The Book of Blood and Shadow

The main character starts out assuming we want her to start the story with her friend’s blood; to tell how they came to be on her hands and where the unaccounted for blood came from. I guess that’s as good a place as any. Except that’s not where we start.

We start at Independent Study at a nearby university where the main character, her best friend Chris, and Max. She is assigned to the seemingly lesser important

Her brother, Andy, killed his girlfriend in a drunken accident that took his life as well. This event puts her on the path that she is now on. She ends up at Chapman Prep which has led her to the Independent Study.

She and Chris met (again) at the new school where she should have been able to have a new start; away from the rumors about her murderous brother. Of course, that’s not the case. She is recognized by a former middle school classmate because her brother coached one of his little league teams. That former classmate is Chris who, thankfully, promises to keep her secret after overhearing her lying about being an only child and forge a friendship.

Random: we find out that each of the best friends are part something other than white which I love as you will find out if you (and I, coincidentally) keep up with this blog. Chris is part (half???) black, Adriane is part (again, half???) Asian, and Nora is part Jewish. Yay! I appreciate the intermingling of races because separatism and racism gets us nowhere positive.

So, after Chris and Nora make an attempt at dating, but find that they are better off best friends. Then, Chris and Adriane fall in love. Nora and Max fall in love, too. Max is also a translator for The Hoff and they end up pairing up. One night while Max and Nora are working there is a break in and they are shaken up. Nothing happens for a while after. Until the Hoff has a stroke and all of the documents to be translated are stolen. Except the letter that Nora translated and ended up stealing because she felt that the letter was private and privacy should not be invaded even in death. However, after translating the letter she realizes that it may be of some importance besides being a centuries old document. After taking the letter she eventually confides in Chris her fear that the police would believe that she had something to do with The Hoff’s injuries. Chris consoles her and vows to take care of everything. The next night when Nora arrives late for Friday Movie Night we find Chris dead, Nora catatonic, and Max missing presumed dead by Nora and on the run from the law according to the law.

Before Chris was killed and The Hoff had his stroke, Adriane, Chris, and Nora were planning to go on the senior trip to Paris. Except, not really. Nora is at Chapman Prep on scholarship and since her brother’s death her father has stopped working and a 3^rd mortgage has been taken out against the home. Meaning, there is no extra money for a trip to Paris. At some point, Chris’s parents decline to allow her to attend the funeral, but request that she attend the university’s memorial in his name and to clear out his dorm room. When she goes to the dean’s office to do as requested she finds Chris’s cousin, Eli, there on the same mission. When the get to the room it is in shambles, Max and Chris’s side both. They make their way through the ruins and find that she isn’t the only one who has stolen documents, but perhaps the only “innocent” party to do so. It seems Max has some letters that lead us to believe he may have already known what Nora discovered and Chris had some papers taped under his desk as well. None of which were stolen in the raid of The Hoff’s office, obviously.

Nora goes to her brother’s grave and finds a postcard from Max and when she gets home she also finds out that her scholarship has been extended to include the trip to Paris based on her stellar academic record. The only problem is that she never applied for said scholarship. We’re getting into the thick of things now! Max has requested that she meet him in Prague during the exact time she will be on the trip in Paris. She and Adriane devise a plan to get away. While escaping they realize 2 things. A.) They are being followed by Eli and b.) This getaway is harder than they thought because they don’t speak Czech or any other foreign language so Eli has his uses since incidentally he does speak several languages. They meet up with Max and start to follow the map/riddle set before them by Elizabeth Westin to her brother, Thomas, which will guide them to the Lumen Dei.

The Lumen Dei is a device that will connect the mortal with the Devine, supposedly. Nora is mostly atheist and does not believe the machine’s abilities at all. However, what she does believe because she’s seen them with her own eyes is the Hledači. Hledači means seekers and this group means business. They want the Lumen Dei and they want her to put it together because they believe Nora is Elizabeth’s heir and the only one who can re-create the Lumen Dei and bring them the power of it that they desire. After a couple of run-ins with the Hledači, Max is thrown into the river while trying to protect Nora and not found after.

