Going Rogue (Also Known As #2)
by Robin Benway
To be published by Bloomsbury
on January 14, 2014
Source: Thanks to Bloomsbury for approving me for an e-ARC on NetGalley.
Connect with the author: website | Facebook | Twitter.
Summary from Goodreads: Being permanently based in a local New York City high school as an undercover operative has its moments, good and bad, for 16-year-old safecracker Maggie Silver. Pros: More quality time with her former mark-turned-boyfriend Jesse Oliver and insanely cool best friend, Roux. Getting to spend quality time with her semi-retired and international spy honorary uncle, Angelo. Cons: High school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. But when Maggie's parents are falsely accused of stealing priceless gold coins, Maggie uses her safecracking skills to try and clear their names. Too bad it only serves to put her and everyone she loves in danger. Maggie and her "new team" flee to Paris where they must come up with a plan to defeat their former allies.
My take: I was thinking back to those things I loved about Also Known As, which was the first book in this series. Here goes: 1) watching Maggie attend high school for the first time. 2) watching Maggie fall for Jesse but not be able to tell him that she's a spy and spying on his family. 3) Maggie having to hide the spy thing from everyone, including her new BFF, Roux. 4) Her new BFF, Roux
Going Rogue only retains one of these elements, Roux. Maggie doesn't spend much time at school in this book. She and Jesse are now together and (mostly) all lovey-dovey. Both Jesse and Roux know that she's a spy.
I'm still a fan of this series, and still liked Going Rogue, even though it felt like a less thrilling book than Also Known As. It seemed to me that many of the story elements that worked to create suspense and tension in book one had evaporated in book two, but there was nothing new to take their place. (But thank you, Robin Benway, for not manufacturing some stupid lovers' quarrel between Jesse and Maggie, which often happens in second books.)
The plot of Going Rogue is pretty straightforward and can be gleaned from the synopsis above: Maggie's parents are accused of stealing priceless gold coins and Maggie has to prove their innocence by locating and stealing gold coins back from the bad guy. That about sums it up. There's a trip to Paris, which is never a bad thing, but which was also mostly a "fleeing the bad guy"kind of trip.
The good news is that Maggie and Jesse are pretty cute together, Roux is still pretty funny, and Angelo is as cool and mysterious a mentor as ever. There are also some last-minute new characters, but I felt pretty lukewarm about them. I hope that the next book a) gets Maggie back into school, or into some other undercover "fish out of water" scenario, b) lets Roux be more outrageously Roux, and c) lets Jesse shine a little. That's all I ask!
One last thing. In my e-ARC, Maggie and Roux are doing a SAT prep class arranged for them by Roux's parents. I was pretty excited about this, because sometimes as I am reading YA, I wonder when these crazy kids study. How do they get into college? In their class, Maggie and Roux study analogies, which have not been part of the SAT since 2005. This SAT prep class is clearly a fraud, and I hope that Maggie can get to the bottom of it...
by Robin Benway
To be published by Bloomsbury
on January 14, 2014
Source: Thanks to Bloomsbury for approving me for an e-ARC on NetGalley.
Connect with the author: website | Facebook | Twitter.
Summary from Goodreads: Being permanently based in a local New York City high school as an undercover operative has its moments, good and bad, for 16-year-old safecracker Maggie Silver. Pros: More quality time with her former mark-turned-boyfriend Jesse Oliver and insanely cool best friend, Roux. Getting to spend quality time with her semi-retired and international spy honorary uncle, Angelo. Cons: High school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. But when Maggie's parents are falsely accused of stealing priceless gold coins, Maggie uses her safecracking skills to try and clear their names. Too bad it only serves to put her and everyone she loves in danger. Maggie and her "new team" flee to Paris where they must come up with a plan to defeat their former allies.
Warning: Spoilers for book one, Also Known As. But if you read the blurb above, you know most of them already.
My take: I was thinking back to those things I loved about Also Known As, which was the first book in this series. Here goes: 1) watching Maggie attend high school for the first time. 2) watching Maggie fall for Jesse but not be able to tell him that she's a spy and spying on his family. 3) Maggie having to hide the spy thing from everyone, including her new BFF, Roux. 4) Her new BFF, Roux
Going Rogue only retains one of these elements, Roux. Maggie doesn't spend much time at school in this book. She and Jesse are now together and (mostly) all lovey-dovey. Both Jesse and Roux know that she's a spy.
