Member Reviews
D. Labovich's "The Salvador Dalí Formula" is a gripping and enigmatic tale that seamlessly blends mystery, art, and suspense. The novel unfolds around Charles Clark, an unsuccessful journalist who stumbles upon Salvador Dalí's mysterious formula about the secret abilities of the human mind, setting off a chain of events that turn his life into a whirlwind of intrigue and danger.
The narrative kicks off with the discovery of Dalí's secret encoded within the famous painting, "Persistence of Memory." Labovich deftly crafts a story that not only delves into the secrets of the mind but also weaves in elements of romance, murder mystery, and a shadowy scientific society. The plot is intricately layered, offering readers a multifaceted experience that keeps them guessing until the very end.
The characters, particularly Charles and anthropologist Anita Ruiz, are well-developed and engaging. Labovich skillfully navigates their journey as they become entangled in a dangerous web of secrets, facing threats from both a secret scientific society and a mystical killer with a chilling connection to Charles' past. The tension rises as they uncover the hidden formula, transforming their lives in unforeseen ways.
The novel's pacing is expertly handled, maintaining a perfect balance between moments of high-stakes action and unraveling the layers of the mystery. Labovich skillfully integrates historical elements, incorporating ancient megaliths, churches, and museums into the narrative, adding depth and richness to the story.
The overarching theme of the greatest secret in history, waiting to be recognized, adds a sense of urgency and importance to the plot. Labovich's prose is vivid and evocative, immersing the reader in a world where every discovery brings new dangers and revelations.
While the novel is an enthralling and complex read, some readers may find the intricate details of the plot challenging to follow at times. The multiple layers of the mystery, while engaging, require the reader's full attention to grasp the full scope of the narrative.
In conclusion, "The Salvador Dalí Formula" is a thought-provoking and captivating exploration of mystery and danger, woven into the intriguing world of art and the human mind. D. Labovich's skillful storytelling and intricate plot make this novel a compelling and satisfying read for those who enjoy a blend of art, mystery, and suspense.
This was a very ambitious psychological thriller that promises a lot of action and intrigue right off the bat. We are presented with secret societies trying to solve the mysteries of the universe using ideas from both science and religion, giving an interesting twist to the story.
The story was a bit hard to follow, their are too many characters some of which also have multiple identities or go by different names. I believe the reader was meant to piece the mystery together as the story progresses but there were simply too many ideas thrown together, and seemed to only appear when they were convenient for the plot.
In general, the book was an enjoyable read but the story could have been tighter and the pacing more engaging.
This story had its moments. It took awhile to get to the point but there was a decent amount of action that it worked out. The multiple POVs were hard to follow at times, but at the same time it did add to the story to get those different POVs. Without them, I feel that it would have been less interesting and I also believe the story wouldn’t have been as well rounded.
The adventure aspect was great, the characters weren’t the worst and overall it was a decent read.
3.5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book has a great concept that drew me in, but unfortunately, the writing style was off and it was a quick DNF for me.
Finished ✔️ The Salvador Dali Formula by Dushica Labovich
4 ⭐️’s
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
It held my attention pretty well and overall it was a great book.
It was a different read then I’m use to but it was brilliantly told
Yes, id recommend
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I will keep this brief, because I think others should try this one and I would love to connect to hear about their perspectives.
I wanted to really like this one. From the synopsis, I knew this was right up my alley. Unfortunately, the book didn’t hold my attention due to it being overly complicated. Too many characters, with lots of plot shifts that are abrupt and not a ton happening.
I read the ARC that was provided to me, but with it being an uncorrected copy, there were a few glitches and quite a lot of typos that made it distracting. I was offered access to the finished copy so I picked the book up then and read it to the end, but while the corrections were made, I still felt the writing style was clunky.
I do look forward to seeing how this author progresses. The plot had a lot of promise and I would happily try others!
I was really excited to read this book since it was billed as similar to "The DaVinci Code" which I love. However I was greatly disappointed.
Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.
When I read this book was supposed to be similar to The DaVinci Code I was so excited to read it. Sadly, this didn't hit the mark for me.
I felt like the book rushed on the 'meaty' part way too quickly, without setting the scene, properly introducing the characters, and explaining more about Dali, the God particle and what the connections between them should be. Too many characters appearing without background explanations, jumping scenes, rushed conclusions... One character was referred to either by his name or surname without a reason, sometimes multiple times on the same page, which made me question if there was another person I missed. At some point, I even wondered if this was the second book in a series because I really felt like I was missing a big chunk of information.
Another sticky point for me was the translation, which was not done very well and made the book difficult to follow.
I give 2 stars because the prologue was brilliant and hooked me... I'm sure a lot of research went into writing this book and there is definitely an amazing story hiding between the pages... I just wished it were developed better.
Thank you NetGallery and BooksGoSocial for the a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was so confusing and hard to follow. There were too many characters, and every time I started to understand I was reading about this character, the scene would switch. While the chapters were so short (love that!), it felt like I was stuck on the same chapter for so long because I had to keep going back and re-reading pages to figure out what I just read. For example, "Person X" was named as three different people by the *same* character. It was too hard to follow, and it took me way too long to read this short of book.
