Secret of the Sevens by Lynn Lindquist

Publication June 8th 2015 by Flux

Young-Adult, Mystery

eARC provided by Netgalley

My Rating 4 Stars

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Everyone at Singer, a boarding school for underprivileged kids, knows the urban legend of the Society of Seven. Decades ago, the original members of the secret guild for elite students murdered the school’s founder and then perished in the fire they lit to hide the evidence. Or so the story goes. Talan Michaels doesn’t care about Singer’s past. He’s too focused on his future and the fact that he’ll be homeless after he graduates in May. To take his mind off it, he accepts a mysterious invitation to join a group calling itself the Sevens. He expects pranks, parties, and perks. Instead, he finds himself neck-deep in a conspiracy involving secret passages and cryptic riddles about the school’s history. Even worse, he’s now tangled in web of lies someone will kill to keep hidden.

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REVIEW So glad this one didn’t turn into one of those overly done mysteries that makes the reader wish for it to end. Some of this wasn’t too surprising, but it did hold my attention.

I loved the idea of this boarding school catering to the kids who come from not-so-good homes and such; giving them a chance to get a good education and be successful in life. Talan has been at Singer for years. Now that he’s about to graduate, he has no idea where his life is headed. His grades aren’t all that, so any hope for a scholarship to college is looking unlikely. When he’s about to accept defeat, he is requested to the school’s basement, he has no idea what for. Inside, he finds a letter asking him to join the Society of Seven. From there, nothing will ever be the same.

Okay, for the most part, I liked this book. I can see how the author wanted to get our MC involved in this secret society plot. Why not play on his weaknesses, I’d have done the same thing. The mystery of the whole society intrigued me. It wasn’t what I was expecting when I started this book. Talan is a believable character in every way. He’s your regular high school jock, who struggles when it comes to the way he takes to his studies. He doesn’t come from a perfect home with both parents, with money to make up for his short comings. Basically, he’s not a spoiled rich kid and I’m so glad that the author made him that way. And, when you offer a desperate person all the things they long for, you are guaranteed an easy sale. Talan had no idea what he was signing up for.

I think that this is a good book for teens who love mystery and adventure. While I wasn’t completely awed by this book, it was very hard to put down. I was caught up in the whats and whys, so it definitely isn’t a boring book. Recommended!