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kristinreadsalot's review against another edition
2.0
Choppy writing made it hard to immerse myself in the story.
punkinmuffin's review against another edition
3.0
Jason Matthews is something of a novelty in that he actually worked for the CIA for over 30 years before writing Red Sparrow and its two sequels. His experience creates a deeply authentic world within the novel, which follows the unbelievably beautiful and intelligent Domenika Egorova as she becomes a spy for the Russian Federation. Domenika is pure male fantasy: a classically trained ballerina, highly educated, she is sent to "Sparrow School" for instruction in sexpionage. As expected, the experience is pretty harrowing and degrading. For a bit of balance she also gets to go to the actual proper spy training academy.
I spent the first two-thirds of this book getting really pissed off at the way a white, male, middle-aged ex-spook created this paragon and exploited her. Then Matthews' story took off in a way that made me forget how annoyed I'd been and I just enjoyed the ride. After all, there are so many stories out there about impossibly beautiful, intelligent and resourceful men having ripping adventures and getting one up on the bad guys. About bloody time we got a fabulous female spy. Domenika is a critical thinker, brilliant in a crisis, has drive, ambition and a temper to boot. She's also crazy gorgeous. Who wouldn't want to be just like her? So read and enjoy, rest assured your feminist principles will only take a slight knock.
I spent the first two-thirds of this book getting really pissed off at the way a white, male, middle-aged ex-spook created this paragon and exploited her. Then Matthews' story took off in a way that made me forget how annoyed I'd been and I just enjoyed the ride. After all, there are so many stories out there about impossibly beautiful, intelligent and resourceful men having ripping adventures and getting one up on the bad guys. About bloody time we got a fabulous female spy. Domenika is a critical thinker, brilliant in a crisis, has drive, ambition and a temper to boot. She's also crazy gorgeous. Who wouldn't want to be just like her? So read and enjoy, rest assured your feminist principles will only take a slight knock.
lurker_stalker's review against another edition
4.0
I don't usually read spy novels but after seeing the trailer for the upcoming film adaptation, I was intrigued enough to give it a shot. Very pleased with the tale and the character development. The only thing that I had a problem with was the choice of POV. Having different POVs jumping around within the scenes was distracting at times. The addition of the recipes at the end of each chapter made me smile nearly every time. Now I'm off to start the second book in the series.
k_shanahan's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty difficult to read at times with all of the abbreviations and Russian language words/CIA spy slang. The story was pretty understandable though with so many plot twists it kept it interesting. I almost DNF'd about a third of the way through due to the extremely slow start, and had to read another book at this point before continuing just to break it apart, so I don't know if I'll be continuing with a sequel but I'm glad I finished it in the end- the ending and action near the end made it all worth it. Dominika and Nate are amazing characters.
rnshack's review against another edition
4.0
4 solid stars
This was really good. It was a bit dense but it was so intriguing to see inside the CIA. I love all books about the KGB and the CIA and this was no exception.
I really connected with these characters and am looking forward to the next two books.
It did take me longer to read this book than it normally does other books. It was dense and there was a ton of detail. The chapters were also really long but looking back on it I have no idea what you could take out. It was a big, complicated story and that felt so real which is exactly what I assume the author was going for.
I will definitely be finishing this series.
This was really good. It was a bit dense but it was so intriguing to see inside the CIA. I love all books about the KGB and the CIA and this was no exception.
I really connected with these characters and am looking forward to the next two books.
It did take me longer to read this book than it normally does other books. It was dense and there was a ton of detail. The chapters were also really long but looking back on it I have no idea what you could take out. It was a big, complicated story and that felt so real which is exactly what I assume the author was going for.
I will definitely be finishing this series.
whatssarahreading's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
larry1138's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Jason Matthews has done a decently impressive job at writing out a modern day spy thriller. It's not necessarily as "action packed" as other espionage thrillers, but that's likely the point. Matthews seems to have gone for a much more authentic route when writing out his story and his characters. You are not in the middle of a Tom Cruise esque spy movie. You are truly on the streets of Moscow or Helsinki or Washington right beside the agents depicted. Much of this book seems so realistic perhaps because Matthews himself was a former CIA operative. His decades of experience are clearly on display in the writing.
