Helpful Score: 1
Secret society activity is usually pretty cool, though easily clichéd. However, Tom Dolby's debut novel just doesn't cut it. SECRET SOCIETY reads like a tired retake on a cloak-and-dagger Gossip Girl-esque world, with flat characters and a marked lack of action.
While I thought that all the characters' initial setups were quite well done, the character development in the rest of the development unfortunately doesn't follow through with it. Phoebe, Lauren, and Nick's personalities blend together into a monotonous swirl of uncertainty and fear at their new statuses. Possible romances and family troubles are toldânever shownâto us, as are many other things about the characters and plot.
These rich high school kids' lives aren't nothing you've read before. Readers may be interested in the various clubbing and society scenes generously scattered throughout the book, but the thread connecting everything together is thin. There's a lot of potential for suspenseful and exciting moments, but I found it difficult to connect with the story, and thus never felt invested in the outcomes of these characters and their involvement with the society.
Still, if you haven't read too many secret society novels in your day, you might be able to enjoy this one. Dolby paints an intriguing picture of New York rich-high-school-kid life, one that will be good for reluctant readers looking for a guilty pleasure. The more well-read reader might have trouble finding anything original or attention-holding in this book, though.
While I thought that all the characters' initial setups were quite well done, the character development in the rest of the development unfortunately doesn't follow through with it. Phoebe, Lauren, and Nick's personalities blend together into a monotonous swirl of uncertainty and fear at their new statuses. Possible romances and family troubles are toldânever shownâto us, as are many other things about the characters and plot.
These rich high school kids' lives aren't nothing you've read before. Readers may be interested in the various clubbing and society scenes generously scattered throughout the book, but the thread connecting everything together is thin. There's a lot of potential for suspenseful and exciting moments, but I found it difficult to connect with the story, and thus never felt invested in the outcomes of these characters and their involvement with the society.
Still, if you haven't read too many secret society novels in your day, you might be able to enjoy this one. Dolby paints an intriguing picture of New York rich-high-school-kid life, one that will be good for reluctant readers looking for a guilty pleasure. The more well-read reader might have trouble finding anything original or attention-holding in this book, though.
Helpful Score: 1
First of all Im already dying to read the sequel, The Trust though it wont be out until Feb 2011. The ending of this book was awesome. At times I thought the story dragged on a bit but once it got going, I could not put it down. The joining of the secret society was not as much an invitation as a command. I loved the whole concept of the "Secret Society", that these teens were participating in whether they wanted to or not. I suspect that many of the items they were given and their homes were bugged as the Society knew so many of their likes and dislikes. It was interesting to see the maneuverings of the Society as they virtually take over the lives of the privileged chosen ones.
The development of the characters was fascinating and very three dimensional as was the mystery of the Society itself. Unfortunately, (only because we have to wait till Feb 2011) by the end of the book youll have many more questions than answers. The romance in the book was so much more believable than we usually get in a YA book. It grew very slowly between Nick and Phoebe. And the confusion was so real that it was palpable. I liked that the 4 main characters questioned the success that came their way because of their elite membership in the Society rather than blithely accepting it. Ive got to admit, I thought (why, I dont know) that this secret society would have something to do with being immortal. Been reading to many paranormals, I guess. While this book may not be THE best one Ive read this year, its in the top numbers and I suspect with the next book, its standing will raise a lot for me.
The development of the characters was fascinating and very three dimensional as was the mystery of the Society itself. Unfortunately, (only because we have to wait till Feb 2011) by the end of the book youll have many more questions than answers. The romance in the book was so much more believable than we usually get in a YA book. It grew very slowly between Nick and Phoebe. And the confusion was so real that it was palpable. I liked that the 4 main characters questioned the success that came their way because of their elite membership in the Society rather than blithely accepting it. Ive got to admit, I thought (why, I dont know) that this secret society would have something to do with being immortal. Been reading to many paranormals, I guess. While this book may not be THE best one Ive read this year, its in the top numbers and I suspect with the next book, its standing will raise a lot for me.
