When I think about this book objectively, ignoring my own opinions entirely, this book was actually really good. Great for Ally Carter fans, it had an interesting plot with readers scrambling to figure out the truth, and it also had the romance that readers often crave. However, the book didn't really do it for me. It was good, but it wasn't great. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing. Personally, I think I feel this way because of a certain bias I had toward the book once I figured out a certain thing. But we'll get to that soon.
The first chapter of this book was the literal best thing I've seen in a while. I swooned over Crosswalk Guy, Stellan, as soon as I met him, and Jack, well, he was pretty great too. I was laughing out loud - luckily I was alone while reading this - and pretty much smiling throughout that entire first chapter. It was perfect. After that, the pace was still pretty fast, but the romance I was anticipating was pushed to the back. Still, the plot was pulling me along, so I didn't have too many complaints. That is, at least until IT happened.
But we'll get to IT later, as I haven't even talked about the plot yet. In truth, there is absolutely nothing that I specifically didn't like about the storyline. In fact, it was actually pretty well done. The pace was perfect - if a bit slow at times - and there was really never a dull moment, what with everyone trying to kill Avery West, the main character. Also, even after finding out that the world is actually run by a small group of people know as the Circle, it's still completely believable (well, at least it's believable if you're an Ally Carter fan). And then of course there's the conflict between the members of the Circle, as well as the other conflict between the Conflict and the Order, and it's just another world that is easy to slip into. But like I said, there is one thing that hindered my love for this book...IT.
So, now we're back to IT. What is IT, you ask? Well, it's basically when I realized that my OTP...wasn't going to be the OTP. I was definitely more partial to one of the guys than the other, and I held out home for him being the one until I was about eighty percent done with the novel. When I realized that he wasn't meant to be the one (as of that moment, anyways), I had to take a break, crawl into a corner, and sob. It wasn't pretty. That is pretty much the crux of why I didn't enjoy this book as much as I probably should have. The last half of the book was pretty much geared toward developing the romance between Avery and the guy I didn't fall head over heels for, so I was bit of a grumpy pants. All that love and romance, and all I wanted to do was gag. I usually end up going for the same guy the main character goes for, so this was a bit of an unusual situation for me. As you can see, I didn't adapt well.
The cliffhanger at the end of this book, again, it was good, but it wasn't great. Yes, it gives me a bit of hope for my OTP, but again, this book didn't really grab hold of my interest the way I had wanted it to. If I do end up reading the next book in the series, however, you can be sure that it will be for the possible love triangle, and not as much for the plot (though I still would't mind finding out what happens). Overall, The Conspiracy of Us was a pretty meh book. I didn't particularly enjoy reading it, but at the same time, there was nothing wrong with it besides my boy bias. Anyone looking for a good book in the espionage genre may want to give this book a try. And what do you know? Maybe the book's OTP will appeal to you in a way that it didn't to me.
The first chapter of this book was the literal best thing I've seen in a while. I swooned over Crosswalk Guy, Stellan, as soon as I met him, and Jack, well, he was pretty great too. I was laughing out loud - luckily I was alone while reading this - and pretty much smiling throughout that entire first chapter. It was perfect. After that, the pace was still pretty fast, but the romance I was anticipating was pushed to the back. Still, the plot was pulling me along, so I didn't have too many complaints. That is, at least until IT happened.
But we'll get to IT later, as I haven't even talked about the plot yet. In truth, there is absolutely nothing that I specifically didn't like about the storyline. In fact, it was actually pretty well done. The pace was perfect - if a bit slow at times - and there was really never a dull moment, what with everyone trying to kill Avery West, the main character. Also, even after finding out that the world is actually run by a small group of people know as the Circle, it's still completely believable (well, at least it's believable if you're an Ally Carter fan). And then of course there's the conflict between the members of the Circle, as well as the other conflict between the Conflict and the Order, and it's just another world that is easy to slip into. But like I said, there is one thing that hindered my love for this book...IT.
So, now we're back to IT. What is IT, you ask? Well, it's basically when I realized that my OTP...wasn't going to be the OTP. I was definitely more partial to one of the guys than the other, and I held out home for him being the one until I was about eighty percent done with the novel. When I realized that he wasn't meant to be the one (as of that moment, anyways), I had to take a break, crawl into a corner, and sob. It wasn't pretty. That is pretty much the crux of why I didn't enjoy this book as much as I probably should have. The last half of the book was pretty much geared toward developing the romance between Avery and the guy I didn't fall head over heels for, so I was bit of a grumpy pants. All that love and romance, and all I wanted to do was gag. I usually end up going for the same guy the main character goes for, so this was a bit of an unusual situation for me. As you can see, I didn't adapt well.
The cliffhanger at the end of this book, again, it was good, but it wasn't great. Yes, it gives me a bit of hope for my OTP, but again, this book didn't really grab hold of my interest the way I had wanted it to. If I do end up reading the next book in the series, however, you can be sure that it will be for the possible love triangle, and not as much for the plot (though I still would't mind finding out what happens). Overall, The Conspiracy of Us was a pretty meh book. I didn't particularly enjoy reading it, but at the same time, there was nothing wrong with it besides my boy bias. Anyone looking for a good book in the espionage genre may want to give this book a try. And what do you know? Maybe the book's OTP will appeal to you in a way that it didn't to me.
Book Synopsis: A fast-paced international escapade, laced with adrenaline, glamour, and romance--perfect for fans of Ally Carter.
Avery West's newfound family can shut down Prada when they want to shop in peace, and can just as easily order a bombing when they want to start a war. Part of a powerful and dangerous secret society called the Circle, they believe Avery is the key to an ancient prophecy. Some want to use her as a pawn. Some want her dead.
To unravel the mystery putting her life in danger, Avery must follow a trail of clues from the monuments of Paris to the back alleys of Istanbul with two boys who work for the Circle—beautiful, volatile Stellan and mysterious, magnetic Jack. But as the clues expose a stunning conspiracy that might plunge the world into World War 3, she discovers that both boys are hiding secrets of their own. Now she will have to choose not only between freedom and family--but between the boy who might help her save the world, and the one she's falling in love with.
Source: Own the ebook on my device.
Title: The Conspiracy of Us
Author: Maggie Hall
Publication Date: January 13, 2015
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Genre: YA, Espionage, Romance
Pages: 336 pages
