Description
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?
“…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
Craig Sisterson –
TA MacLagan weaves a page-turning tale, that is slickly written, and full of intrigue both in terms of the twisting plotline, and the character of Lex herself. An accomplished and highly trained young woman who battles with herself and where she fits, just like any teenager. Who tries to find a balance between her mission and her life. She’s had to hold herself back and hide the real her for many years, but now has to pick a side.
There are an interesting cast of characters orbiting around Lex, from her doting grandfather Albert, to her friends and teachers at school, and her mentors, handlers, and peers when she recalls her times at Perun. There’s enough ‘meat on the bones’ of each character, even in small roles, that things never seem caricature-ish – each has their own life and motivations, and seem like real people (even if caught up in a fantastical thriller world), rather than chess pieces being moved around by an obvious authorial hand.
This is a young adult tale, so I read it with that in mind. The story flows well, with plenty of intrigue and action, and characters that you grow to care about, and want to see again. Plus some nice twists.