Genre: Action, Romance
Format: eBook
Add this on: Goodreads
Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, is not your ordinary private school, as Cammie Morgan can attest. All of it's attendies are trained in martial arts, fourteen languages, hacking, and covert operations- in short, they're trained to be spies. But when she meets an ordinary boy while on a training excerise, she has no idea what to do.
With the ten-year anniversery of publication of this one, I've been hearing really good things about these books. Now, having read it, I have to admit that I'm... kind of disappointed. I feel like I missed something.
I think part of the problem is that this felt too juvenile for me. I don't generally have a problem with books targetted toward younger audiences... but this time it got to me. It limited me ability to relate to the characters, and the simple writing style didn't appeal to me.
The most frustrating part was the boy Cammie liked. It seemed like a disproportionate amount of trouble to go to for someone she'd met once and had one pretty boring conversation with. Again, I feel like I missed what was interesting about him? Maybe it's because I didn't really get crushes in high school, so I was unable to relate...
I think because of that everything else fell apart. It seemed like trained spies (or even half-trained ones) would just... include meeting a person in their report? And not make some truly ridiculous mistakes. I also would have liked to see more of their training... what we did see left something to be desired. I appreciated what the author was trying to do, but it just fell a bit flat for me... I didn't connect to any of the characters, and the plot failed to grab my attention.
The overall verdict, I think is "this one just wasn't for me." It wasn't what I was hoping for from a spy school, and I think the plot was a little to juvenile and/or unrelatable for me. I can see it being fun for a younger audience, even the writing, characters, and humour where not to my taste. I might give the sequel a try... but I kind of suspect that this series just isn't something I'll enjoy.
Yea, when you have that many problems with the characters, it will just make it hard to really get into the rest of the book. I have a feeling I'd take this book in the same way. Too bad. Brilly review.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Characters missing the mark definitely makes it harder to enjoy the book. It wasn't even that they were terrible people or anything... they just didn't mean anything to me. The most I felt was vague annoyance, which wasn't good. (Sorry it took me so long to reply! Things happened.)
DeleteAww, I'm so sad that this one didn't work for you Kelly. I think Ally Carter is a bit of a hit or miss for most readers. I haven't read this series, but have read the first two in her Embassy Row series and although those read a little on the young YA side, but really great reads nonetheless. Wonderful review poppet and hopefully you enjoy your next read a little more <3
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI actually tried Embassy Row before picking these up... this was my second (or possibly third, I might have tried her heist series too?) foray into Ally Carter's writing, and I think maybe it just isn't for me. I'm glad you like Embassy Row, though, it definitely sounds like an interesting concept!
I have this book but I haven't read it yet myself. I wish I had read it earlier because what I am worried about is it being too juvenile. The irony is, the longer I wait, the more juvenile it will probably seem >.>
ReplyDeleteWell, if you have it anyway, you could try it out- my opinion is definitely far from being the only one, and plenty of people love the series! My advice is, if you do decide to read it, go into it expecting it to be geared toward a younger audience... that way you won't be surprised.
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