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inkandplasma's review against another edition
4.0
Full Review: https://inkandplasma.wordpress.com/2020/03/26/russian-roulette,-by-anthony-horowitz-(alex-rider-reread-#11)/
I wasn’t expecting the way this story was laid out. It was formatted as Yassen’s diary entries, looking back at his childhood. I’m not usually a huge fan of first person fiction, but I didn’t mind it as much as I thought I would. For some reason I didn’t think that Russian Roulette would be set when Yassen was younger, but it makes perfect sense. The books are about a teenage spy, so it makes sense for Russian Roulette to be about a teenage soon-to-be-assassin. In hindsight a book about an adult assassin would have been a massive tonal shift – basically, I’m a moron. We get to meet Yassen, or Yasha, at the beginning of his journey, just like we did with Alex. He’s a teenager living a quiet life until a huge disaster blows his life to pieces. The survivor’s guilt on this kid? Phew. To be honest, I think Yassen is pretty well adjusted, considering the trauma he goes through before he even hits eighteen years old.
We knew some of Yassen’s story, knew that he became Cossack and that he was trained by Hunter, Alex’s father. We also know what happens to both Yassen and John. We know that he trained on Malagosto, met Julia Rothman and we know that he was present in Cornwall when Alex fell into his first mission. Russian Roulette fleshes out some of that time in between. I get the impression that Yassen is Anthony Horowitz’s favourite character (I don’t blame him, he’s definitely my favourite) because Yassen is incredibly fleshed out and well-characterised. It can be really difficult to nail a morally grey character in a children’s book, but we definitely see that in Yassen Gregorovich. He does bad things for bad reasons, good things for good reasons, and sometimes he does bad things for good reasons too. He’s complicated and possibly even more traumatised than Alex, but he still has a streak of humanity in him.
The plot itself is a little convenient in places, but that’s not really what this book is here for. This book is effectively a Yassen Gregorovich character study, and it’s an excellent read for anyone who loves that character. Which, I imagine, is exactly what Anthony Horowitz wrote this book for. There are huge amounts of parallels between Yassen and Alex, even though they grew up in totally different circumstances and for die-hard Alex Rider fans, this is a must read.
I wasn’t expecting the way this story was laid out. It was formatted as Yassen’s diary entries, looking back at his childhood. I’m not usually a huge fan of first person fiction, but I didn’t mind it as much as I thought I would. For some reason I didn’t think that Russian Roulette would be set when Yassen was younger, but it makes perfect sense. The books are about a teenage spy, so it makes sense for Russian Roulette to be about a teenage soon-to-be-assassin. In hindsight a book about an adult assassin would have been a massive tonal shift – basically, I’m a moron. We get to meet Yassen, or Yasha, at the beginning of his journey, just like we did with Alex. He’s a teenager living a quiet life until a huge disaster blows his life to pieces. The survivor’s guilt on this kid? Phew. To be honest, I think Yassen is pretty well adjusted, considering the trauma he goes through before he even hits eighteen years old.
We knew some of Yassen’s story, knew that he became Cossack and that he was trained by Hunter, Alex’s father. We also know what happens to both Yassen and John. We know that he trained on Malagosto, met Julia Rothman and we know that he was present in Cornwall when Alex fell into his first mission. Russian Roulette fleshes out some of that time in between. I get the impression that Yassen is Anthony Horowitz’s favourite character (I don’t blame him, he’s definitely my favourite) because Yassen is incredibly fleshed out and well-characterised. It can be really difficult to nail a morally grey character in a children’s book, but we definitely see that in Yassen Gregorovich. He does bad things for bad reasons, good things for good reasons, and sometimes he does bad things for good reasons too. He’s complicated and possibly even more traumatised than Alex, but he still has a streak of humanity in him.
