Monday, 18 May 2015

Review - They Call Me Alexandra Gastone by T.A. Maclagan




Title: They Call Me Alexandra Gastone
Author: T.A. Maclagan
Pages: 226
Publisher: Full Fathom Five Digital
Release date: 20th May 2015
 
Blurb from Goodreads:

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?







My Review:
 
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Full Fathom Five and NetGalley*

3/5 stars

Milena Rokva is dead.
She has been living as Alexandra Gastone, the survivor of the accident that killed her parents. Lex's grandfather, Albert, is a CIA analyst and has no idea that his granddaughter is a sleeper agent placed in his home by an organisation called Perun who want the U.S. out of the country of Olissa.
Then the unexpected happens and Lex is activated.
Can she juggle her high school girl cover complete with boyfriend and good grades with a mission from Perun without anyone getting suspicious?
Is Perun what Lex thinks it is?


'They Call Me Alexandra Gastone' was a quick and enjoyable read.
Milena/Lex was a good, relateable protagonist and I felt sorry for her never being able to be her true self - she always had to act how the real Alexandra would.
I liked the secondary characters and how Lex interacted with them, especially Grant and Albert who she longed to be herself with but couldn't.
The plot was interesting and I never found my attention wavering. I didn't guess the twist at the end and found the writing style easy to follow.
Despite all this I wasn't gripped/wowed by the story which is why I'm giving it 3 stars.


Overall this was an enjoyable, unique read that I would recommend.




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