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weweresotired's review
3.0
I was excited for this book as soon as I first read the blurb from the publisher, because if there's anything I'm into, it is superpowers, spy stories, and Cold War era-Russia. The fact that this book had all of those things made it a must-read for me.
Yulia is an interesting main character, a street-wise girl plucked away from the life she knows in order to basically become a weapon for the KGB. We follow her as she is put into a special program for other psychics and learns about how to use her powers, which she had always seen as somewhat of a coincidence before. I felt like the setting and time period were written very well; it never felt like the characters were too modern or anything, which is something I see sometimes in historical fiction. There's a whole crew of fellow psychics at the school, and Yulia doesn't get off to a very good start with any of them. I loved to see her devotion to her family, and how determined Yulia was to get back to her life -- no matter how frustrating that was as a reader. (Me for most of the book: But everyone is psychic! Stop thinking about escaping!!)
The book started and ended strongly, but I felt like the middle lagged a bit. In some ways, I feel like parts of it lagged or felt disjointed because things had been cut out. The romance and possible love triangle, though hinted at early on, seemed to come on abruptly, for example, and I couldn't help but wonder if there were some scenes that would develop that better that were cut.
Some of the plot twists were telegraphed a mile away, but there was at least one that caught me by surprise, which is always good, in my mind. The ending is plenty open for the story to continue, Sekret wasn't a perfect book but I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the inevitable sequel.
Yulia is an interesting main character, a street-wise girl plucked away from the life she knows in order to basically become a weapon for the KGB. We follow her as she is put into a special program for other psychics and learns about how to use her powers, which she had always seen as somewhat of a coincidence before. I felt like the setting and time period were written very well; it never felt like the characters were too modern or anything, which is something I see sometimes in historical fiction. There's a whole crew of fellow psychics at the school, and Yulia doesn't get off to a very good start with any of them. I loved to see her devotion to her family, and how determined Yulia was to get back to her life -- no matter how frustrating that was as a reader. (Me for most of the book: But everyone is psychic! Stop thinking about escaping!!)
The book started and ended strongly, but I felt like the middle lagged a bit. In some ways, I feel like parts of it lagged or felt disjointed because things had been cut out. The romance and possible love triangle, though hinted at early on, seemed to come on abruptly, for example, and I couldn't help but wonder if there were some scenes that would develop that better that were cut.
Some of the plot twists were telegraphed a mile away, but there was at least one that caught me by surprise, which is always good, in my mind. The ending is plenty open for the story to continue, Sekret wasn't a perfect book but I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the inevitable sequel.
shelvesofsecrets's review
4.0
Russia, espionage and psychics? I'm in! Needless to say, I had high hopes going into this book and thankfully, it lived up to them!
Yulia is a tough girl. She has to be! Her family has fallen out of favour with the Party and now barely scrape by, living hand-to-mouth off of the black market. But Yulia has a trick that's helping her family survive: she's psychic. Unfortunately, this gift becomes her curse once she is forcibly recruited to a special KGB centre for young psychics. It's kind of like X-men. If all the X-men were various psychics in Cold War USSR and Professor X was a danger psychopath who could rip out your memories.
I had a lot of respect for Yulia. She's tough as nails and devoted to doing what she can to keep her mother and brother (who I'm pretty certain falls until the Autism spectrum) safe. Unfortunately, life in Communist Moscow doesn't make this easy for her. Yulia is not the kind of person who is content being controlled. She fights back as much as possible.
A lot of the story goes on inside Yulia's head, so we only get to view the secondary characters as they relate to her. That didn't stop me from wanting to slap some (Masha), cower in fear from some (Rostov) and give suspicious glares to others (pretty much everyone else).
I completely fell in love with the setting of this one. It's crazy how a historical location could feel so much like a dystopian read. I've always enjoyed learning about history (even though it was my worst class in school) and I love reading stories set in different places. I would love to visit Russia one day!
The only thing I didn't totally love on this one was the romance. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it, I just think I would have enjoyed the story a little bit more without it. But I'm not a romance person, so I'm sure this is entirely personal preference. I just know that I kind of rushed through the romance-y bits because I was desperate to get back to the spying bits! However, the romance was very limited, so there wasn't much rushing necessary.
I'd definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, Russia, espionage or cool psychic phenomena. Definitely worth a read!
