, which I thought was descent, but I wasn’t obsessed with it like a lot of people were. I felt this book was more readable and I liked the characters, and the incredible story, a lot more.Every character is one the reader can easily get close to. Nora, the MC is logical, funny and smart. She just seemed very real to me. Her voice really captured me and held onto me throughout the entire book. I was also especially attached to the other characters — Max, Chris, Eli and Adrianne. They were all just as engaging as Nora, and I really felt something for them — both good and bad.The twists and turns in this book will keep you guessing the entire time. I loved that I never knew who I could trust, and the fact that I was so invested in these characters made me want to trust all of them.This book is captivating, heartbreaking, pulse-pounding and a true roller coaster ride. The plot is very complex and requires you to hold a lot of information as you read. Once the pieces start dropping into place, though, you can’t stop.There were a few spots where the book seemed to drag, but it is well worth your time to stick with it. Ms. Wasserman is a truly gifted novelist and I look forward to reading more from her.I’ll definitely be buying a hard copy of this one. It’s just too good not to own.
    • 4/5
      Synopsis: 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.Review:The thing that grabs you into this story are the characters. Nora is fantastic, I almost wished we had been friends. Adriane is an oddity but acceptable as friends go. Chris, well, he's the boy that Nora doesn't want boyfriend-wise but he's brilliant as a best friend...and Max who made my heart skip a beat until he finally ripped it out...This book is fantastic if you like an intellectual read. Set firstly in US and then tripping over to Prague we follow Nora's quest to uncover the Lumen Dei, an artifact that can talk to God. Or so we think. Actually we're not really sure what it does as I'm led to believe it's never actually been put into practise. Nora starts tranlating texts from an elusive Elizabeth Weston. We hear her story from the 16th century and her involvement and fathers incarceration at the Emperors behest. Soon, we uncover truths, lies, more mystery and find ourselves on a treasure hunt around the city.The writing is exquisite. Moving from Nora to Elizabeth with ample descriptions and much more. When Chris is found dead you literally cannot put this book down! Every turn of the page could be another clue, another door opening to another mystery to solve and because of this I loved it.My trust in the characters was stretched as Nora's POV was imaginative and eye opening. As a character she's pretty grounded and doesn't accept everything as it is.The down-side is only how the story travelled towards the end. I was a little disappointed but that's only my own opinion of which way the author led us. Others may agree that it was the right path.But either way, this book should not be missed.