Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Killer Spirit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Review


"Saying Toby Klein is an unlikely cheerleader is like saying Paris Hilton might be into guys--understatement of the year. But the varsity squad at Bayport High gives new meaning to the phrase All-American, and Toby's double life as a varsity cheerleader and a government operative means balancing protocol, pep rallies, computer hacking, and handsprings.
Now something's about to go down in Bayport, and the Big Guys Upstairs need to know what. The Squad is on the case, but it looks like this mission could put the "l" in lethal. And if the spy business doesn't kill Toby, it's starting to look like Brooke, the team's captain, might. The nominations are in for homecoming court, and rumor has it that Toby is the unlikely front-runner for queen.
Terrorist threat? Bloody mission gone wrong? Demented squad captain?
Bring it on."

Oh, this girl again. And Charlie's Angels wannabes. There is no Lucy Liu, or those two other women. I don't remember their names. Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz? Right? I can't remember.

Terrorism. And some nano-bot weapon or something like that. I don't care. All I'm interested in is if "Charlie" is really Jack's uncle or not. Unfortunately, such answers are not found in Killer Spirit. But it does go into Jack's dating past with the two cheerleaders (members of The Squad, of course). There is a little redemption, I guess.

Toby Klein is a bit more likable in this book. Her brother, however, is not. But I'm not discussing him. I'm talking about Toby "not related to Calvin" Klein. Some of her flaws are more popped out in this book, but she is still snobbish. And apparently, she doesn't care if someone nearly killed her. She took it better than I thought she would. No PTSD. Good for her.

The bad guy in Killer Spirit is ridiculous. There is a reason why Killer Spirit is titled Killer Spirit. Because of the "killer spirit." Gosh, that sounds like an awful riddle.

Killer Spirit isn't that bad. It is actually pretty good, but I'm quite disappointed by the strong lack of answers found within these covers. Like who exactly is "Charlie." Or perhaps about Jack's private life. Is he anything like The Squad? Is he like Blackthorn boys (Ally Carter reference). Or are the football players anything like the spies and agents?

The writing of Barnes sucks me right in. It is great and addictive, especially for those girls interested in adventure and espionage. (Sadly, how Toby Klein hacked CIA or Pentagon isn't revealed, though that would totally be interesting). (And two, there is this weird part in Killer Spirit. I'm not going to tell you about it, but I'm going to say that it is weird. Weird). I would recommend this book to young adults, teenagers, girls interested in espionage or chick lit.

The plot is paced okay. I didn't have a big problem with it. (It is mostly my frustration with lack of answers that get to my head). The biggest plot is about terrorism (or the "killer spirit") while the subplot stars the romance (flirty banter) between Jack and Toby. And then there is that weird part with Noah and the cheerleaders. Plus, makeup.

One last thing: Makeup and espionage does not go well together. Creeps me out like crazy. I try to ignore as much of it, but you can't escape from it forever.

Rating: Three out of Five

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