York: The Shadow Cipher

By: Laura Ruby

Narrated by: Adam Verner

“The pleasures of the novel go far beyond the crackling, breathless plot and the satisfaction of watching the puzzle fall into place. The book is shot through with humor, both laugh-out-loud and subtle.” (New York Times Book Review)

From National Book Award finalist and Printz Award winner Laura Ruby comes an epic alternate history series about three kids who try to solve the greatest mystery of the modern world: a puzzle and treasure hunt laid into the very streets and buildings of New York City.

It was 1798 when the Morningstarr twins arrived in New York with a vision for a magnificent city: towering skyscrapers, dazzling machines, and winding train lines, all running on technology no one had ever seen before.

Fifty-seven years later, the enigmatic architects disappeared, leaving behind for the people of New York the Old York Cipher - a puzzle laid into the shining city they constructed, at the end of which was promised a treasure beyond all imagining. By the present day, however, the puzzle has never been solved, and the greatest mystery of the modern world is little more than a tourist attraction.

Tess and Theo Biedermann and their friend Jaime Cruz live in a Morningstarr apartment - until a real estate developer announces that the city has agreed to sell him the five remaining Morningstarr buildings. Their likely destruction means the end of a dream long held by the people of New York.

And if Tess, Theo, and Jaime want to save their home, they have to prove that the Old York Cipher is real. Which means they have to solve it.

"An epic mission to solve one of the greatest mysteries of their time. I loved this book. It is full of twists and turns" (from the Brightly.com review, which named York: The Shadow Cipher one of the best books of 2017).

©2017 Laura Ruby (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Wonderful

Want sure what to expect and wast very pleasantly surprised. Interesting plot, great characters, excellent read! Very much looking forward to book two.

Leaves you wanting more!

"The book was great!" say the kids. The only downside was it's cliffhanger ending. Awesome!

PLEASE get a new narrator!

I loved the story and dialogue and characters... but I couldn't stand listening to the narration... it was totally ruining a fantastic book... I seriously had to stop because the narrator was bothering me so much... his inflections were just weird... and his different voices for the different characters were nearly indistinguishable... either make them different or just read them all the same. It's not just me either... my wife totally agrees with me and my 12 year old son didn't like the narrator also... although he could stand it enough to finish it. Maybe I just got spoiled from just listening to Nathaniel Parker narrate the Artemis Fowl series... he was seriously incredible.

Exciting

York was such a pleasant surprise. It was so well written with a rich story line, dynamic characters that are all so lovable and it is set in a wonderfully unique New York City. I absolutely love it and am going to recommend it to everyone I know with young children. Even adults would love it. I can't wait for the next book. I highly recommend this book.

Wonderful!

Well-detailed. Historical and multicultural references combined with an idealistic rendering of a New York replete with quasi-steampunk imagery, leave the reader wishing such a city truly existed. The characters are well-developed and engaging. And the narrator brings everything to life with a rich voice and varied character styles. Add in the marvelous story, and you have a real winner here!

Great stat

I know this book is rated for young adults but it kept me engaged and unable to stop listening
Now my only disappointment is waiting for the next book to come out

Fun adventure!

Good fun, might be a little advanced for some younger readers to fully understand. Kind of disappointing that the end, was not really an ending, yes I understand it's a trilogy.

My other criticism is, the story is alt-history, but much of NYC is the same. To me this didn't work well, I could not suspend my belief, to allow for the changes laid out and yet common pop culture references. It failed me...