Secret Society (Secret Society Series #1)

Prepare to enter the Society...

Everyone knows that society splits itself into two groups-- the "In Group" and everyone else. But what if the "In" group went deeper than just old money and good looks? Prepare to be initiated into a society in New York that's only been whispered about for hundreds of years...

What should have been yet another YA novel about the upper-crest teens in a big city turned out to be much, much more. Though Dolby only skimmed the surface in this book, he left us with enough tiny hints and interesting turns that suggest that beneath the Society's superficial surface lies something much more sinister and complex.

If I have one "complaint" about the writing, it was the fact that Dolby switched from one character's POV to another-- without a break in paragraphs, cue, or other kind of heads up for the reader. And the POV's could change as many as three or four times-- in only a few chapters!

Now, I don't mind reading a story from more than one person's POV, but I don't like getting lost in every chapter as the author switches without telling us so. By doing this, he also short changed the characters as well-- I didn't connect to any of them as much as I would have liked, and they weren't as deep or developed as they should be. Where was the main character for this book? I wanted to say it was Phoebe, but even her character wasn't as complicated as she should have been.

This could have been easily fixed, I think, if the author had only changed the layout of writing, sticking with one or two characters' POV, and set aside a certain chapter for each one. This would have allowed not only the character development, but kept the story from seeming choppy.

Despite this one flaw, I did thoroughly enjoy Secret Society--- the mystery of what exactly the Society is, what they're hiding, grabbed my attention and held it until the very end. I'd love to read more from this author, and I hope that he's got plans for a sequel or two, since this one left us on such a cliff hanger...


4 STARS! Overall, a great read for anyone! A refreshing take on an all-too-true cliche that money and status equals power-- and how some people will do anything to keep their secrets. Don't miss out on this one-- prepare to be initiated this September when Secret Society hits store shelves!

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Better than I expected.

I picked this up at a discounted price, just because it sounded fairly interesting and the price was right. I was expecting some sort of Gossip Girl knock-off, and was slightly put off with how pretentious it sounded; how it offered "extras" into a world that clearly we the readers were unfamiliar with, making it seem like the author was forcing us to care about the characters as much as he did.

A few weeks after I bought it, I picked it up one night when I couldn't sleep and ended up devouring it, finishing it only a few days later, in only about 3 sittings.

Perhaps the characters are somewhat flat. Not the most fleshed-out that I've encountered (especially Lauren) but their dynamics made up for it. Usually this genre (such as Gossip Girl, etc) I don't particularly attach to a character simply because I find them completely unsympathetic, and the series is just a welcome indulgence into a world I will never know.

But I did find myself rooting for the characters in this, which is probably what inspired me to keep reading, besides the suspense of the plot (which did feel cyclical at times, that things that were supposed to advance it only felt like filler). I found them relateable, despite that that were "well-to-do" types; they were presented as normal teenagers trying to find their way in the world and not necessarily spoiled brats that they could have been.

I will mostly likely check out the next book in the series. I hope the next book offers more answers though, more development.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

2.5 starts. Nothing to get exciting over.

I found Secret Society frustrating for many reasons. The secrecy of what this society was about and involved in was like a carrot ever dangling in front of me. I understand that was the idea behind the book but at the same time without that nagging need to solve the mystery there wasn't anything else to compel me to continue reading it. I probably wouldn't have even finished it without that ever present "carrot". The book moved slowly for me, with some what tedious events. Where the book had ended should have been actually where the story finally got started. What Dolby took a whole book to get to, most authors take a few chapters. Perhaps, the "carrot" dangled for too long. With the story broken up into 4 different P.O.V's is was hard to connect with any of the characters. It only allowed us a little bit of insight into each one, as if we are only mere acquaintances with each of the characters instead of getting to know them on a deeper level. After finishing the book I still don't know much about any of them. I like a book that makes me feel vested in the characters, to be emotionally attached. Secret Society lacks that draw. This is the beginning of a series but yet I don't care much about what happens. I'm undecided whether I will read the sequel.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Not like I was expecting

