tbsims's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not yet invested/in love with Jack or Jill or Clare (like I am with Vanessa/Micheal and Miles) but am ready to keep reading ...
I think because they haven't come out the other side - they had a horrible life...but haven't yet worked with and through that.
I think because they haven't come out the other side - they had a horrible life...but haven't yet worked with and through that.
anjreading's review against another edition
3.0
A solid, entertaining thriller that is completely preposterous. Jack and Jill are 26-year-old twins, raised to be perfect spies and killers by their paranoid mother, Clare. When Clare’s safe-house blows up and she goes missing, the twins, who are often at odds with each other, have to dodge assassins and team up to find their mother. The story is told from various viewpoints: both twins, an assassin hunting them, and Clare, and we get both current happenings and the twins’ and Clare’s history.
srchief's review against another edition
5.0
Jack and Jill have had a very interesting childhood. They are very unique siblings. Not only are they twins but they spent their whole young lives in training. Not training for a sport or to be prodigy musicians but to be assassins. Their mother has worked hard to ensure that they are prepared for the trouble that is coming. The problem is that Jack and Jill haven't really believed her and have a difficult relationship with her as young adults.
Then that all changes.
When their mom summons them to her house in the middle of the night, they witness her abduction.
Now the siblings must overcome their distrust and resentment to find her. They also have to acknowledge that everything was true.
If you enjoy Ms. Stevens' Munroe series you will definitely enjoy this series debut book. The characters are well developed and the plot is action-packed. A must read!
Then that all changes.
When their mom summons them to her house in the middle of the night, they witness her abduction.
Now the siblings must overcome their distrust and resentment to find her. They also have to acknowledge that everything was true.
If you enjoy Ms. Stevens' Munroe series you will definitely enjoy this series debut book. The characters are well developed and the plot is action-packed. A must read!
b00kr3vi3ws's review against another edition
4.0
Jack and Jill are twins who were raised by a very paranoid mother, Clare. Clare had made it her priority to train her children in the art of survival. As a result both Jack and Jill are masters of combat, weaponry and in the art of espionage. But they were often pitted against each other and in addition were the mind games that Clare played with them. As a result, though Jack and Jill can work together, they lack the bonding that we usually see in twins. Now, they are all grown up and are trying to lead ‘normal’ lives separately… Yet when Clare’s safe house explodes and she is nowhere to be found, Jack and Jill will have to set their differences aside and work together; especially because it seems that wherever they turn to, someone wants them dead.
Jack and Jill are interesting protagonists. I have always wondered about nature vs nurture and here the ‘nurture’ provided by Clare was unconventional to say the least. The twins are as different from each other as they possibly could be yet their banter and squabbling throughout the book was entertaining for most parts. I kind of had a love hate relationship with the character of Clare because of the way she handled Jack and Jill. Once the plot unravels, the readers get to see where her paranoia was coming from, but I still wished that she had handled it differently. The kind of dysfunctional familial relationship portrayed through the book was bit disconcerting.
The book is not very plot driven as the plot outline is very simple. It is the characters and the action, even though it was sometimes a bit too exaggerated, that keeps the pages flying. Add in a bit of humour and you have a thriller that keeps you excited. However, a personal quirk of mine disrupted my reading experience of this book. While I do not mind a couple of slangs here and there to get the point through, I really had trouble with the overuse of it in the book. It kind of takes away the effect of using an f-word when it is used so copiously.
If you are looking for an action packed thriller, give this book a try.
Jack and Jill are interesting protagonists. I have always wondered about nature vs nurture and here the ‘nurture’ provided by Clare was unconventional to say the least. The twins are as different from each other as they possibly could be yet their banter and squabbling throughout the book was entertaining for most parts. I kind of had a love hate relationship with the character of Clare because of the way she handled Jack and Jill. Once the plot unravels, the readers get to see where her paranoia was coming from, but I still wished that she had handled it differently. The kind of dysfunctional familial relationship portrayed through the book was bit disconcerting.
The book is not very plot driven as the plot outline is very simple. It is the characters and the action, even though it was sometimes a bit too exaggerated, that keeps the pages flying. Add in a bit of humour and you have a thriller that keeps you excited. However, a personal quirk of mine disrupted my reading experience of this book. While I do not mind a couple of slangs here and there to get the point through, I really had trouble with the overuse of it in the book. It kind of takes away the effect of using an f-word when it is used so copiously.