Yulia is a tough girl. She has to be! Her family has fallen out of favour with the Party and now barely scrape by, living hand-to-mouth off of the black market. But Yulia has a trick that's helping her family survive: she's psychic. Unfortunately, this gift becomes her curse once she is forcibly recruited to a special KGB centre for young psychics. It's kind of like X-men. If all the X-men were various psychics in Cold War USSR and Professor X was a danger psychopath who could rip out your memories.
I had a lot of respect for Yulia. She's tough as nails and devoted to doing what she can to keep her mother and brother (who I'm pretty certain falls until the Autism spectrum) safe. Unfortunately, life in Communist Moscow doesn't make this easy for her. Yulia is not the kind of person who is content being controlled. She fights back as much as possible.
A lot of the story goes on inside Yulia's head, so we only get to view the secondary characters as they relate to her. That didn't stop me from wanting to slap some (Masha), cower in fear from some (Rostov) and give suspicious glares to others (pretty much everyone else).
I completely fell in love with the setting of this one. It's crazy how a historical location could feel so much like a dystopian read. I've always enjoyed learning about history (even though it was my worst class in school) and I love reading stories set in different places. I would love to visit Russia one day!
The only thing I didn't totally love on this one was the romance. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it, I just think I would have enjoyed the story a little bit more without it. But I'm not a romance person, so I'm sure this is entirely personal preference. I just know that I kind of rushed through the romance-y bits because I was desperate to get back to the spying bits! However, the romance was very limited, so there wasn't much rushing necessary.
I'd definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, Russia, espionage or cool psychic phenomena. Definitely worth a read!
kaitrosereads's review
5.0
I picked up Sekret, Lindsay Smith’s debut novel, hoping for a good historical novel with some hints of intrigue and romance. What I got was something so much better! Lindsay Smith puts a whole new spin on the Cold War and spies both Russia and the United States.
The characters really make Sekret so amazing. Each character is so complex and amazingly well-developed, especially for the first book in a new series. Yulia is a very family focused young girl who just so happens to have psychic abilities that the KGB would like to exploit. She’s a strong, independent girl but her family is both her biggest blessing and her biggest weakness. She will do anything to protect them, including using her abilities for the KGB. However, her morals never change, no matter what she is forced to do. She learns to cope with her job with the KGB but she will not stop trying to get away. She’s feisty and smart and such a wonderful main character. The other psychics in the employ of the KGB are all very different people. Some of them are forced to be there, others are there to please their family (also members of the KGB.) Yulia connects with two very different boys, one who is forced to be there and the other who chose to be there. Sergei and Valentin were both great characters but in very different ways. From the start, Valentin wanted out of the KGB and he was willing to do anything to leave. He and Yulia originally bonded over their shared hatred but that wasn’t all they had in common. They quickly grew to become friends and watching their relationship develop was so fun. Sergei was easygoing and funny. He helped lighten the mood of the book, that’s for sure. It was clear from the start that he wanted more than friendship from Yulia but friendship is what he got. That friendship forced him to finally look at what his life was like and Sergei really grew as a person throughout the course of the book.
Villains aren’t usually as good as Rostov, the head of the psychic division of the KGB. He was supremely creepy. He was willing to do whatever it took to restore Stalinist Russia. He is a cold blooded killer but the worst part is that nobody knows it and nobody can prove it. His ability as a scrubber (as Yulia calls him) allows him to erase things from people’s minds. Even if someone saw him murder someone, he could just erase and they would be none the wiser. It’s a truly scary thought to wonder if you’ve seen or done something but not be able to remember it. Yulia must go through that feeling many times throughout the course of Sekret.
The story takes time to get into but it’s worth it once you make it past the more informative first chapters. The first few chapters are just spent building the world and explaining the abilities that people find themselves with. I will admit that it’s a little dull and made for some slow reading but, like I said, it’s worth it once you get past those chapters. This truly is an espionage thriller. The US and Russia are in the space race and the KGB is determined to help Russia stay ahead of the race but they can’t do that if the US manage to steal their plans. When the psychic division of the KGB discover that the US spies are also employing a scrubber like Rostov, the stakes become even higher. It’s a pulse pounding race to the finish and there will be plenty of shocking revelations for readers throughout Sekret.
Overall, Sekret is one of the most thrilling, unique historical fiction novels I’ve read in recent times. I look forward to continuing this series and I highly recommend this debut from Lindsay Smith.