After the day of being caught and then escaping the psychopath “seekers” while Adriane is in the shower, Eli presents Nora with a folder showing that Max was not who he said he was and that he is actually part of the Hledači.

What?! We’re in the thick of it now!

So now instead of continuing to search for Max they decide to get into the Hledači’s lair and take pictures so that they can clear their name with the police.

We already know that sounds like a harebrained scheme, but they forge along with it despite my admonishments.

 Thankfully, even though they are found out, they manage to get out unscathed and take a hostage with them. Yet, while Eli was supposed to be interrogating their hostage the hostage escaped. Eli seems a bit sketchy with his vague, evasive answers and his uncanny ability to be around when it’s awfully convenient. At his point, Nora and Adriane decide they need a break from his lies, but before they go Eli gives her the last letter that Elizabeth had written for the very last piece of the Lumen Dei.

How convenient again, eh?

Adriane it seems has a change of heart about fighting the Hledači. She wants to go home, but now Nora is the one who wants to see things through. So, off Nora goes with Eli against her better judgment to find the last piece.  The last piece is in or around a sacred crypt; underneath the exact church they first visited with Eli. When she opens the box she’s in for quite the surprise! Someone has written a letter in lieu of the last piece. That, however, isn’t the biggest surprise while she’s lamenting the fact that she basically gave them the Lumen Dei the priest sneaks up behind them and holds them at gun point. Apparently, he has every intention on killing her just to prevent the Hledači from assembling the machine and using her as part of the conduit to make it work.

We find out that Eli and his family is part of a group, Fidei Densor, to keep the Lumen Dei from being re-created and used by the Hledači. The priest who plans to shoot her is also part of Fidei Defensor. Before the shooting can commence Eli is indecisive about his place as part of the Fidei Defensor. He wants to know if the Lumen Dei will actually work and he also wants to hide Nora away instead of killing her. The priest disagrees. Obviously. Eli changes tactics and takes the priest down to give Nora a chance to get away.

Eventually Eli catches up to her in a cemetery. He promises to tell her everything. Most of what he’s said has been the truth. He most just omitted things and the biggest thing he omitted: he was sent after her because the Fidei Densor also believe Nora is, or might be, the vyvolená, too.

Eli also tells he has a sneaking suspicion about Adriane, but won’t tell her. He is intent on Nora seeing it for herself. So, instead of meeting Adriane at the appointed time they get there one hour early and find out that Adriane and Max got a thing going on.

*No good scoundrels! How dare they both betray her trust this way!

Suddenly, things start to make sense to Nora. She lets the appointed time come and go just to see what Adriane will do. As it turns out what Adriane will do is get kidnapped by the Hledaci and Max! When Eli and Nora get back to the hotel there is a ransom note as they had suspected. Eli is adamant that she not give them anything. Not herself and certainly not the other piece of the Lumen Dei. Nora is absolutely convinced that these groups are either psychopathic, delusional cultist or just plain, old ridiculous that she is willing to make the trade. Just because zealots believe something will happen doesn’t make their desires fact.

*I am inclined to agree with this. Just wanting and believing in something doesn’t necessarily make it a fact.

So, off they go intent on following through this harebrained exchange yet before they arrive at the exchange site they are both knocked unconscious and taken to a room decorated with human bones.

*Lovely sight to wake up to, I gather.

