Review of The last Equation of Isaac Severy by Nova Jacobs

Hello Readers,

Thank you to Touchstone Books for generously supplying me with a free review copy of The last Equation of Isaac Severy by Nova Jacobs. I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After the death of Hazel's grandfather, Isaac, she finds herself in possession of clues to figure out her late grandfather's last equation. The equation is extremely sought after and was left to her because she was the least likely person to receive it. One of the biggest takeaways from the letter that her grandfather left her is this line, "Three will die. I am the first.” Was her grandfather senile in his last days, or is he hiding information that he ever let on? As Hazel follows the obscure clues left to her by her deceased grandfather she must figure out what exactly her brilliant grandfather left behind for her find. Was it a clue to the most sought-after math equation or was he just sending her on a wild goose chase?

This novel is filled with characters. The byline does not let you in on to the fact that you will enter a vast cast of characters and that each character has their own very complicated history. There were definitely times while reading this book that I had to stop and close my eyes and focus in an attempt to remember which character that chapter was talking about. I felt like I was trying to keep up with a very well crafted TV show, and just like a TV show information about the story or character would be given to the viewer at the right time. I definitely had to practice a bit of patience with this book. As I was reading I kept thinking that it read like a group of short stories because the characters don't interact with each other that much,  so with each chapter I had to reorient myself with what was happening with that character. Even with the complicated story lines, I was completely immersed in Isaac's mystery that he left for Hazel, and loved visiting all of the sites in LA. Its been so fun lately to read so many books set in California. Actually knowing what the sites in a book look like bring it even more to life for me. Plus Union station was where my husband took me on our first date, so there is your personal story for the day. 

Overall I enjoyed this novel written in clues. The book did slow down a bit in the middle, but ti did pick back up again in the last half of the book as you start seeing the clues unraveled. It's an absolute must read if you read and loved Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. Both books have a very similar vibe to me except that Mr. Penumbra was more literary focused and Isaac Severy was more mathematically based. 

Links:
Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Book Store
The Last Equation of Isaac Severy

Happy Reading,
Rachael