The characters really make Sekret so amazing. Each character is so complex and amazingly well-developed, especially for the first book in a new series. Yulia is a very family focused young girl who just so happens to have psychic abilities that the KGB would like to exploit. She’s a strong, independent girl but her family is both her biggest blessing and her biggest weakness. She will do anything to protect them, including using her abilities for the KGB. However, her morals never change, no matter what she is forced to do. She learns to cope with her job with the KGB but she will not stop trying to get away. She’s feisty and smart and such a wonderful main character. The other psychics in the employ of the KGB are all very different people. Some of them are forced to be there, others are there to please their family (also members of the KGB.) Yulia connects with two very different boys, one who is forced to be there and the other who chose to be there. Sergei and Valentin were both great characters but in very different ways. From the start, Valentin wanted out of the KGB and he was willing to do anything to leave. He and Yulia originally bonded over their shared hatred but that wasn’t all they had in common. They quickly grew to become friends and watching their relationship develop was so fun. Sergei was easygoing and funny. He helped lighten the mood of the book, that’s for sure. It was clear from the start that he wanted more than friendship from Yulia but friendship is what he got. That friendship forced him to finally look at what his life was like and Sergei really grew as a person throughout the course of the book.
Villains aren’t usually as good as Rostov, the head of the psychic division of the KGB. He was supremely creepy. He was willing to do whatever it took to restore Stalinist Russia. He is a cold blooded killer but the worst part is that nobody knows it and nobody can prove it. His ability as a scrubber (as Yulia calls him) allows him to erase things from people’s minds. Even if someone saw him murder someone, he could just erase and they would be none the wiser. It’s a truly scary thought to wonder if you’ve seen or done something but not be able to remember it. Yulia must go through that feeling many times throughout the course of Sekret.
The story takes time to get into but it’s worth it once you make it past the more informative first chapters. The first few chapters are just spent building the world and explaining the abilities that people find themselves with. I will admit that it’s a little dull and made for some slow reading but, like I said, it’s worth it once you get past those chapters. This truly is an espionage thriller. The US and Russia are in the space race and the KGB is determined to help Russia stay ahead of the race but they can’t do that if the US manage to steal their plans. When the psychic division of the KGB discover that the US spies are also employing a scrubber like Rostov, the stakes become even higher. It’s a pulse pounding race to the finish and there will be plenty of shocking revelations for readers throughout Sekret.
Overall, Sekret is one of the most thrilling, unique historical fiction novels I’ve read in recent times. I look forward to continuing this series and I highly recommend this debut from Lindsay Smith.
forsakenfates's review
4.0
Book 1 for #TBRTakedown. This was so good! I loved the plots and the characters. Now I need to get my hands on Skandal.
From the start of this book I was pulled into the world of espionage, spies, and kids with psychic abilities. Lindsay Smith has crafted an amazing world in the 1960s with the events of the Cold War. While this is clearly fiction, there were so many elements that seemed so real to me. Smith clearly did her research on Russian and that time period for this series.
The plot of this series is incredibly deep and while I have no clue where things are headed, I'm perfectly okay with that. I loved not knowing where things were going and what to expect. I did figure out the one big reveal early but I was not overly disappointed in that. I think there were clues there to help you come to that prediction on your own.
As for the characters, I absolutely loved the group of misfit, psychic children. While I absolutely hated Misha and Masha, they were still their own unique characters that had a role to play. As for Sergei, on a purely personal note, I loved the hockey knowledge and obsession he had. As an avid hockey fan who knows how important that sport is in Russia, I loved the tribute to the sport through Sergei. I also loved Yulia and Valentin and the course of their friendship. It was definitely not thrown in your face like other books.
Overall, this was a fascinating read and a great start to what I assume is a fantastic series. I have high hopes that Skandal will live up to this book and I will enjoy it just as must and the story unravels further. There are a lot of loose ends to tie up and I cannot wait to see how that is accomplished.
From the start of this book I was pulled into the world of espionage, spies, and kids with psychic abilities. Lindsay Smith has crafted an amazing world in the 1960s with the events of the Cold War. While this is clearly fiction, there were so many elements that seemed so real to me. Smith clearly did her research on Russian and that time period for this series.
The plot of this series is incredibly deep and while I have no clue where things are headed, I'm perfectly okay with that. I loved not knowing where things were going and what to expect. I did figure out the one big reveal early but I was not overly disappointed in that. I think there were clues there to help you come to that prediction on your own.
