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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
This book was great because it brought everything together. After finishing the series I found myself wanting more of this world and though this is a completely different story than Alex's there are some interesting parallels, I thought it was very well done.
OK, so it wasn't actually another Alex Rider story, which was a little disappointing, but at the same time, a different perspective was given. As Yassen is a very interesting character, I was glad to read his story.
Yassen Gregorovich did not want to be a killer.
Circumstances brought 14-year-old Yasha to Moscow after his parents untimely death. He was supposed to meet a friend of her parents who would help him and took him in but it turned out in betrayal. He was forced to became thief to survive. And later on, an assassin. A contract killer. The most ruthless and merciless of them all.
The story started by narrating Gregorivich’s young life. It was a slow burn but once you get on with it, it’s really hard to put down. I love the part when he met John Rider. Rider was so cool, very professional. I was emotional on the part where Yassen Gregorovich came back to Sharkovsky’s mansion and put 5 bullets in a gun and played Russian Roulette with his own life.
He was decided that whatever happens, he will not regret his decision. It was such a power move! 5/5 for this book. Anthony Horowitz never fails to give life to his characters.
Circumstances brought 14-year-old Yasha to Moscow after his parents untimely death. He was supposed to meet a friend of her parents who would help him and took him in but it turned out in betrayal. He was forced to became thief to survive. And later on, an assassin. A contract killer. The most ruthless and merciless of them all.
The story started by narrating Gregorivich’s young life. It was a slow burn but once you get on with it, it’s really hard to put down. I love the part when he met John Rider. Rider was so cool, very professional. I was emotional on the part where Yassen Gregorovich came back to Sharkovsky’s mansion and put 5 bullets in a gun and played Russian Roulette with his own life.
He was decided that whatever happens, he will not regret his decision. It was such a power move! 5/5 for this book. Anthony Horowitz never fails to give life to his characters.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Very quick and easy read. Essentially a prequel to the Alex Rider series. Does make you feel for the Yassen character. Chapters are just the right length. I enjoyed how Horowitz told this story.
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.
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"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)
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.