There are no crazy daylight shootouts on downtown city streets, no over complicated heist plans or kidnapping operations, and no over-the-top, end-of-the-world threats. This is a grounded and realistic spy thriller. Everything from the terminology used between agent and handler to the mundanities of office life in a foreign diplomatic service to the motivations of intelligence officers are likely inspired directly from Matthew's personal experience. Scenes and missions play out as they likely would in real life: lots of slow paced development with very rapid points of action.
If John Le Carre is held as the gold standard of "realistic" spy thriller writing, then I for one can say that Matthews perhaps strikes a better balance than Le Carre between authenticity and fictionalized intrigue. Admittedly I've only read one Le Carre book (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) but I found it really dry. Red Sparrow seems to have a better flow, the characters are more relatable, and the story less unnecessarily convoluted.
If there is one point of contention I have, it's the soft focus on "sexpionage". The femme fatale cliche has been done to death by now. Perhaps at the time of the book's publishing in 2013 it was still a somewhat novel idea. In 2023, after so much other spy media has used this cliche, the concept has become somewhat tiring. I am however thankful that Matthews seems to have not made the potentially huge mistake of focusing an inordinate amount of writing on sex and seduction scenes. Much of the writing around Dominka Egorova, the main character, actually focuses on her drive to survive the cruel system and society she was forced into. I wonder if the Hollywood movie based on this book will treat her with the same respect as this book. Somehow I doubt it when I watch it. I also realize this book is the first of a trilogy. I am undecided as to if I'll continue the series or not. The ending of this book does leave an incredible amount left unanswered, so that may be just enough motivation to read on.
A recommend for me for those who want an impressively authentic look at life as a modern spy.
There are no crazy daylight shootouts on downtown city streets, no over complicated heist plans or kidnapping operations, and no over-the-top, end-of-the-world threats. This is a grounded and realistic spy thriller. Everything from the terminology used between agent and handler to the mundanities of office life in a foreign diplomatic service to the motivations of intelligence officers are likely inspired directly from Matthew's personal experience. Scenes and missions play out as they likely would in real life: lots of slow paced development with very rapid points of action.
If John Le Carre is held as the gold standard of "realistic" spy thriller writing, then I for one can say that Matthews perhaps strikes a better balance than Le Carre between authenticity and fictionalized intrigue. Admittedly I've only read one Le Carre book (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) but I found it really dry. Red Sparrow seems to have a better flow, the characters are more relatable, and the story less unnecessarily convoluted.
If there is one point of contention I have, it's the soft focus on "sexpionage". The femme fatale cliche has been done to death by now. Perhaps at the time of the book's publishing in 2013 it was still a somewhat novel idea. In 2023, after so much other spy media has used this cliche, the concept has become somewhat tiring. I am however thankful that Matthews seems to have not made the potentially huge mistake of focusing an inordinate amount of writing on sex and seduction scenes. Much of the writing around Dominka Egorova, the main character, actually focuses on her drive to survive the cruel system and society she was forced into. I wonder if the Hollywood movie based on this book will treat her with the same respect as this book. Somehow I doubt it when I watch it. I also realize this book is the first of a trilogy. I am undecided as to if I'll continue the series or not. The ending of this book does leave an incredible amount left unanswered, so that may be just enough motivation to read on.
A recommend for me for those who want an impressively authentic look at life as a modern spy.
chrisl1224's review against another edition
1.0
Wow. I’ve never been so simultaneously bored and irritated at the same time. This guy writes women like he hates them. Epitome of the “tittily down the stairs” meme. If you’re wondering if it gets better, it does not.
lecrandall's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great spy story with a strong female protagonist whose character is exceptionally well developed. I can’t wait to read the other two books in this trilogy! I am hooked!