They Call Me Alexandra Gastone

Um, wow. So this book hooked me from the very first page, and it's not often that a story can do that. It begins with the kind of first chapter, in my opinion, that would make it difficult for anyone not to continue reading. I found Alexandra's -- or should I say, Milena's -- adventure riveting all the way through. Her relationship with her boyfriend was sweet; her relationship with her "grandfather" was even sweeter. The heroine makes hard choices that are motivated by love -- and I love that in a book. Can't wait for book 2!

So, I loved this book. From the opening page, Maclagan had caught me and I just had to know what happened next to Lex. The main character was especially well written, and I loved the emphasis on her inner struggle as well, and how the protagonist's true personality was conveyed.

What really impressed me was how Maclagan used the themes of identity, authority and control in this novel, and the strong, almost moral, messages that jumped from the page--without sounding at all preachy.

This book held just the right amount of suspense, tension, and action to keep me reading right to the end. The dialogue felt real, not at all forced and I could just see all this happening. In fact, I thought the writing style was almost cinematic in places as I could visualise everything. This is such a clever story and would make a great film.

If you love spy thrillers, then I'd highly recommend this book. I'll definitely be looking out for more hooks by this author.

Oh man, I LOVED this. It's so different from a lot of YA spy novels out there. It's a bit darker. You get more into the protagonists head. Lex's life is so complicated and it's really fun joining her as she navigates through it. Tons of twists and turns in this one and good Lord, the ending killed me. I loved it.

Also, loved her romantic relationship with Grant. He was so my kind of guy!