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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.
marpesea's review
4.0
3.5 stars
Dystopia in communist Russia with psychic spies. The ending was a bit abrupt, but hopefully we'll get more in the sequel.
Dystopia in communist Russia with psychic spies. The ending was a bit abrupt, but hopefully we'll get more in the sequel.
nighthawk921's review
3.0
Interesting story, mostly because it is from a Russian point of view during the space race. I was disappointed in how little there actually was about the space race or the Russians getting a man to the moon before the Americans. In fact, that whole "plot" of the story seemed like an after thought tacked on at the end. I didn't quite understand the "need" to have these psychics at some of the events they went to, they seemed very ineffective. Looking back there seem to be quite a few holes in the story but if you can get past that it was a decent read. Last complaint will be on the love triangle. Its getting old, if its not done really well then I'm quite against it. And this one was very forced and not well explained. Why where the two single good-looking guys interested in Yulia? I'm not entirely sure what she brought to deserve both their affections, aside from being "the new girl".
snarkyshibes's review
3.0
I seem to be on a bit of a "psychic teens" kick -- there's this novel set in an American high school, that I reviewed recently, and also this one about a secret agent teen (review to be published March 10). And a while ago, I read the sequel to Shadow and Bone, a series with Russian characters, special powers, people who can amplify psychic powers. So forgive me if I find Sekret by Lindsay Smith to be vaguely familiar at times. The story is set in the 1960s and Smith integrates details from that period. I think this novel could supplement a history class unit on the Cold War since it tries to reveal what life in Russia may have been like during that time.
My quibbles: Some of the relationships between Yulia and the others on her team weren't always believable. For example, I found it hard to believe that Sergei liked her upon first sight. Yulia can sometimes be impulsive and gullible, so I found myself cringing at some of her thoughts and actions. The plot with the American "scrubber" psychic was a little too convenient. Their teacher/mission supervisor, Kruzenko, a psychic Russian with a bob reminded me too much of Cate Blanchett from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. And there are lots of reveals near the end which made it feel like too much was being thrown at me.
What I liked: Yulia has a lot of unanswered questions about her past, and this made me keep reading. Why did her father abandon the family? Why are there gaps in her memory? Her relationship with Valentin and his power is intriguing. Is he on her side, or just out for himself? Their boss, Rostov is a horrible person; I wanted to know what his back story was. There are some really descriptive passages and appreciative references to music. I don't know music history that well, but if the song choices in the novel are correct for the setting, then music history could be another tie-in for students reading this novel.
Sekret is the first novel in this series by Lindsay Smith. I'm interested enough in Yulia and Valentin to want to read the sequel when it comes out.
My quibbles: Some of the relationships between Yulia and the others on her team weren't always believable. For example, I found it hard to believe that Sergei liked her upon first sight. Yulia can sometimes be impulsive and gullible, so I found myself cringing at some of her thoughts and actions. The plot with the American "scrubber" psychic was a little too convenient. Their teacher/mission supervisor, Kruzenko, a psychic Russian with a bob reminded me too much of Cate Blanchett from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. And there are lots of reveals near the end which made it feel like too much was being thrown at me.
What I liked: Yulia has a lot of unanswered questions about her past, and this made me keep reading. Why did her father abandon the family? Why are there gaps in her memory? Her relationship with Valentin and his power is intriguing. Is he on her side, or just out for himself? Their boss, Rostov is a horrible person; I wanted to know what his back story was. There are some really descriptive passages and appreciative references to music. I don't know music history that well, but if the song choices in the novel are correct for the setting, then music history could be another tie-in for students reading this novel.
Sekret is the first novel in this series by Lindsay Smith. I'm interested enough in Yulia and Valentin to want to read the sequel when it comes out.
storytimed's review
1.0
Generic, muddled plot with inconsistent character motivations. Yulia feels like a basic American girl transposed into 1960s Russia. She spend the whole novel planning to run away, except her plans to run are incredibly stupid, and she has no idea what to do afterwards. Love triangle also generic and frustrating.
jerseygrrrl's review
3.0
The good: Compelling, rarely seen context (1960s Soviet union). Interesting implementation of a familiar concept (psychics). Mood (very 1960s Soviet).
The meh: The love triangle and, in fact, the entire romance felt obligatory. The real energy and draw in this book is the tension between individual and state, between repression and freedom, between individual morality and survival.
The meh: The love triangle and, in fact, the entire romance felt obligatory. The real energy and draw in this book is the tension between individual and state, between repression and freedom, between individual morality and survival.
silea's review
3.0
There's something odd about this book, i can't quite place it. Every time i started reading, i was utterly engrossed. But every time i put down to attend to life, i found myself looking for excuses to avoid picking it up again.
The beginning of the book was definitely stronger than the middle, as Yulia's life on the run in soviet Russia is more compelling than her angsting about being well fed and cared for by the KGB. The last 50 or so paged finally pick up the pace again.
Overall, i definitely enjoyed the story, even if one of the major plot twists was obvious from very early in the book. Yulia's story pulled me along, and some of the supporting characters were quite entertaining. However, other support characters were a bit of a mess. Sergei and Ivan, for example, i couldn't really tell them apart. They were almost one character, split in half to fill the space.
I'd probably give this book two stars for the writing, since the pacing (or whatever it was) kept driving me away, but probably four stars for the story itself.
The beginning of the book was definitely stronger than the middle, as Yulia's life on the run in soviet Russia is more compelling than her angsting about being well fed and cared for by the KGB. The last 50 or so paged finally pick up the pace again.
Overall, i definitely enjoyed the story, even if one of the major plot twists was obvious from very early in the book. Yulia's story pulled me along, and some of the supporting characters were quite entertaining. However, other support characters were a bit of a mess. Sergei and Ivan, for example, i couldn't really tell them apart. They were almost one character, split in half to fill the space.
I'd probably give this book two stars for the writing, since the pacing (or whatever it was) kept driving me away, but probably four stars for the story itself.
ilikecows321's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0