As for the characters, I absolutely loved the group of misfit, psychic children. While I absolutely hated Misha and Masha, they were still their own unique characters that had a role to play. As for Sergei, on a purely personal note, I loved the hockey knowledge and obsession he had. As an avid hockey fan who knows how important that sport is in Russia, I loved the tribute to the sport through Sergei. I also loved Yulia and Valentin and the course of their friendship. It was definitely not thrown in your face like other books.
Overall, this was a fascinating read and a great start to what I assume is a fantastic series. I have high hopes that Skandal will live up to this book and I will enjoy it just as must and the story unravels further. There are a lot of loose ends to tie up and I cannot wait to see how that is accomplished.
trisha_thomas's review
3.0
I really did enjoy this story. I never knew just how much I loved historical fiction until I stumble on little gems like this.
I loved the characters and found each in their own power and ability to be completely fascinating. I also found the landscape the story takes place to be rich in detail and history and I just loved feeling pulled into it.
But I've had a cold over the last few days, and I think the fever muddled with my understanding of the book. I kept getting confused. I was losing track of names and who was who. Ivan popped up and I couldn't remember who he was and had to backtrack. I blame most of this on being sick. I think I would have enjoyed it a little more.
I loved the characters and found each in their own power and ability to be completely fascinating. I also found the landscape the story takes place to be rich in detail and history and I just loved feeling pulled into it.
But I've had a cold over the last few days, and I think the fever muddled with my understanding of the book. I kept getting confused. I was losing track of names and who was who. Ivan popped up and I couldn't remember who he was and had to backtrack. I blame most of this on being sick. I think I would have enjoyed it a little more.
maggiemaggio's review
3.0
Sekret. This book. I should have liked this book, right? I love historical fiction, I love spies, I love YA and this book is all of those things, and it’s not bad at any of those things, but still I struggled with this book in a major way. I picked it up, I read 80 or so pages, I put it down for a week, I picked it up again, but still it took me several days to finish and that is not a normal thing for me. I had three major issues with the book: my lack of connection to the main character, the nature of a story about the Soviet Union, and how much this book reminded me of a book I read last year called The Naturals.
Let’s tackle that last one first. If you haven’t read The Naturals this won’t be an issue, but it’s just not something I could ignore. I’m not accusing anyone of plagiarism or anything like that, I think it’s just an odd coincidence, but still, it was uncanny. Sekret is the story of Yulia, a girl whose family has been torn apart by the Soviet leaders. Yulia has a secret ability, she can read minds through touch. The KGB (the Soviet CIA) pretty much kidnaps Yulia and forces her to work for them, along with a group of other psychic teenagers, to try to win the space race against the Americans. In The Naturals, Cassie, a natural at reading people, comes from a broken family and she’s recruited by the FBI to be part of a group of gifted teenagers who work on solving crimes. In both stories the teens live in a house together and work together on missions. There’s also, oddly enough, similar love interests; both have one outgoing, handsome boy who seems like the obvious choice and one quiet, handsome boy who may or may not be able to be trusted. The similarities between these stories were just creepy and for a lot of Sekret I felt like I had already read it (even though the actual missions are quiet different, obviously).
Enough of that, moving on to Yulia. I wanted to like Yulia, but it was really difficult for me to connect to her and root for her. Despite a lot of story taking place in Yulia’s head I never felt like I really knew her. Part of her being surrounded by other psychics (they all have slightly different psychic gifts) is that she needs to hide her emotions behind layers of mental armor and some of that felt like it was blocking Yulia from me. The girl has been through a lot: her father left their family, her mother, her bother, and she have been living in hiding for the last few years, she’s coerced into working for the KGB, and her life may be a risk. I liked her, and I sympathized with her situation, but I still never had the depth of emotion or felt myself rooting for her like I would have expected.
Then there’s the whole premise of the Soviet Union. I will admit that Russian history is not my favorite, but I really love any history. I especially appreciated getting to experience the 1960s, a period I find fascinating (I took 1960s history classes in high school AND in college), from the perspective of a normal (as normal as a psychic can be) Soviet girl. It was especially interesting to get to experience something like JFK’s assassination from their perspective and hear their opinions of Jacqueline Kennedy (who I may or may not have been fascinated by as a child).
Anyway, even with the history Sekret read a lot like a dystopian novel. There’s this evil power of the KGB/communist party/Soviet leadership who force Yulia and her fellow psychics to work for them against their will. They threaten their family, they hold horrible things over their heads to get them to obey, and they do what they want with little regard for anyone else. With dystopian stories there’s always this expectation that the main character and those like her will rise up and beat their captors, but with Sekret and the Soviet Union I knew that wasn’t going to happen for another 25-ish years. I think that’s part of why I had a difficult time relating to Yulia because I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be rooting for. In some ways I appreciate having no idea what was going to happen, but mostly it just left me constantly feeling off balance and not in a good way.
