Roleta Russa
Ratings49
Average rating3.7
An exceptional spy novel. I could have done without the romance, but other than that, the book was riveting.
The tradecraft details are fun. The main characters are ridiculous, the misogyny is out of control, and the superfluous recipes aren't even usable. I haven't seen the movie but I can't imagine it's worse than the book.
Excellent read on espionage and surveillance, but no chemistry between the characters. The middle is so dull I nearly stopped reading but am glad I persisted.
This book was a great read - the story grabbed me from the start and I didn't want to put it down. I love reading books that make me want to ignore my responsibilities and read. Having started my career at a defense contractor in the 80s, this story felt plausible with familiar cold war era themes. There is an added level of depth given the current news with Russia's cyber attacks and interference in the US elections and government. Great read - can't wait to start the second book in the series and see the movie!
Over 17 hours of an audiobook later, I am finally done.
This was not good.
The romance was weird, Dominika's described sexuality was weird, and the book itself got very boring very quickly. I will not be continuing this series.
There are some aspects of the novel I found almost too hard to believe: the existence of Sparrow School and Dominika's ability to sense the trustworthiness of people based on the color of an aura chief among them. But the novel does a good job with tradecraft. Many of the supporting characters (Benford, Gable, Korchnoi) I found more interesting than the main protagonists. The ending of the novel is thrilling. Just outstanding. Great stuff for spy novel fans. If you can get past the implausibilities, you've got yourself a fantastic spy novel read. Highly recommended for thriller fans.
What an ending! What an ending! Can't wait to start the second in the 3-book series.
This book was incredible.
I read spy novels like Michael Jordan scores points. Rarely am I this impressed by a spy story. It retained all the elements you expect from good espionage fiction but this book adds things to that list almost unseen anywhere else.
I cannot say enough good things about the characters, the storyline or the writing style. I would write more in this short review, but I can't, because I already have book two and I'm busy.
