First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther. Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.

Synopsis:

Robert Langdon, esteemed professor of symbology, has traveled to Prague to attend a groundbreaking lecture by Katherine Solomon – a prominent noetic scientist with whom he has recently begun a romantic relationship. Katerine is on the verge of publishing a breakthrough book that contains explosive scientific discoveries about the nature of human consciousness. . . revelations that threaten to disrupt centuries of established belief.

When a brutal murder catapults the trip into chaos, Katerine suddenly goes missing – and her manuscript is destroyed. Desperate to find the woman he loves, Langdon embarks on a thrilling race through the mystical landscape of Prague, ruthlessly hunted by a powerful organization and a chilling assailant sprung from the city’s ancient mythology.

As the action expands to London and New York, Langdon plunges into the dual worlds of futuristic science and historical lore – navigating a labyrinth of codes and symbols. . . and finally uncovering a shocking truth about a secret project that will forever change the way we think about the human world.

It’s the end of the workweek—yay! Finally, the weekend is here. I’m glad we were all able to survive another week. I hope everyone was able to, or will be able to, finish the week on a high note. I hope you accomplished all your tasks or at least made significant progress toward them. It’s now time to dress down and let your hair down—to dive into the weekend! I hope you get to spend this brief reprieve wisely, whether by simply resting and taking a break from the rigors of a tedious career, pursuing your passions, completing household chores or other tasks you put on hold, or spending time with your family and loved ones. The weather here in the Philippine capital remains a mix of hot and damp. Occasional downpours riddle the day. The holiday chill is also drawing out the heat. Yes, nights are a little colder—it is officially hibernation season. I hope you’re all doing well—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

With the workweek coming to a close, it’s time for a fresh First Impression Friday update. Over the years, this blogging meme has become an essential part of my weekly book-blogging routine. Not only is it the perfect way to close the week, but it is also a great opportunity to take a reading breather while reflecting on my current read. These updates have also become springboards for my eventual book reviews. I am also reminded that this is my last First Impression Friday update for 2025. Whoa—how time flies! In a couple of days, we will be welcoming a new year. And what a reading year 2025 has been! It was a rollercoaster ride with its own ups and downs. Thankfully, I was able to complete my major goals and reading challenges; yesterday, I finished Elizabeth George Speare’s The Bronze Bow, the last book on my 2025 Beat the Backlist Challenge. On top of this, I have once again read at least 100 books—for the fourth consecutive year.

With my major reading goals and challenges done, I have turned my attention to some of the 2025 releases I have yet to read. One of them is Dan Brown’s latest novel, The Secret of Secrets. I am not sure when I first heard of the book’s release; I believe it was at the start of the year. I was initially reluctant to read the book because, although I have read all of his earlier works, I am still trying to figure out how I feel about them. But I guess my curiosity got the better of me. The first Brown novel since Origin (2018), the book transports readers to yet another cosmopolitan city: Prague, the Czech capital. His previous works took readers to Rome (Angels and Demons), Paris (The Da Vinci Code), Florence (Inferno), Washington, D.C. (The Lost Symbol), and Barcelona (Origin). Honestly, Prague seemed an unusual choice. But as the story opened, it started to make sense. The city is home to the Golem, a clay giant of Jewish tradition. I think it was the Pokémon series that first introduced me to it, while Michael Chabon’s The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay provided my first historical context.

Because of the Golem and the rich folklore behind it, Prague becomes a hotbed for symbols and hidden messages. It comes as no surprise that Dan Brown, a master of semiotics, wouldn’t miss the opportunity to make the city the setting for the sixth Robert Langdon novel. So yes, Professor Robert Langdon is once again at the heart of the pulsating events unfolding in the Czech capital. But before his arrival, as has become Brown’s hallmark, the novel’s prologue opens with a grisly crime scene. A mysterious figure, caked in mud and called the Golem, tortures Dr. Brigita Gessner, a renowned neurologist, in her underground laboratory. Under duress, she confesses to committing horrific acts on human test subjects alongside her team of scientists. The prologue closes with Gessner’s murder and the Golem’s vow of vengeance on behalf of an unnamed woman.

The story then backpedals a couple of hours before Gessner’s death. Professor Langdon is in Prague to attend his girlfriend Katherine Solomon’s lecture on her new book, which aims to revolutionize noetic science (the study of consciousness). Solomon delivers the lecture at Gessner’s invitation. After the lecture, Solomon has a nightmare about a woman wearing a spiked crown who issues a warning of an explosion at their hotel. The following morning, while jogging, Langdon sees the woman from Solomon’s dream on the Charles Bridge. Panicking, he runs back to their hotel, and when he can’t locate Solomon, he pulls a fire alarm to evacuate the building. It is, however, a false alarm—the hotel does not explode. Or at least, that is what it seems at the onset.

Langdon later learns that the police did, in fact, defuse a bomb at the hotel that morning. During a casual conversation, Langdon shares details of Solomon’s dream with Captain Oldřich Janáček. Little does he realize that this seemingly innocuous interaction will put him in harm’s way. The captain, a veteran with over four decades of experience, accuses Langdon and Solomon of staging the bombing. Too many coincidences leave little room for doubt in his mind. He insinuates that the couple planned the bombing as a publicity stunt for Solomon’s book, banking on the public’s fascination with her supposed ability to foresee the future. The fact that Solomon and Langdon were able to retreat early further underlines the captain’s assertion. Meanwhile, Solomon remains missing. She was set to meet Gessner at her laboratory, the Crucifix Bastion.

I am fairly certain that a high-octane adventure will unfold over the course of a single day. After all, this is Dan Brown territory. A puzzle is already introduced when Langdon tries to enter the laboratory. What I find particularly fascinating, however, is the subject and theme the novel explores: the mind’s ability to foresee the future, or at least unlock its potential to do so. It comes as no surprise that Nostradamus is mentioned. The story seems premised on our desire to know what the future holds. As Langdon surmises, “Knowing the future is a human obsession.” The mind itself is another puzzle, brimming with symbolism waiting to be unlocked. This sets the tone for the story. I am a hundred pages in, and the action is just about to escalate. Once it does, I expect the story to be relentless.

Adding another layer of mystery is the Golem. Such enigmatic figures are hallmarks of Brown’s work. He—or perhaps she—will eventually be unmasked. I expect the unveiling of the Golem’s identity to be shocking; such moments rarely aren’t in Brown’s oeuvre. With a couple of days left before 2026, I just might be closing 2025 with The Secret of Secrets. I’m not complaining, though—the book is beginning to command my attention. I was underwhelmed by Origin, and I’m hoping The Secret of Secrets will redeem Brown. I can’t wait to get lost in this labyrinth—hopefully not too lost. How about you, fellow reader? What book (or books) are you reading this weekend? I hope you’re enjoying your current read. Happy weekend!