Crocodile Tears (Alex Rider #8)

Posted on January 7, 2018 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

Crocodile Tears by Anthony Horowitz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
First Published: 2009
Publisher: Puffin Books
Recommended Age: 12+
Pacing: Normal
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Action

BLURB:

It’s just another day in the life of an average kid. If you’re Alex Rider, that is. A con artist has realized there is big money in charity: the bigger the disaster, the greater the money flow! So that is what he will produce: the biggest disaster known to man, all thanks to genetically modified corn that can release a virus so potent it can knock out an entire country in one windy day. But Alex Rider will face whatever it takes – gunfire, explosions, hand-to-hand combat with mercenaries – to bring down his most dangerous adversary yet.

Continue reading →

Scorpia (Alex Rider #5)

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

scorpia Scorpia by Anthony Horowitz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
First Published: 2004
Publisher: Puffin Books
Recommended Age: 12+
Pacing: Normal
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Espionage, Action, Mystery, Family

BLURB:

Alex Rider, teen spy, has always been told he is the spitting image of the father he never knew. But when Alex learns that his father may have been an assassin for the most lethal and powerful terrorist organization in the world, Scorpia, his world shatters. Now Scorpia wants Alex on their side, and Alex no longer has the strength to fight them. That is, until he learns of Scorpia’s latest plot: an operation known only as “Invisible Sword” that will result in the death of thousands of people. Can Alex prevent the slaughter, or will Scorpia prove once and for all that the terror will not be stopped? Continue reading →

Eagle Strike (Alex Rider #4)

Posted on November 4, 2017 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

eagle Eagle Strike by Anthony Horowitz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
First Published: 2003
Publisher: Puffin Books
Recommended Age: 12+
Pacing: Normal
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Espionage, Action, Mystery, Summer, Science Fiction

BLURB:

Sir Damian Cray is a philanthropist, peace activist, and the world’s most famous pop star. But still it’s not enough. He needs more if he is to save the world. Trouble is, only Alex Rider recognizes that it’s the world that needs saving from Sir Damian Cray. Underneath the luster of glamour and fame lies a twisted mind, ready to sacrifice the world for his beliefs. But in the past, Alex has always had the backing of the government. This time, he’s on his own. Can one teenager convince the world that the most popular man on earth is a madman bent on destruction-before time runs out? Continue reading →

Sad Review: Crossing the Line (The Raven Files, #1) by Meghan Rogers

Posted on July 15, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

Crossing the Line by Meghan Rogers

My rating: 1 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Publication Date: April 12th 2016
Publisher: Philomel Books
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 13+
Pacing: Fast
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Espionage, Action, Mystery, Contemporary

BLURB:

If Jason Bourne were a teenaged girl…

Jocelyn Steely was kidnapped as a child and raised in North Korea as a spy. When her agency sends her to the U.S. to infiltrate the very group her parents once worked for, Jocelyn jumps at the chance to turn double agent and finish off her kidnappers once and for all. She convinces the head of the American spy agency to trust her, but it’s not quite as simple as that: Jocelyn has to fight the withdrawal symptoms from the drug that the North Koreans used to keep her in line, and her new fellow spies refuse to trust their former adversary. Worst of all, there might be some new information to uncover about her parents – if she even wants to find out.

This action-packed spy thriller is part Gallagher Girls, part Alex Rider, and part Bourne Identity. Continue reading →

Review: All Fall Down (Embassy Row, #1) by Ally Carter

Posted on July 9, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

22571275 All Fall Down by Ally Carter

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: Borrowed
Publication Date: January 20th 2015
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 13+
Pacing: Past
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense, Action, Espionage, Crime, Family

BLURB:

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. Continue reading →

Minuscule Review: Only the Good Spy Young (Gallagher Girls, #4) by Ally Carter

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

6950688 Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publication Date: June 29th 2010
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 13+
Pacing: Fast
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Action

BLURB:

When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn’t know was that the serious, real-life danger would start during her junior year of high school. But that’s exactly what happened two months ago when Cammie faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her.

Now the danger follows her everywhere, and even Cammie “The Chameleon” can’t hide. When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most-trusted allies is actually a rogue double-agent, Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers—or even her own heart. Continue reading →

Review: Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover (Gallagher Girls, #3) by Ally Carter

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

5267365 Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publication Date: June 9th 2009
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 12+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Espionage, Boarding School, Mystery, Contemporary, Romance, Family, Secrets,

BLURB:

When Cammie “The Chameleon” Morgan visits her roommate Macey in Boston, she thinks she’s in for an exciting end to her summer break. After all, she’s there to watch Macey’s father accept the nomination for vice president of the United States. But when you go to the world’s best school (for spies), “exciting” and “deadly” are never far apart. Cammie and Macey soon find themselves trapped in a kidnappers’ plot, with only their espionage skills to save them. Continue reading →

Review: Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (Gallagher Girls, #2) by Ally Carter

Posted on May 22, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

568645 Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publication Date: October 2nd 2007
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 11+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Espionage, Boarding School, Mystery Contemporary, Romance, Family, Secrets,

BLURB:

Cammie Morgan is back, and it’s clear that her life hasn’t calmed down since the events of I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You. At first, giddy anticipation is in the air. Gallagher Academy, Cammie’s elite spy school, is hosting a visit from a covert training center for boys. Soon after the boys’ arrival, though, everything goes dangerously awry when a series of security breaches are discovered at the academy. Worse yet, teenage agent-in-training Cammie is being blamed for the penetration. With the school’s top-secret status at risk, the Gallagher Girls have to work quickly to save their beloved school. Continue reading →

Review: I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls, #1) by Ally Carter

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

852470 I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publication Date: April 25th 2006
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 10+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Espionage, Boarding School, Friendship, Action

BLURB:

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it’s really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real “pavement artist”-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?

Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she’s on her most dangerous mission-falling in love. Continue reading →

Review: Also Known As (Also Known As, #1) by Robin Benway

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Monica @ Hit or Miss Books

13132661 Also Known As by Robin Benway

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Bought
Publicatio Date: February 26th 2013
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Point of View: 1st Person Feminine
Recommended Age: 11+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, High School, Espionage

BLURB:

Which is more dangerous: being an international spy… or surviving high school?

Maggie Silver has never minded her unusual life. Cracking safes for the world’s premier spy organization and traveling the world with her insanely cool parents definitely beat high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. (If it’s three digits, why bother locking it at all?)

But when Maggie and her parents are sent to New York City for her first solo assignment, her world is transformed. Suddenly, she’s attending a private school with hundreds of “mean girl” wannabes, trying to avoid the temptation to hack the school’s elementary security system, and working to befriend the aggravatingly cute son of a potential national security threat… all while trying not to blow her cover. Continue reading →