My Alias Is Yours For the Taking

Expected Publication:  February 26th, 2013

Also Known As

By: Robin Benway

Bloomsbury

ISBN-13: 9780802733900

Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad.  Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time.  Having parents with super cool jobs.  Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend.  But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.  Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes.  She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.

Review

     Maggie Silver has been safe-cracking since she was three years old and wants nothing more than to be a spy just like her parents.  So when the organization they work for, the Collective, gives Maggie a solo assignment she's super excited.  Then she finds out that her assignment is basically to be a normal teenager - go to high school, make friends and infiltrate the life of Jesse Oliver so she can steal his Dad's info on the Collective.  Maggie only has a small time frame before Mr. Oliver publishes what he knows and ruins her parent's lives (and her own).  Or so she's been told.  But with the help of family friend Angelo, her new BFF Roux and Jesse himself, can Maggie find out the truth before it costs her something far more valuable than she ever expected?  Also, what can you do when you fall in love with your assignment?  I have been a fan of Robin Benway since reading her debut novel, Audrey Wait!, which was one of my favorite books to be published while I was a teen.  She has a great sense of humor and the characterizations she manages are amazing.  I was laughing at and gasping with Maggie from the very first page of the novel.  Probably because I was a majorly over-dramatic teenager myself and can totally relate to her.  The idea of a teenage spy isn't very appealing to me normally, but the focus on character versus spy/thriller action inclusions kept me involved a lot better than I would have been.  The relationship with her parents was both hilarious and touchingly realistic.  I am a rare girl who does not happen to like Ally Carter's novels about the teen spy school.  Just not my thing.  But by placing Maggie in an everyday environment, Benway really impressed me.  Jesse was a cute romantic interest for the heroine and their chemistry was at turns sweet and hot both.  Roux was freaking HILARIOUS!  I loved her so much, but her crappy home life made me want to cry.  The whole mystery did seem quite downplayed and ignored for most of the book, which was a little disappointing to me as a reader.  The ending seemed perfect to me though and I really enjoyed this book overall.  I thought it was well-written, had a great sense of humor and some lasting value.  I highly recommend it for fans of character driven narratives, with lots of humor/drama.  But I forewarn those looking for an in-depth spy novel, this IS NOT IT.

VERDICT:  4.5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is February 26th, 2013.*

A Vengeful Mercy

Published: April 3rd, 2012

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin # 1)

By: R.L. LaFevers

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

ISBN-13: 9780547628349

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Review

   Ismae has always known she was different.  The fact that her Mother had tried to have her expelled from the womb with poison (and failed) left the markings to prove her right.  Her stepfather regarded her as cursed, marrying her off to the first man who would take her.  When he saw the markings Ismae's new husband almost  beat her to death.  But she was saved by a priest, who took her to the convent of St. Mortain where the nuns served Death himself as assassins and whatever else is needed.   Ismae is eager to have her first assignment, which is to infiltrate the high court of Brittany and find the traitor against the Queen.  Then the traitor must die of course.  But is everything truly as it seems?  Is Ismae truly doing Death's will and can she hold onto her heart against love while she carries out her orders?  I am normally loathe to read books that involve political intrigue of any sort.  Even if they're wrapped up in pagan, historical, 15th century kick-ass books like this one.  I liked that Miss LaFevers focused more on the individual characters than the political machinations - at least enough that as a reader I actually cared what would happen to them.  It was a very believable book, including the romance which was a slow build, compared to the usual insta-love of YA books.  Gavriel is the perfect match for Ismae, because he makes her question the blind faith she has for the Nuns of St. Mortain.  Plus, the visit that she receives from Death himself is pretty fantastic.  The idea of Nun assassins probably is the freshest concept that I've read so far this year.  It was a most welcome change from vampires, werewolves and ghosts.  It reminded me a lot of The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, in a really good way.  This book was definitely worth the read and now I'm dying to have my hands on the next one!  I already know who it will be about (from the little summary in the back of the book) and Sybella was one of the most intriguing minor characters of the book.  I urge you to read this one if you like historical, yet fantastical books with adventure, romance and intrigue.

VERDICT:  4.85/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*