Reviewed by Samantha Clanton aka "Harlequin Twilight" for TeensReadToo.com
In SECRET SOCIETY, we follow the lives of four students from Chadwick Prep, one of the most elite prep schools in New York City. Phoebe is the eccentric new girl in town, Nick is the up-and-coming member of one of the wealthiest families in New York, Lauren is the budding socialite, and Patch is an amateur filmmaker. There is something else about these students that make them special - three of them have gained the interest of The Society.
The Society is a secret group of people whose mission is to "preserve a way of life." I, for one, have always had a major interest in secret societies and so I was already excited about this book, and Tom Dolby has definitely done his research with this. The imagery is so vivid that I actually found myself waking up from dreams about this book and about these characters, which is a major thing for me since most books don't get in my head like that. Some people are probably thinking "Oh no, not something else about a secret society," but this is majorly different. Think Gossip Girl (the show) meets The Skulls (Paul Walker/Joshua Jackson movie from 2000).
After receiving text messages that tell them to go to a gritty downtown warehouse, the three students begin the initiation into The Society. This initiation concludes with each of them receiving an ankh shaped tattoo on the nape of their necks. Once they are entered into The Society, they start gaining everything they were promised: fame, fortune, friends in high places, parties, private town cars that deliver them to and from events. But what's the price they must pay in order to have these rewards?
Things start changing when the body of a young male is found in Central Park with no distinguishing marks, aside from the ankh tattoo on this neck. Then they start to wonder - is all of this worth the risk? But questioning The Society in that way can be very dangerous to not only their careers, but also to their lives and the lives of the people they care about.
I loved this book! I mean totally loved it! Some of the characters are a bit clichéd, but I think in order to really relate to them at all, they needed to be. I also love the whole secret society thing. I find it so interesting and I have read all kinds of stuff about them, fiction and nonfiction alike. There are so many legends and depictions of these societies and I can't help but to be fascinated.
SECRET SOCIETY is a book I will read again. There are so many twists and turns that I didn't see coming and I can't wait to see how they pan out in the next book in the series. Definitely a must-read.
In SECRET SOCIETY, we follow the lives of four students from Chadwick Prep, one of the most elite prep schools in New York City. Phoebe is the eccentric new girl in town, Nick is the up-and-coming member of one of the wealthiest families in New York, Lauren is the budding socialite, and Patch is an amateur filmmaker. There is something else about these students that make them special - three of them have gained the interest of The Society.
The Society is a secret group of people whose mission is to "preserve a way of life." I, for one, have always had a major interest in secret societies and so I was already excited about this book, and Tom Dolby has definitely done his research with this. The imagery is so vivid that I actually found myself waking up from dreams about this book and about these characters, which is a major thing for me since most books don't get in my head like that. Some people are probably thinking "Oh no, not something else about a secret society," but this is majorly different. Think Gossip Girl (the show) meets The Skulls (Paul Walker/Joshua Jackson movie from 2000).
After receiving text messages that tell them to go to a gritty downtown warehouse, the three students begin the initiation into The Society. This initiation concludes with each of them receiving an ankh shaped tattoo on the nape of their necks. Once they are entered into The Society, they start gaining everything they were promised: fame, fortune, friends in high places, parties, private town cars that deliver them to and from events. But what's the price they must pay in order to have these rewards?
Things start changing when the body of a young male is found in Central Park with no distinguishing marks, aside from the ankh tattoo on this neck. Then they start to wonder - is all of this worth the risk? But questioning The Society in that way can be very dangerous to not only their careers, but also to their lives and the lives of the people they care about.
I loved this book! I mean totally loved it! Some of the characters are a bit clichéd, but I think in order to really relate to them at all, they needed to be. I also love the whole secret society thing. I find it so interesting and I have read all kinds of stuff about them, fiction and nonfiction alike. There are so many legends and depictions of these societies and I can't help but to be fascinated.
SECRET SOCIETY is a book I will read again. There are so many twists and turns that I didn't see coming and I can't wait to see how they pan out in the next book in the series. Definitely a must-read.
