Review: A Spy in the House

Title: A Spy in the House
Author: Y.S. Lee
Series: The Agency #1
Published: 2009 by Candlewick Press
Version: Hardcover
Obtained: Library

Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction in fine manners — and an unusual vocation. Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust — or is there? Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets — including those of her own past.

First Sentence:
(Prologue) “She should have been listening to the judge.”

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I completely forgot how much I love mysteries. I LOVE THEM A LOT.

There are many things I love in books: spies, mysteries, England (back in the day), hot guys, and disguises. And these are just some. I love EVERYTHING about this book.

I love Y.S. Lee’s writing style. I love the way she captures the time period, the amazingness of Mary, the total hotness and amazingness of James, the suspense and mystery of the plotline, and the way she had me guessing up until the very end. When describing everything, Lee doesn’t shy away from telling the reader what’s going on. The discussions between the characters aren’t full of euphemisms (mostly) and the visual pictures are very blunt.

Mary Quinn is a no-nonsense girl. She grew up on the streets, she’s hiding many secrets, and she doesn’t take her job lightly. I loved how she just threw out whatever she was thinking no matter how “unladylike” it might have been. She knows her job, she knows how important it is, and she’s going to be herself no matter what. I really, really respect her.

James Easton is to die for. I’m not even kidding. I completely adore him. I knew from the moment James and Mary awkwardly met that they would be a great literary couple. I’m sure their relationship will go through a lot throughout this series (due to hidden secrets, and the ending to this book), but I’ll stick with them because they’re perfect for each other.

If you love mysteries, historical London, evil schemes, hot (and smart) guys, and women in espionage, you need to read this book (and its sequels).

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Content Warning: Mild language, kissing

Rating:

 
I think this book is so very great and I desperately want to buy it so I can reread it.

100th POST!!! Updates

It took me over a year to get to my 100th post.

Well anyways I have a bulleted list for you guys about what’s up with me and why I’ve been absent and why I’m a bad blogger but a good reader and more updates.

• I WENT TO EUROPE!!!! I got the amazing chance to visit London, Paris, Florence, Assisi, and Rome. The weather was pretty great, I took about 1500 pictures, I got some cool stuff (Including a UK edition of Ally Carter’s Out of Sight, Out of Time. All the terminology is different, along with the cover (which is paperback…already…which is strange, but it was cheap so I’m not complaining).) I loved Italy so very, very much, and I really want to go back again.
• After my 10 day international excursion, I came home, had one day to regroup, and off I went to Washington D.C. with my Econ./Gov. class. I was anti-picture and anti-souvenir, which actually freed me up to have a great, relaxing yet exhausting time in DC.

Break from bullets: So that was two weeks I had no computer access. I did read a lot though. :)

• School is getting intense and crazy, as I try to wrap up the year on time to graduate.
• I’m in the middle of like 50 billion books right now:
• Under the Never Sky – Veronica Rossi
• Prom and Prejudice – Elizabeth Eulberg
• Cinder – Marissa Meyer
• Inheritance – Christopher Paolini
• Jane – April Lindler
• Tiger’s Quest – Colleen Houck
• Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
• Lord of the Flies – William Golding
• ….probably something else too.

So thank you to those who read my blog. Thank you for liking my now 100 posts. Thank you for being interested in what I read.
I now have my goodreads page linked in the sidebar, so check that out.

I’m excited to read and blog much more now that I’m home for a long stretch.

Once again, suggestions will be read with care, look to the Contact Me tab for contact information.

I love you!

Review: Torrent

Title: Torrent
Author: Lisa T. Bergren
Published: 2011 by David C. Cook
Version: Paperback
Obtained: Library

Gabriella and Evangelia Betarrini are just two normal American teenagers. Normal except for the fact that they time travel to fourteenth-century Italy, where they’ve lived in castles they’ve seen as crumbling ruins, become swept up in historic battles, and fallen in love with handsome knights willing to do anything to keep them alive.

They’ve returned to the present to save their father, just short of his tragic death, and now all four return to the place that holds the girls’ hearts, medieval Italy. But remaining there means facing great risk as the battle for territory wages on and the coming Black Plague looms. Can they convince their parents to stay and leave behind everything they’ve worked so hard to accomplish? And will the girls sacrifice their futures in an uncertain past? Or in facing death head-on, will they discover life as it was always meant to be lived?

First Sentence:
“We’d shaken the dust from the gowns the guys had left the three of us and slipped on our ‘medieval disguises,’ as I called them, but there wasn’t a whole lot we could do for Dad.”

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These books just kept getting better and better. Epicness, adventure, romance, conflicted emotions, almost weddings, weddings, kidnappings, ETC. Seriously, how could you NOT like these books? They are just full of awesome things.

I REALLY need Lisa T. Bergren to write more books around these characters. I would love reading from Lia’s perspective. Also, a character I’m really loving is Lord Greco, he’s just so conflicted and HOT. Grrr. I love him.

Anywho, I love this series so much, and this book ended the trilogy very well.

Content Warnings: Kissing.

Rating:
 
FOR THE WHOLE SERIES, I LOVE YOU!!

 

---------- END OF BOOK REVEW. ON TO OTHER THINGS!!! ----------

I just got back from a trip to Europe (which is why I haven’t blogged in awhile) and I got to go to Florence! Which all of you who read this series will know is the city of Firenze! The entire time we were strolling along streets and walking through the plazas, I kept thinking about these books and the scenes in Firenze. :) I love that I got to go there so soon after finishing this series!!!!!!!!!!
Some pictures from my visit:

Now that I have made everyone suitably jealous, I will depart.

I apologize once again for being a blog-writing-procrastinator.