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 

Review: United We Spy

United We Spy (Gallagher Girls #6 and last)
Ally Carter
YA contemporary, esponiage

Spoilers for the whole series- proceed only if you've read them ALL.

Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever.

You can read my review of GG5 - Out of Sight, Out of Time here.

I looooove the Gallagher Girls- in fact, I'm kinda planning to do a tribute post one of these days. Equally girly and action-packed, it's a rare series that has more friendship than romance and that actually has kick-ass girls but doesn't feel the need to tell us that - ahem, TMI girls. 

The Bad:

But for the first time I didn't completely buy everything in an installment of this series... in fact, I spent the first bit in utter frustration.

In the beginning, Cammie and her friends go to London to hunt down a member of the Circle's leaders- at the exact second the Circle's splinter group tries to kill him.

A little in, Macey decides to go with her roommates and extricate Preston from Rome with  the adults' utter refusal and without said adults' knowledge. Turns out that's also when Abby and Townsend had the same idea, as did the Circle's splinter group. 

While all these made for good drama and action, there were just too many coincidences that were not believable. Come on, Preston's been living there for months and you all decide to get him in the same hour? 

My other problem with this novel is that I finished it with more questions than I started. First of all, how is it that we don't know of anyone in this splinter group besides Catherine? And why does she even WANT to rebel within the Circle? Did she or did she not really love Zach, that she tried to save him in book 4 but here wanted to kill herself? And in the end, in the final showdown at the Gallagher Academy... why is it she didn't have friends when she was there? What made her so bitter she had to burn the place to the ground? HOW AND WHEN THE HELL DID SHE AND TOWNSEND HAVE ZACH??????

Four words: Not. Enough. Joe. Solomon.

The Good(e):

I absolutely ADORED how all the couples were just couples, lovingly fighting crime together. It's just so frustrating when after books and books of the couple finally getting together they continue to fight and have problems when there are bigger things happening around them (once again TMI, I'm looking at you). Authors, cut them a break once in awhile! Anyway, I liked how that was not the case here.

Two words: Zachary Goode (:

Okay so call me crazy, but you know how I said in my review of GG5 that a scene reminded me of Harry Potter? So in this one, A LOT reminded me of Harry Potter. The whole we're-ditching-our-last-year-at-school-to-save-the-world thing sound familiar? Everything commencing in an epic battle at the school where it all started? It was quite wonderful for me. Yes, #IheartHarryPotter. 

LIZ. Did I not say in my aforementioned review of book 5 how I thought it was a problem Liz didn't get the attention she deserves? So I am happy to announce Liz finally got her long awaited spotlight. You go, girl. I always knew she'd play a major role. 

And of course, just the overall fun and sassiness and feminism I've come to associate with the Gallagher Girls. I love how the series is moved along by everyone's distinct and BIG personalities, not just reactions to obstacles thrown their way. 

Now all that's left is to be sad it's over. Alas, the Finished Favorite Series Syndrome. (Oooh that's good. I'll call it FFSS for short).
Rating: 4 stars (this is the first time I've rated any of Ally's books less than 5)

Double Crossed review+ Clockwork Princess trailer!

Double Crossed
Ally Carter
YA novella

*SPOILER FREE FOR BOTH SERIES*
Macey McHenry—Glamorous society girl or spy-in-training?

W.W. Hale V—Heir to an American dynasty or master thief?

There are two sides to every coin. Whether these two can work together is a tossup.

Born into privilege, Macey and Hale are experts at mingling with the upper class. But even if they’ve never raised an eyebrow at the glitz, neither teenager has ever felt at home with the glamour.

When Macey and Hale meet at a society gala, the party takes a dangerous turn. Suddenly they’re at the center of a hostage situation, and it’s up to them to stop the thugs from becoming hostile. Will Macey’s spy skills and Hale’s con-man ways be enough to outsmart a ruthless gang? Or will they have to seek out the ultimate inside girl to help?

The worlds of Heist Society and the Gallagher Girls collide in Ally Carter’s fast-paced, high-stakes and tantalizing new story. Get a behind the scenes glimpse as Ally delivers an irresistible thriller that is full of her signature style and savvy twists.

