If there's one thing I enjoy even more than murder mysteries, it's spy books 😂 I'm so glad we live in a world where Ally Carter still writes spy stories, and I can get that Gallagher Girl fix years later. Not only that, but I also stumbled upon a cipher-filled YA book that made ME feel like a spy for solving them 😂
💀 Under the Surface by Diana Urban ★★★
For a GR Choice Awards nominee, I expected far more...
It started off quite boring if I may say so. A bunch of teens follow a hot French guy (whom they literally just met) into the catacombs (which are famous for people getting lost there and dying) for some crazy party and they, of course, don't tell anyone where they're going.
The first half was them just stumbling around without anything major happening. The second half picks up the pace but by then, I already decided I didn't care about any of the characters. Some of them were quite unlikeable and some just not layered nor interesting enough.
When that crazy last third of the book came around, I will admit I was surprised by some major events but I don't mean the plot twist. The culprits chasing them weren't scary enough and the reveal was underwhelming. What actually scared me were the few scenes in which these teens had to survive the catacombs while injured, hungry and surrounded by darkness - e.g. crawling through some tight spaces, trying to dive in murky waters and get across submerged parts of the tunnels, climbing half rusted ladders surrounded by bugs and who knows what else...now that's horrifying 😂
🔦 The Blonde Who Came in From the Cold (Blonde Identity #2) by Ally Carter ★★★★
Absolutely adored this sequel!! Ally Carter always knows how to write the best banter and spy novels. Comparing it to the first one, I have to admit I liked it a tiny bit less and here's why - it has too many different time POVs.
We follow Alex and King through their various missions, constantly jumping between past and present. It wouldn't be a problem if it were just "one" past - it was all the pasts 😂😂 It got to a point where I no longer realized which era I'm in and what they're talking about.
I adored both main characters and wanted them all the best. I felt so bad about Alex and how her past made her feel all these negative emotions. Kingsley on the other hand just wanted a simple life with the love of his life without all the burden of his family legacy. They were perfect for each other ❤
🧩 Codebreaker by Jay Martel ★★★★★!!
If I looked at the story on its own (and the slightly insta-lovey romance), this would probably be a 4 read, but you know what? The sheer effort it took to make this book "interactive" and create all the codes that, in turn, made me feel like a Gallagher Girl (in my heart, I'm still just a teen spy 🥺) is what makes this book a 5-star read.
Despite most of the ciphers being fairly easy, it was still super fun trying to solve all of them in record time and without any hints.
Bonus points for the mind-blowing plot twists at the end!! Like, I never would have guessed who the "traitor" was and how it all connected. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I hope this author duo continues writing these cipher-related books because we need more originality and fun in the publishing world y'all
💬 Have you read any of these books? Do you like solving puzzles? 💬
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