April Brookshire

Amazing. This is one of the best books I've read so far this year. My emotions reading this ran the gamut. It was definitely funny, and I did shed some tears, it was a very intense read. So much story that it could have been two books but I loved that I was able to devour Annabelle's and Gabriel's story in one practically non-stop read. Great story telling and character development. This concept of Young Assassins was so well thought out and fascinating. It reminded me a little bit of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Can't wait to get to the next book.… (mehr)

Než jsem potkal Giannu, myslel jsem, že žiju život na plno, divoce a bezstarostně. Teď, když jsem ji měl ve svém životě,, porozuměl jsem, co opravdu znamená cítit se naživu.
Caleb Morrison
Dokud jsem nepoznala Caleba, nebyla jsem si jistá, jestli krása existuje uvnitř mě. S ním v mém životě jsem viděla tu krásu v mém jádru, ale taky ve světě kolem mě.
Gianna Thorpe

Gianna má všechno - krásu, popularitu a přítele sportovce. Škoda, že je jí ze všeho mizerně. Žít svůj život na základě očekávání jiných lidí jí nedělá šťastnou. Má pouze jedinou únikovou cestu a divoce si střeží svoje životní tajemství.
Caleb měl všechno co chtěl, svobodu pro to, co se mu líbí a spoustu možností co dělat. S dívkami podávajícími si dveře dovnitř a ven z jeho života, nemá zájem se vázat. Vyhozen z další školy, ho máma posílá žít s jeho otcem.
Gianna nesnáší svého nevlastního bratra na první pohled.
Caleb si myslí že je to dutá kráska.
Pak zjistí její tajemství a používá to, aby poznal její skutečné já.
Změní navždy kdo je… (mehr)

Oh my god.
I wanted to take a bit of a break from the books I've been reading lately, they were starting to resemble each other. So I'm thinking: Young assassins? Hell yeah!
But I had my fears that this would be somewhat of an over-the-top story, and it wasn't, and I'm so glad I read it.

First of all, I need to talk about Annabelle. I loved how she was portrayed as way more mature than a normal 17 year-old girl would be. Because that is realistic, given the life she lives - she is not a normal teenage girl. She is capable, calculated and efficient, she just gets things done. She doesn't need saving, and she doesn't have obvious issues and drama that need fixing.

And Gabriel. First of all, I love that name. He is a bit of a jerk at the beginning, cocky and arrogant, and the only thing I didn't like about his character was that all of a sudden he turns his life over and stops being the Gabriel that we meet initially. But that's okay. I also liked it that, even though Anna is this highly trained assassin, perfectly capable of taking care of herself (and probably him, too), he's still protective of her.

And I loved Jackson, and I can't wait to read his book. I always love a cynic, and he seems like a huge one!
Max, too, initially I liked him even more than Gabriel. I hope we don't get an angsty Max in the next book. I just really like his character.

And now I need to talk about the story so, spoilers.
I called it on the aunt. Since she was in on everything Gabriel's father was doing, it just seemed logical, especially when she acted like he was all legal, given that she was privy to his business. I wish I knew why she did it, though. It took her a while to try and get Gabriel killed. I thought it would have been sooner, and I was starting to doubt my intuition!

Oh, Anna completing the Xavier kill was awesome, I was expecting the author to go a different route from that. Like, she would have a change of heart and stuff, help them all escape or something, but where's the story in that?

What I didn't see coming was Gabriel shooting Anna! OH MY GOD. I literally sprayed my tea all over myself when that happened. I didn't really think she was dead, you know, but still, I was shocked! He gave no inclination that he would do it. The way I saw it I thought maybe they would fight and stuff, and then he'll leave and that's it. BUT NO. He goes BAM! and I'm like WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT. It was completely unexpected. (I know this sound incoherent, but it was really how I felt!)

And then when she shot him, I was shocked all over again! I just love the two of them. Most of the time I had no idea what to expect.

I loved it when the Greek guys got her. They were no match for her, really - if they didn't have those tranquilizers it would have been futile to try and get her.

Oh, I also want to say is that April Brookshire is a good writer! She writes good suspense. Like when Anna is trying to do the kill at the Halloween party! My palms were sweaty! I was scared that she would get caught. And then when she actually does it. Coldblooded. It was almost perfect. Or when they see each other for the first time in Paris. Again, almost perfect.
Good dialogue too.

I really can't wait for the second book. I was super excited when I read "winter 2011/2012" and imagine my disappointment when I realized it's not out yet! I want to read Jackson's story and see some more of Anna/Gabriel!… (mehr)