Goodreads Synopsis: Summer Davis sees deaths before they happen. She attempts to live a normal life by focusing on the dance team and her quarterback boyfriend. But then the way-too-cheery Angel of Death shows up and tells her she’s a Cipher—a person chosen to help people who are going to die resolve problems with their loved ones. Ashlyn Moore, one of Summer’s classmates, is going to die, and she needs Summer’s help before that happens.

It’s nearly impossible to get through to Ashlyn, who surrounds herself with chess nerds and geeks and makes it clear she doesn’t want to be friends. Desperate to complete her Cipher task before it’s too late, Summer turns to Troy, the guy who’s always been there for her and one of the few people she can trust. With his help, she makes progress. In fact, the closer she gets to Ashlyn and her friends, the more she feels like she’s finally found where she belongs.

As the clock starts running down on Ashlyn’s life, Summer decides to change her objective. She’s going to save her new friend before it’s too late—even if it means messing with fate.

My Review: A cute book. I liked it. It's not my favourite, but I definitely didn't hate it. The characters were interesting and not really flat at all, they were like people I could know in real life. Outside of bookland, if you will. Anyways. The story was alright. I feel bad for Summer. She tries so hard, just to fail again and again. I don't know how she keeps at it, all those people dying even with her trying so hard. Sure, she wasn't really a nice person at the beginning of the book, I mean she is a nice person, but she tried not to be to fit in. I know what that's like, everyone goes through that at some point in their lives, I'm sure. Ashlyn was probably my favourite character. She's sweet, and she sticks up for what she believes in. She didn't want to let Summer into 'The Misfits', their group in school, but once she realized that Summer wasn't what she appeared to be, she calmed down and they became friends. This book is a typical high school story for most of the book, and there are parts where that small Cipher twist is embedded. It's a good read. Definitely check it out if you get the chance. I like the cover, too. Thanks for reading!

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Originally Reviewed At: Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 5 Controllers, Crown Rating
Review Source: Blog Tour/Blast
Reviewer: AimeeKay


OK. I know this is a giant spoiler but I’m giving Cipher a 5 controllers out of 5 Royalty award! OMG! This book was amazing. If you don’t read the rest of my review that’s fine, but definitely take my advice on this one and go pick up a copy of this book. Pick up a box of tissues while you’re at it.

I have to say when I started this book I struggled at first. Not because of the book itself, but because I’ve been reading A LOT of first person pov lately and this one is written in third person past tense so it took a minute. But the perspective issues wore off quickly and Cipher sucked me in completely.

First let’s start with the non-spoilery things. Madsen’s world she has created is awesome! (It’s also heartbreaking, but more on that later.) The way she works Summer’s abilities and all into our world is amazing. Not only does it feel realistic, but at one point the main character even gets busted for talking on her cell and driving at the same time. (Don’t think that will spoil too much.)


Her characters are also uber-realistic. From the way Summer reacts to her world around her, the way the mean girls react to pretty much everyone, to how the Misfits are with each other. It all rang true. Also her characters are awesomely true to themselves.

As for the heartbreaking….tears started leaking before I was even halfway done. Needless to say by the end I was a hot mess. Without giving too much spoilerage, I think I started tearing up because I knew one of the characters I was attached to was supposed to die at the end. By the end I just couldn’t stop. This author was that good. I mean I got attached to the characters without even thinking about it. They were awesome. Thank goodness the author offered some positive points near the end so it provided some comfort. But, OMG, still I couldn’t stop crying! The worst (best?) part is that I wasn’t crying because of some sappy stuff, but because the author really had me invested in this book.

I am recommending this book to pretty much everybody. There really aren’t any over PG-13 scenes so I want to get a copy of this one to share with my own girls. Definitely read it through first if you are thinking of buying it for a younger teen though, since it deals with some REALLY heavy stuff.

There is a teaser for the second book in the series at the end which I haven’t started yet. But I plan to, and I plan to try to get my hands on the next book as soon as it becomes available, even though it will probably have me in tears too.

Go get this book, read this book, share this book. It is awesome. It is moving. It has hysterically funny scenes that probably made me cry even harder knowing from the summery how the book would end. But still they were laugh out loud funny. I hope I haven’t completely ruined the book with this review. Just go out and get a copy and read it for yourself if you don’t believe me, just have the tissues nearby and don’t say I didn’t warn you about how awesome it is! ( )

I just love Cindi Madsen's books and I was really excited to read her latest release, Cipher. Cipher is the story of Summer Davis, a teenage girl who can see people's deaths before they happen. Summer started having her "visions" when she was just a young teen. She tried to brush them off, but when one of them struck too close to home, it pretty much threw her for a loop and into a deep depression. Summer finds out that she is a Cipher, someone whose job it is to help people who are going to die reconcile and make peace with loved ones before they pass on, which is a job Summer really doesn't want. Nevertheless, she takes on her first assignment, Ashlyn, which proves to be a bigger challenge than she anticipated.

Before finding out she was a Cipher, Summer was very popular, had the jock football star boyfriend, hung with the popular crowd, etc. When she tries to get to know Ashlyn, she finds herself associating with the not so popular crowd, a group who her friends call the rejects. When Summer breaks up with her boyfriend, she soon finds that the girl she is supposed to be helping, and her group of misfit friends, wind up helping her more, making her feel more welcome and accepted than she has ever felt with her popular friends. Meanwhile, she begins to see her best friend Troy, who is a total hottie that gets along with everyone, in a whole new light. Feelings she had for him that had been pushed back into the friend zone begin to resurface, but she isn't sure if Troy feels the same way.

In Cipher, Summer discovers what it means not only to help others, but what true friendship is all about, the importance of relationship, and even finds love and romance along the way. I loved Summer's character and enjoyed watching her grow and come to terms with her past, her present, and her future. I loved Troy and enjoyed watching the romance between them develop. I really hope these two can stick it out together as the series progresses. Cindi Madsen did a wonderful job in this paranormal story of depicting issues and situations that real teenagers have to face and deal with, while adding a little magic and excitement to the mix. Cipher is an enchanting story, the characters are well written and fun to get to know, the romance was sweet, and the magical/paranormal aspect was fresh and from a different perspective than I've seen before, which made the story even more enjoyable. If you enjoy YA paranormal romance, then Cipher is a really fun book that you might want to check out. ( )