You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
Mostly this was just fun. I was hooked on the story pretty much the whole time. I didn't even hate the ballet stuff, and I *always* hate the ballet stuff! The synesthete as super spy thing sounds a bit....far fetched, but what do I know? The story was compelling; the characters interesting, the settings dramatic. What more can you ask from a spy novel?!
I've read a fair number of like, mid-60s adventure novels, which I now realize are pretty similar to this book....so I guess I can say this book handled women better than those books, but that's basically the lowest possible bar to clear. There were definitely a few "hey there's a boob here!" moments (e.g. a woman is fighting for her life, but hey her boob is out! Or, a woman is dead, but hey her boob is out! Weird how it's never a man written that way...)
I enjoyed the recipes at the end of each chapter at first, though by the end it felt gimmicky ("As he ran through the streets of Moscow, he also had a cucumber salad.")
I've read a fair number of like, mid-60s adventure novels, which I now realize are pretty similar to this book....so I guess I can say this book handled women better than those books, but that's basically the lowest possible bar to clear. There were definitely a few "hey there's a boob here!" moments (e.g. a woman is fighting for her life, but hey her boob is out! Or, a woman is dead, but hey her boob is out! Weird how it's never a man written that way...)
I enjoyed the recipes at the end of each chapter at first, though by the end it felt gimmicky ("As he ran through the streets of Moscow, he also had a cucumber salad.")
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
3.5 stars. This is a very smart and well written spy novel written by a former CIA agent. It’s a very slow build with a lot of characters. At times I felt it was more complicated than it needed to be. I enjoyed it and will read the next in the series but I definitely need some time between the books
I'm on the fence with this one. Because of the movie, I wanted to start the series. Interesting plot, credible technical aspects, likable characters. A CIA story is always enticing to me. However, the storytelling is a bit confusing to me, especially in that part approaching the climax (the agent exchange). I felt that it could have been written better? Just my opinion. But I will still continue this trilogy.
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
This is one of those books that the movie was a lot better than the book. The ending was so rushed and I didn't really follow along with the book. There were so many characters and it kept changing POV. Overall, I did not like the book that much. But I definitely recommend going and seeing the movie!
Significantly better book than movie. Great story even if by the time I got to the last chapter I knew what was about to happen. That being said- I’m not any less mad about it.
I quite enjoyed this, kept coming back to it when I had some free time.
4 1/2 stars. Dominika Egorova is a ballerina, who after a devastating injury, is basically blackmailed into going to Sparrow school by her conniving uncle, a higher-up in Russia’s SVR, the successor to the KGB. Never comfortable or happy with the idea, Dominika does everything she can to put that behind her and be seen as a true operative without resorting to sparrow ways. As she becomes involved in an operation to ensnare an American CIA officer, Nate Nash, her loyalties and ambitions are tested. In the meantime, a Russian spy labeled MARBLE is giving the SVR fits and ultimately Dominika gets involved there too. There are a lot of characters in the story but they are all nicely carved out and the action and suspense are fantastic. The details of spycraft on both the American and Russian sides are fascinating to read. Looking forward to the next one.