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a_chickletz's review against another edition
4.0
I think I enjoyed this book more than any book in the entire series. The character description, background history, and development were loads better than that of Alex Rider's.
Spoiler
I sadly hoped that when I finished the book that Yassen was going to be be alive and in hiding or living the life of freedom, I don't know. But he's still dead and it hurts because he was an amazing character.revraimi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
justkally's review against another edition
5.0
I didn't know how much I would enjoy this book; it being from Yassen's point of view but surprisingly, I was hooked
joekliverpool's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
hannahcmwright's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
sarahslays's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
topdragon's review against another edition
5.0
The tenth book in the Alex Rider series isn’t about Alex Rider at all. Instead, we follow a character introduced in the very first Alex Rider novel, [b:Stormbreaker|136782|Stormbreaker (Alex Rider, #1)|Anthony Horowitz|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1545541515l/136782._SY75_.jpg|833565], a contract assassin by the name of Yassen Gregorovich. It’s an interesting choice for a protagonist as most readers will already know Yassen’s profession and fate before ever diving into this book. However, as expected, Anthony Horowitz pulls it off with great effect and actually turns what could have simply been a “spin-off” one-shot book into an important entry in the overall series.
Yassen’s life has many parallels to Alex’s life. We get to see glimpses of his childhood in a small town in Russia, and how an innocent existence gets ugly fast when the whole town is wiped out by its own government forces in order to contain a biological weapon outbreak. Yassen is the sole survivor. We follow him through a series of tragic events and circumstances through his teenager years that lead him along an inevitable path to his future. He makes logical choices at each stage, merely trying to survive, but in subtle ways, these events change him and lead him ultimately to his working for SCORPIA at the age of 19, as an assassin. His interactions with Alex’s father in the later stages of the book are especially poignant and will lead to scenes we have seen before in [b:Stormbreaker|136782|Stormbreaker (Alex Rider, #1)|Anthony Horowitz|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1545541515l/136782._SY75_.jpg|833565]. The ending is quite satisfying, especially to see him exact revenge upon the one man who is primarily responsible for Yassen’s fate in life.
Happily, the Alex Rider books are not yet complete. I still have two more to read and I recently read an author interview saying he is planning on at least one more after that. I’ll be ready.
Yassen’s life has many parallels to Alex’s life. We get to see glimpses of his childhood in a small town in Russia, and how an innocent existence gets ugly fast when the whole town is wiped out by its own government forces in order to contain a biological weapon outbreak. Yassen is the sole survivor. We follow him through a series of tragic events and circumstances through his teenager years that lead him along an inevitable path to his future. He makes logical choices at each stage, merely trying to survive, but in subtle ways, these events change him and lead him ultimately to his working for SCORPIA at the age of 19, as an assassin. His interactions with Alex’s father in the later stages of the book are especially poignant and will lead to scenes we have seen before in [b:Stormbreaker|136782|Stormbreaker (Alex Rider, #1)|Anthony Horowitz|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1545541515l/136782._SY75_.jpg|833565]. The ending is quite satisfying, especially to see him exact revenge upon the one man who is primarily responsible for Yassen’s fate in life.
Happily, the Alex Rider books are not yet complete. I still have two more to read and I recently read an author interview saying he is planning on at least one more after that. I’ll be ready.
kiri23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0