The General

CHERUB is a branch of MI5 focused on expertly training young agents to travel across the globe on top secret missions, hoping to earn higher ranks, ‘CHERUB agents have one crucial advantage: adults never suspect that kids are spying on them' is part of the blurb to every CHERUB book in the series, this being the tenth. James embarks on an American soldier-training mission, in a newly opened compound called Fort Reagan, located in the Nevada desert, with nine other fellow CHERUB agents and around thirty soldiers from the British Royal Air Force on his side.

I remember attempting to read this book a while ago, but getting bored of it some way in, now, reading through it again, I remember why I got so intrigued by the CHERUB series, and I recommend this book to others, even though many have probably already read the whole series, I have two more to read after this.

The General feels like a large-scale version of the various training exercises we've seen CHERUB agents undergo on campus throughout the series. However, the complete upturning of rules and excitement of stakes between the government and vengeful Kazakov (who is developed much better as a character in this entry) makes this a wildly fun read. The book opens with the Adams siblings each undergoing an interesting mission - James getting caught up in an anarchist group and Lauren leading a team to test security at a new airport location - with both facing unexpected twists for the characters to overcome. There's also a casino/ blackjack subplot which actually racks up the tension, and unlike other CHERUB books doesn't feel like a messy addition and instead acts as a more personal challenge for James's character. The other agents taken to Nevada and the USA include Lauren, Bethany, Kevin, Jake and Rat, and each are given moments that further cement their characteristics. Additionally, James's relationship life takes a few surprising turns, although I would've liked to see how Dana developed to make the choices she does in this book.