by T.A. Maclagan
When your life is a lie, how do you know what’s real?
Alexandra Gastone has a simple plan: graduate high school, get into
Princeton, work for the CIA, and serve her great nation.
She was told the plan back when her name was Milena Rokva, back before
the real Alexandra and her family were killed in a car crash.
Milena was trained to be a sleeper agent by Perun, a clandestine
organization from her true homeland of Olissa. There, Milena learned everything
she needed to infiltrate the life of CIA analyst Albert Gastone, Alexandra’s
grandfather, and the ranks of America’s top intelligence agency.
For seven years, “Alexandra” has been on standby and life’s been good.
Grandpa Albert loves her, and her strategically chosen boyfriend, Grant, is
amazing.
But things are about to change. Perun no longer needs her at the CIA
in five years’ time. They need her active now.
Between her cover as a high school girl—juggling a homecoming dance,
history reports, and an increasingly suspicious boyfriend—and her mission in
this high-stakes spy game, the boundaries of her two lives are beginning to
blur.
Will she stay true to the country she barely remembers, or has her
loyalty shattered along with her identity?
Praise for They Call Me
Alexandra Gastone:
“An intricate, debut spy
thriller…readers will keep turning pages, and the surprise ending will have
them anxiously awaiting a sequel.” —Booklist
“…the intersection of action,
espionage, and drama makes for solid…entertainment: readers will gladly sit
back and watch Alexandra navigate the obstacle course that comes with playing
her role too well. It’s a strong debut for New Zealand author Maclagan.” —Publisher’s Weekly
“Death-threats, global
takeover, double-agents, hidden files and a blown cover—by the time you get to
the shocking conclusion of this cliff-hanger, you won’t know who to
trust…” —Girls’ Life
“A solid debut that has both
heart and smarts. Clever, solidly paced, and power-packed with a killer voice.
They Call Me Alexandra Gastone is a blast to read. A perfect balance of
mystery, romance, and betrayal. Bring on the sequel!” — Lindsay Cummings, author of The Murder Complex
“They Call Me Alexandra
Gastone is a politically savvy, thrilling escapade of a girl
who’s given up her whole life to serve her nation. But as her iron grip on her
cover starts to loosen and her trust falters in the mission, the secrets unfold
quick as gunfire. I couldn’t put They Call Me Alexandra Gastone down—Maclagan’s
clever, never-what-they-seem characters and authentic tradecraft tidbits lured
me in, while Alexandra’s resourcefulness against overwhelming odds kept me
constantly guessing.”-Lindsay Smith,
author of Sekret and Skandal
I really don't usually go for the whole spy novel thing. I usually stick to supernatural/ horror but after watching a few "spy" shows on TV I thought I would give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised. It was slow going at the beginning but as a reader you have to remember you need a little back story to set up the book. And once it got going I was looking forward to every time I could get back to it.
It had some great characters and Alexandra the main character was my favorite. She was trained as a sleeper agent and sent to live in a CIA agents home posing as his granddaughter. She became very fond of Albert and grew to love him and her boyfriend. All heck broke lose when she was activated. Lots of information came to light on both sides and she had to decide which side she was on. She struggled with the loyalty to her country and the love that she had for Albert and her friends. It has a great twist in the end that you will totally love. Once this book got going it was non stop. If you like YA spy/suspense books you will love this. And even if you don't usually read these like me, you might be pleasantly surprised as I was.
5 Stars!!
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