Native Tongue by Shannon Greenland Review

"GiGi is back again and on a brandnew mission in the fourth book in this original series Lovable GiGi is pairing up with expert linguist Darren, aka Parrot, on a mission to South America. When a centuries-old vase is found in a cave full of hieroglyphics, it is discovered that this vase was important to at least fifteen different North American and South American Indian tribes. And now all fifteen nations want it back. They are meeting in Rutina, South America, to decide who gets the vase. Enter the Specialists, and Parrot who will go as the official translator. And when no one can decode the ancient cave writings, not even the elders of each nation, GiGi comes to the rescue. Of course there's a hitch. One of the tribal chiefs attending the meeting in Rutina is connected to Parrot's past in a very bad way. The question is, will Parrot be able to face his past and complete the mission, or will the vase and the fate of the Native American nation fall into the wrong hands?"

Native Tongue is a thriller about espionage and James Bondish things. This time, Greenland focuses on another part of the group. This time, it is Parrot, who is an expert on languages and tongues. He is a bit darker than GiGi, but not as dark as Frankie who witnessed the death of his family (which is tragic, of course). Oh, I should always mention Beaker. She had it pretty easy compared to the boys. And what is up with this? Boys and tragic history? What is going on with this? First, David. Then Frankie. Now Parrot. Oh, I can also add... Oh, wait. I can't. I know next to nothing about Mystic.

Native Tongue is fun to read book. It is a great summer read. I really enjoyed it while spending time at Camp. It kept boredom off my back. That was a good perk. However, I would had really like it if GiGi went into more details about technology and other stuff. Usually, the way I learn things is by reading books. People may claim that reading is useless, but I think it has a hidden secret. You can actually learn while reading. While learning, you can read. Isn't that a fun twist? Yeah, I read something about that play of words (learning and reading).

Okay, GiGi is seriously getting on nerves now. What was she thinking? I never thought that GiGi was the one to cheat, after all she is loyal, trustworthy, great, and the local psychiatrist (but that is not the point of this paragraph). Okay, she didn't really cheat, but kissing another guy while having a boyfriend defines as cheating. So therefore, I'm contradicting myself. Go math! Now, I will stop, but GiGi! She is getting on my nerves!

David sadly rarely is seened.

Quirk is the guy she kissed. Well, that depends on the story you hear from. Quirk thinks he kissed GiGi. GiGi thinks he kissed her. I think they both kissed, because they wanted to. So I guess my reasoning is partially biased and therefore should not be part of the final rating. Shall I say "Go Math!" again?

Now, I really am thinking about conspiracy theories. It is mentioned that GiGi's mother's body has never been found. I can't wait to find out the truth about GiGi's mother's death. Honestly, I hope that she isn't dead, but that is only a dream. Ian Rider was dead by the end of Stormbreaker. How he died in the movie of Stormbreaker is depressing.

Overall, Native Tongue is fun. If you can stand GiGi's whining.

Rating: Four out of Five

The Winning Element by Shannon Greenland Review

"Book 3 in The Specialists

With two successful missions behind her, GiGi is feeling confident and comfortable with the Specialists. Unfortunately, things are about to change. TL has informed her that a notorious chemical smuggler was personally responsible for the death of both her mother and father. The government has been trying to track him down for years, to no avail. Enter the Specialists, and this time, GiGi’s in charge of the mission. Only there’s a catch—the success of the mission depends on many things, including Beaker’s chemical expertise. And Beaker is the last person GiGi wants to deal with. When the mission deems it necessary to go to Florida, Beaker is ready. But when her cover has to be a cheerleader at the national cheerleading competition, Goth-girl Beaker is not too pleased. With personality conflicts, mission challenges, and the demanding schedule of the cheerleading competition, it’s difficult for Beaker and GiGi to focus on the task at hand. Can they put all things aside and find the smuggler, or will their window of opportunity be shut forever?"

The Winning Element introduces yet another member of GiGi's team. Well, more like focus on than introduces. But that doesn't matter. Beaker is an expert on chemistry. It is so fun to see the ties with the Leverage team. GiGi and Beaker is Hardison. Wirenut and Cat is Parker. TL and Jonathan is Nate Ford. Most of them are grifters (Sophie). Bruier and Jonathan is Eliot. See, it is all the Leverage team. I, however, prefer the books to the movie. They are a tad bit more descriptive. You see, sometimes I have no idea what Parker, Hardison, even Nate are talking about when they mention some stuff. It is a bit helpful to have a guide.

Beaker is one good chemist. She is an expert with chemistry and even invented a few of her mixtures. She is great with all kinds of things. Mostly, her field is chemistry and being very grumpy all the time. I even envisioned her as a grumpy cat once. Yes, I mean that grumpy cat in that grumpy cat meme. So cute and terrible at the same time. Anyway, Beaker is just one of those characters who are just grumpy and a bit Eliot Spencer-ish. They just need a hug and a bit of love to cheer up!

