Spy Society by Robin Benway - Revision history

Jill at 16:42, 22 April 2018

2018-04-22T16:42:04Z

Sue at 15:10, 1 February 2015

2015-02-01T15:10:12Z

Sue at 06:20, 3 June 2013

2013-06-03T06:20:19Z

Sue at 06:19, 3 June 2013

2013-06-03T06:19:34Z

Sue: Created page with "{{infobox |title=Spy Society |sort=Spy Society |author=Robin Benway |reviewer=Robert James |genre=Teens |rating=4.5 |buy=Yes |borrow=Yes |isbn=978-1471116742 |pages=320 |publi..."

2013-06-02T20:24:58Z

Created page with "{{infobox |title=Spy Society |sort=Spy Society |author=Robin Benway |reviewer=Robert James |genre=Teens |rating=4.5 |buy=Yes |borrow=Yes |isbn=978-1471116742 |pages=320 |publi..."

New review

{{infobox
|title=Spy Society
|sort=Spy Society
|author=Robin Benway
|reviewer=Robert James
|genre=Teens
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=978-1471116742
|pages=320
|publisher=Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
|date=July 2013
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1471116743</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>1471116743</amazonus>
|website=http://www.robinbenway.com
|video=
|summary=While it's slightly more romance-based than I was expecting, with the action not getting going until quite late in the book, this is still a real charmer with a wonderful central pairing and a great friendship story as well.
}}
Sixteen-year-old Maggie Silver is a spy, just like her parents. Well, not quite like her parents - she's far better than either at cracking safes. They've always worked as a team, though, so when the Collective - the mysterious organisation that give them assignments in righting wrongs - choose her for a solo run, she's not sure what to expect. Thrown into high school for the first time ever, she's got a clear mission - make friends with Jesse Olivier, stop a security leak, and get out. Making friends with Jesse is easy. It's the getting out witout anyone getting their heart broken which might be tough.

This was really different from what I was expecting, but I definitely enjoyed it. It's just that I thought I was going to get an action-packed spy caper, and for much of the book what I actually got was more of an extremely cute romance, coupled with a brilliant story of the growing friendship between Maggie and social outcast Roux. That's not to say there's anything wrong with it - in fact, Maggie and Jesse are such a lovely couple that I read the entire book with a massive smile on my face. And when the action part does get going, it may feel a little rushed, but it's exciting and rather less predictable than many books of its kind are. The focus on the relationships for much of it is definitely something to be aware of, though.

In addition, Maggie's voice is strong - her narration immediately made me think of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, with just the right mix of sarcasm and the occasional bit of vulnerability, while the dialogue stands out as being brilliant - I loved the exchanges she had with both Roux and Jesse when they first met, and throughout the book.

Recommended as a cute, light romance with added awesome action later on. I'm going to track down some of Benway's previous books to keep me going as I wait for the sequel to this one, which comes out in 2014!

While it's an obvious comparison, I think fans of this will really like anything by Ally Carter - start with either [[Heist Society by Ally Carter]] or [[I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls) by Ally Carter]].

{{amazontext|amazon=1471116743}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=9410679}}
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 |title=Spy Society
 |author=Robin Benway
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 |publisher=Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
 |date=July 2013
-|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1471116743</amazonuk>
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 |website=http://www.robinbenway.com
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 {{infobox
 |title=Spy Society
 |author=Robin Benway
 |reviewer=Robert James
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 While it's an obvious comparison, I think fans of this will really like anything by Ally Carter - start with either [[Heist Society by Ally Carter|Heist Society]] or [[I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls) by Ally Carter|I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You]].
-{{amazontext|amazon=1471116743}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=9410679}}
+{{amazontext|amazon=1471116743}}
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