The plot itself is a little convenient in places, but that’s not really what this book is here for. This book is effectively a Yassen Gregorovich character study, and it’s an excellent read for anyone who loves that character. Which, I imagine, is exactly what Anthony Horowitz wrote this book for. There are huge amounts of parallels between Yassen and Alex, even though they grew up in totally different circumstances and for die-hard Alex Rider fans, this is a must read.
imzadirose's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. Very very different than what I was expecting. The other books were all action for the most part, this was a reflection with little action. It was good though and good to get the background.
m3l89's review
2.0
I was so disappointed with this. Started off well with Yassen living in his village and the events that occured there, but I felt the plot lost all momentum when Yassen was in Moscow. It picked up again once he got in touch with Scorpia and there were more names being mentioned which we were familiar with from the rest of the series. I thought it was a good idea to give the reader more of an insight into Alex's main adversary, but for me, this fell short.
zaakirahb's review
4.0
yassen gregorovich<3 12 year old me fell in love with this man in 'eagle strike' and 3 years later i can say i still absolutely adore him, and in all honesty i enjoyed this book more than any of the others in the alex rider series.
ps : i need more please
ps : i need more please
stirlingsherman's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
I'm a sucker for a good "bad guy" origin story. It was really fascinating to get a look behind the curtain at Yassen's (Yasha technically) character and to see what things happened to guide him to where he was at in the books. I also liked how it tied in with other characters from the series and gave us a chance to spend time with some characters we've only heard of in the past. Overall, another solid entry in this series and an extremely fast-paced read. Ready for the next two books and maybe more (I genuinely have thought this series has ended 3 times now so I never know anymore haha).
hopebrockway's review
4.0
Y'all already know I had to read this book. I mean, it's a book all about Yassen Gregorovich. I just had to see what happened. So, after that fascinating deep dive into my favorite Russian assassin, what have I learned?
1. Yassen Gregorovich, big scary assassin, has a diary. We begin with post-Stormbreaker Yassen reminiscing about "old times" and reading his diary. I am endlessly amused by this. He actually admits it's a bad idea, but I love it. There is also the implication that he rereads sections periodically and, again, I find this so funny. This book then progresses into first-person POV, which I was not expecting at all. But getting into Yassen's head was fascinating and I loved it.
2. Yassen Gregorovich had a bit of a tragic life. Since his introduction in Stormbreaker, we all knew Yassen wasn't the best person, but we never knew how he got into the freelance assassin business (if that's even the correct job description). Watching Yassen's tragic story unfold was fascinating. Pieces started falling into place. But, what was fascinating, was the similarities between Yassen and Alex. They're both orphans. They were both forced to do things they never wanted to do in order to survive. They were both sucked into the grittiness of the world at fourteen. They have quite a few similarities, and I loved seeing Anthony Horowitz explore that.
3. Yassen has a complicated relationship with the Riders. We explored this a bit in previous books (especially Eagle Strike), but I loved seeing this complicated relationship brought up again.
4. Yassen wasn't always . . . Yassen. So the fact that Yassen's real name is Yasha gets me. It really signifies that he left everything behind. He is a completely different person than that innocent kid growing up on the farm (I guess it kinda was a farm but country-boy Yasha is hilarious to me). We also get to see his country roots being explored and, again, I am so here for it.
As you can clearly see, I loved this book. Me, and most of the fandom tbh, adore Yassen and kind of see him as this unwanted godfather to Alex (unlike ASH, ugh). So yeah, if you, like me, kind of have an unhealthy obsession with Yassen Gregorovich, then totally read this book. It's a must, y'all.
Spoiler
Plus we get some amazing Hunter content and I was here for it1. Yassen Gregorovich, big scary assassin, has a diary. We begin with post-Stormbreaker Yassen reminiscing about "old times" and reading his diary. I am endlessly amused by this. He actually admits it's a bad idea, but I love it. There is also the implication that he rereads sections periodically and, again, I find this so funny. This book then progresses into first-person POV, which I was not expecting at all. But getting into Yassen's head was fascinating and I loved it.
2. Yassen Gregorovich had a bit of a tragic life. Since his introduction in Stormbreaker, we all knew Yassen wasn't the best person, but we never knew how he got into the freelance assassin business (if that's even the correct job description). Watching Yassen's tragic story unfold was fascinating. Pieces started falling into place. But, what was fascinating, was the similarities between Yassen and Alex. They're both orphans. They were both forced to do things they never wanted to do in order to survive. They were both sucked into the grittiness of the world at fourteen. They have quite a few similarities, and I loved seeing Anthony Horowitz explore that.
3. Yassen has a complicated relationship with the Riders. We explored this a bit in previous books (especially Eagle Strike), but I loved seeing this complicated relationship brought up again.
