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jennyfurdo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
bookishbethie's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally posted here.
Y’all! I really liked this one!
I had a bit of a lukewarm reaction to Also Known As, the first book in this series. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book, but I got a little hung up on the emotional arc of the story and grumbled about it on this here bloggy blog. And I’m so glad to tell you that I have no grumblings about the second book!
It’s fun and so fast-paced that at times I was breathless while reading it. And there is international intrigue! And some new internationally intriguing characters!
But the root of the story is still Maggie, Jesse, and Roux, whom I adore and want to be besties with. Where I felt the emotions were a bit forced and then rushed in Also Known As, the emotional depth to the relationships between these three characters really works in this book.You get the feeling that these three characters have bonded completely and are able to trust each other without question, which I imagine is incredibly important when you’re all of a sudden on a team of international spies. Sadly, I don’t know this for real and for true since I’ve never been invited to be on a team of international spies, but I can imagine that it would be stressful and that emotions would be running high, and that trust and faith in your team is one of those things that is pretty necessary.
Overall, Going Rogue is an extremely readable spy adventure that will have you practicing your French (and every other language on the planet. You know, for when the time comes.) and trying to figure out which skills you can develop that will make you indispensable as a spy.
Y’all! I really liked this one!
I had a bit of a lukewarm reaction to Also Known As, the first book in this series. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book, but I got a little hung up on the emotional arc of the story and grumbled about it on this here bloggy blog. And I’m so glad to tell you that I have no grumblings about the second book!
It’s fun and so fast-paced that at times I was breathless while reading it. And there is international intrigue! And some new internationally intriguing characters!
But the root of the story is still Maggie, Jesse, and Roux, whom I adore and want to be besties with. Where I felt the emotions were a bit forced and then rushed in Also Known As, the emotional depth to the relationships between these three characters really works in this book.You get the feeling that these three characters have bonded completely and are able to trust each other without question, which I imagine is incredibly important when you’re all of a sudden on a team of international spies. Sadly, I don’t know this for real and for true since I’ve never been invited to be on a team of international spies, but I can imagine that it would be stressful and that emotions would be running high, and that trust and faith in your team is one of those things that is pretty necessary.
Overall, Going Rogue is an extremely readable spy adventure that will have you practicing your French (and every other language on the planet. You know, for when the time comes.) and trying to figure out which skills you can develop that will make you indispensable as a spy.
nitabee's review against another edition
3.0
Going Rogue is the sequel to Also Known As, and I didn't like it as much as the first book. Still worth reading though, especially if you liked the first book. The premise to this book is that some members of the Collective are .
Spoiler
pretty upset with what happened in the last book, with the baddie trying to kidnap Maggie. They frame Maggie's parents for stealing evidence in a case a loooong time ago and go after Maggie's family, as well as her BFF, Roux, and her boyfriend, Jesse. They all survive and wind up outing the bad members of the Collective to the media (Maggie's mom is a super hacker and erased traces of the good spies)zeefunhouse's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
spilled's review against another edition
4.0
Another horrible leggy cover. Why? NOBODY IN THIS BOOK WEARS TIGHTS.
slc333's review against another edition
3.0
Probably more 2.5 stars. While it wasn't bad I didn't enjoy it anywhere near as much as the first book. It lacked the same charm as we didn't have Maggie struggling to understand 'normal' high-school life which was so entertaining in the first book. I also found Maggie's failure to give Jesse & Roux any information kind of annoying seeing as she involved them completely in her last assignment. Sadly I also found both Roux and Angelo less delightful this time round as well. Angelo went from being mysterious and helpful to ridiculously all knowing and powerful and Roux was less cool and funny with her hissy fit over Maggie telling her she might need to leave for a time (not forever mind - just long enough to save her family) and her wanting to stay in Paris with a guy she has known for 2 days - leaving Maggie, Jesse & Angelo even though she went mental at Maggie about leaving.
srishti_b's review against another edition
4.0
I'm honestly surprised that more people haven't heard of this series, especially considering the success the author, Robin Benway, had with Far From the Tree, which I absolutely loved. I read this series one after another, which I almost never do, but they were so much fun and I needed something to change my mood after reading Gone With the Wind. I loved Maggie's character and the fact that, after everything she has been through, the one thing that causes her the most trouble is going to a real school.
