Helpful Score: 1
I didn't realize this was a YA book before I stared reading it, which I suppose is my fault. Thin characterizations and a poor feel for the time period. Not for me. I didn't finish it. Life is too short.
Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com
Mary Quinn used to be a thief. In fact, she was rescued from certain death by hanging and brought secretly to a special school for girls. Here, she worked hard to change her station in life. Now, she's a young lady without a job and doesn't know where to turn next.
Fortunately, her advisers at the school let her in on a secret. They have a spy agency where she'd be a perfect fit. They help out Scotland Yard and gather information. With her former skills, Mary would be perfect for the agency. Plus, they have a position in mind for her, after she undergoes training.
Mary emerges and makes her way as a paid ladies companion to Angelica Thorold, a spoiled girl. Mary's duty, besides her job, will be to gather any intelligence on Angelica's father and his business in regards to smuggling items.
Miss Thorold doesn't take to Mary. The two of them attempt to work out their differences in a variety of ways while Mary snoops about the house. When she finds nothing, she goes investigating at Mr. Thorold's business when she's caught, not by security, but by a man with similar concerns. He offers up a partnership where they share information each uncovers. Mary reluctantly agrees, but with time running out, will she risk too much and find her identity discovered?
I read this mostly in one sitting and then wanted the next book immediately. I love both spy novels and the Victorian England era, and combining the two equals pure magical entertainment. A great feisty heroine, lots of danger, plenty of mysteries to untangle, and a little romance creates a wonderfully perfect first edition to a new series.
Mary Quinn used to be a thief. In fact, she was rescued from certain death by hanging and brought secretly to a special school for girls. Here, she worked hard to change her station in life. Now, she's a young lady without a job and doesn't know where to turn next.
Fortunately, her advisers at the school let her in on a secret. They have a spy agency where she'd be a perfect fit. They help out Scotland Yard and gather information. With her former skills, Mary would be perfect for the agency. Plus, they have a position in mind for her, after she undergoes training.
Mary emerges and makes her way as a paid ladies companion to Angelica Thorold, a spoiled girl. Mary's duty, besides her job, will be to gather any intelligence on Angelica's father and his business in regards to smuggling items.
Miss Thorold doesn't take to Mary. The two of them attempt to work out their differences in a variety of ways while Mary snoops about the house. When she finds nothing, she goes investigating at Mr. Thorold's business when she's caught, not by security, but by a man with similar concerns. He offers up a partnership where they share information each uncovers. Mary reluctantly agrees, but with time running out, will she risk too much and find her identity discovered?
I read this mostly in one sitting and then wanted the next book immediately. I love both spy novels and the Victorian England era, and combining the two equals pure magical entertainment. A great feisty heroine, lots of danger, plenty of mysteries to untangle, and a little romance creates a wonderfully perfect first edition to a new series.
Stephanie S. (skywriter319) -
Look out, Sherlock Holmes--yes, you, the one played by Robert Downey, Jr. in the 2009 film. Smart, dark, and flavorfully kickass has a new name, and that name is Mary Quinn. Y. S. Lee has crafted a superbly entertaining historical fiction mystery novel that contains cross-genre and ageless appeal.
The characters in A SPY IN THE HOUSE are delightful to read about--not because they are extremely angelic, but because of the fact that they're all keeping secrets, all trying to outsmart people who are trying to outsmart them. Mary shines best in her barbed banter with James (who arguably gets sexier with each of their encounters and conversational exchanges), but she is also wonderfully resourceful, yet wounded. Without giving a major characteristic away, I just want to say that Mary's shame of and complex about her past make for a refreshing new take on Victorian fiction, one that should not be missed.
I loved how the darker, grimier aspects of Victorian London were portrayed in this novel. Y. S. Lee shows her knowledge about this time period in the way the setting, and the major characters' encounters with less savory minor characters, never gives in to sensationalism. Instead, the details are deliberate, the mystery neither predictable nor overdone.
The result is complete: we are fully immersed in this atmospheric yet modernly appealing historical fiction novel. Y. S. Lee shows that she is a talented author capable of writing an intelligent yet entertaining story with a mystery and romance that will keep our toes curled and our eyes on the page.
The characters in A SPY IN THE HOUSE are delightful to read about--not because they are extremely angelic, but because of the fact that they're all keeping secrets, all trying to outsmart people who are trying to outsmart them. Mary shines best in her barbed banter with James (who arguably gets sexier with each of their encounters and conversational exchanges), but she is also wonderfully resourceful, yet wounded. Without giving a major characteristic away, I just want to say that Mary's shame of and complex about her past make for a refreshing new take on Victorian fiction, one that should not be missed.
I loved how the darker, grimier aspects of Victorian London were portrayed in this novel. Y. S. Lee shows her knowledge about this time period in the way the setting, and the major characters' encounters with less savory minor characters, never gives in to sensationalism. Instead, the details are deliberate, the mystery neither predictable nor overdone.
The result is complete: we are fully immersed in this atmospheric yet modernly appealing historical fiction novel. Y. S. Lee shows that she is a talented author capable of writing an intelligent yet entertaining story with a mystery and romance that will keep our toes curled and our eyes on the page.
