andrearbooks's review against another edition
3.0
The Art of Secrets by James Klise is a YA mystery of sorts told in a unique format. Saba Khan's family's apartment is burned down, and there are questions of this being a hate crime. Given the family has lost everything, the community rallies around them to help them rebuild. One of the fundraisers they have for them involves an auction, and by way of this, a very expensive piece of artwork is donated. This piece of art can give the Khan family the financial support they need to rebuild. That's great until the artwork goes missing. The book is then piecing together what the heck happened. Through a variety of correspondence, including emails, police statements, and news articles, the question of "Whodunnit?" is raised and explored. The answer to that question was one I definitely didn't see coming. I liked this one, and I did appreciate the way privilege was explored in the community as fingers were pointed, and assumptions were made.
shelby_d714's review against another edition
4.0
This book was good! The format was interesting and the mystery was compelling. The ending, however, was not so great. It was one of those mystery endings where you literally can’t guess it, because information given to you in the book directly contradicts the ending. That was definitely annoying, but I wouldn’t say it ruined the book.
ipushbooks's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mjaitely's review against another edition
3.0
If you're looking for a fresh mystery to read which is not too much crime related and more of teenage banter but is still interesting and underrated, this is it. The Art of Secrets is a book that gives insight into another culture and the inner dynamics of how being an outsider is challenging in the very opportunistic America. It relates a story of "desperate dreamers" and the ends to which they go to establish themselves in life.
SPOILERS ALL THE WAY:
The Outsiders would have been a suitable title to this novel, but unfortunately that title was used by S.E. Hinton a little less than half a decade ago. Javier or "Savior" in the novel has read this book or its Spanish Translation: REBELDES. Kendra is clueless about this book which is a contradiction to what she is throughout the book, she is one character who is never clueless and turns out to be the mastermind behind everything. Yet, the end of this crime mystery does not manage to capture my heart as it seems to abrupt but then that's what's real about it. James Klise, in the novel uses Multiple POV at its best and gives different views to the story which helps build it up. The POV I liked to read the most was Ariel Ames and Jean Delacroix and maybe even Javier. Ariel's POV sounded fresh, while Jean's POV was interesting considering the amount of depth in which art is discussed in it. Also Javier's POV brought out this sympathy for his feelings and explained his behaviour really well. I liked this book as it also gave an insight into another culture which was fun to explore. Otherwise Saba and her group's dynamic were much like high school banter is.
Spoiler
SPOILERS ALL THE WAY:
The Outsiders would have been a suitable title to this novel, but unfortunately that title was used by S.E. Hinton a little less than half a decade ago. Javier or "Savior" in the novel has read this book or its Spanish Translation: REBELDES. Kendra is clueless about this book which is a contradiction to what she is throughout the book, she is one character who is never clueless and turns out to be the mastermind behind everything. Yet, the end of this crime mystery does not manage to capture my heart as it seems to abrupt but then that's what's real about it. James Klise, in the novel uses Multiple POV at its best and gives different views to the story which helps build it up. The POV I liked to read the most was Ariel Ames and Jean Delacroix and maybe even Javier. Ariel's POV sounded fresh, while Jean's POV was interesting considering the amount of depth in which art is discussed in it. Also Javier's POV brought out this sympathy for his feelings and explained his behaviour really well. I liked this book as it also gave an insight into another culture which was fun to explore. Otherwise Saba and her group's dynamic were much like high school banter is.
smagdarine's review against another edition
2.0
i love a book set in Chicago (complete with references that allowed me to picture locations) but good lord was this a frustrating mystery. nothing was ever really solved besides a very vague conclusion that /could have/ been one thing but was not really properly supported
bucketsofdirt's review against another edition
4.0
The various mediums through which this story is told really captivated me. Nontraditional storytelling is a rare art, kind of like the art piece at the center of the plot. I also thoroughly enjoyed reading a modern story of immigrants and their children; it gives a face to those who come to America to improve their lives during a crucial time when much of the political rhetoric has dehumanized these people. I loved the depth that came with both main and minor characters, each had their flaws along with their strengths. Overall I would say this is a great read for anyone who is bored by picking up title after title of cliches in the YA and teen fiction section of their library!
jenniefallis's review against another edition
1.0
*I received an advanced reader copy from Goodreads Giveaways*
The Art of Secrets is really boring and the writing is bad. Saba's apartment is set on fire at the beginning of the year and the school holds an auction to raise money. They intend to sell a famous painting that was mysteriously found right before the auction until it is stolen and the set fire to later, before it can be sold.
I told a friend of mine what the book was about to which they responded:"Wow that's an eclectic grouping of events, sounds like the author had no idea what to write about so wrote about everything." I could not agree more. The characters are unbelievable and stereotypical. They over-share in order for the one sided interviews, letters, journal entries to make sense for the reader. The plot is predictable and unrealistic.
I was an avid reader growing up and I would never have read the whole book. At several points while reading this novel I almost put it down. To say this novel is great for YA readers is absurd. I would market this book for ages 8-10.
The Art of Secrets is really boring and the writing is bad. Saba's apartment is set on fire at the beginning of the year and the school holds an auction to raise money. They intend to sell a famous painting that was mysteriously found right before the auction until it is stolen and the set fire to later, before it can be sold.
I told a friend of mine what the book was about to which they responded:"Wow that's an eclectic grouping of events, sounds like the author had no idea what to write about so wrote about everything." I could not agree more. The characters are unbelievable and stereotypical. They over-share in order for the one sided interviews, letters, journal entries to make sense for the reader. The plot is predictable and unrealistic.
I was an avid reader growing up and I would never have read the whole book. At several points while reading this novel I almost put it down. To say this novel is great for YA readers is absurd. I would market this book for ages 8-10.
sangloup's review against another edition
3.0
Book #16 of the EBN challenge at my Library.
Challenge Topic: An Edgar Award Nominee.
Not my favorite style of writing. Several different perspectives all melded into a book. But ti kept the mystery pointing in all directions so you didn't figure it out until the end... when it told you. But then... it never really told you either... just hinted.
Challenge Topic: An Edgar Award Nominee.
Not my favorite style of writing. Several different perspectives all melded into a book. But ti kept the mystery pointing in all directions so you didn't figure it out until the end... when it told you. But then... it never really told you either... just hinted.