The Shadow Cipher | York #1

The true story of any city is never a single tale; it’s a vast collection of stories with many different heroes. But most storytellers believe that theirs is the only true story and that they are the only true heroes.
They are surprised to find out they are wrong.

The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby is the first of the York trilogy. Set in an alternate, futuristic New York City, it’s a treasure hunt in the vein of National Treasure, but for a middle-grade audience. However, this book doesn’t only talk about a fictional treasure—it’s a treasure for all ages itself.

Plot

It’s been over 150 years since the Morningstarr twins disappeared. After they revolutionized the technology of New York City, they left behind the mysterious Old York Cipher, built into their city, leading to treasure beyond imagination. But after the initial treasure hunters hit a dead end, the craze over the Cipher faded, and now it’s only seen as an urban legend, something to be chased by the ignorant.

Tess and Theo Biedermann along with their cousin, Jaime, live in one of the last buildings constructed by the Morningstarrs—at least until a real estate developer purchases their land, intending to demolish the building and erect a condo in its place.

With thirty days left to pack up and move to a new home, the kids have one option left. If they can prove the Cipher is real, they might be able to save the building. And to do that, they need to solve it.

Tess, Theo, and Jaime set out to unravel one of the city’s oldest mysteries with nothing but their combined brains and the internet. They embark to discover what the city’s greatest minds have failed to do. But as they search, they uncover a startling secret. The Cipher is alive. It’s changing. And it’s been waiting a long time for these three friends.

I found the plot of The Shadow Cipher very enjoyable. The first half was good, but then the second half came along, and it became really good. The action and stakes ramp up as the deadline for their eviction draws closer and closer, and as the clues become more and more monumental. While the story isn’t heavy on intense action scenes, they do happen a few times, and they’re excellent when they appear.

This kind of plot (I’ll call it the National Treasure plot type) is no new thing, Ruby pulls it off with such skill—plus a few twists—that it stays far from boring or predictable. And the puzzles are clever enough to both keep readers guessing and give them enough information to try and figure it out themselves.

But the plot isn’t the only thing about the book that shines.

Characters

The characters of this story are amazing, as is the way they interact with each other. Theo is definitely my favorite, as he constantly reminded me of myself. He’s very analytical and literal, and his sister calls him a robot on a few occasions.

Tess is also a great character, always worried about what might go wrong. “Catastrophizing,” as her family puts it. The way the entire Biedermann family interacts with each other feels very real. And not that family drama is bad, but reading a story about a relatable, respectable family was a nice change.

All the characters, even those who show up for only one chapter, have a distinct characteristic that sets them apart. This makes for a cast of realistic, believable characters that are just fun to read about.

The one character I didn’t care for as much was Jaime. I didn’t feel like I got to see much of his personality, just that he likes drawing and superheroes. Those two interests are his defining traits and are emphasized, in my opinion, a little too much. There’s hardly a scene that Jaime isn’t sketching one thing or another.

Despite how well the characters are done, they do not have unique narrative voices. The book switches between Tess’, Theo’s, and Jaime’s points of view, and I frequently had a hard time keeping track of who was supposed to be narrating since they all read the same. The two chapters from Cricket’s point of view were the most unique in writing style.

I found it interesting how the author made an effort to diversify the characters in the book. Some hints are given that Tess and Theo are Jewish, and Jaime is Cuban. But this ethnic range is not a major part of the story.

Theme & Content Warnings

While there isn’t a central message to the book, nor really any character growth at all, there are some wise sayings that come from the twins’ grandfather. For example, “The biggest problem we have is that people like to fool themselves into thinking that they could never be fooled.”

This book could get away with no content warnings, but just to be safe, I’ll list some minor concerns.

Throughout the book, characters use euphemisms for profanity. One police officer uses food items as substitutes for profanity, and the sheer amount of times he does so during his short, single appearance in the book made me just a bit uncomfortable.

Twice, in passing, Tess mentions or thinks that female superheroes are often dressed immodestly and wishes they would have more practical outfits, like jeans and a t-shirt.

The pages are also rife with pop culture references, many by name, some only described. In some way or another, Angry Birds, Lego, Harry Potter, The Matrix, Godzilla, many superheroes, and possibly more that I forgot are referenced. But the book is free from whatever content concerns the referenced media may have.

There seems to be a light romance between two of the characters, but if that is the case it’s barely noticeable.

Overall

I have to make the observation that the actual title of this book, The Shadow Cipher, is so dwarfed on the cover by the massive “YORK” that it’s very easy to miss. This isn’t a critique, I just think it’s a weird choice.

One final praise of this book is that I found it incredibly funny. The sheer randomness of some elements had me, especially in the beginning, quite amused.

To sum everything up, I liked this book. A lot. A puzzle/treasure hunt story, plus intriguing worldbuilding, plus lifelike and witty characters makes for an amazing story. If it at all sounds interesting to you, I would recommend this book.

Now I just have to hope book two is just as good.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll write you in the next one!