the ‘see how they run’ rant *spoiler heavy*
An ancient sisterhood of assassin librarians. Yes, an ancient sisterhood of assassin librarians. And that’s only up to page 16. In my imitation of Bill Hader’s character Stefon, “This book has everything. Angry Russian boys, a creepy nineteen year old Westpoint student, a rack of medieval weapons collected by female assassins since the founding of this Mediterranean country. And of course, a rough Anastasia retelling as the backdrop of a YA political thriller.” I honestly can’t tell you if I like this book or Take the Key and Lock Her Up more (but that’s a post in and of itself). With regards to this book, everytime I reread I’m both shocked that Ally was allowed to publish this (it is the most YA thing I have ever read, it is literally the essence of the genre--IT’S A PERFECT GENRE STUDY), and waiting for the fateful day that she (hopefully) publishes more of Grace’s story. This book demands so much of its characters, and I NEED more of it. (More of Noah and Megan? PLEASE? Their relationship needs more of a backstory but they genuinely could have been such a great couple. More Rosie development? Even LILA! The side characters deserved better.) Okay, now that I’ve sufficiently ranted, I need to actually summarize the book. I could write a whole thesis about this series. Okay, so a couple chapters into the book, Grace’s brother, Jamie, comes to visit. He’s a Westpoint man, as their grandfather calls him, and he’s brought a classmate, John Spencer, who’s the worst YA character I’ve ever read. Spence is, naturally, drawn to Grace and the whole traumatized-teenage-girl-oh-so-damaged thing she’s got going on, you know, because mental illness is so fun and romantic and not dangerous or difficult to cope with at all. A couple dozen pages later, the main gaggle of characters goes to a bonfire on the island a mile off of Valancia, and this is where shit really hits the fan. Spence is full of hubris because, you know, he’s a white male soldier in a foreign country, and decides to investigate the ruins with the symbol of the aforementioned secret society of librarians. When Grace starts asking questions, instead of answering them, he decides to KISS HER WITHOUT HER CONSENT, because she’s “cute and nice and funny” or something to that effect. Mind you, Grace is 16, and Spence is at least 19, and she hasn’t even kissed her boyfriend, nor did she give any indication she liked Spence beyond being acquainted with him as her brother’s friend. So, obviously, Alexei and Jamie find out, and in a slightly toxically masculine display of their care for Grace, they beat Spence to a pulp, and he disappears for the rest of the night. Guess who shows up dead the next morning. :) And this is where Ally executes my least favorite plotline in the trilogy: framing Alexei for the death of John Spencer. Now, it creates a beautiful tension in TTKALHU, but in this book, all it does is create the most unnecessary rift between Grace and Jamie (although maybe Ally is right on this one too, because when we reach the end of the book, it becomes extremely important. Maybe I just dislike the Grace/Jamie dynamic in this book. They act like a father and daughter instead of siblings.) Okay, so Alexei is framed for Spence’s death, and the rest of the book is Grace and her friends running around Valancia, talking to Dominic and everything is pretty much like the first book until halfway through, when Grace drugs Alexei, he almost turns himself in, and a car that’s meant to have him in it blows up in the driveway of the Russian embassy. The gang puts him into hiding in the hills of Adria, and he and Grace’s dynamic also changes. (That scene in the hot springs and then Grace walking back to the embassy in the middle of the night and being confronted by Dominic. That’s the entire series in a nutshell.) The biggest props I can give to this book is the raising of the stakes. The first book was quaint, if you can call balls at the palace, staking out a would-be assassin, and the murder of a prime minister “quaint”. But this book has explosions, labyrinths beneath the sea concealing TREASURE and more drama than a high school. (Like, Grace and Alexei are inseparable. Couples who almost die together in an ancient underground labyrinth stay together.) And it all culminates with what, you ask? THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF JAMIE BY THE ROYAL FAMILY AND GRACE FINDING OUT SHE”S THE LOST PRINCESS OF ADRIA. This post is almost as long and convoluted as the book itself. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. Ally, please write more YA series with spies and princesses. I need them. Overall, I give this book a 1000000/10. Bonus points for ancient conspiracies, incriminating videos of fights, romantic scenes with a Russian fugitive, and a lost princess storyline. See you in the next one, folks.
