Review: All Fall Down

All Fall Down (Embassy Row #1)
Ally Carter
Tween Girl Action and Esponiage 

Grace Blakely is absolutely certain of three things:
1. She is not crazy.2. Her mother was murdered.3. Someday she is going to find the killer and make him pay.
As certain as Grace is about these facts, nobody else believes her -- so there's no one she can completely trust. Not her grandfather, a powerful ambassador. Not her new friends, who all live on Embassy Row. Not Alexei, the Russian boy next door, who is keeping his eye on Grace for reasons she neither likes nor understands.
Everybody wants Grace to put on a pretty dress and a pretty smile, blocking out all her unpretty thoughts. But they can't control Grace -- no more than Grace can control what she knows or what she needs to do. Her past has come back to hunt her . . . and if she doesn't stop it, Grace isn't the only one who will get hurt. Because on Embassy Row, the countries of the world stand like dominoes, and one wrong move can make them all fall down.

Hey all! 
Missed being on the blog. Today I'm back with a writer I grew up on with Gallagher Academy and FELL IN LOVE WITH with Heist Society. 

All Fall Down is right there with the previous two when it comes to cool international, overly important 16-year-old girls with unique family businesses. However I found that as an adult reader, things I used to find cool or charming are not anymore. First off, I know a thing or two now about politics and diplomats and they don't work anything like the book describes. And while being the heir to a huge family dynasty of spies, thieves, or diplomats still seems pretty awesome, I find it more inspiring to see MCs make something of themselves.

There is also the matter of Alexei, this controlling boy who feels the need to "protect" Grace for her "brother". K. People don't become obsessive because their friend asked them to keep an eye out for their sister. If you care about her, great- I just need to see you GETTING TO KNOW HER FIRST. And even then - sorry but the Twilight days are over. Controlling and obsessive is not hot anymore. 

So at first, I had a hard time getting in to Embassy Row. But then I read Ally Carter's twitter thread, and was reminded what made her books so special. 13 year old girls have very little out there for them. YA books are becoming increasingly sexual or dark. This little niche of "tween" girl books was super important for me back in the day and I believe still important for girls now. They've outgrown the elementary stuff, they notice boys, their bodies and minds growing into adults. They look and read about high-schoolers, and I find it important to give them role models who aren't engaged in parties and sex. All Fall Down had friendship, girls being girls, sometimes looked down upon for being small and insignificant but strong- willed. Action, international adventure. And don't worry, Grace seldom let Alexei tell her what to do (; 

Grace deals with serious trauma and yet the book has a light feel to it for the most part. It's clean, fun and a quick read. Kudos as usual to Ally Carter. 

Also, Noah is from my country. Yayyyy Israel appreciates the shoutout <3