This series reminded me of the Gallagher Girls series in many ways. Both involved a girl who is, or is training to be, a spy. Both girls also get in trouble because they want- to some extent- to be "normal", at least for a little while, even though one of them has practically lived at school her entire life, and for the other, this is her first time going to school or making friends.
Speaking of which, I loved the friendship between Roux "Like Kanga" and Maggie. I think that they both were really good for each other in that they both had a little bit of an issue relying on people besides themselves because they didn't know how, and it was good that they were both able to do that together. I think that Roux in this book especially learned how to confront some of the problems in her life, and simultaneously let go of them, which I think was an important set of events.
I found Angelo and Maggie's parents to be great characters as well, and I thought it made it so much more of an interesting story that Maggie's parents in particular were having a hard time finding the balance between letting Maggie do her job, and being the parents of a teenager, and in many ways Angelo was like a third parent to her.
I was a little sad to see the collective go, but I'm sure Maggie, Angelo, and all the other characters will continue with their missions in other ways.
This series reminded me of the Gallagher Girls series in many ways. Both involved a girl who is, or is training to be, a spy. Both girls also get in trouble because they want- to some extent- to be "normal", at least for a little while, even though one of them has practically lived at school her entire life, and for the other, this is her first time going to school or making friends.
Speaking of which, I loved the friendship between Roux "Like Kanga" and Maggie. I think that they both were really good for each other in that they both had a little bit of an issue relying on people besides themselves because they didn't know how, and it was good that they were both able to do that together. I think that Roux in this book especially learned how to confront some of the problems in her life, and simultaneously let go of them, which I think was an important set of events.
I found Angelo and Maggie's parents to be great characters as well, and I thought it made it so much more of an interesting story that Maggie's parents in particular were having a hard time finding the balance between letting Maggie do her job, and being the parents of a teenager, and in many ways Angelo was like a third parent to her.
I was a little sad to see the collective go, but I'm sure Maggie, Angelo, and all the other characters will continue with their missions in other ways.
aprilbooksandwine's review against another edition
4.0
Spies are kind of the best. No, seriously, I love reading books about girl spies. I love it when girls do fun and exciting and daring things in books. Going Rogue by Robin Benway, sequel to Also Known As is all about girls doing daring things and I love it. Benway’s latest book called to me as I was in a fog of WHAT DO I READ NEXT because I was dying to know what was going on with Maggie, Roux, Jesse, and everyone else. Also, I have yet to meet a book by Robin Benway that I don’t like, so, this book was kind of a guaranteed winner for me. And you know, there are just those days where you don’t want to take a risk and instead want to go with a tried and true winner. This was one of those types of reads: a winner of a book.
Read the rest of my review here
Note: Review and post go live May 21, 2014
Read the rest of my review here
Note: Review and post go live May 21, 2014
mavisinspanish's review against another edition
4.0
Love Roux! Love Ames! I can't wait for the next one :D (I hope there's one more)
theartolater's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know what it is about teen spy novels that grab me, but I think I'll probably give anything in the genre a shot.
Going Rogue is the sequel to Also Known As, a book I liked a lot but didn't outright love. In the first book, our heroine is on her first spy adventure, and it ends up being a better Heist Society even though the true espionage-style story was lacking to a point. Going Rogue definitely turns up the energy a bit, with a broader conspiracy and an actual need to use spy skills for self-preservation as opposed to whatever motives might be ascribed to our characters the first time.
The book ultimately works because it works hard to be relevant to the subject matter and doesn't make the same mistakes a number of sequels in this genre do. It's a spectacularly quick read, with few pacing issues, and the romances are believable and not shoehorned in like with so many books in the genre.
I do not know where this can realistically go next, but I know I'll be on board when the next book comes out. If you enjoyed the first book, you should absolutely give the second a shot as well.
Going Rogue is the sequel to Also Known As, a book I liked a lot but didn't outright love. In the first book, our heroine is on her first spy adventure, and it ends up being a better Heist Society even though the true espionage-style story was lacking to a point. Going Rogue definitely turns up the energy a bit, with a broader conspiracy and an actual need to use spy skills for self-preservation as opposed to whatever motives might be ascribed to our characters the first time.
The book ultimately works because it works hard to be relevant to the subject matter and doesn't make the same mistakes a number of sequels in this genre do. It's a spectacularly quick read, with few pacing issues, and the romances are believable and not shoehorned in like with so many books in the genre.
I do not know where this can realistically go next, but I know I'll be on board when the next book comes out. If you enjoyed the first book, you should absolutely give the second a shot as well.