Century #1: Ring of Fire by P.D. Baccalario

My name is Elettra, and three new friends and I have been thrown into a dangerous mystery. We knew something was strange due to our February 29th birthdays, and then a professor gave me his briefcase, minutes before he was murdered. He said, "It's begun", but I had no idea what that meant. The briefcase contained a scratched up box, a checkered umbrella, and four little tops. We're following the clues we find, but the murderer is hunting for us. The man's violin can put people to sleep, and he used the bow to slit the professor's throat. I wonder if my effect on lights and computers may have something to do with all this, but I hope even more that we'll survive to find the answers.

As you might have gathered, this book reads like a mystery, as the kids follow the clues found in the suitcase. The clues weren't clearly understood, and the threat of the assassin amped up the conflict. Elettra had a confusing ability that exploded a lamp and ruined mirrors, but it affected a couple of other characters when she touched them. I expected the other kids in the group to have special abilities too, but they weren't able to do anything on her own. My biggest problem with the book was the lack of clarity concerning the Ring of Fire. Everything in the book led to the kids finding it, but they never fully knew what was going on. The kids weren't quite sure what the Ring of Fire did even after Elettra activated it. Also, I'm not sure why the adults were kept in the background and weren't allowed to help the kids. It's frustrating to finish a book and still not understand what happened, unless you consider the last two pages of the book enough explanation, which I don't. The book left too many questions for me. Nevertheless, the mystery, adventure, and action were entertaining, and the series has potential. It continues with Star of Stone, but I'm not sure if I will read it.