I really thought that I was going to be able to put a collection of my favourite paintings by Dali into the review. But, I feel that it would detract from the greatness of this work.
This is one hell of a journey into surrealism, religion, science and long gone cults.
This has been expertly researched, put together in a way that isn't condescending and explains the nuances between science and religion and art.
At times it may seem tenuous. But it is so well put together that you don't need to understand all of it to enjoy it.
It is the first time in a long time that I have cross referenced a work of fiction. Not looking to debunk, but to further my understanding of the topics that are being covered. This maybe a work of fiction, but the toipics that are being covered are far from fiction.
This keeps you on the edge of your seat from the opening to the final paragraph. If I hadn't stopped and looked, this could very easily have been a single sitting book. However, I did and it took me close to two weeks to finish. Mind you, there was a hell of a lot of art and theorising that was looked into and digested.
Status: Completed
Rating 5.0/5.0
Thank you to NetGalley, D. Labovich, and Sea Union Publishing for the ARC of the Salvador Dali Formulation. I was so excited to read this book as I heard it would be 2023's version of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, a historical fiction/thriller that would be popular with all kinds of readers. This book immediately gave me Da Vinci Code vibes and I was loving it! The book was very fast-paced and almost addicting to read. The only thing that was a hangup for me was how quickly and abruptly chapters would change characters. It makes the storyline difficult to follow unless you are paying very, very close attention. Even from the beginning I did not have a good sense of the characters or what was going on and I had to continue to read until I started to understand the premise and who was who. Overall 3.5/5 starts, rounded up to 4 for this review.
Thank you to Netgalley and BookGoSocial for a copy of this book.
30 years after the death of painter, Salvador Dali, reporter Charles Clark receives an email inviting him to a press conference to celebrate Dali. This starts us on a fast paced thriller where Clark tries to uncover the secrets in Dali's paintings.
We jump into this book way too quickly bouncing around between characters and plot points without us ever getting us to know any of the characters which left me unable to care about them; unfortunately I also found the plot extremely weak and boring.
This book claims to be 'intellectual' but it just comes off as trying too hard.
This book didn't have any redeeming qualities to me.
A mystery about a painting and a formula that can make dreams come true. I didn’t connect with the protagonist early on so I didn’t find myself drawn into the story like I wished.
I absolutely loved the description but could not get into the book itself. I hope it is only due to the translation. It is so bad, that it is hard to understand the text. I tried. I really tried but I could not get into the story. The language was rough, abrupt. The flow was not flowing (excuse my tautology). It was jumpy and all over the place.
I was trying to find the thread of the story and hold on to it but there were too many disruptions.
The prologue grabbed me. Unfortunately after that there were just too many people in too many places. I gave up after 25%. Two stars for great prologue and good writing.
The Salvador Dali Formula was an interesting book. One for fans of Dan Brown for sure.
I struggled with this book with regards to the writing and the formatting a bit. It felt a bit clunky in places. However the plot was interesting and I wasn't sure where it was going next. I was entertained all the way through but was brought out of the experience a bit due to my above critique.
As a fan of Dali since my schooldays, I was so excited to get a Da Vinci Code style-thriller but using the Persistence of Memory and other great Dali references was exciting to me and I appreciated that.
This is such a fast past book that kept me on my toes the whole time. It was so intelligently written and was so compelling - just how I like my thriller books. I had never read anything by Labovich before and was honestly amazed by the plot. This will not be the last book that I read by them!
Honestly, I was completely hooked and I loved how well Labovich can tell a story. The suspense was killing me 99% of the time and it is a book of a pure mastermind and genius.
Thank you for allowing me to read this book. It was an amazing experience.
This book is a perfect blend of mystery and psychology. I loved the concepts behind it, especially the analysis of the Salvador Dali “formula.” Very well plotted out, I found myself enable to solve the mystery! A challenging, entertaining novel.
When Salvador Dali died he took his secrets to the grave. But what he left behind were hidden messages in his works of art. Hidden in plain sight, but only the most special elite knew about this. Fast forward 30 years, Charles Clark is a struggling reporter who receives an email one day inviting him to a press conference to celebrate Dali. The secret is about to be let out.
This is a fast-paced thriller that will keep you hooked until the end. Clark goes on an adventure of a lifetime to discover secrets long hidden by those who don't want the secrets getting out. During his journey, we root for him, he's a protagonist that came from nothing and has nothing, but because of his determination and will to want more was able to achieve - what he and probably everybody else - never thought he could. We root for the underdog.
Focusing on secret societies, hidden secrets, and secrets of the God Particle this book is compared to the Da Vinci Code. Superbly written, this work connects science with religion. The long standing debate that you can't be a scientist and believe in Jesus is thrown out. He is the science! You can't have science without HIM!
A riveting tale that highlights the author's gift of word and storytelling. Your heart will race and you will feel that suspense rising within. I received an ARC version of this book and leave this review on my own accord.
This has been called the even better version of 'The Cabin I Code' and I can totally see that. It had a captivating mystery, very intelligent and riveting thriller edge. However, one big piece is missing: the writing style. It jumped from subject to subject, character to character, scene to scene. It's easily confusing and in some places makes no sense at all. Fix that and, folks, you've got a winner here.