At last, we find out that Max DID kill Chris and that Adriane was not aware of his part in the treachery nor did she know what they had planned to do with Nora. At this point it hardly matters. Nora has decided to act the part of vyvolena to spare Adriane’s life because she still doesn’t believe the machine before is a pathway to anything. To her it all sounds ludicrous and she’s hard pressed to believe it has picked up such a following. Nonetheless, out vyvolena is adamant about trading her blood to the Lumen Dei for her former friend and boyfriend. She then proves she’s a force to be reckoned with by playing the game with them. She gives her blood willingly and Elizabeth alluded to, but at the time when her blood is to be used she declares that she judges the man not worthy. He doesn’t believe she has the power to make that judgment and taunts him with the statement that maybe one of the other members might be more worthy. He is adamant that it will be him and that he is worthy.

*Oookkk. I guess we shall see shan’t we.

She still does not believe in this devices ability so she’s hoping against hope that her plan that they will believe it won’t work is because she has decreed it so.  Yet, against the odds without any way of being powered the machine whirs to life and into action. Now Nora is afraid; has been afraid of what would happen if this belief in smoke and mirrors brought something into fruition as it now has.  The Lumen Dei causes the user to take on its glow, then it demolishes him into a puddle of blood and melted human body parts. Quite the show! Nora refuses to back down from the lunatics. She calls out, “who’s next?” and jeers at the next bidder to try his hand at becoming a dead human puddle.

Thankfully, Eli and the Fidei Defensor come to the rescue even if it is a few moments after the Lumen Dei has been used. At least no one has taken on the power of God. In a sudden turn, Max, releases her from her restraints, and shouts,” Run!” Only we find out his concern is only for Adriane, his true love, not Nora. Booo! His intentions are to use the Lumen Dei for his own glory the other man’s fate be damned.

*I personally wouldn’t take that sort of chance, but well, I’m not a nutter either.

Max is convinced that the vyvolena’s judgment is important so while holding her at gun point with her blood gushing from the new wound he has created, he forces her to say that he is worthy. She is hesitant because she doesn’t want him to die. Yet, he won’t listen to reason and tells her he is willing to let ALL of her blood to the cause so she says what he believes to be the magic words, then soon after he combusts. Just like his master. Adriane and Eli manage to come to help, but when Max goes up Nora has to forcibly relieve Adriane of her grasp on Max.

*What in God’s name is everyone THINKING? I am not grabbing hold of a murdering, skeleton that is also aflame. I’m just not.

As they make their final escape, Max, still ablaze leaps from the church and does what almost every jumper does which is die. Except, he’s still on fire so he starts a fire that the church catches on to.

The Lumen Dei is completely destroyed so the remaining believers for and against it alike disappear without bothering them again.

Nora finally asks Adriane why. Adriane says it was because Chris was Nora’s and she thought she loved Max; thought he was different than any guy she had ever known. She also didn’t believe that she and Nora were actually that good of friends which she is kind of right about.

Eli is STILL not convinced the Lumen Dei couldn’t do what Elizabeth’s father and Elizabeth had set out for it to do, but Nora knows that kind of power should be in any human’s hands and convinces him to just live his life. He takes her hand and wordlessly they decide to give things a try, I believe.

Unfortunately, Adriane is alone and Nora isn’t quite ready to forgive her; can’t comfort her in the aftermath they she once would have, but she can’t leave her to her despair either.

Interestingly, miraculously, amidst the ashes from the fire, a letter written by Elizabeth was found intact. Eli tracks it down for Nora. We find out that essentially what happened at Nora’s revival of the Lumen Dei is what happened the first time it was used. She believed what Eli now believes, though. That the user and the blood giver have to be worthy, but she was unsure and didn’t care enough to try to use it again.  She did leave it in pieces for her brother, Thomas, to find since it was also his birthright; a machine their father had come up with and started the production of. She left it to be find even after she found out her brother was dead. Mistakes were made all around regarding the Lumen Dei, it seems.

My rating:

 

I really, really like this book. So much so, that I re-read it specifically to write about and add the summary to my blog. It was interwove the believable with the unbelievable making it not so far fetched at all. I’m glad that she and Eli tried to make a go of it after having been so completely duped by Adriane and Max.