Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Wanderlust Wednesday Review: The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall


In The Conspiracy of Us, Avery starts out in the US before travelling to Paris and Istanbul. Having been to Paris twice, I was excited that a good portion of the book was set there. I was able to picture everything clearly, but with Hall’s skillful writing, I think that would be the case even if you’ve never been to the City of Lights.

The Louvre


The Eiffel Tower (not that it really needs a caption!)
Notre Dame Cathedral

The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall
Series: The Conspiracy of Us #1
Published: January 13th, 2015
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
336 pages (ebook)
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Thriller
Acquired this book: From the library
Warning: May contain spoilers
{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Chapters/Indigo}
 
Avery West's newfound family can shut down Prada when they want to shop in peace, and can just as easily order a bombing when they want to start a war. Part of a powerful and dangerous secret society called the Circle, they believe Avery is the key to an ancient prophecy. Some want to use her as a pawn. Some want her dead.

To unravel the mystery putting her life in danger, Avery must follow a trail of clues from the monuments of Paris to the back alleys of Istanbul with two boys who work for the Circle—beautiful, volatile Stellan and mysterious, magnetic Jack. But as the clues expose a stunning conspiracy that might plunge the world into World War 3, she discovers that both boys are hiding secrets of their own. Now she will have to choose not only between freedom and family–but between the boy who might help her save the world, and the one she's falling in love with. 
 
Between the gorgeous cover and the fact the book is being called a YA version of The DaVinci Code, Maggie Hall’s debut novel, The Conspiracy of Us, has been on my radar for over a year. I’m so glad I finally read it!

Avery is just a regular teenager. She and her mother move around a lot because of her mom’s job, so she makes a point never to get attached to people or places. Then all of a sudden just before another move is about to happen, she finds out her life isn’t as simple as it appears, and she’s whisked off to Paris where she learns about a powerful secret society that her family is part of. I liked that the book started out with Avery as a normal girl living her life, debating whether to go to prom, and then BAM she’s on a plane to Paris, then Istanbul shortly afterward, realizing she’s not so normal after all. The plot starts to pick up from there and there’s plenty of intrigue, mystery, and twists.

If you’re one of those readers who avoids books with love triangles, don’t let the synopsis or the fact some people talk about ‘Team Jack’ and ‘Team Stellan’ deter you. Even though there are two guys and Avery spends time with both of them, it never felt like a love triangle to me. Avery clearly developed (mutual) feelings for one of the guys, and I never got a hint of any romantic feelings from the other guy. Toward the end of the book there’s definitely a setup for a love triangle in the second book, but it’s more circumstantial than because of any actual romantic feelings. It’s hard to explain without going into spoiler territory, but I’m extremely curious to see how it plays out in the next book. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger, but it all came together in such an exciting way, I wasn’t annoyed the way I sometimes am by cliffhangers. I can’t wait for the next book!

Full of intrigue, ancient prophecies and secret societies, glamorous parties, and romance, The Conspiracy of Us is a must read for fans of fast-paced YA thrillers. There are plenty of twists and lots of action interspersed with scenes that will give you wanderlust and scenes that will make you swoon.

 

Have you read The Conspiracy of Us? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Do you like thrillers? Have you been to Paris? Do you have a favourite book set there?
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1 comment:

  1. I'll have to double check but I'm pretty sure I have this one on my tbr shelf. If not I'll be adding it. It looks so good!

    ReplyDelete

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