Going Rogue by Robin Benway
The Skinny: Being permanently based in a local New York City high school as an undercover operative has its moments, good and bad, for 16-year-old safecracker Maggie Silver. Pros: More quality time with her former mark-turned-boyfriend Jesse Oliver and insanely cool best friend, Roux. Getting to spend quality time with her semi-retired and international spy honorary uncle, Angelo. Cons: High school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. But when Maggie’s parents are falsely accused of stealing priceless gold coins, Maggie uses her safecracking skills to try and clear their names. Too bad it only serves to put her and everyone she loves in danger. Maggie and her “new team” flee to Paris where they must come up with a plan to defeat their former allies. – From Goodreads
Apparently I didn’t review “Also Known As” so I’m gonna have to wing this one!
BFF?: I truly adored Maggie in Also Known As. She was spunky and cute, dangerous and clever, all wrapped up with a touch of naiveté. I loved seeing this seasoned spy trying to deal with being a teenager, attending high school and cracking a case. In Going Rogue, we see her nearly a year later and she’s just as fun, but I think she’s starting to understand just how dangerous being a spy is and how it affects her relationships. She’s more conscientious about her actions and worried about her friends’ safety. I loved seeing her learn and see what her life is truly like and what her future as a spy could be.
Readability: Both Also Known As and Going Rogue were SO fun and unputdownable. The remind me of the Gallagher Girls and Heist Society series in the way that they’re super light, exciting and just plain fun to read.
Crush Level: 7
Despite some of his cheesiness, Jesse, Maggie’s boyfriend, is super sweet and wonderful. You can tell he truly loves Maggieand is willing to overlook a lot of things about her life that most boys would run straight to the hills from. He’s also got a really wry sense of humor and often uses it to deflect awkward situations. Most of those times it was pretty hilarious. He also wanted to be major protective (in a good way) and hated that he couldn’t be more a part of Maggie’s spy life. It was really sweet that he felt so obligated to protect Maggie even though he knew he really couldn’t do anything. Overall, great boyfriend and deserves every crush level point.
Bonus Points
Angelo
I would be highly remiss if I didn’t mention Angelo. I’ll admit, I kind of picture him as this mixture between Michael Caine, Jeremy Irons and Benedict Cumberbatch. Weird, I know. But he just sticks out in my mind as possessing so many characteristics that these actors possess – good looks, slick, well-spoken and kind of eccentric. Needless to say, he’s my favorite character in this series!
Spy Stuff
I don’t want to give too much away, but I love all the stuff that goes along with spies – forgery, gadgets, smarts. It’s super exciting to me and this book is chock-filled with all the things that I love!
Paris
Any book that has Paris in it, no matter what context, wins in my book.
Commencement Speech: When I first read Also Known as, I wasn’t expecting much more than a cutesy easy read. And while it was these things, it was oh so much more. It felt very similar to Ally Carter’s books, which is a huge compliment because I love her books so much. I would have been perfectly content with just Also Known As, but when I saw there was another book, Going Rogue, I could have jumped for joy! This one took a little more serious tone in that Maggie has to deal with the darker side of being a spy, but it managed to keep the fun Also Known As had. I loved the adventure, the spy antics, and the humor of Benway’s newest novel. Her characters are memorable and well-rounded, unique and perfectly written. I feel like many of them have become my best friends. Honestly, this is a great series and I hope there’s more to come!
Yearbook Quote: None! ARC!
Superlatives – Best example of how hard it is to spy
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I think these books are super fun, too. I love the characters that Benway creates. I love Angelo (and seriously, I cannot stop picturing his as Michael Caine now) but Roux is my favorite. I just love her. Well, and Jesse, of course 🙂
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Omg I thought of Angelo as a young Michael Caine too — or Tim Gunn haha!!! 🙂
These books are just so much fun! So glad you enjoyed this one too!
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I absolutely ADORED Going Rogue! It was an even more addictive read than Also Known As was for me. I think it helped that I was already familiar with most of the characters – particularly Maggie, Jesse, Roux and Angelo. It was so fun to see what they got up to in this installment!
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