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csmith0651's review against another edition
3.0
Original situations with cliche supporting characters
Pity, such great original characters and situations that is muted by unoriginal cliche supporting characters. An unfortunate end to the stores.
Pity, such great original characters and situations that is muted by unoriginal cliche supporting characters. An unfortunate end to the stores.
p010ne's review against another edition
5.0
This is a incredible novel that Imagines contact with Putin and many Russian intrusions into USA establishments and even the assassination of a CIA Director! I was fascinated by the imagination of the author to invent so many harrowing events,narrow escapes and disasters from ill thought out CIA schemes! The author came up with many disastrous CIA Chief of station actions and ill thought out actions by bureaucratic ineptitude that jeopardized and caused disasters!
There is an "illegal" Russian agent who is undocumented and serves as a contact to traitorous informer to the Russians. She is really slippery and wily in escaping identification and capture. The CIA attempts to us "Nitrophenyl pentadienal, nitrophenylpentadienal, NPPD, or METKA (Russian for "mark") colloquially known as "spy dust",[1] is a chemical compound used as a tagging agent by the KGB during the Cold War Soviet Era. Soviet authorities in Moscow tracked Americans by applying an almost invisible powder to their clothing, cars, doorknobs and other objects. Some other variants of "spy dust" may have contained luminol and would glow under ultraviolet light" but she avoids contact and that is another failure of the CIA actions.
The ending is quite tragic and I do not know whether this is the end of the novel series or if there can be another novel?
There is an "illegal" Russian agent who is undocumented and serves as a contact to traitorous informer to the Russians. She is really slippery and wily in escaping identification and capture. The CIA attempts to us "Nitrophenyl pentadienal, nitrophenylpentadienal, NPPD, or METKA (Russian for "mark") colloquially known as "spy dust",[1] is a chemical compound used as a tagging agent by the KGB during the Cold War Soviet Era. Soviet authorities in Moscow tracked Americans by applying an almost invisible powder to their clothing, cars, doorknobs and other objects. Some other variants of "spy dust" may have contained luminol and would glow under ultraviolet light" but she avoids contact and that is another failure of the CIA actions.
The ending is quite tragic and I do not know whether this is the end of the novel series or if there can be another novel?
firstwords's review against another edition
2.0
Still more breasts, still more sex, still more intrigue.
That said, the writing is honestly solid enough to carry it. This would probably be a good audiobook to zone out to. The rating would probably be higher if I were more into the cloak-and-dagger-and-lingerie aspect. That is not a knock, just not my cup of tea.
That said, the writing is honestly solid enough to carry it. This would probably be a good audiobook to zone out to. The rating would probably be higher if I were more into the cloak-and-dagger-and-lingerie aspect. That is not a knock, just not my cup of tea.
comadivine11's review against another edition
2.0
Not thrilled with the ending of this trilogy. I got to where I had like 30 pages left and I was like, "How is the author gonna wrap this up so fast? Oh...like that." Disappointing. Great series for 2 3/4 books.
tarheeltegan's review against another edition
3.0
This was a pretty good book until the END, oh my GOD... I am so upset about how this ended!!! I see many other reviewers agree. It was a total cliffhanger and it's the end of the trilogy! I would've rather stopped at the 2nd book if it was going to end this way. The Chinese seductress was completely unnecessary, and a lot of the plot just seemed like filler compared to the other 2 books. I also, just as in the 2nd book, did not understand why Nate cheated on Domi again. Why are all the women sexless or busty and sensual? What was the point of Agnes as a character? While I enjoyed the continuation of the spy lingo, etc. this book lacked the tension of the other 2. At various points in the other 2 books I was afraid for Domi, Nate, or Gable's lives. This book was way more "meh." And, again, the END was TERRIBLE! :( :( :(
capnmags's review against another edition
3.0
Really good spy stuff and interesting plots. The Wolverines were great. But then other things were annoying, disappointing, etc. The recipes annoyed me in the first book, but then I got kind of hooked on them and I would also like to see a Red Sparrow Cookbook. I mean, why not? Maybe the author could do it for charity or something.
Other reviewers complained about the ending, and it was rough, but I think it kind of had to be. This is a fairly gritty series, you can't expect it to turn out like some sappy YA novel. I can't believe this is really the series finale. It seems like the author left it open to continue Domi's story.
**Spoilers follow** ..........
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The part with Gable was heartbreaking. He was my favorite character and I cried. I guess, at least he went down fighting.
Nate, oh Nate. I never liked him very much, but Holy F'ing H. I did not want that to happen to him. Mostly for Domi's sake. That poor woman has been through so much. All the state-sponsored sexual assault and all the losses she has endured. She did not deserve to have to go through that too. But I think that one of them had to bite it at the end of this book because there have just been too many near-misses for them both to make it out, and it wouldn't have fit with the series overall to have a completely happy ending. That said, I actually hope that the series is not over. It seems that Domi still has quite the story left to tell and she really really really deserves to get her revenge and save her people.
Other reviewers complained about the ending, and it was rough, but I think it kind of had to be. This is a fairly gritty series, you can't expect it to turn out like some sappy YA novel. I can't believe this is really the series finale. It seems like the author left it open to continue Domi's story.
**Spoilers follow** ..........
*****
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*
The part with Gable was heartbreaking. He was my favorite character and I cried. I guess, at least he went down fighting.
Nate, oh Nate. I never liked him very much, but Holy F'ing H. I did not want that to happen to him. Mostly for Domi's sake. That poor woman has been through so much. All the state-sponsored sexual assault and all the losses she has endured. She did not deserve to have to go through that too. But I think that one of them had to bite it at the end of this book because there have just been too many near-misses for them both to make it out, and it wouldn't have fit with the series overall to have a completely happy ending. That said, I actually hope that the series is not over. It seems that Domi still has quite the story left to tell and she really really really deserves to get her revenge and save her people.
cymo01's review against another edition
2.0
Unfortunately Matthews couldn't satisfactorily close his Red Sparrow trilogy. "The Kremlin's Candidate" is a 1.5-star book within hailing distance of being 1-star. The book is, in a word, preposterous. Good spy novels keep the story line firmly rooted in the plausible. To say that Matthews did not in this concluding volume of the Red Sparrow Trilogy is an understatement. As with this novel's two predecessors, Matthews' depiction of IC tradecraft is outstanding. This is the biggest asset and best part of the Red Sparrow stories. But in this concluding book, Matthews can't resist over-the-top, fantastical plot twists which makes reading this novel, at times, a chore. Descriptions of Nash's libido got very tiresome. Egorova's astounding luck just became too good to be true. Violence and sex too often substituted for good story. I also tired of smaller things. Egorova's synesthesia, which "lets her see words, music, and human moods as ethereal airborne colors" has annoyed me as a contrivance from the start but especially so in this novel. The detailed descriptions of attire and food grated. I love a good spy novel but at times this one was a chore to get through. Recommended with reservations (for silly Hollywood-ish plot twists, at least one glaring plot hole, and a little too much unpleasant violence).
bouqui's review against another edition
4.0
Very good trilogy all in all. First time I read espionnage novels, I think these put the bar pretty high !
ace0710's review against another edition
4.0
I was ready for this series to be over. Hence how long it took to read the last book. But I can’t believe how it ended! Worth the read. All three of them. The recipes are the best bit. ❤️