Monday, April 26, 2010

Secret Society by Tom Dolby

No spoilers.

Title:
Secret Society
Author: Tom Dolby
Year of Publication: 2009
Genre: YA
Pages: 341
First Line: "Even the most seasoned walks through Manhattan's Central Park often miss Cleopatra's Needle."
Summary: An eccentric new girl. A brooding socialite. The scion of one of New York's wealthiest families. A promising filmmaker. As students at the exclusive Chadwick School, Phoebe, Lauren, Nick, and Patch already live in a world most teenagers only dream about.

They didn't ask to be Society members. But when three of them receive a mysterious text message promising success and fame beyond belief, they say yes to everything. Even to the harrowing initiation ceremony in a gritty warehouse downtown, and to the ankh-shaped tattoo they're forced to get on the nape of their necks.

Once they're part of the Society, things begin falling into place for them. Week after week, their ambitions are fulfilled. It's all perfect -- until a body is found in Central Park with no distinguishing marks except for an ankh-shaped tattoo.

Source: Back of book



Review: The beginning of this book was really good. But I found about one-fourth through was slow-moving and boring. It was almost as if the majority of the book was a filler and the author was just writing to get to the end in order to bait the reader for the sequel. I will say that Tom Dolby's writing style was ambiguous -- if I hadn't known it was a man who wrote it, I would have guessed a woman had. I don't know if that's good or bad but that's that. The book wasn't nearly as interesting as I had expected or hoped.

Worst part: The entire book pretty much felt like it was a set of filler chapters.

Best part: The club scenes were pretty good. Interesting.

Grade: D

Other Books by This Author: The Sixth Form and The Trouble Boy

Note: It might be interesting to note that the author, Tom Dolby, is a (very attractive) graduate of Yale. I enjoyed flipping to the back cover to enjoy the photograph of him.


30 / 50 books. 60% done!

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