The Conspiracy of Us (Conspiracy of Us, #1)

by Maggie Hall

When sixteen-year-old Avery West learns her family is part of a powerful and dangerous secret society, and that her own life is in danger, she must follow a trail of clues across Europe.

When sixteen-year-old Avery West learns her family is part of a powerful and dangerous secret society and her own life is in danger, she must follow a trail of clues across Europe.

• ISBN10: 0399166505
• ISBN13: 9780399166501
• Publish Date: 13 January 2015
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Imprint: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[maggiefan]

3.5
This book was so much fun!

[Joséphine]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Initial thoughts: Such a fun book to listen to. Perfect after the intensity that Winter by Marissa Meyer brought with it. I wanted a light-hearted but fast-paced audiobook and that's what I got. The characters could've done with a bit more depth but since The Conspiracy of Us is such a plot-driven story, I didn't mind too much. What I did mind a little was the wrong pronunciation of a lot of French words. Still, Julia Whelan does fantastic accents, so she still was an excellent choice narrator for the audiobook. On further thought, the romance felt somewhat misplaced but at least it wasn't such a major plotline.

[Ashley]

I started out LOVING this book, but somewhere around the 50% mark it fizzled out for me. It wasn't bad, it's just like the book and I branched off in different directions. It went one way and I went the other. We were suddenly on different wavelengths and not clicking at all! It wasn't bad, it just suddenly wasn't for me... I'm not even sure why!

Things I thought were epic suddenly felt far-fetched and over dramatic.

[kimbacaffeinate]

seventeen-year-old girl who finds herself caught up in political intrigue, secret societies and quests for power. While some of the events are over the top, as a reader I was intrigued enough to let go and found myself caught up in the quest.

Avery is a strong heroine, and the author does an outstanding job of allowing us to get a sense of her personality prior to this maddening adventure. She handles it well, even as there are moments where she falters. Her actions, feelings and motives rang true allowing me to root for her.

Let us talk about the boys. Both are part of the Circle. Jack is the first to meet Avery and has been sent to retrieve her. He is mysterious, soft spoken and protective by nature. Stellan, on the other hand is darker, demanding and does not sugar coat things. We see another side a vulnerable side that intrigues  me. Hall managed to make both appealing and I am eager to learn more. Avery is falling for one of them but their romance would be forbidden and a romance with the other might directly impact the prophecy…the tension was delicious.

Hall slowly revealed the world to us as Avery learned things leaving me filled with questions. A kidnapping propels Avery into the quest, as does her secret. The Circle itself is powerful and fascinating, creating this political game of intrigue and power struggles. Like Dan Brown’s stories, it is over the top, steeped in history and shrouded in religious aspects. I love when these things are weaved into mystery thrillers because no matter how far-fetched those little tid-bits of history make it feel genuine.

The Conspiracy of Us is the first in an untitled trilogy scheduled for yearly installments. Julia Whelan did an excellent job with the narration from the boy’s accents to Avery’s personality. At just under ten hours, the Conspiracy of Us works wonderfully on audio. The ending cuts of at a nice place, leaving us anxious for the next installment. I unplugged satisfied and excited for more. It was fun seeing this caliber of mystery thriller in the young adult genre.

Audio provided by publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer