Book Review: Skandal by Lindsay Smith

Title: Skandal Series: Sekret #2 Author: Lindsay Smith Published: April 7, 2015 by Macmillain (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: The dramatic sequel to Sekret, this psychic Cold War espionage thriller follows Yulia to Washington, DC, where she fights to discover the truth about her family without losing control of her mind.  My mind is mine alone.  Life in Washington, D.C., is not the safe haven Yulia hoped for when she risked everything to flee communist Russia. Her father is reckless and aloof, and Valentin is distant and haunted by his past. Her mother is being targeted by the CIA and the US government is suspicious of Yulia's allegiance. And when super-psychics start turning up in the US capitol, it seems that even Rostov is still a threat. Ultimately, Yulia must keep control of her own mind to save the people she loves and avoid an international Skandal.

I read Sekret [My Review] a year ago and was completely impressed with this debut. It was such a fascinating read with an amazing historical setting, an interesting magical system and world-building, and complex characters. So I was really excited for more of this series. And while it was a really enjoyable read, it didn't quite reach the level of the first book for me.

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One of the absolutely fantastic thing about this series is the historical setting. I've always been so interested in the Cold War era. The contrasting ideologies, world powers competing for control, and threat of war. It was a time of fear which really makes for an interesting book. Lindsay absolutely captures that again here in Skandal. There is so much suspense and conflict in this book. In Sekret the book took place in Soviet Russia, but here we move to the United States and get to explore Washington, D.C. In DC, things are the same in some way and very different in other ways. It was great to see sort of an expanded world for this series and see the era from a different and more well-rounded angle. Lindsay also does a brilliant job of incorporating historical figures and events of the 1960's. To some degree the historical events she chose in Skandal had higher stakes which gave the book an even more dramatic turn. But it may have been the higher stakes that made it hard for me to connect fully with the book. I can usually suspend disbelief when I'm reading but for some reason I had a bit of an issue with it here in Skandal. I can't quite put my fingers on why, but it may have been the main historical plot.

However, the plot as a whole was a definite plus for me. This series is essentially a YA spy thriller, which I love. In this one the characters start working for the CIA and go on these amazing mission similar to the ones that they went on in the first book. And like I said the stakes are higher, the missions are bigger, and the consequences have global proportions. And because of all of this the general mystery was bigger. Sekret had some great plot twists, a few I predicted and one I did not, but Skandal was just one big mystery. As the book drew to a close I had no idea how it was all going to end. And while I wasn't shocked with how it concluded I loved the plot and pacing. It was a little more slower paced but things built to a thrilling conclusion and I love that in my books.

But this book isn't just a spy thriller, it's not even just historical fiction, it's a historical fantasy. And I enjoy the fantasy elements of the story just as much. You may know that I am a sucker for a magical system that is basically "the characters have superpowers." They're not usually super creative but they are my favorites. That is the case with the fantasy elements in this series, the characters have psychic powers. In Sekret we were introduced to Yulia and her ability to see the memories of a person or thing by touching. Here we get to explore her powers more. It was fascinating to see her powers grow and develop as her opinion of them grew and developed. We also got to explore the powers of a ton of new characters (more on them later). Many of them had powers similar to characters from the first book but with small variations. All of the powers were so complex and interesting. It really added an interesting and engaging dimension to the story. And while I usually enjoy a more subtle world-building, with Skandal I would have liked to spend more time learning about the psychic powers, especially with some of the new characters,

And speaking of those characters. While I really do enjoy them, I didn't quite feel the spark that I did in the first book. Yulia is still a really fantastic protagnist. She's a reluctant hero, which I always enjoy, and in the face of adversity she shows a lot of inner strength. She's tough and resourceful and has always been the kind of character I can get behind. We also got to spend a lot more time with her father in this book and that was definitely interesting. He's always been kind of a dubious figure and that didn't change in this book. His powers are really interesting and he's super complex. Same thing can be said for the group's antagonists. They have really cool powers and use them in a really sinister way. Then there are all the Americans. What I liked most about them is that I seriously didn't trust any of them. I found myself spending a lot of the book wondering why they were acting certain ways and therefore I held them a little bit at arms length. But my biggest disappointment in this book was Valya. I love Valya, I love Yulia and Valya together. I felt like he was under utilized here and I wanted more of the romance. They are such a sweet couple and everything they had been through together I wanted more. I mean there were some really great moments, don't get me wrong, I just wish Valya had a bigger role. In general I just didn't fully connect with most of the characters like I did in the first book.