Bottom Line: All I’ve done is rag on this book, which isn’t fair, because I don’t think it was a bad book at all. The writing was very strong and the story had obviously been meticulously researched. If it interests you I would absolutely encourage you to pick it up (especially if you haven’t read The Naturals) because I do believe it’s worth reading, it just wasn’t necessarily worth reading for me.
I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
Let’s tackle that last one first. If you haven’t read The Naturals this won’t be an issue, but it’s just not something I could ignore. I’m not accusing anyone of plagiarism or anything like that, I think it’s just an odd coincidence, but still, it was uncanny. Sekret is the story of Yulia, a girl whose family has been torn apart by the Soviet leaders. Yulia has a secret ability, she can read minds through touch. The KGB (the Soviet CIA) pretty much kidnaps Yulia and forces her to work for them, along with a group of other psychic teenagers, to try to win the space race against the Americans. In The Naturals, Cassie, a natural at reading people, comes from a broken family and she’s recruited by the FBI to be part of a group of gifted teenagers who work on solving crimes. In both stories the teens live in a house together and work together on missions. There’s also, oddly enough, similar love interests; both have one outgoing, handsome boy who seems like the obvious choice and one quiet, handsome boy who may or may not be able to be trusted. The similarities between these stories were just creepy and for a lot of Sekret I felt like I had already read it (even though the actual missions are quiet different, obviously).
Enough of that, moving on to Yulia. I wanted to like Yulia, but it was really difficult for me to connect to her and root for her. Despite a lot of story taking place in Yulia’s head I never felt like I really knew her. Part of her being surrounded by other psychics (they all have slightly different psychic gifts) is that she needs to hide her emotions behind layers of mental armor and some of that felt like it was blocking Yulia from me. The girl has been through a lot: her father left their family, her mother, her bother, and she have been living in hiding for the last few years, she’s coerced into working for the KGB, and her life may be a risk. I liked her, and I sympathized with her situation, but I still never had the depth of emotion or felt myself rooting for her like I would have expected.
Then there’s the whole premise of the Soviet Union. I will admit that Russian history is not my favorite, but I really love any history. I especially appreciated getting to experience the 1960s, a period I find fascinating (I took 1960s history classes in high school AND in college), from the perspective of a normal (as normal as a psychic can be) Soviet girl. It was especially interesting to get to experience something like JFK’s assassination from their perspective and hear their opinions of Jacqueline Kennedy (who I may or may not have been fascinated by as a child).
Anyway, even with the history Sekret read a lot like a dystopian novel. There’s this evil power of the KGB/communist party/Soviet leadership who force Yulia and her fellow psychics to work for them against their will. They threaten their family, they hold horrible things over their heads to get them to obey, and they do what they want with little regard for anyone else. With dystopian stories there’s always this expectation that the main character and those like her will rise up and beat their captors, but with Sekret and the Soviet Union I knew that wasn’t going to happen for another 25-ish years. I think that’s part of why I had a difficult time relating to Yulia because I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be rooting for. In some ways I appreciate having no idea what was going to happen, but mostly it just left me constantly feeling off balance and not in a good way.
Bottom Line: All I’ve done is rag on this book, which isn’t fair, because I don’t think it was a bad book at all. The writing was very strong and the story had obviously been meticulously researched. If it interests you I would absolutely encourage you to pick it up (especially if you haven’t read The Naturals) because I do believe it’s worth reading, it just wasn’t necessarily worth reading for me.
I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
triggerkat's review
4.0
This book was a thrilling read. Fast-paced and full of action, and Smith's prose is amazing. I absolutely love her descriptions of the world, the music barriers, and how the psychics' minds work. The relationship between Yulia and Valya felt so natural. I'm pleased with everything about this story.
The one thing keeping it from being five stars is that I never felt 100% pulled along by the characters. That doesn't really make sense, and it doesn't fully encompass what I feel about the story, but that's the only way I know how to word it.
Also, the summary is a bit misleading. It makes it out to sound as if there's a love square, but there's hardly even a love triangle, so that's something right there.
A great historical spy thriller I think everyone who loves historical fiction and is looking for something new should pick up.
