The plot was great but there were too many characters to keep track of. It also seemed too long and included too many irrelevant details. It seemed like it had the protentional to be more than just average.

A slightly above average murder mystery set in a New England prep school. Is it a classis? No. Will you enjoy it? I believe you might.

This book is fine. It is another one of those secret history knockoffs I can't seem to get enough of, even though they are usually underwhelming.

The twisted thread in this story is described like so: "Claire had invoked one of the most sacred of the Reign's rituals, which was the making of a braided thread - always red, and braided with a few hairs from the members' heads - that meant those who wore it vowed secrecy for life about a certain topic." The topic in this case is the pregnancy of one of the girls at the prestigious Armitage Academy, Claire, who was subsequently murdered, and her baby taken from the scene and missing. Madeline Christopher is an intern in the English department, who feels awful that she had no idea that Claire was even pregnant, and takes it upon herself to ask questions in an effort to find out what happened to Claire, and where the baby is now.

I really liked the premise of this story, and the mystery was a good one. I got confused a lot because there were just so many characters, and all of their backstories ran together after a while. The story could have done with some tightening up and without all the extraneous side stories. The ending was a surprise, which is always a good thing, and tied things up nicely.

All in all, I thought this was a good mystery novel and I would recommend it.

4 out of 5 stars.

*** I would like to thank Hyperion and Charlotte Bacon for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I didn't get a chance to read this before it expired on my nook. I'm sorry!