Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Blog Tour and Book Review: Also Known As by Robin Benway

 I am so excited to be able to be a part of one of Bloombury's Blog Tours, especially this one. 
Robin Benway has created such a fun story with even better characters that really, this was a fantastic read. One that I soon won't be forgetting. 


Title: Also Know As (AKA)
Author: Robin Benway
Published By: Bloomsbury Children's (Feb. 26, 2013)
Genre: YA Contemporary 

 Book Description:

Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.


Purchase Links: Amazon/Barnes and Noble

About the Author:
 I wrote a book called "Audrey, Wait!" After a series of small potholder fires, I'm starting to cook again. You've been warned. Music is my boyfriend. I'm having an affair with coffee, though. I'm writing another book right now. Hi! I'm so glad you're here!

Author WebSite:  http://www.robinbenway.com/

My Thoughts and Review:
I could tell I was going to love this after the first chapter. I mean a teenage spy with a great witty sense of humor? What's not to love?



I absolutely loved Maggie. She was such a great character. Spunky and refreshing. She wasn't overly dramatic and full of teenage angst (okay maybe there was a little bit but it was so funny you actually enjoyed reading about it!). She was tough and headstrong and smart and still sometimes completely clueless about how to be a teenager.



I think I read most of this book with a huge smile on my face. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun with a character before. And yeah, this wasn't really so much about being a spy as it was just about Maggie being able to be, well, Maggie.



There were fabulous secondary characters too (a must for me for any good book to have). Roux was fabulous and probably my favorite, she was so quirky and just someone I totally would pick for a friend and a partner in crime. Jesse was fabulous and completely adorable and I really loved him as well. I loved Angelo and her parents and...okay do you see a pattern here? This whole book was just...wait for it...fabulous.



The ending was great too, I really liked how the author handled it. It did all come down to the last chapters of the story but that was okay, because you know what? It worked. It worked for the characters, it worked for the storyline and it worked for me. Kind of like watching an action movie where there is all this build up and then the last 20 minutes of the movie is nonstop. Where everything is discovered and revealed and resolved.



I give this one 4 Stars!








8 comments:

  1. Love teenage spies! I'm a big fan of the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter so I've been looking forward to this one. I kind of like that it all builds up to a big reveal at the end. Love when the character is spunky and likable.

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  2. I am just starting to see this one around and it sounds like so much fun. I want to check out this one and the Ally Carter series. Glad it left you smiling. I could use a few books like that :)

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  3. I adore teenage spy books like Heist Society by Ally Carter. I love when the characters are witty—sounds like I'm going to love Maggie. Great review!

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  4. I really want to read this one! I love Robin Benway, she writes some of the best characters! I'm glad you enjoyed this so much, hopefully I can get my hands on it soon.

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  5. Spys...i love it, give me some gadgets and let me loose! I love when you just know in the first chapter you are going to like a book..such fun!

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  6. I want to read this! It seriously sounds like a book I'd like. Great review, Ali!

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  7. This sounds like a really fun book. Nice review! I'll have to check it out.

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