GiGi, on the other hand, remains bad on missions. She sometimes falls for the most simplest of tricks and lies, which is undeniably painful to my eyes. She is still clumsy, but she is improving. She goes undercover as a cheerleader. Hello? That is one interesting combination. A Bella Swan as a cheerleading. Imagine that girl with no emotion in a cheerleading outfit. (I do mean Stewart, of course. That girl). At least, she becomes a bit more interesting. However, her character remains a bit slow for my liking. This is a thriller, right? Not a freaking chick-lit... Actually, that is a bit of a question, too.

The Winning Element is a fun thriller with teenage ties. Any teenager would love reading this book, with the exception of boys. They never seem to like chick-lit. Well, those who are reading buddies of mine. I guess. Maybe they do like it, but they afraid of coming off girly? Hmm... That is another mystery for another day. GiGi, in this book, now learns about who really killed her parents. And no, it wasn't because of a lack of oxygen. It was because of a nice bullet hole in her daddy's forehead. Isn't that wonderful? Oh, and her mother? No one knows where her body is, which only leads to a bunch of speculation. Is she really dead? Where is she buried? Perhaps, she was that character or really that character? Maybe she got a plastic surgery? She might be that agent? Oh, she might be Nadine! 

Yeah, the ideas get crazier and crazier.

Overall, I think The Winning Element is a good summer read. It is best read in some dark space with cool lighting... I'm just kidding. It could be read anywhere. The Winning Element doesn't go dark. Despite the number of deaths or the seriousness in the conflict, Shannon Greenland manages to keep it nice and easy with a touch of romance. Yes, that man is David.

Rating: Three out of Five

Down to the Wire by Shannon Greenland Review

"Book 2 of The Specialists

GiGi is back, this time teaming up with electronics specialist Frankie, aka Wirenut, for their next mission. Wirenut has an uncanny knack for breaking into the highest-level security systems that stump even the experts. Which is precisely why he was recruited by the Specialists. So when wealthy entrepreneur Octavias Zorba hires the Specialists to recover a stolen neurotoxin, the head of the Specialists is sure that Wirenut is perfect for the job. But there’s a catch. The computer-coded hints that will lead to the neurotoxin are hidden in a few precious artifacts. And when these hints are found, there is limited time to get them decoded or they will disappear forever. But as GiGi and Wirenut begin their mission, they suddenly find themselves on a fast-paced hunt for the criminal, with time quickly running out…."

Down to the Wire is starting to get personal. It brings in Frankie (Wirenut), who is a thief like Parker from Leverage. He has a much darker past than GiGi. Unlike GiGi, he actually seen someone die. GiGi nearly witnessed her parents die, but her father saved her by putting on the oxygen mask first before his (I mean on the plane; her parents died in a plane crash on route to Canada).

It is wonderful to finally see interactions between GiGi and her team. In the first book, there wasn't that many interactions until Frankie (Wirenut) came along. I mean, David is a different team. He doesn't belong to GiGi's team. He is part of the first Specialists Team. For Frankie, it gets very personal and GiGi tries to cope with that. It only gets personal for her and David when TL (Thomas Liba) shows them something at the end of the book, but that doesn't matter very much because Frankie takes a huge part of the stage until the end. That part was mostly Genius Girl territory.

The plot goes by terribly fast. I quickly dived into the sequel, because I was so addicted to the storyline. Down to the Wire is one of those books that is perfectly made up of espionage, thrilling events, and lots of spunk. It is all that and more.

GiGi is one smart girl. She has grown so much by this book. However, she isn't perfect. She is a bit clumsy, but even that Bella Swan trait is disappearing. Thank goodness. I never had a fondness for Bella Swan. Maybe Edward, but that is a different story. It is part of a story that should had never existed. Anyway, it isn't this story. David and GiGi are no Edward and Bella. Maybe GiGi, but that is the farthest I would go. Thank you ver much. GiGi still has that annoying EQ problem. Hopefully, she is working on that.

GiGi does go a bit undercover like the other two people n the mission, but it wasn't anything too outlandish like that model cover story. Now that was an interesting time for all of them, right? Yeah, it totally was. I totally loved some of the disguises. GiGi is awesome in that book.

I briefly apologize for any spelling error. I am not writing this on a laptop but an iPad. My bad. I take all blame. Thank you for still following along.

The ending of Down to the Wire is good. It leaves on a very good cliffhanger. I can't wait to find out about all those little secrets.

Rating: Four out of Five

Model Spy by Shannon Greenland Review

"Teen genius Kelly James is in a lot of hot water. A whiz with computers, she agreed to help her college RA, David, uncover some top-secret information. After all, she doesn't have many friends and David has always been nice to her. It doesn't hurt that he's supercute and irresistible, too. All she has to do is hack into the government's main computer system. 

