Cipher

by Emma Shade

My father’s new job forced my family to move to a small town, and trust me… I don’t fit in here. I don’t belong with the perfect elite of Crawstone High School. Then I met Grayson Sterling. But he’s one of them—one of the flawless of this town. However, I’m discovering Crawstone isn’t as perfect as it seems. Something evil lurks beneath the surface of its polished exterior. If that wasn’t enough to drive a girl crazy, the ghost of a murdered girl is haunting me. I don’t know who was involved, or if they are closer than I think, but something tells me if I don’t find this girl’s killer soon, I may be next.

Genres: Young Adult

219 pages, Paperback

Published February 19, 2016

About the author

Emma lives in Indiana with her husband and three crazy cats. When she’s not busy writing her next novel, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, listening to music, taking naps, or curled up with a good book.

Facebook -- https://www.facebook.com/authoremmashade

Reviews

[~Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cipher, by Emma Shade, is a standalone and is told in the heroine's POV. It's mysterious, enticing, and will keep you on your toes until the very end. It's a little tamed down from the books I normally read, but so refreshing I must say. It's YA with some paranormal elements.

In this sweet, mysterious love story, we are introduced to Grayson and Jazmin.



Jazmin has to start over her Senior year of high school in a new state and a new town. She has to make new friends and adjust to her new life, and she's not very happy about it. The kids at her new school are not very welcoming to her except for the hottest guy in school, and one of the flawless elite, Grayson Sterling.

It doesn't take long for Jazmin to realize that Crawstone, Indiana, is not the town it appears to be. Something strange is going on and she is determined to find out what that is. She is being haunted by a ghost of a girl that was murdered in her new town.



I'm gonna stop right here so I don't give too much away. I really enjoyed this book. Emma Shade has a creative imagination. I've read her previous books and I loved them. This book is definitely different from her normal writing style, but she did add a little bit of paranormal in this one. I'm not normally a paranormal fan so that tells you what kind of author Emma Shade is.

I definitely recommend Cipher. If you like YA then this is the book for you. If you like paranormal, then this is a book for you. It's not considered a paranormal book but it does have a touch of paranormal element to it.

I give Cipher 4 Crazie Stars!! ~Kim

[Heather Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a fun YA book. It's like being written by R.L. Stine but a girl- and some whiskey! So Jazmin moves to a small Indiana town with her parents. With and even smaller high school. And naturally said high school is filled with teen angst, drama, huge bullies, love, hormones... oh and a ghost and a cult. I sailed right along her waves of emotions with this plot. All leading to a unexpected ending. A great quick read!

[Meagen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of meeting this author in Denver during a book tour and cover model weekend. I was so excited to see a YA book out, I grabbed it, had her sign it and smuggled it home to read. I wasn't able to pick it up until now, but once I did, I couldn't put it down!

This is hands down one of the best books I've read in a long time. There is a solid mystery throughout the book that kept me hanging on every word looking for a clue. Shade does a brilliant job of keeping the answers you need as a reader close to the vest until the last possible second. I was hooked from the first sentence..."Nothing exciting ever happens..." because you know something is going to happen with an opening line like that.

Jazmine's a great protagonist. She's feisty, independent and strong, whether she wants to be or not. The way she describes her relationship with her parents is real and very normal considering her age and the circumstances she finds herself in. Like going to any new school, Jazmine meets the mean girl right away and meets a group of friends she believes to be misfits, but people she can relate to. Since she can't relate to anyone at home, this group is her lifeline.

Grayson, the hottest guy in school, seems too good to be true and then there's Derek who hates Grayson, but wants Jazmine's attention as well. He and Grayson seem to have a tug-of-war going over her heart and she can't figure out why. Jazmine, like most teenaged girls, doesn't see her own beauty or worth. Additionally, the theme of trust runs deep through the book and in case your forget it, there's a ghost who continually reminds us.

The ghost is an integral part of the story as the mystery revolves around her, so you can't dismiss her when you read. Speaking of the mystery, it is edgy and creepy as well as frustrating. It seems that so much is going on in the town, but no one knows how to stop what's happening without putting themselves in danger. It was so fun mentally working my way through the clues Shade placed and when I thought I'd figured it out, I was so wrong.....

The storytelling is wonderful and the mystery is expertly penned. This is a must read for YA literature lovers! I'm looking forward to reading more of this author.

[Rachelle Conyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I had tears at the end of this book. I do have to admit that at the beginning of reading this story, I had some doubts that it wouldn't meet my expectations from her first series. However, all of a sudden BAM! I finally started to feel the anticipation and the excitement of being on the edge of my seat to see what happens next. I love how Emma's writing mind works. While reading a story, I like to analyze what I think will happen, or who done what. It was hard to analyze it at first and then once all the pieces starting to fall in place, I found my ideas of who it was. I love a good mystery in a story and this one had some of that. The ending was definitely a tear jerker.