On the whole Skandal is a really interesting and unique read. The historical setting is full of drama, the fantasy elements add a really fascinating twist, the plot is engaging and mysterious, and the characters are complex and likable. I think I'm just not really ready to let it all go. It wasn't the perfectly satisfying end to the series for me but it was a good read.

I give Skandal by Lindsay Smith 8.5 out of 10

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy/Borrow. If you liked Sekret then definitely check this book out. Get more Yulia and see how the other half lives is this complex world full of psychic spies. If you are looking for a unique read and are a fan of spy thrillers or historical fantasy then check this book out.

Have you read Skandal? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Book Review: Sekret by Lindsay Smith

Title: Sekret Series: Sekret #1 Author: Lindsay Smith Published: April 2014 by Macmillan Amazon Goodreads Synopsis:An empty mind is a safe mind. Yulia's father always taught her to hide her thoughts and control her emotions to survive the harsh realities of Soviet Russia. But when she's captured by the KGB and forced to work as a psychic spy with a mission to undermine the U.S. space program, she's thrust into a world of suspicion, deceit, and horrifying power. Yulia quickly realizes she can trust no one--not her KGB superiors or the other operatives vying for her attention--and must rely on her own wits and skills to survive in this world where no SEKRET can stay hidden for long.

This book was one of my top three most anticipated books of the spring. I did a Waiting on Wednesday post back in March explaining exactly why I was so excited to read a Historical Fantasy/Mystery set in Soviet Russia during the 1960s and how everything in this book is what that I love reading. So I got my hands on a copy awhile back but because of my themed months on the blog I had yet to read it. Then Violet from Paper Worlds and Swirls of Ink suggested we read the book together and I jumped at the opportunity. The book not only met but exceeded my expectations.

One of the best parts of this book for me was the world and historical setting. As Historical Fiction, the book takes actual events such as the space race and the Bay of Pigs invasion with figures of the time like Khrushchev to give the book a realistic significance. And like all good books in the genre it is well-researched and interesting. But what Lindsay did beautifully is take a period of history and a setting that is already interesting, and full of suspicion and conflict, and made it even more interesting by expounding on a speculative idea from the time, that they were experimenting with people who had psychic powers. The inclusion of the world of the teen psychics made the book much more complex and intriguing. Each of the characters in the books had their own unique power. The powers ranged from being able to read people's minds, see the future, and the ability to erase memories. Many of them were very cool powers including our main character Yulia's who could see the memories by touch. It reminded me a little bit of The Darkest Minds. I loved the world that Lindsay Smith created in Sekret.

But what hooked me on the book more than the world was the plot. This book was an absolute page-turner. It's been awhile since I read a spy thriller and that's exactly what this book felt like. The characters went on these exciting missions to find out important intel to help the KGB. The very first chapter is loaded with action and it doesn't slow down from there. There is never a dull moment as the book is full of thrills and mystery. I spent most of the book developing elaborate theories about what was happening and what was going to happen next. And while I was correct on a bunch of the big twists the book still managed to keep my interest and shocked me more than once. It was the kind of book that I would have liked to read in one sitting, if only life didn't get in the way!

And what also made the book even more interesting and thrilling was the characters. Like all good spy thrillers Sekret is full of suspicious people who make you wonder if they are good or evil. They're the kind of characters that make you question if they are doing the right thing for the wrong reasons or the wrong thing for the right reasons. Throughout the novel your opinion of many characters shifts and changes as you realize their motivations and view their actions in a different light. But even better than that, there is a sinister villain in this story that is totally intriguing and they perform more than one dastardly deed. In addition to the detestable characters there are also really likeable characters. Yulia is a great heroine, she's strong and sassy but is also motivated by a deeper goal of protecting her family. And there is a wonderful and swoonworthy romance in this book. I wouldn't quite call it a triangle but Yulia has two options for a relationship and they mirror her choices of staying in the KGB or leaving the psychic program. There are some really sweet and romantic moments that offset the hectic action of the plot.

 I give Sekret by Lindsay Smith a 9.5 out of 10 

It was a fantastic and action-packed book with a unique and exiting world that combined a historical setting with supernatural elements. The characters were complex and interesting, the plot was full of mystery and suspense, and there was a swoonworthy romance to balance it brilliantly. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Historical Fiction, Supernatural Fantasy, and especially people who like spy thrillers.