Mundie Moms

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Book Review - Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy

Written by: Ally Carter
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: October 2, 2007
Source: Purchased
Purchase from: IndieBound | Barnes and Noble | amazon
5 stars - This book is beyond a Must-Have; it's a Run-Out-and-Get-Now.

Synopsis: Cammie Morgan may have a genius IQ and attend the best school in the country, but as she starts the spring semester of her sophomore year there are a lot of things she doesn't know. Like will her ex-boyfriend even remember she exists? And how much trouble did she really get in last semester? And, most of all, exactly why is her mother acting so strangely?




All Cammie wants is a nice, normal semester, but she's about to learn her greatest lesson yet—that when you go to a school for spies, nothing is ever as it seems.

I love discovering a series that has a number of books out already. But the problem? Well, I seem to be devouring them in one day. I tried to slow down my reading of Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy, but I couldn’t seem to stop turning pages. For starters, I wanted to know what Cammie’s mother was hiding and what was that new construction in the school all about?

Then in a countersurveillance exercise with the always fun-to-read Mr. Solomon, I smiled when a new character was introduced as he walked into an elevator with Cammie during that very exercise (page 71-72):
   The elevator seemed to move slower and slower as the clock in my head ticked louder and louder, and I thought about how Mr. Solomon might make us walk back to Roseville if no one achieved our mission objectives.
   “You in a hurry or something?” the boy asked.
   “Actually, I’m supposed to meet my teacher at the ruby slipper exhibit. I’ve only got twenty minutes, and if I’m late, he’ll kill me.” (Not a lie, but maybe an exaggeration—I hoped.)
   “How do you know?”
   “Because he said, ‘Meet me at the ruby slipper exhibit.’”
   “No.” The boy was smiling, shaking his head. “How do you know you only have twenty minutes? You’re not wearing a watch.”
   “My friend just told me.” The lie was smooth and easy, and I was a little bit proud of it, happy that I didn’t have to think about how in forty-five seconds, this boy had noticed something that Josh hadn’t seen in four months.
   “You fidget a lot,” he said.
   Make that two things Josh hadn’t even seen.
   “I’m sorry,” I said, but I wasn’t. “I have low blood sugar.” Lie number three. “I need to eat something.” Which wasn’t really a lie, since…well…I was hungry.
   And then the stranger boy totally knocked me for a loop, because he handed me a bag of M and Ms. “Here. I ate most of them already.”

And in that second, I forgot all about Josh. I’m not going to spoil this for you, Mundie Moms; I will say this – get the series. Get all of them. Trust me when I say, you will love the way Zach (that’s the boy in the quote) says the word, “Spy.” His snarky attitude and ability to best Cammie made for the best kind of reading. The kind where there’s a smile plastered on your face. Just for the record, page 235 contained one of my favorite last lines ever.

If you haven’t picked this series up yet, please do. As for me, I’m moving on to the third book, Don’t Judge a Girl By Her Cover and yes, I’m still grinning.

Blog Tour: Book Review & Giveaway for The Power of Six


Published by Harper Teen
To Be Released on August 23rd, 2011
Source: ARC from publisher to review
4 stars- I Really Enjoyed It
Purchase From: Amazon| Barnes & Noble

In the beginning they were a group of nine. Nine aliens who left their home planet of Lorien when it fell under attack by the evil Mogadorians, who scattered on Earth and went into hiding, who look like ordinary teenagers, but who have extraordinary skills. The Mogadorians killed Number One, Number Two, and Number Three. They tried to kill Number Four, John Smith ...and failed.

Following a massive battle at the end of I AM NUMBER FOUR that proved that the Mogadorians have found him at last, John joined forces with Number Six. Now the fate of Lorien—and Earth— rests in the hands of these two teens.

Already John and Six have inspired a fellow Lorien—Marina, Number Seven—who has been hiding in Spain. She’s been following the news of what’s happening in the US, and she’s certain it’s the sign she’s been waiting for.

This is a fantastic, action packed, thrilling sequel to I Am Number 4. I really liked the way the story played out and was written. It's a fast paced, engaging read told from two different points of view from John, Number Four and Marina, Number Seven.

John, Six, Sam and John's faithful companion, Bernie Kosar are on the run and continue to find themselves in the middle of trouble, despite their best efforts to stay hidden. I loved their character chemistry together and even found some their lines together humorous. Parelling their story is Number Seven, Marina who's in Spain. I liked getting to see two completely different sides to their stories, which not only allows the reader to get to know the characters more, but it makes the story more believable being set in both the US and Spain.

I absolutely love Number Six. She continues to be my favorite character in the series, but Marina herself proves to be a pretty strong character. Sam is another favorite of mine and he becomes a lot stronger in this sequel. I adore John and his sarcasm. He brings some of the humor to the storyline. The fabulous twist that's thrown into John and Sarah's relationship is one I did not see coming. It's one that had me going "no way". I'm hoping we get to see the reasoning behind this twist in the next book.

Thrown into this exiting storyline is the character's history. I liked being able to understand why they're here. The only thing I had an issue with is the reference to the author's pen name and how it ties back to their history. For some reason it just rubbed me the wrong way that one of their Elders has the same name. Aside from that, I liked how the story played out. There's a lot that happens in The Power of Six. There's a lot of action, betrayal, and new characters that come into play that make this book an extremely engaging, fun read. I highly recommend picking this book up.



You can read an excerpt from The Power of Six here.

Be sure to read I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: Six's Story here, and follow them on facebook here.
___________________________________

Thank you to Harper Teen, we have 1 copy of The Power of Six to GIVEAWAY!

To enter, please fill out the form below.
* This giveaway is open to residents in the US
* You must be 13 yrs and older to enter
* One entry per person
* This giveaway will end on August 23rd, 2011

Labels