This review appeared first on Narratess.com

I requested the ARC (advanced reading copy) of The Book Of Secrets on NetGalley for an honest review after seeing the cover, and without paying much attention to the description. Book themed stories always interest me, especially if they’re in the fantasy genre. I hoped that this one wouldn’t disappoint me and it didn’t. I finished it in one sitting.

Although I choose this book because of the cover, it’s a little bit deceiving. I was expecting a fairly innocent book, but the story isn’t as nice as the girl on the cover. It’s filled with monstrosities and death. It’s more mature than the girl on the cover.

Helena is an interesting character. At first, I thought she was a bit soft, but early on she already became stronger out of necessity. Maybe a little too fast. She doesn’t seem unsettled after seeing a corpse and she seems quick to get over a murder happening before her eyes. It’s almost as if her feelings are reset within a couple of days. She doesn’t forget, but she doesn’t feel the fear. That would have made her seem more like a real person.

The world McShane created, where there’s a war against invading monster, is one I see more often (in movies, series or games) than read about. It’s refreshing and she created factions with opposing philosophies which both seem legitimate. She did her best to make both sides sympathetic with their take on dealing the invaders.

I rate The Book Of Secrets with 4 stars. It’s a promising story with more than enough elements to like. Don’t judge this book by the innocent cover, because there’s a depth in the story that isn’t visible on the outside.
I’m looking forward to what the next book will bring for Helena.