At first I thought this was going to be another "Gossip Girl" style book, but it had a lot more mystery to it. There is a lot of alcohol abuse and a few deaths, so its not for younger readers, but if you are a junior or senior in high school, you might like it. Take some elements of GG and put in some mystery and you get Secret Society. It does jump around from character to character so its a lot like watching a TV show, just stay alert to who is the narrator and you can figure it out.
The characters are not real well formed, but this was the first in the series so the author is probably holding out some secrets for later books. I like the settings and its just a fun book to get your society fix with.

Good

When I first read Sercret Society, I didn't finish it. Then I waited a long time before picking it up again, so I read it over, this time finishing it. It was a good book, but not great. Some parts to me were kind of boring, but otherwise it was okay.

secrets really are no fun

i loved this book overall. there were somepoints where i found myself kind of bored but there were so many secrets to find the answers to, that i could not stop reading. it took awhile for the action to start happening but the through the build up you get to know the characters more than if everything happend faster. i am depressed the sequal will not be coming out until winter 2011 (it is call The Truth) but i will read it when it is finally released.

Reviewed by Samantha Clanton aka "Harlequin Twilight" for TeensReadToo.com

In SECRET SOCIETY, we follow the lives of four students from Chadwick Prep, one of the most elite prep schools in New York City. Phoebe is the eccentric new girl in town, Nick is the up-and-coming member of one of the wealthiest families in New York, Lauren is the budding socialite, and Patch is an amateur filmmaker. There is something else about these students that make them special - three of them have gained the interest of The Society.

The Society is a secret group of people whose mission is to "preserve a way of life." I, for one, have always had a major interest in secret societies and so I was already excited about this book, and Tom Dolby has definitely done his research with this. The imagery is so vivid that I actually found myself waking up from dreams about this book and about these characters, which is a major thing for me since most books don't get in my head like that. Some people are probably thinking "Oh no, not something else about a secret society," but this is majorly different. Think Gossip Girl (the show) meets The Skulls (Paul Walker/Joshua Jackson movie from 2000).

After receiving text messages that tell them to go to a gritty downtown warehouse, the three students begin the initiation into The Society. This initiation concludes with each of them receiving an ankh shaped tattoo on the nape of their necks. Once they are entered into The Society, they start gaining everything they were promised: fame, fortune, friends in high places, parties, private town cars that deliver them to and from events. But what's the price they must pay in order to have these rewards?

Things start changing when the body of a young male is found in Central Park with no distinguishing marks, aside from the ankh tattoo on this neck. Then they start to wonder - is all of this worth the risk? But questioning The Society in that way can be very dangerous to not only their careers, but also to their lives and the lives of the people they care about.

I loved this book! I mean totally loved it! Some of the characters are a bit clichéd, but I think in order to really relate to them at all, they needed to be. I also love the whole secret society thing. I find it so interesting and I have read all kinds of stuff about them, fiction and nonfiction alike. There are so many legends and depictions of these societies and I can't help but to be fascinated.

SECRET SOCIETY is a book I will read again. There are so many twists and turns that I didn't see coming and I can't wait to see how they pan out in the next book in the series. Definitely a must-read.

Readable

I've completed the book, my comments are above.

What Kind of Ending Was That?

I was very disappointed in this book. It was very stereotypical. Full of drinking, shopping, socializing. Not all teens are that way. I would have liked to see something more from the characters. The story itself was lacking. Nothing really made sense. The concept of a secret society based on success was interesting but there was no development. The ending was horrible. Nothing was resolved, things actually got worse. Very disappointing. Not worth the time it took to read.

It was just okay

Just finished and thought I would chime in on the conversation.

Have I read this before?

REceived a free copy for my blog! But found it very similar to the blue bloods series. Too bad it could have been fun, but I kept getting deja vu as I tried to read it.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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