The Book of Blood and Shadow

Nora Kane, daughter of a Latin Professor and herself a Latin scholar, enrols in Chapman Prep the September she turns 15. It isn t that she likes Latin but after her older brother Andy kills himself and his girlfriend in a car crash, it s the one constant that spans the two eras, BDB (Before Dead Brother) and ADB (After Dead Brother), the one brief moment three times each week when her grieving, withdrawn father becomes visible as they pore over declensions, translations and tricky indicatives.

With her family struggling to cope with their grief, salvation comes in the form of a Latin Scholarship to the local college. But when she s asked to participate in the translation of an ancient manuscript with fellow undergraduates, Chris and Max, she couldn t have known of the dangerous secret it holds, a secret that some would do anything to protect, while others would do anything to steal for themselves, including murder. To save her own skin, to rescue the boy she loves and to find the truth even if it destroys her, Nora follows a trail of blood and mystery to Prague, where the past collides with the present and treacherous 16th century secrets finally come to light.

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, February 13, 2012:
"Readers who enjoy fast-paced, bloody, historically inflected thrillers in the vein of Dan Brown will be riveted."

Review, Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2011:
"Here's something refreshing--a religious-historical thriller . . . serving up shivery suspense, sans fangs or fur . . . A classy read that repays reader effort."

Review, Justine Magazine, February / March 2012:
"A must read for fans of "Revolution" and "The DaVinci Code" . . . fast-paced and vivid."

Review, "A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy "blog, SchoolLibraryJournal.com, March 28, 2012:
"I fell for "The Book of Blood and Shadow" at the first sentence . . . part of the wonder of "The Book of Blood and Shadow" is the twists and turns it takes . . .a favorite book read in 2012."

Review, The Horn Book Magazine, March 1, 2012:
"This is a thorough mixture of contemporary American adolescence, the sixteenth-century occult, and atmospheric, historical substance, all dished up with a convoluted plot in "DaVinci Code" mode."

"A lushly drawn mystery of manipulation and desire."
--Holly Black, author of "Black Heart"

"Genuinely thrilling. This is the historical conspiracy you've been waiting for."
--Maureen Johnson, author of "The Name of the Star"


"From the Hardcover edition."

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.

It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up. When the night began, Nora had two best friends and a boyfriend she adored. When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands. Chris was dead. Adriane couldn't speak. 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's determined to follow the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. But Chris's murder 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.

Nora Kane, daughter of a Latin Professor and herself a Latin scholar, enrols in Chapman Prep the September she turns 15. It isn t that she likes Latin but after her older brother Andy kills himself and his girlfriend in a car crash, it s the one constant that spans the two eras, BDB (Before Dead Brother) and ADB (After Dead Brother), the one brief moment three times each week when her grieving, withdrawn father becomes visible as they pore over declensions, translations and tricky indicatives. With her family struggling to cope with their grief, salvation comes in the form of a Latin Scholarship to the local college. But when she s asked to participate in the translation of an ancient manuscript with fellow undergraduates, Chris and Max, she couldn t have known of the dangerous secret it holds, a secret that some would do anything to protect, while others would do anything to steal for themselves, including murder. To save her own skin, to rescue the boy she loves and to find the truth even if it destroys her, Nora follows a trail of blood and mystery to Prague, where the past collides with the present and treacherous 16th century secrets finally come to light.

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