The one thing keeping it from being five stars is that I never felt 100% pulled along by the characters. That doesn't really make sense, and it doesn't fully encompass what I feel about the story, but that's the only way I know how to word it.
Also, the summary is a bit misleading. It makes it out to sound as if there's a love square, but there's hardly even a love triangle, so that's something right there.
A great historical spy thriller I think everyone who loves historical fiction and is looking for something new should pick up.
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review
4.0
*I received a free ARC of Sekret from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*
Pretty fast-paced and intriguing story, set in the USSR in the late sixties, with young spies, mind-readers and a very pushy general.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
Pretty fast-paced and intriguing story, set in the USSR in the late sixties, with young spies, mind-readers and a very pushy general.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
erinarkin20's review
4.0
I love historical books and Sekret by Lindsay Smith was one of those books that I put on my to read list because I thought it sounded super interesting - I mean, “Espionage thriller with a dash of both history and dystopia.” Sounds fantastic and right up my alley! It was really good and Smith does a wonderful job of creating the make believe but also integrating the history of how the Soviet Union was during the 1960’s.
Yulia is able to read people through touch and for the last few years, Yulia, her mother, and her younger brother have been hiding from the government. See, Yulia’s father and mother used to work for the Communist Party as researchers and when they ran, the government began searching for them. By using other teenagers who have similar abilities, the KGB finds Yulia and her family and all of a sudden she is pulled into a world that is filled with secrets and danger.
The KGB has a psychic program that, as I mentioned, includes other teens like Yulia. It also happens to be run by a man named Rostov who doesn’t really care who he takes down or hurts as long as he gets what he wants. He uses Yulia’s family to coerce her to work with him and gain power. He also has a power that is referred to as “scrubbing” which means he can erase pieces of people’s memories. Because of this, he is very dangerous.
While diving into her life with this group of teens, Yulia has a hard time figuring out who to trust. She already knows from her interaction at the market with Misha and Masha that she can never trust them but she also meets Sergei, Valentin, Ivan, and Larissa. She has to figure out who she can rely on to help her escape her current situation and those that will turn on her. There are some missteps along the way but eventually she does find someone that she can trust and ultimately will come to rely on for more than just an escape plan.
I really enjoyed how Smith combined the historical aspect of this story with the paranormal. She gives the reader just enough history about Communist Russia while mixing in this idea that the government would use psychics to help them get what they needed to beat America in the space program as well as protect their own information. I don’t want to give away any of the story as there is quite a bit of mystery here and as a reader, you have to figure things out alongside Yulia. There are some unexpected twists that add to the overall story and made it something that I had a hard time putting down. Definitely check this one out when you can - I know I will be waiting for the next book to see what happens next!
Yulia is able to read people through touch and for the last few years, Yulia, her mother, and her younger brother have been hiding from the government. See, Yulia’s father and mother used to work for the Communist Party as researchers and when they ran, the government began searching for them. By using other teenagers who have similar abilities, the KGB finds Yulia and her family and all of a sudden she is pulled into a world that is filled with secrets and danger.
The KGB has a psychic program that, as I mentioned, includes other teens like Yulia. It also happens to be run by a man named Rostov who doesn’t really care who he takes down or hurts as long as he gets what he wants. He uses Yulia’s family to coerce her to work with him and gain power. He also has a power that is referred to as “scrubbing” which means he can erase pieces of people’s memories. Because of this, he is very dangerous.
While diving into her life with this group of teens, Yulia has a hard time figuring out who to trust. She already knows from her interaction at the market with Misha and Masha that she can never trust them but she also meets Sergei, Valentin, Ivan, and Larissa. She has to figure out who she can rely on to help her escape her current situation and those that will turn on her. There are some missteps along the way but eventually she does find someone that she can trust and ultimately will come to rely on for more than just an escape plan.
I really enjoyed how Smith combined the historical aspect of this story with the paranormal. She gives the reader just enough history about Communist Russia while mixing in this idea that the government would use psychics to help them get what they needed to beat America in the space program as well as protect their own information. I don’t want to give away any of the story as there is quite a bit of mystery here and as a reader, you have to figure things out alongside Yulia. There are some unexpected twists that add to the overall story and made it something that I had a hard time putting down. Definitely check this one out when you can - I know I will be waiting for the next book to see what happens next!
ageorges's review
4.0
Pretty good. Though I don't get the point of that unnecessary kiss and the female gaze scene early on. Its as if the author wanted to trick us into thinking there was a love triangle going on and then changed her mind. Not that I'm complaining.