I'm still a fan of this series, and still liked Going Rogue, even though it felt like a less thrilling book than Also Known As. It seemed to me that many of the story elements that worked to create suspense and tension in book one had evaporated in book two, but there was nothing new to take their place. (But thank you, Robin Benway, for not manufacturing some stupid lovers' quarrel between Jesse and Maggie, which often happens in second books.)
The plot of Going Rogue is pretty straightforward and can be gleaned from the synopsis above: Maggie's parents are accused of stealing priceless gold coins and Maggie has to prove their innocence by locating and stealing gold coins back from the bad guy. That about sums it up. There's a trip to Paris, which is never a bad thing, but which was also mostly a "fleeing the bad guy"kind of trip.
The good news is that Maggie and Jesse are pretty cute together, Roux is still pretty funny, and Angelo is as cool and mysterious a mentor as ever. There are also some last-minute new characters, but I felt pretty lukewarm about them. I hope that the next book a) gets Maggie back into school, or into some other undercover "fish out of water" scenario, b) lets Roux be more outrageously Roux, and c) lets Jesse shine a little. That's all I ask!
One last thing. In my e-ARC, Maggie and Roux are doing a SAT prep class arranged for them by Roux's parents. I was pretty excited about this, because sometimes as I am reading YA, I wonder when these crazy kids study. How do they get into college? In their class, Maggie and Roux study analogies, which have not been part of the SAT since 2005. This SAT prep class is clearly a fraud, and I hope that Maggie can get to the bottom of it...
I love your note about the SAT prep class-I have no idea when these kids study ever. There are mentions of so much work to do but they hardly ever address when they have time to do it. Sad to hear that this one lacks some of the fun tension from the first book but still looking forward to reconnecting with Maggie and co.
ReplyDeleteWell, I guess watching YA characters do homework would be boring, but I love it when a book acknowledges that homework and college pressure are a huge part of many teens' lives.
ReplyDeleteStill a fan of this series and hope that the whole gang goes undercover in the next installment!!
I've not heard of this series before, but it sounds like if the book contain more of the elements of the first book, it would have been a whole lot better. I mean, you had me at spy! This sounds like a fun read :) Great review!
ReplyDeleteJanina @ Synchronized Reading
Well, another reviewer on Goodreads thought this book was more exciting than the first, and didn't like seeing Maggie in school, so there you go…. that's what makes discussing books so fun!
DeleteThat thing about the SAT prep course is really funny ☺ I hate it when authors write something that is actually wrong...
ReplyDeleteUntil recently, I had no idea that they changed the SAT. They changed it in 2005 and are changing it again in 2015 or 2016. I loved the analogies -- I was good at them!!
DeleteFish out of water is hard to duplicate. That's one of my favorite plot devices no matter what the genre is.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a pretty cute series though.
Very cute!! And I disagree -- just plunk that fish in some different water!!
DeleteHaha! That could be the premise for the next book!
ReplyDeleteI have this one to read. I really liked Also Known As, but felt it was basically just a big bunch of fluff with some spy gear. It sort of sounds like Going Rogue will be similar. I'm okay with that though. I thought the first one was really cute.
Ah yes, I know exactly what you mean about manufactured lovers quarrel. It's always appreciated when an author avoids those. So unnecessary. I really want to read the first book, because it sounds exactly like what I've been in the mood for lately.
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to read Also Known As for AGES. It's been on my WL before it was released. I bet I can get it for cheap now that it's been out for awhile.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the first book yet but I've always wanted to get my hands on it because it sounds. So. Awesome! Spies? Yeah, that one's on my list. I'll be reading Also Known As sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteSeriously Books
This sounds really interesting. I will definitely check out this series. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLoving the cover. This does sounds like a good mystery. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMY COMMENT WAS LOST. AAAAHHHH. Is this really a 3 book series? I haven't made it much past 30% which is where I was when we discussed this last week or so. I'm hoping the excitement comes back, but so far it hasn't. I am glad for more Roux and no unnecessary angst in the romance with Jesse at least!
ReplyDeleteOooh there's a sequel! :) I still remember that I only read Also Known As because of your review, and I loved it. Well, Going Rogue's summary sounds exciting enough, I can't wait to read it! But yaaaay for no stupid lovers' quarrel between Jesse and Maggie! Those two are so adorable together :)
ReplyDeleteOoh! I need to pick up the first one soon! I love the premise of it and it's sounds like a great book! Hope I do pick it up soon!
ReplyDeleteHappy Reading!
Patrick @ The Bookshelves
Oh I totally hope that the tidbit about the SATs ends up being a clue to something--that would be so cool!
ReplyDelete