Friday, August 15, 2014

Also Known As by Robin Benway

Also Known As
by
Robin Benway

Page Count: 318
Series.

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Average Rating on Goodreads: 3.82

Synopsis:
Which is more dangerous: being an international spy... or surviving high school?

Maggie Silver has never minded her unusual life. Cracking safes for the world's premier spy organization and traveling the world with her insanely cool parents definitely beat high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. (If it's three digits, why bother locking it at all?)

But when Maggie and her parents are sent to New York City for her first solo assignment, her world is transformed. Suddenly, she's attending a private school with hundreds of "mean girl" wannabes, trying to avoid the temptation to hack the school's elementary security system, and working to befriend the aggravatingly cute son of a potential national security threat... all while trying not to blow her cover.

From the hilarious and poignant author of Audrey, Wait! comes a fast-paced caper that proves that even the world's greatest spies don't have a mission plan for love.


This book was so FUNNY. I laughed a lot every few pages xD

I loved the protagonist, Maggie, who was full of sarcastic humour, loved Jesse, who was also full of sarcastic humour, which made the conversations between these two awesome to read. (I may or may have not sounded like a giggly schoolgirl everytime I picked it up *cough*)
But I especially loved Roux, Maggie's best friend who was funny in her own way, which kind of reminded me of myself, minus the drinking smoking (but she quit!), and cheating on boys part...o.O Yep. Let's just ignore that. Doesn't matter anyhoo because she changed after she met Maggie!! *defensive look*

Maggie is a spy. She's been cracking safes and picking locks since she was 3. Except, her job has always been in the background, used at the very end of her parents' jobs.

But now. Her OWN assignment has come at last dun dun duun!!

HIGH SCHOOL.

*cue dramatic music and screams*

Her mission?
I sat back in my chair and sighed. "I have to seduce someone," I announced to my parents. 
"High school is already destroying my moral code and I haven't even set foot on the campus yet."
My mom peeked at my dossier. "I think 'befriend' is the word you're looking for," she said after a minute.
   Sometimes she's no fun.

But mother dearest! Seduce is totally more like it. And Jesse ermahgosh<3

Is high school harder than lock picking? *gasp* Her first day in highschool! I want to go to an American highschool.. everything sounds so....dramatic. :P

It was time for the mirror pep talk. 
"Okay, Maggie," I said to myself after my shower, wiping the steam off the medicine cabinet. "You could eat these kids for breakfast. But you won't though, because that would be cannibalistic and wrong."

And then, of course her personality let's her make a friend within the day -.- No fair. and ROUX of all people!! *jealous look* I want a best frienddd!

The book did have similarities though to Ally Carter's Gallagher Girl series. And this is what I was afraid of when I first picked the book up.
Conclusion? This book was way better. and more fun. and the characters were more likable. AND THERE WERE JESSE AND ROUX.

Mmmhm. So if you were contemplating on reading the Gallagher Girls, I would suggest you read this instead xD

The thing that bothered me (and deducted one star) was that the PLOT itself wasn't very original.

Girl has mission to get something from boy.
Boy falls for girl.
Girl falls for boy.
Secret romance ensues.
...Stuff. (I ain't gonna give you spoilers!)

Ta daaaa. Kind of predictable? Immensely. But don't let you stop from reading because it was all for good fun :P

Roux's situation really was...sad. Social outcastt.. technically it was kinda her own fault but she also had loads of personal problems :/
(and Iza you probably won't be happy that she doesn't know LoTR xD)

"I'm serious, you know how people are. They forget about things."
   "Oh really?" Roux said, then turned and smiled at a brunette passing us. "Hey, Julia, what's up? How are things?"
   "Slut," Julia responded, and kept walking. Roux just looked back at me knowingly. 
"You were saying?"
   "Roux..."
"Here's how it works," Roux said, not even slowing her pace. "Once you fall, you fall. You're like that ring thing in the lava. You're not coming back."
   "The ring thing?"
   "With the short guys."
   "Oh, you mean The Lord of the Rings."

XD I should really stop with the quotes but yeah. (I was going to put a Jesse paragraph and quote but turns out I was too lazy to highlight anything >:( and I'm also too lazy to surf through mah memory for something that stood out the most so sowwyy. He's really sweet though.)

*checks notes*
Ah yes one more thing. The story had a teeeeeeensy amount of instalove... but it wasn't the too annoying kind! It was a well paced match for the storyy?

Yeahhhh

Bottom Line:
Light fluffy quick read you should go to when looking for a good laugh or when you're feeling down. Unoriginal storyline, but awesome relatable characters and hilarious dialogue. Recommended. Yayy :D

Nothing looked different outside the park, either, the city the same as it ever was. 
   The only thing that had changed, I realised, was me.

—MissOddball™ Over and Out. *salutes*

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