Review by mcstressy - The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold

The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold by Ally Carter

3.75

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

LIKED:

There is something just so fun about this duology. There’s the over-the-top spy antics, the inflated stakes, the frankly silly comedy. It’s just really entertaining.
I really like the dynamics between the leads. I understand why they’re so drawn to each other and they’re chemistry works quite well.
I like Alex, especially in juxtaposition to her sister’s depiction in the first book (who I generally also enjoyed).
King is also a fun lead and I appreciated getting his POV. I found a lot of his motivations to be more intriguing and interesting than Alex at points, however.
This cover is even better than the first one and I love that one. But the reflection? In the glasses?! SO good.
The title is fun. It’s very 007, golden-age spy movie.

LAMENTED:

This book is around 100 pages longer than the first one and, unfortunately, it drags whereas the first one did not. The dual timelines really cut into the momentum, and in what feels to be a really backwards way. We get wayyyy more time with the past versions of the characters and so little time with them in the present. Some of the chapters in the present are incredibly short and it’s honestly frustrating.
While I like both of the characters, their core wounds were repeated ad nauseum. Alex talks about her sister having been sick or them being so different or something along those lines in nearly every chapter. It did not need to be told to us that much. And we hear about what happened to King’s family a lot.
I found King’s character arc to be…disappointing? I’m not saying he didn’t need to go through a major change from where he started, but where he started and where he ended feel too disjointed for me.
The pseudonym culmination needed wayyyy more build for it to be justified in its payoff imo.
The epilogue was not for me. Check my CW for why if you want the spoiler.

LONGED FOR:

Less drastic cuts between timelines
A bit more brevity (less repetition of known character and story aspects, etc.)
More build to the climax in regards to character work for a more impactful payoff

Will I read the next one? : Oh for sure. I’ve liked both of these and really enjoyed Most Wonderful Crime…

*Thank you to Avon & NetGalley for providing this ARC!

Content Warnings