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caitlyn 's review for:
Russian Roulette: The Story of an Assassin
by Anthony Horowitz
When I found out we were going to get a prequel book about Yassen's back story I was really excited because I love the little bits of information we had been given in previous books about Yassen's relationship with Alex's father.
This book had some similarities to the Alex Rider books (main character is a teenager for much of the book, frequently finds himself in almost impossible situations and has to think creatively to stay alive). However, it did feel quite different. The overall tone is much darker and, especially at the beginning of the story, Yassen (unlike Alex) is not prepared for the dangerous world he is thrown into.
I felt so much sympathy for Yassen. There were so many points where if things had gone differently, he wouldn't have ended up being the person that we see in the Alex Rider books. The fact that Yassen comes so close to walking away from becoming an assassin and it is a slip up by John Rider himself that stops Yassen from doing this is heartbreaking.
I love pretty much everything about this book. The only thing I'm not a fan of - and it's to do with the cover rather than the content of the book - is the fact that my copy has a number 10 on the spine as it is the tenth novel released in the Alex Rider series. I understand that some people might want to store their books in the order that they were released. However, I prefer to order my chronologically according to the story. This book is set during the events at the end of book one (making it chronologically book two in the series) and it focuses on events that happen before the Alex Rider novels (making it chronologically book one). Placing it in either of these positions on my shelf looks weird due to the number 10 staring out at me. A small issue, but I'm picky like that!
This book had some similarities to the Alex Rider books (main character is a teenager for much of the book, frequently finds himself in almost impossible situations and has to think creatively to stay alive). However, it did feel quite different. The overall tone is much darker and, especially at the beginning of the story, Yassen (unlike Alex) is not prepared for the dangerous world he is thrown into.
I felt so much sympathy for Yassen. There were so many points where if things had gone differently, he wouldn't have ended up being the person that we see in the Alex Rider books.
I love pretty much everything about this book. The only thing I'm not a fan of - and it's to do with the cover rather than the content of the book - is the fact that my copy has a number 10 on the spine as it is the tenth novel released in the Alex Rider series. I understand that some people might want to store their books in the order that they were released. However, I prefer to order my chronologically according to the story. This book is set during the events at the end of book one (making it chronologically book two in the series) and it focuses on events that happen before the Alex Rider novels (making it chronologically book one). Placing it in either of these positions on my shelf looks weird due to the number 10 staring out at me. A small issue, but I'm picky like that!