One of my favourite things about reading is that it takes you away to a place you have never been. You are presented with such imagery that allows for you to enter the world that the author has created. On the flip side it is equally satisfying to be reading about a place that you have already been. To let the author take you back to a place of your travels, where you know what you are about to see but can now appreciate it in a whole new beauty as it is described to you. You let the words flow over you as you see the place from your memory as clear as day! Sometimes the author will find new details to bring to your attentions and you will have to go and pull out your pictures to confirm they are indeed true. It brings a whole new connection to the book that you weren’t expecting!
 
The main reason that I even considered picking The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown was the fact that it was taking place in Paris, more specifically the Louvre!! Literally my favourite city and one of my favourite places in it, throw in a little murder, over an 1000-year-old puzzle with clues hidden in famous works of art and I am sold. Oh, and there is of course the historical aspect with facts that make you wonder how much of this story could actually be reality. I think that one of my favourite things about Dan Brown’s writing, is that the line between reality and fiction is blurred enough that you can believe in the story that he is presenting. One of the reasons he is so successful at this is that he pulls in the real-life art, history, and people that it makes it hard to argue that this book is in fact fiction and not non-fiction.
 
I knew this was going to be a great story by the time I finished the prologue of the book. My mind was left reeling with so many questions that turning to the next page was such an easy task to complete. The intrigue of mystery and symbols throughout the entire book makes you have to keep reading onto the next chapter. Brown has done such a great job at keeping the chapters relatively short so you can just keep reading until all of a sudden you are halfway through the book, it's 2am and you work at 8:30am! It is also a sign that it is a page turner of a book!
 
I really enjoy the main character of the book and the series, Robert Langdon. On a personal level, I just want to make him a cup of tea and give him a blanket so he can just relax after everything he has been through. For a professor of symbols, he gets himself dragged into so many situations over his head and way bloodier than one could be prepared for! I wouldn’t mind being his assistant in this story as they race against the police and the hidden killer in the busy streets of Paris and England!

One of the greatest things about reading the Robert Langdon series and everything by Dan Brown is there is always a twist in the story! For myself, the twist always completely surprised me. It is the kind of twist that made me do a complete 180 degree and want to reread everything that I had just read to see if there was any clues that I completely missed. This was one book that I actually did not flip to the end to see who had done it! But that might be that I was more focused on the historical mystery than the actual murder mystery.

The hard thing about reading this book is that Dan Brown goes into detail about the artwork and architecture and it is really hard to imagine if you haven’t already seen the piece. I found myself Googling the multiple different items in order to center myself around the concept that was being described to me. Just be prepared to Google and take your time trying to understand what is being asked of you of the artwork. It is quite fun though, the puzzle is being presented to you and you are trying to find the same clue that Robert is trying to find! But I really feel like this quote summarizes how the story can appear to others : “Telling someone about what a symbol means is like telling someone how music should make them feel.”

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would consider it a different type of classic book as it is approaching its 20th publishing anniversary. The greatest thing about this piece of literature is that if the story is good, it can become timeless. This is especially true with The Da Vinci Code as the story is interwoven in the artwork and architecture that will remain ageless. This book is easily a 4.5 stars, I am only deducting the half star because of the difficulty that is sometimes presented with the imagery. You can find it on the Libby app and download for you own entertainment!
 
Well I’ll be off cracking the code of the next book, readers!
 
~Jordan~
 
P.S. Yes I know this book was made into a movie, but we all know books are way better!
 
Book Reveiwed:
Title:  The Da Vinci Code
Author: Dan Brown
Rating: 4.5 stars ****
Online?: Ebook on Libby