If you are looking for an action packed thriller, give this book a try.
barbi312's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, wow, WOW!! I’m ready for Book 2. Taylor Stevens is an excellent writer! Love the characters.
surbhi_reads's review against another edition
3.0
Wow! This was one hell of an action-packed book!
Jack and Jill are twins, trained to be spies, since age five by none other than their mother, Clare. Throughout, the twins lives, their mother's crazy paranoia has driven them into gruesome training and survival instincts but all they really want now is a normal life. However, things are set in motion when, one of Clare's safe house is blown into pieces making them realize that may be their mother was right all along.
Like, I said this book is extremely action-packed, the writing is lucid with a well-constructed, fast-paced and even entertaining plot. There are a few things which seems a little over the top and may be a little un-realistic but if you are some one, who, loves a good spy story with lots of Bourne and Bond style conspiracy and chase with a mix of dysfunctional family drama, this book will not disappoint you.
As for me, I really liked both the female characters, Jill and Clare, they were sassy and brave. What I did not like was the the relationship between Jack and Jill, it was bordering a whole new level of toxic but seeing as how they grew up, I get where they came from. Overall, I could have done with a little more character development on all fronts but other than that, I thinks it was a great first book in the series.
Many thanks to NetGalley, for the review copy!
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Jack and Jill are twins, trained to be spies, since age five by none other than their mother, Clare. Throughout, the twins lives, their mother's crazy paranoia has driven them into gruesome training and survival instincts but all they really want now is a normal life. However, things are set in motion when, one of Clare's safe house is blown into pieces making them realize that may be their mother was right all along.
Like, I said this book is extremely action-packed, the writing is lucid with a well-constructed, fast-paced and even entertaining plot. There are a few things which seems a little over the top and may be a little un-realistic but if you are some one, who, loves a good spy story with lots of Bourne and Bond style conspiracy and chase with a mix of dysfunctional family drama, this book will not disappoint you.
As for me, I really liked both the female characters, Jill and Clare, they were sassy and brave. What I did not like was the the relationship between Jack and Jill, it was bordering a whole new level of toxic but seeing as how they grew up, I get where they came from. Overall, I could have done with a little more character development on all fronts but other than that, I thinks it was a great first book in the series.
Many thanks to NetGalley, for the review copy!
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tpaulschulte's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this an found it on a lark and I am so glad. I have really enjoyed Steven's Vanessa Munroe series and this is going to be on my must read list.
bookworm71387's review against another edition
4.0
Liars' Paradox (A Jack and Jill Mystery #1) by Taylor Stevens is a good thriller read. I want to thank Netgalley and the author for my arc. I am sorry that my delay I loved the book I just had a hard time the last two months sitting down doing my reviews. Jack and Jill some cute names for twins. Although the relationship between them is anything but cute. We can picture the sweet darlings romping in the sunlight always with wide smiles on their faces.
Boy is that not the case in Liars' Paradox. These twins have been trained by their commando mother to endure pain, deprivation, fear, isolation, and loneliness. The book reads like 007 meets revenge and I loved every minute. I thought Claire their mother is an odd ball who I actually liked. It wraps up well and I look forward to seeing how the two continue in the second book.
Boy is that not the case in Liars' Paradox. These twins have been trained by their commando mother to endure pain, deprivation, fear, isolation, and loneliness. The book reads like 007 meets revenge and I loved every minute. I thought Claire their mother is an odd ball who I actually liked. It wraps up well and I look forward to seeing how the two continue in the second book.
ninetalevixen's review against another edition
4.0
I don't read a ton of thrillers or even mystery novels, but it's the jewels like these that keep me occasionally returning to the genre. It's maybe the furthest thing you can get from literary fiction, but it's entertaining and the characters are likable enough; there's family drama and decades of history catching up with the present, lots of rapidly changing alliances, and above all there's lots of action.
So it's not really my usual fare, but it's a great change of pace. (Shoutout to OverDrive for reminding me it was almost due back to the library; I'm glad I didn't miss out on this one.)
So it's not really my usual fare, but it's a great change of pace. (Shoutout to OverDrive for reminding me it was almost due back to the library; I'm glad I didn't miss out on this one.)