Kat's Books
Photographer, book reviewer, mama, cat-lover in Seattle. Originally from England.
You can find my reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, and Edelweiss+.
School library volunteer at my son's K8 school. Member of ALA and YALSA.
Links: linktr.ee/romans_mama
Review requests ~ scriptkat@hotmail.com
Exciting YA read set in the Alaskan wilderness; strong female main character, witty banter, and fast pace makes this an easy pick
I'll be honest and tell you that this isn't ordinarily the sort of book I pick up and read on my own, but since I was given an early copy, I gave it a go. I'd also not read any of author Ally Carter's previous books so I couldn't compare this to any of those either. Sometimes going into a book 'blind' is actually the best thing, because then you don't have any expectations.
This fast-paced and rather short novel opens with a bang, almost literally; young Maddie and Logan are the best of friends, but they aren't really ordinary kids. Logan is the son of the president, and Maddie is the 10 year-old daughter of the Secret Service Agent sworn to protect the president's family, and the two of them are the best of friends, that is, until an incident at the very start of the book rips them apart.
Maddie has her world changed from then onwards, and she is brought to Alaska by her father to live an entirely different life. The real story begins when now-teenage Logan is sent by his dad (who is still president some 6 years later; a reminder of how LONG presidents can be in the White House) to be removed from his life of privilege because he's acting out. But Maddie isn't exactly happy about this after not having heard from Logan in all the time they were apart.
It sounds all too convenient a scenario, putting these two together again, but right away, a Russian assailant knocks out 'Mad Dog' Maddie and Logan is kidnapped. This kickstarts an adventure in the Alaskan wilderness, that shows off Logan's weaknesses, Maddie's strength of character, an exciting story, all sorts of interesting information about getting stuck outside in the snow, and a lot about not giving up in the face of adversity. I read this story so quickly because I was so caught up in the push-pull type of relationship that Maddie and Logan now had, and the thrilling adventure in treacherous snowy landscape was so compelling.
This was a fun and exciting read, and really showed off a strong female character. Made for another satisfying book, thanks to the role modeling.
*I keep reading books though, that remind why I do not want to get caught out in the snow or on mountains!
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