But a few hours later, her whole life changes. She is caught and taken in for questioning, only this isn't your run-of-the-mill arrest. Rather than serve a juvenile detention sentence, she accepts the option to change her name and enlist in a secret government spy agency that trains teen agents to go undercover. As if that wasn't overwhelming enough, she discovers that David works for this agency as well!

And before she even begins to understand what is going on, she's sent on her first mission as an undercover model. And who better to partner with than David himself!"

Model Spy is full of laughs and little feelings. It may be said that it is written for the Middle Grade, but I would say the better genre is Young Adult. In other words, this book may be better for older teens than younger children. Anyway, Model Spy is a book about a girl named Kelly James, now Kelly Spree/GiGi (standing for Genius Girl). It is a fun and thrilling ride. I would say it is like the beginning of Ally Carter's The Gallagher Girls. It is all bright, young, hopeful, and the complete opposite of darkness and moodiness.

GiGi (Kelly James, but she rarely uses that name anymore) takes it better than I thought. She may be clumsy (is this another sign of Bella Swan-ish?), but she is brilliant. However, she doesn't have much imagination. High IQ, low EQ. Well, I would say that the amount of points in her IQ/EQ depends on what the plot demands. There are some parts when I wonder if GiGi isn't an university student. She sounds like a little twelve year old.

David, on the other hand, is the love interest for GiGi. He is a quite confusing character. (If I didn't know any better, then I would suspect he has PMS. Then again, he is a boy, so...). He was the one who found GiGi and helped recruit her for a secret government spy agency. 

The story is great. I love it. Undercover model. Some bad guys. It is terribly fun. I have to laugh at some moments. I really enjoyed Model Spy. It reminds me of the lost days with I'd Tell You I love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You. It is fun and enjoyable. It is one of those great books that would suck you into its world.

The ending of Model Spy is great. There is a cliffhanger, but it is very subtle. You have to keep your eyes peeled to notice it. I won't tell you, because that would only ruin the book. It is only the terrible books where I rat off spoilers. I never liked bad books, with boring character or dominant plot.

There were a few things I had problems with in this book. Greenland introduces many character, yet didn't bothered to share a bit of their traits. I guess, they are all secondary characters. And one last question: Why does GiGi go onto her first mission at this time? TL could had chosen another person. Or maybe a FBI or CIA computer specialist could had went in instead of David and GiGi. There were ways around it. The agency GiGi works for is government, meaning they have more tools to use, not just the IPNC (the organization GiGi works for).

Rating: Three out of Five

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter Review

"Every girl who had taken the test has died.

Now it's Kate's turn.

It's always been just Kate and her mom - and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear that her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld - and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy - until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride and a goddess.

If she fails..."

Oh, this is so another knockoff of the Percy Jackson books. Oh, wait. Percy Jackson probably was a knockoff of Homer, so... It is endlessly complicated.

The Goddess Test is pretty bad. It isn't as bad as the Dig, but I still want to bash it in the head. It, like the Dig, was so bad that I had to take a break from The Goddess Test. I had to read Percy Jackson, because his stories are way better. Demigods are much more fun than gods, Henry, and yeah... Those guys.

Henry, for one, is one annoying character. Sure, sure, sure, he might be a virgin. (I'm not going to be bursting out in laughter. Not yet). Apparently, he loved Persephone too much, but she didn't love him enough. I, however, find that unbelievable. Even the most faithful men eventually find love again. Widows and divorcees always manage to find another one. Anyway, if that isn't possible, then I would say that Henry is very disturbing. If I were to be Kate, I would be heavily worried about possible cheating. Persephone is dead, yes, but how do you know that he isn't doing anything with her? Okay, now I'm just being annoying. I'll stop now.

Kate is annoying too, though not as much as Henry. (Henry may try to be charming, but he only comes off as Edward Cullen, which is very disgusting and disturbing). And Kate is the classic Bella Swan. Clumsy, klutzy, and very annoying in her inner dialogue. She is crazily perfect, having managing to pass the test. Oh, that wasn't obvious. Well, I'm sorry, but if she didn't pass, then there wouldn't be any sequels. No sequels mean a relief to all of us, right? Unfortunately, yes, she survived, so there are two sequels.

The romance between Henry and Kate is very dry. Good romance, like Divergent, makes you feel things, like a spark in the stomach and a ticklish feeling whenever you read a great paragraph. (See Divergent's graph/Tobias' declaration moment. It is gold).

Overall, I think The Goddess Test isn't worth it. It may be a step up from the Dig (the previous book I'd read), but it has nothing on Percy Jackson, which is undeniably the number one book based on Greek Mythology.

And... Enough of this. I'm finishing this review.

Rating: Two out of Five