Also Known As
by Robin Benway
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Source: Publisher/Netgalley
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Source: Publisher/Netgalley
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
Also Known As is a very fun book with a lead character that is snarky, funny, and extremely good a picking locks. Maggie conquered the easy ones when she was just three years old! That's incredibly impressive. Her quriky and snarky side really drive the book. It seems like Maggie is always making some sort of joke. Whether readers will enjoy Also Known As will most definitely come down to whether they find Maggie humorous or grating.
In this instance, I would say that Also Known As is much more geared for younger readers. Early high school and maybe even middle school readers would most definitely be wrapped up in the espionage and humor that Benway has created. Personally, at times it felt too young for me. Though I believe the book is a very solid and fun adventure.
The romance is cute. It doesn't dive into the sexy zone, but it was adorable nonetheless. Maggie has never kissed a boy before, so when Jesse Oliver comes in she gets to experience her firsts. The back-and-forth wit carries the novel and is the most engaging aspect of the story. After a while it did start to wear on me and become annoying, so it would have been nice for it to be toned down a bit.
The plot is pretty straight forward and possibly the least exciting aspect of the book. I would have loved some more action. She's a spy after all! But one of the best parts was the friendship between Maggie and Roux. They are very much alike, and quickly formed a "girl power" bond.
Also Known As isn't a perfect novel, but it does have some great elements. I would recommend it for those seeking lighter, snarky-er contemporaries. Think Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins.
A spy saga geared towards younger YA with snarky zingers and a cute romance.
This sounds very similar to the Gallagher Girls series which I think was also geared toward a younger audience but I loved it. I love books about spies so this might be fun read for me sometime.
ReplyDeleteYou may love it then! I need to check out the Gallagher Girls too. I've heard good things. Thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteAlthough I'm not fond of the cover as it makes me think of promiscuous school girls and how they are seen as too mature for their age and degrading, I have heard some great things about Robin Benway and her novels. I believe I saw this book somewhere else on the internets with a different cover, but the summary is what hooked me. I tend to stay away from books about mainly the school environment because I can't relate to it anymore, but if it's highly comical or witty, I find them refreshing and enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Krista!
Yeah, I actually prefer older YA books too. I actually requested this book on Netgalley when they had the first cover (the one with the girls faces). I don't really like this cover either. I'm not sure I would have requested it if this was the cover when I saw it. Thanks for stopping by, Sallie!!
DeleteI keep hearing how cute and likable this book is! I was a bit put off when they changed the cover pre-release, though, since it gives off an entirely different feeling. It's also very helpful to know that this would appeal more toward younger YA/MG readers, since that's not something I shoot for normally and like to know in advance. So thanks a ton for that detail, Krista!
ReplyDeleteAin't a lock-picking gal a plus? I know I love 'em. I think I like them so much because man, I want to be a spy and I just am not so no lock-pickin future for me. While it sounds like a very cute read, I think at my advanced age of 30 it may just be a little bit too young for me. But rock on little lock-picking girl!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a cute book, very similar to the Gallagher Girls Academy series which I love. Have you read it? It's teen spies as well, with quite a lot of humor. I'm going to add this one to my tbr for when I need a quick, light and fun book.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Gallagher Girls but everyone keeps telling me this book sounds like it. I guess I have a new series I need to start, lol :)
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