Author: Lynn Lindquist

Publisher: Flux

Publication Date: June 2015

Pages: 408 pages, Paperback

Synopsis (via Goodreads):

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. 

When I read the synopsis of this book, I was very excited to get to read it. Now, it's not that the book disappointed me, I just know that it could be better. Although the plot isn't cliché, it isn't uncommon either, certainly not something that is completely foreign to me. I thought that this book is, in fact, very average. There's nothing particularly terrible, and there's nothing all that great either. This is disappointing considering that with the plot Lynn is working with, she could do a lot more to make it stand out. 

It took me a very long time to get through this book, even though i thought the story was interesting. I attempted to read thrice and ended up stopping just a couple of pages in. The book just couldn't seem to absorb me, hook me, get me to empathize with its characters. The character development was a bit abrupt and gratuitous, but acceptable enough. I felt like things went too smoothly, especially with all that hype surrounding the Sevens and the mystery of the murders. The riddles weren't very complicated although that is understandable since they are high school students and not genii. 

One thing I can say though is that this book was a sweet tale about friendship, family, loyalty, strength, love, maturity, and growing up. Those aspects of the story we're, I believe, portrayed well. Maybe in a bit of a cheesy manner, but certainly satisfying for people who just want a happy story. Some people might not like it because they succeeded not really because of their own ingenuity but because of sheer luck and other people's help. 

All in all, Secret of the Sevens is an normal(ish), sweet story that is mostly angst-free and doesn't keep you in the dark for long.