The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby

Reviewed by Ben F.
Grade 11

In 1798, a pair of inventors arrived in New York with a dream to shape a city of skyscrapers, machines, and the most extraordinary technology imaginable. They were the Morningstarr twins; a brother-sister duo who crafted incredible designs for solar-powered street cleaners, zig-zagging elevators, and one impossible cipher leading to treasure untold. Three hundred years later, the cipher is ever a mystery, and another pair of twins in present-day York seek answers in the creations the Morningstarrs left behind. BHut the Cipher is much more than a mystery—it’s as alive as the city itself.

Eccentric twins Tess and Theo Biedermann face a difficult reality; real estate developer Darnell Slant is buying up old Morningstarr buildings—including their apartment complex. Banding together with neighbor and graphic artist Jaime Cruz, the three set off to unlock the secrets of the famed Old York Cipher, nowadays a mere myth for tourists. Following the few clues the Morningstarrs left behind, the trio will have to move fast to solve the mystery before their building is sold, but the Cipher has its own agenda.

The first book in the York series, is a dazzling story of the steampunk city we never knew we needed, interlaced with a clue hunt to rival The 39 Clues. Written with vivid descriptions of shining streets and machinery for every possible task, it’s hard to say which is more intriguing; the Cipher or the city itself. As for our heroes, Tess and Theo are quirkily loveable protagonists in their brilliant youth and drive to solve a puzzle that has evaded understanding for centuries.

The Shadow Cipher is a brilliant steampunk mystery that shines in its depiction of a beloved city reimagined in the most eccentrically fantastic way, and the secret that lives inside it. Easily recommended to all 10-and-up fans of steampunk, mystery, brilliant clue hunts and mechanical marvels. Ten and up rating based off approximate reading-comprehension skills; York, much like its namesake, is no small feat to comprehend.