Book Review: Also Known As by Robin Benway

Image (c) Walker Books for Young Children

Also Known As (Also Known As #1) by Robin Benway
Release Date: February 26th, 2013
Book Format: Library Book
Rating: Three Stars

Which is more dangerous: being an international spy... or surviving high school?

Maggie Silver has never minded her unusual life. Cracking safes for the world's premier spy organization and traveling the world with her insanely cool parents definitely beat high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. (If it's three digits, why bother locking it at all?)

But when Maggie and her parents are sent to New York City for her first solo assignment, her world is transformed. Suddenly, she's attending a private school with hundreds of "mean girl" wannabes, trying to avoid the temptation to hack the school's elementary security system, and working to befriend the aggravatingly cute son of a potential national security threat... all while trying not to blow her cover.

Is it weird that, when I found out about this book, that my mind immediately drew itself to another series similar to the Gallagher Girl's series? Because that's exactly what happened with me. Not that it's a bad thing or anything- they both have similarities: they both focus on the main character who is a spy. I can't recall if the character in that series grew up as a spy, but Maggie obviously did, and they both use their skills to meet their goals (except, Cammie's... more professional than Maggie....).

Alright, I'm getting off track. They're both good, but there was something off about Maggie that I really didn't like. But I'll get to that in a moment.

Maggie (her full name being Margaret) lives with her parents and they travel a lot due to the fact that her parents are spies and they all work for a company called the Collective. She helps her parents do their job. Of course, being a teenager and all, she doesn't run her own show just quite yet- she's still hiding behind her parents' shadow although she had enough of that. Even in her recent mission, she wonders why she couldn't work where her name would get the credit from the company she works for. But when she moves to New York City, half asleep from her last mission, she wakes up with the sudden news: this mission is going to be her first solo mission. It's her job to masquerade as a normal teenage student at a private school and to keep an eye on a student named Jesse Oliver in order to get close to his home to reach for the information she's been told his father holds: An article about the Collective containing information that, if sent out to the public, could be bad for everyone who's a spy. It could potentially be bad for Maggie and her parents.

There are some rules to being a spy that Maggie is always suppose to follow: Listen. Be beige, or be as normal-looking as possible. Never look back. None of these helped when she realized she was falling in love with Jesse- the person she was never suppose to get close to, let alone becoming friends with anyone.

Obviously, this was no Gallagher Girl's series- mostly for obvious reasons. She didn't go to a school that taught spies everything they needed to know and, honestly, part of me had to wonder if that would have helped Maggie at all. Either her parents didn't teach her well, or she has this huge habit of going off and doing her own thing. She's not dumb, but she's not really all that intelligent either. For example, one of the rules as being a spy is to 'be beige'. I would assume that would mean not attracting attention to yourself, which also meant blending in. I would've taken that chance and matching with the fashion with the other females. Not because I like it, but because I'd look less suspicious. Well, it would help.

It's the only thing that really irked me throughout the book, though. At least, the only thing that wouldn't involve spoilers, but even if I did mention it, the ends justify the means. Even if it meant taking a HUGE risk when it came to her job as a spy. But without it, she wouldn't have gotten as far most likely. I'm sure there are other ways she could have done it, but... well. I'll just leave it to the readers since it's still a spoiler.

Overall, though, I loved this book. I have to admit, I started to really like Jesse and Roux. They each had their own personality that made them just pop off the page. I didn't like Meggie's parents though. Their personalities felt almost dry and I didn't get a chance to get to actually know them. But, maybe that's how they are as spies. Maybe they're used to being secretive. But, still.

This is for you if you loves spies and espionage with a little mix of romance (it's mostly fluff and doesn't overtake the story). Despite the rating, I'd still recommend this. Once I get through my never ending book list, I plan on reading the sequel for sure.

Originally posted and shared on January 9th, 2014