The Conspiracy of Us

November 17, 2014
Readers’ enjoyment of Hall’s debut depends upon their opinion of James Bond movies. British hero and Russian villain? Check. World domination conspiracy? Check. Stylized, improbable, and highly public violence? Check. It helps to have a preference for the porcelain-skinned, pouty, and none-too-brainy starlets of early Bond films, too, because 16-year-old Avery West fits the bill. Her ignorance about who she is and what all the fuss around her is about is compounded by extreme naiveté. She follows the directions of virtually every stranger with an accent whom she encounters, and when one of them points this out to her, she swooningly accepts his explanation that she is suffering from “the ache that is her existence.” This is enough to justify ditching prom to fly to Paris without a word to anyone. There, a powerful cabal of 12 families, “the Circle,” holds sway from private apartments in the Louvre, doing battle with nameless minions of “the Order” as they search for the mystical key to unfettered dominance. It’s formulaic kitsch, but all in good fun. Ages 12–up. Agent: Claudia Ballard, William Morris Endeavor.

November 15, 2014
A friendless teen discovers she's the key to a millenia-old epic prophecy-making her an invaluable pawn of the world's great powers.Sixteen-year-old Avery West has a Plan: don't make friends, so as to remain unhurt when she inevitably has to change schools. Her single mother is a military contractor (something to do with a mandate), and Avery never lives anywhere long. At least Avery's learned to hide her violet eyes behind colored contacts, so she's only friendless instead of mocked. Avery's plan doesn't take into account the two gorgeous young men who appear fascinated with her: suave Jack and scruffy Stellan. The boys insist they're taking her to meet long-lost family and whirl Avery across the Atlantic to Paris (an unplanned trip about which she's remarkably sanguine). There, she learns of a conspiracy almost as old as Western civilization. Political leaders, actors, sports heroes and businessmen have come from just 12 families for nearly 2,000 years. Avery's place in all this has to with a prophecy called, surprise surprise, the mandate. Avery's thrust into a cinematic, puzzle-solving action-adventure that takes her from Paris to Istanbul. Though she's overwhelmed by "boy drama," she knows her quest is "way more important." Thrill as Avery's outfitted in Prada and Louboutin! Gasp as she jumps from a fire escape into a gunfight! Swoon as sexy Europeans fight for her hand! This series opener won't win any prizes, but it will appeal to those who want puzzles and action mixed with their fashion and romance. (Thriller. 12-14)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 1, 2014

Gr 7 Up-Avery West has been very careful not to form strong friendships and bonds, knowing that they will be lost every time she has to move because of her mother's job. When she meets Jack Bishop, a fellow new student at her school, everything changes. After a last-minute decision to attend prom with Jack, they are approached out of the blue by Stellan, who demands that Avery go with him and whom, strangely, Jack appears to know well. Soon Avery finds herself in a world of Keepers, the mandate, and The Circle of Twelve. Not only is her father alive and part of one of the secret families of The Circle, but he could possibly even be the head of one. There are secret societies Avery knows nothing about, and some of them want her out of the picture. The search for the truth takes her to Paris and Istanbul and finally, to her father. Hall sweeps readers into a world of conspiracies, puzzles, and mystery from the first page, and provides a likable and intelligent narrator in Avery. Perfect for fans of Rick Riordan's The Red Pyramid (2010), Ally Carter's "Gallagher Girls" series (both Hyperion), and Michael Scott's "The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel" (Delacorte).-Selenia Paz, Helen Hall Library, League City, TX

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2014
Grades 8-12 Avery West is just a regular teenager who happens to move around a lot because of her mom's work. Then the appearance of Jack, a cute but mysterious boy, turns Avery's world on its end. In the course of one strange night, Avery finds herself flying to Paris to meet distant relatives of her long-absent father. All is not as it seems, particularly after a dress fitting turns into a gruesome blood bath. Soon Avery is learning of the Circle, comprised of 12 families that secretly control the world and are bound together by a mandate. As Avery and Jack begin to uncover what role Avery plays in the destiny of the Circle, she begins to see that the choices she makes affect not only her future but also the futures of those she loves. This fine mix of adventure and romance will easily pull readers into a world of just-believable-enough conspiracy theories, while a cliff-hanger ending will leave them eagerly awaiting the next installment of the adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)