Spoiler
I mean, John saved his life. Yassen was naturally in awe of him. The whole John shooting the General and the spider off Yassen still astonishes me. But I was also a bit fascinated (and maybe a bit disappointed) that Yassen knew about John's double life. Yeah, John was a bit sloppy at the airport. But I loved seeing John's heart. I loved seeing John deal with Yassen like he would have his own son (which is so sad that he was a part of Alex's life for only a few months). I kind of got the impression that Yassen's whole life of crime was just to spite John. I was not really here for that. I also began to wonder why, then, Yassen told Alex about John and Scorpia. I mean, was he thinking that Alex would become an assassin and turn John in his grave?? Idk. Again, not really a fan of that. And turning Yassen away from the assassin life . . . I loved every moment of it. We also get to see the iconic scene in Stormbreaker where Yassen spares Alex. And the fact that Yassen disobeyed his order was just . . . I . . . He still cares about the Riders, somewhere deep down in his assassin's heart and I love it. He also mentions Ian, which is huge. Ian is largely overlooked, in my opinion. The main reason I like Stormbreaker is because Ian and Alex kind of complete the mission in tandem. Well, Ian by leaving behind a few clues, and Alex actually solving it and defeating the threat. But I love Ian so much and I wish we had more Ian/Alex content. PLEASE, ANTHONY HOROWITZ.4. Yassen wasn't always . . . Yassen. So the fact that Yassen's real name is Yasha gets me. It really signifies that he left everything behind. He is a completely different person than that innocent kid growing up on the farm (I guess it kinda was a farm but country-boy Yasha is hilarious to me). We also get to see his country roots being explored and, again, I am so here for it.
Spoiler
And, in case you were wondering, I am still low-key convinced that Yassen is alive, even though there is plenty of evidence that indicates the opposite.As you can clearly see, I loved this book. Me, and most of the fandom tbh, adore Yassen and kind of see him as this unwanted godfather to Alex (unlike ASH, ugh). So yeah, if you, like me, kind of have an unhealthy obsession with Yassen Gregorovich, then totally read this book. It's a must, y'all.
kitkatmichelle's review
4.0
I don't know whether this is 3.5 or 4 stars, but it's not like that affects my Goodreads rating, so I can leave it undetermined without feeling stressed. Yay! ^_^
This book doesn't have a happy ending. The main character doesn't have a positive arc. It was even almost disturbing at times, to be inside Yassen's head (and most of it's narrated in the first person too O_o).
But, at the same time, Yassen's story is super fascinating and executed SO WELL. Plus, the author isn't throwing confusing themes of moral ambiguity at us. THANK GOODNESS. The synopsis lets us know right off the bat that Yassen, in ultimately choosing the life of an assassin, chooses evil.
It's a sad - and pretty dark - story, but it's engaging nonetheless, and I recommend Alex Rider fans not to skip it. Even though it IS a jarring break-away from our wonderful, death-defying Alex. ;)
Gaaah, prequels are so cool! Most of the time you know the end, but the journey TO the end is what grips you. And that feeling of knowing the future is SUCH a fascinating one.
So even though I may or may not be leaning toward 3.5 stars (idk XD), Russian Roulette is undeniably a well-woven story and I definitely enjoyed reading it. I can't wait to dive into Never Say Die!
This book doesn't have a happy ending. The main character doesn't have a positive arc. It was even almost disturbing at times, to be inside Yassen's head (and most of it's narrated in the first person too O_o).
But, at the same time, Yassen's story is super fascinating and executed SO WELL. Plus, the author isn't throwing confusing themes of moral ambiguity at us. THANK GOODNESS. The synopsis lets us know right off the bat that Yassen, in ultimately choosing the life of an assassin, chooses evil.
It's a sad - and pretty dark - story, but it's engaging nonetheless, and I recommend Alex Rider fans not to skip it. Even though it IS a jarring break-away from our wonderful, death-defying Alex. ;)
Gaaah, prequels are so cool! Most of the time you know the end, but the journey TO the end is what grips you. And that feeling of knowing the future is SUCH a fascinating one.
So even though I may or may not be leaning toward 3.5 stars (idk XD), Russian Roulette is undeniably a well-woven story and I definitely enjoyed reading it. I can't wait to dive into Never Say Die!
kunaldaga's review
4.0
It was a really good and a great follow on to the Alex Rider series. It was a page turner where every new page held some sort of tragedy or excitement. I liked the series in general as well because there was so much action and Horowitz displays emotions extremely well and that gets me attached to the character. I recommend it to everyone who like action filled books.