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donna29's review against another edition
2.0
This one let me down, I think it's because I was comparing it to the Alex Rider books, but it should be classed on its own because it is so different. I was waiting for something exciting and action-y to happen, the most I could say was the Russian Roulette between Yassen and Sharvovsky. The explosion at his house and in the jungle with Alex's father, specking about that I don't know if I wasn't concentrating when I read that part, but I wanted more clarification on the relationship between Yassen and Alex's father, because to be frank it's the only reason I read the book. and I wanted to know EXACTLY why Yassen let Alex live, maybe I missed it because it was open-ended. DONT read it if you are expecting another Alex Rider great.
beth_warriner_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
doniniesta's review
4.0
"Looking back now, I would say that this was one of the first valuable lessons I learnt, and one that would be useful in my future line of work. Sometimes things go wrong. It is inevitable. But it is a mistake to waste time and energy worrying about events that you cannot influence. Once they have happened, let them go"
On this reread, I was even more in love with how Anthony brought out Yassen's arc. Absolutely loved the climax of his journey on the the way to be that cold blooded killer.
I would have appreciated if there was a callback to Leo or Dima as well or Yassen's side of what happened in Malta. A chapter on that would have made this a 5 star.
But, still, a good prequel story which very well deserved to be told, and was not just there to extend the ARU (Alex Rider Universe)
On this reread, I was even more in love with how Anthony brought out Yassen's arc. Absolutely loved the climax of his journey on the the way to be that cold blooded killer.
I would have appreciated if there was a callback to Leo or Dima as well or Yassen's side of what happened in Malta. A chapter on that would have made this a 5 star.
But, still, a good prequel story which very well deserved to be told, and was not just there to extend the ARU (Alex Rider Universe)
rachaelbee0402's review against another edition
4.0
This wasn’t exactly what I expected but I enjoyed it just as I have enjoyed every book in the Alex Rider series.
I didn't expect so much time to be focused on Yassen's childhood (halfway through the book it was still only exploring his life aged 14) – I’d expected it to look at his early assassination work, how he got into it, some of his early hits etc – his life in his 20s, not as a child. So it was much slower paced than I imagined it would be, but slower paced doesn't mean less action-packed or less tense or less emotive. This was a deep story of a child’s desperate journey from trial to trial to trial, growing into a man and making dark decisions of how he will live the rest of his life…
By the end of the book I was left with some uncertainties and questions. Given that Horowitz decided to write this book at all, there are more aspects of Yassen’s life I’d have liked to see explored. But saying that, I was introduced to much more of his life I hadn’t previously thought about, the story taking off in its own direction, and I did enjoy reading it.
I didn't expect so much time to be focused on Yassen's childhood (halfway through the book it was still only exploring his life aged 14) – I’d expected it to look at his early assassination work, how he got into it, some of his early hits etc – his life in his 20s, not as a child. So it was much slower paced than I imagined it would be, but slower paced doesn't mean less action-packed or less tense or less emotive. This was a deep story of a child’s desperate journey from trial to trial to trial, growing into a man and making dark decisions of how he will live the rest of his life…
By the end of the book I was left with some uncertainties and questions.
Spoiler
I wasn't wholly convinced of Yassen's turning back to assassination and Scorpia. And it left me questioning what happened in Malta from Yassen’s perspective, and what happened with his relationship with Hunter post the airport.emilykelly's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jay_gm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
A book dedicated to my favourite Russian assassin! It messes up the AR timeline a bit but honestly who didn’t give up on a clear timeline ages ago. It was very sad to be honest but definitely explains Yassen’s motives from the other books he’s in (yes i know he’s only in 2).
starkiller483's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
In my opinion, Russian Roulette is the best Alex Rider book in the series, even though it is based around the assassin Yassen Gregorovich.
chobrowny's review against another edition
4.0
Upon re-reading I really noticed all the clever parallels between Alex and Yassen, which really makes me appreciate this book even more.