GOSH I LOVED THIS.   I love each  Heist Society and Gallagher Girls separately, so naturally when Double Crossed was announced I had a fangirl attack.  Macey and Hale? Abby and Kat? Ally Carter took her best characters from both sides of the law and gave us a *completely free* and ridiculously exciting short story.  You can read Double Crossed even if you have only read one series- I promise you it's worth it! Naturally there's a twist that even Ally's most experienced readers didn't see coming, plus a super duper exciting something offered to Kat that left me jumping up and down hoping we'd get to read in the future.  Now I'm even more pumped for Perfect Scoundrels which is out and I have yet to get my hands on!! You can read Double Crossed HERE . Highly recommended! Grade: 100%

Also, today the book trailer for Clockwork Princess was released!! You can watch it HERE . I am soooo ecstatic about this (***26 DAYS***). In less than a month we find out if Jem will make it and who Tessa is and GOD WHO WILL SHE END UP WITH (TEAM WILL ALL THE WAY BABY). Is it just me or did the last line in the trailer make you faint? Let me know in the comments and please follow my blog (no emails or notifs or anything I promise!) it means a lot! 
Have a good weekend!
-Esty

Review: Out of Sight, Out of Time + My Opinion on Sublots

 

Out of Sight, Out of Time (Gallagher Girls book 5) 

Ally Carter

Contemporary YA

The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers months have passed, her memory is a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie’s summer vacation are the bruises on her body and dirt under her nails. All she wants is to go home. But even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers as Cammie and her friends face their most difficult challenge yet. With only their training and a few clues to guide them, the girls go in search of answers on the other side of the world. But the Circle is hot on their trail and will stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.

First off, I have been a bad, bad blogger recently for which I apologize. It's been a very busy (in a good way) week. Rest assured, I am being well berated by myself. Plus, American Idol has started!! I know many have jumped off that wagon in the past few years but I'm a faithful worshipper and if you can ignore the judges you'll see that the talent is as great (if not better) than ever. 

So, GG5 out of 6. I have been looking forward to this one for a loooooong time. Thankfully, it didn't disappoint. In fact, it was actually better than it predecessors on a few things. For example, the whole Zach-shows-up-kinda-randomly-kisses-Cammie-says-something-mysterious-and-leaves thing usually bothered me. In this book Zach had known, concrete reasons for being in the places he was for which I was grateful. He was sweet and protective but not in the annoying over-protective way YA guys tend to be. AND, he was AWESOME and SWOON-WORTHY as usual. Still not convinced? 4 words. ZACH. WEARING. ONLY. TOWEL. in a certain drool-inducing scene. 

Aside from Zach, Cammie's friends were striking and kicking butt as usual. I don't want to spoil anything for you, but the crew's reaction to her return is not what you're expecting and while I'm sure not everyone will love it, I thought it was necessary and realistic. It just wouldn't make sense otherwise. You'll see what I mean ;) As the story moves on, we get to see Bex and Macey being involved and majorly helping out and just being their FREAKING AMAZING selves the whole time. However, In my opinion there was not enough Liz in this book and I was not happy about that at all. 

Another minor problem I had with this series as whole is that there aren't any subplots. They're short books and while they're great, I think I would love them so much more if there were subplots. The reason I think so is because when there are other, smaller things going on you learn so much more about the personalities of the characters involved and the more supposedly "insignificant" details about the world that just  cause you to be that much more invested in the story. I mean, what would Harry Potter be without Quidditch? Or the scenes in the beginning with the Dursleys? Or Lupin being a werewolf? All these things help you understand the character's background and the decisions they make later on, and the world of the book in general. I'm interested to hear about Cammie's summers in Nebraska, for instance, or how her dad became a spy. 

Now for a tiny scene that made me jump up and down like a maniac (no, not said towel scene though I was pretty darn close then, too). You know a book is good when something in it reminds you of Harry Potter (or at least I do).  There was a little moment in there where Cammie is supporting someone who always played the "Dumbledore" role in this series (see if you can guess who!) while they are in a weak situation, insisting on taking him/her to someone who can help him/her medically (like Madam Pomfrey) but he/she keeps asking to see some other seemingly unconnected teacher (Snape).  Sound familiar?  It was pretty cool. I wonder if Ally Carter did it purposely... 

In conclusion, it was a great read and left me looking forward to the last book which doesn't have a name or title yet. Grade: 87%
By the way, I'd like to add a countdown widget to my blog for Heist #3... where do I apply the URL?
-Esty