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vanceter's review against another edition
2.0
Couldn’t finish. Had a hard time getting into it and staying focused.
half2happy's review against another edition
2.0
Writing a review a year later. Felt like more of the same from the first book, a little more intrigue and drama but nothing earthshattering. With the first book I might reread it if left no other options but definitely would not grant this book that luxury. Filler without feeling too much like filler for what that's worth.
krissysreading's review against another edition
5.0
I stayed up until 5am finishing this beauty. Honestly this book was such a thrill to experience. There was never a dull moment and I was so sad to have it end. I devoured about 70% of this book in a day and I regret nothing. I will be picking up the 3rd book immediately.
maurareads13's review against another edition
4.0
Book 2 of the Sparrow trilogy. Really liked it, but not quite as good as the first. We are still following Dominica & Nate in their CIA spy world as she works with CIA to try to bring down the corrupt government of Russia.
I love how the author uses his own CIA past to be able to write (what I’m assuming) is accurate information for ops, espionage, spying techniques, etc. It definitely made for a great read that kept me on toes the entire time! Highly recommend!
I love how the author uses his own CIA past to be able to write (what I’m assuming) is accurate information for ops, espionage, spying techniques, etc. It definitely made for a great read that kept me on toes the entire time! Highly recommend!
mountie9's review against another edition
4.0
The Good Stuff
Author obviously knows his stuff, you can really tell he lived some of this life. Very authentic
Dominka is a hugely intriguing and likeable character - quite the feisty little thing (she kinda overshadows Nate)
One of my favorite thing about this series is the secondary characters
Edge of your seat action throughout most of the story
Enjoy the recipes, but kinda wish they were written out in full, I NEED to make them
My love for Marty Gable has no ends, he is utterly delightful and gets some of the best lines
Does a fabulous job of setting the mood of a scene
Interesting historical information about Russia and the United States and their various intelligence offices
I eagerly await the next installment of this smart and sexy spy saga - and now off to the store to find some ingredients
Did I mention how much I love Gable
Great realistic relationships between many of the characters
Excels at dialogue between major characters
Villains are so despicable, you are on the edge of your seat waiting for them to get their just desserts
I would love to sit down with Mr. Matthews to listen to him tell tales of some of the real life stories that inspired his fiction
The Not So Good Stuff
Ummm when did I miss that Dominika's mother died. Could be me, I was moving while I was reading this, so it could have been something I missed.
A wee bit repetitive at times and tad sexist at times (which doesn't fit with the main female character)
I feel very hungry after each and every chapter
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"Gable put the photo down "Handsome looking bunch. You're adopted then, or what, forceps delivery?"
"And after five meetings, despite the grandmotherly exterior the imaginative Angevine saw the ancient Soviet venom or show trial and gulag, of politburo and mass graves in birch forests."
"..and his Athens DCOS Marty Gable has asked him to reserve some time for a protracted counseling session when Nate returned to Station to discuss his lack of professionalism, his disregarding instructions, and, in Gable's words, his being 'a dumbassador from the Republic of stupid."
4 Dewey's
I received this from Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review
Author obviously knows his stuff, you can really tell he lived some of this life. Very authentic
Dominka is a hugely intriguing and likeable character - quite the feisty little thing (she kinda overshadows Nate)
One of my favorite thing about this series is the secondary characters
Edge of your seat action throughout most of the story
Enjoy the recipes, but kinda wish they were written out in full, I NEED to make them
My love for Marty Gable has no ends, he is utterly delightful and gets some of the best lines
Does a fabulous job of setting the mood of a scene
Interesting historical information about Russia and the United States and their various intelligence offices
I eagerly await the next installment of this smart and sexy spy saga - and now off to the store to find some ingredients
Did I mention how much I love Gable
Great realistic relationships between many of the characters
Excels at dialogue between major characters
Villains are so despicable, you are on the edge of your seat waiting for them to get their just desserts
I would love to sit down with Mr. Matthews to listen to him tell tales of some of the real life stories that inspired his fiction
The Not So Good Stuff
Ummm when did I miss that Dominika's mother died. Could be me, I was moving while I was reading this, so it could have been something I missed.
A wee bit repetitive at times and tad sexist at times (which doesn't fit with the main female character)
I feel very hungry after each and every chapter
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"Gable put the photo down "Handsome looking bunch. You're adopted then, or what, forceps delivery?"
"And after five meetings, despite the grandmotherly exterior the imaginative Angevine saw the ancient Soviet venom or show trial and gulag, of politburo and mass graves in birch forests."
"..and his Athens DCOS Marty Gable has asked him to reserve some time for a protracted counseling session when Nate returned to Station to discuss his lack of professionalism, his disregarding instructions, and, in Gable's words, his being 'a dumbassador from the Republic of stupid."
4 Dewey's
I received this from Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review
sincerelyyoursannie's review against another edition
5.0
Dominika Evegora’s life is about to get even more complicated.
Still working with the CIA, she is placed under pressure when someone in the SVR starts suspecting that she is the mole. To protect her cover, Dominika needs to get to the mole in time before he passes on crucial information. Who is the mole and how close are they to revealing her secret?
As tensions run high, Dominika’s role places her and the ones she cares about at risk, but how far is she willing to go to protect them?
Read the full review here: https://sincerelyyoursannie.com/2022/01/18/palace-of-treason-by-jason-matthews-book-review/
Still working with the CIA, she is placed under pressure when someone in the SVR starts suspecting that she is the mole. To protect her cover, Dominika needs to get to the mole in time before he passes on crucial information. Who is the mole and how close are they to revealing her secret?
As tensions run high, Dominika’s role places her and the ones she cares about at risk, but how far is she willing to go to protect them?
Read the full review here: https://sincerelyyoursannie.com/2022/01/18/palace-of-treason-by-jason-matthews-book-review/
katemcg86's review against another edition
5.0
My favorite of the trilogy. Awesome plot and characters.
mepitts's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I ended up mainly enjoying this, but with some major reservations. Pros? The tradecraft and chat and CIA/FBI/Russian espionage organizational comments, fight descriptions and espionage strategy descriptions are among the best I’ve encountered in this kind of book. As someone who’s taught and spent time in Russia, the Russian cultural and social descriptions seem authentic. Downsides? The f*cking number of f*cking times that various characters f*cking accent their speech with f*cking f*ck as though the author were being paid by the obscenity. Even for these days when fictional tough guys wear themselves out and obscure the essence of their thoughts with swearing, this book stands out in a ludicrous way. Speaking of ludicrous, the sex scenes seem like 70’s male-centric porno and use embarrassing euphemisms for penis (“courting tackle”, “little weasel”) and breasts (“upper hamper”). Oh—and the recipes at the end of each chapter seemed charming for the first 4-5 chapters, but after that just seemed like a labored interruption. Sooo—if these things don’t bother you or the good at least slightly outweighs the irritating (as it did for me) you may find this book a rewarding read. Recommended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Cursing, and Violence
eschwagerl's review against another edition
5.0
One of those rare sequels that is even better than rbe first book.