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A review by rachaelbee0402
Nightshade by Anthony Horowitz
3.0
150 pages in:
I'm already enjoying this one more than Never Say Die. I'm enjoying Alex undercover, the stakes are higher... But there are moments where I feel he's a bit dim. His default is to be polite to others in the prison, saying "hello, what's your name?" etc, before realising he's meant to be evil and semi-adjusting his behaviour (but not by much). Dude, this is, what, your 11th book/mission? You've been undercover before. You're a spy. I know you're 15 but come on, you can do better than this.
Also the scar by the boy Freddy's ear? If the police (forensics) aren't able to distinguish between a scar by accident and a surgical scar then I'm very concerned... Considering we're dealing with seemingly brainwashed killer children, I'd have thought that's worth further looking into rather than just a comment on a medical report.
375 pages in:
I'm enjoying the realism here. We've had all the descriptions of Brighton seafront and pier, the lanes and town, the commotion outside the station with the chestnut stall and buses, and him racing up the narrow stairway and jumping down onto the platform to avoid the barriers... And then he's on a train. The chapter ends saying it'll take one hour ten minutes to reach London - he's on his way. ... Then the next chapter opens with the train being delayed outside Preston Park. It’s all too real.
Final thoughts:
So. 3.5 stars. A good book. Set up for another one. Nightshade's still out there and will come back for him. Cute to see Jack and Tom involved too - I like them.
Still, I must admit it feels like these two latest books have backtracked. I thought Scorpia Rising was incredible. The overarching plot had developed and come to a climax, it was darker and grittier and more serious, there were some of the best action scenes we've seen, it was mature and saddeningly serious with Alex suffering from what seemed like PTSD (which interestingly seems to be being explored in the second series of the Alex Rider TV show), the stakes were higher, it ripped at the heartstrings with Jack's death... And then it's as if they backtracked and things got reset. Jack's alive now, Alex is back at school with no mental health concerns, plot is back to its usual small adventure style (since we've now lost the overarching plot of Scorpia). It's similar to if someone continued the Harry Potter series beyond year 7 and made books/films similar to years 1-3.
I'm already enjoying this one more than Never Say Die. I'm enjoying Alex undercover, the stakes are higher... But there are moments where I feel he's a bit dim. His default is to be polite to others in the prison, saying "hello, what's your name?" etc, before realising he's meant to be evil and semi-adjusting his behaviour (but not by much). Dude, this is, what, your 11th book/mission? You've been undercover before. You're a spy. I know you're 15 but come on, you can do better than this.
Also the scar by the boy Freddy's ear? If the police (forensics) aren't able to distinguish between a scar by accident and a surgical scar then I'm very concerned... Considering we're dealing with seemingly brainwashed killer children, I'd have thought that's worth further looking into rather than just a comment on a medical report.
375 pages in:
I'm enjoying the realism here. We've had all the descriptions of Brighton seafront and pier, the lanes and town, the commotion outside the station with the chestnut stall and buses, and him racing up the narrow stairway and jumping down onto the platform to avoid the barriers... And then he's on a train. The chapter ends saying it'll take one hour ten minutes to reach London - he's on his way. ... Then the next chapter opens with the train being delayed outside Preston Park. It’s all too real.
Final thoughts:
So. 3.5 stars. A good book. Set up for another one. Nightshade's still out there and will come back for him. Cute to see Jack and Tom involved too - I like them.
Still, I must admit it feels like these two latest books have backtracked. I thought Scorpia Rising was incredible. The overarching plot had developed and come to a climax, it was darker and grittier and more serious, there were some of the best action scenes we've seen, it was mature and saddeningly serious with Alex suffering from what seemed like PTSD (which interestingly seems to be being explored in the second series of the Alex Rider TV show), the stakes were higher, it ripped at the heartstrings with Jack's death... And then it's as if they backtracked and things got reset. Jack's alive now, Alex is back at school with no mental health concerns, plot is back to its usual small adventure style (since we've now lost the overarching plot of Scorpia). It's similar to if someone continued the Harry Potter series beyond year 7 and made books/films similar to years 1-3.