Avery West's violet eyes mark her as the central figure of a prophecy ruling the destiny of the Circle of Twelve, powerful families that secretly control the world. With attractive Jack and suspicious Stellan, she embarks on an international treasure hunt to solve an ancient puzzle. This is a plot-driven, action movieesque novel dulled by bland characters and unimaginative descriptions of exotic locales.

Avery West is just a regular teenager who happens to move around a lot because of her mom's work. Then the appearance of Jack, a cute but mysterious boy, turns Avery's world on its end. In the course of one strange night, Avery finds herself flying to Paris to meet distant relatives of her long-absent father. All is not as it seems, particularly after a dress fitting turns into a gruesome blood bath. Soon Avery is learning of the Circle, comprised of 12 families that secretly control the world and are bound together by a mandate. As Avery and Jack begin to uncover what role Avery plays in the destiny of the Circle, she begins to see that the choices she makes affect not only her future but also the futures of those she loves. This fine mix of adventure and romance will easily pull readers into a world of just-believable-enough conspiracy theories, while a cliff-hanger ending will leave them eagerly awaiting the next installment of the adventure.

Avery and her mom have moved throughout their lives due to her mom's job as a military consultant.á From school to school, Avery has learned not to get too close to anyone because she will just need to leave again. On the night of prom, her mom announces she has to go out of town, they are moving again, and Avery is to stay home. Avery rebels and heads to prom, where the real adventure begins.This is a conspiracy story, a National Treasure type of puzzle, with ancient prophecy thrown inà all starring a teenage girl who has lived her whole life as a relatively ordinary American, and two teenage boys who have been raised as soldiers in the heart of the conspiracy.á Hall's worldbuilding is as enthralling as the best fantasy sagas, even though it is a world within our own.áHer characters are captivating, again cleverly mixing believability with the outrageous demands of her conspiracy.áThe puzzle and mystery of her plot will draw readers in.áThe only complaint is that the story does not end. Avery's allies have solidified a little as the book ends, but it is them against the conspiracy as clearly more adventures and greater dangers await them (which is saying a lot as this reviewer eventually stopped counting the number of times Avery or her allies lives were in danger). This is a fun, fast read.á It should find plenty of readers on its own, but will be an easy sell for book talks if needed.Beth Karpas.

Gr 7 Up-Avery West has been very careful not to form strong friendships and bonds, knowing that they will be lost every time she has to move because of her mother's job. When she meets Jack Bishop, a fellow new student at her school, everything changes. After a last-minute decision to attend prom with Jack, they are approached out of the blue by Stellan, who demands that Avery go with him and whom, strangely, Jack appears to know well. Soon Avery finds herself in a world of Keepers, the mandate, and The Circle of Twelve. Not only is her father alive and part of one of the secret families of The Circle, but he could possibly even be the head of one. There are secret societies Avery knows nothing about, and some of them want her out of the picture. The search for the truth takes her to Paris and Istanbul and finally, to her father. Hall sweeps readers into a world of conspiracies, puzzles, and mystery from the first page, and provides a likable and intelligent narrator in Avery. Perfect for fans of Rick Riordan's The Red Pyramid (2010), Ally Carter's "Gallagher Girls" series (both Hyperion), and Michael Scott's "The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel" (Delacorte). Selenia Paz, Helen Hall Library, League City, TX