Hello! Shocked to see me? *basks in your awestruck wonder* Ahem. Anyways. Yes, I know that I just posted yesterday, BUT silly me messed up with, um, something and got a little ahead of myself and didn’t check the dates. So, I am now posting today. And there will be nothing this coming Tues. Okay? Okay.
So, that aside, I’m going to be reviewing a book called Espionage by Morgan Huneke. And this is a companion to the book series (though I’m tagging it as one and the same) Time Captives.
My review for the first book in the series is here, and my review for the second one (on my other blog) is right here (and no, no it did not take forever to find that post because I insisted of searching through all of my posts instead of just using the search thing at the bottom. Ahaha, no. Nope.).
Oh, and, also! (I forgot almost forgot to mention this!) I’m apart of the Espionage blog tour (which I think that I’ve mentioned), and you can find the rest of the blog tour and their interviews/reviews/character spotlights/etc. here.
“Sir Roland has invited us to visit for the Autumn Feast.”
“Do we have to go, Papa? I couldn’t feast with the most crooked politician in all of Briznom.”
As the daughter of a Briznomian vassal lord, Vannie Cumberland has spent her childhood immersed in the world of politics. Relations between Briznom and the neighboring country of Calhortz are strained due to the tyrannical rule of the strytes. A proposed alliance could calm relations between the two countries, but would come at the cost of Briznom’s freedom.
When her father’s political archenemy invites them to the Autumn Feast, Vannie uncovers an evil scheme endangering the life of someone close to her. Personal enmity comes to a dangerous head as Vannie struggles to expose the corruption and stop the alliance. Time is running out.
Events are becoming too big for her to handle. Will Sir Roland’s son help or will things finally spiral out of control?
What I thought:
Admittingly, I’ve been in a book slump for the past week or two, so, yes. And then just before this, I had just finished reading Samara’s Peril, and that makes it hard to read a book after, so just keep that in mind.
I’m not usually one for political stuff (yes, all you people laughing at me. And since it’s approaching election time here in the US, I’m getting a little exhausted with it all.) so I was unsure to how I would like this book. Well, I did! Since it’s a MG (I think…), politics were toned down a bit, and made it quite bearable!
And as the author, Morgan, likes politics, that really shined through. Everything about the system was so well thought out, that it was just amazing to read! Even though I don’t enjoy politics, I found myself trying to figure it all out!
Writing/Plot:
Morgan is a very talented young author, and her writing is great! (Actually, it’s kinda weird calling her “young” since she’s older then me, but she’s definitely younger then a lot of other authors… I’m just gonna get back to the review now. 😉 ) The first time I read one of her books, I was quite impressed, and it has only improved since then!
While this plot had times where it was a little rushed or a little slow, for the most part, it was pretty well paced. This is a political fantasy, and I think that the pace fit for it (though I would’ve enjoyed a longer book).
Characters:
Um, well, it took me a long while to like Vannie. I’m not sure what it was, but it just did. And the same for Kyle.I felt that Kyle’s personality could’ve been expanded a bit, but it was just overshadowed by Vannie, but I guess that she is the POV character… And those two are basically all of the characters
Problems:
Something that bothered me was Vannie. Not necessarily that it took me a bit to like her, but I felt that she acted older then her nine years of age. Now, I know that she’s a very smart young lady, but she seemed as if she were twelve or older to me. I also felt this way with Kate (Vannie’s younger sister) and a small bit from Kyle. *shrugs* Maybe it’s just me.
The characters all seemed to have just been thrown to the wayside, all except Vannie and Kyle. Like, it just seems that the other characters should’ve had more book-time.
That’s basically the only thing that I noticed. Though some more dialogue would’ve be nice.
Summary/Other:
So, while this book wasn’t my favorite out of the series, it was still pretty good!
Since this book is MG, there’s not language, and violence only goes as far as kidnapping. And there was a hint towards romance (even though they’re, like, nine).
But, I’d actually definitely recommend this series and book to basically anyone who likes MG Christian fantasy!
Three and a half stars ∗∗∗
Buy Now
Kindle ~ Paperback ~ Signed Copy
About the Author
Morgan Elizabeth Huneke is a homeschool graduate who lives in Georgia. She has enjoyed creating characters and writing stories since early childhood. Books have always been a big part of her life, never more so than when working at the local library. Her other interests include reading, playing the piano and violin, and politics.
You can connect with Morgan on her website, blog, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and Pinterest.
Giveaway
Join in the excitement of Espionage and enter to win a special prize! The first prize winner will receive a signed copy of Espionage. The second and third prize winners will receive an eCopy of Espionage in the eBook format of his/her choice. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only.
And, guys, that’s all I have for you today! I hope you enjoyed today’s review, and check out Miss Huneke’s other books! So, do you all like blog tours? I happen to like them, whether I’m participating or not! But, I’d love to hear your opinions on them, and what’s your favorite/least favorite parts! See you in two weeks, and I look forwards to your comments! 😀
readinganyone 
Thanks for the review! I’m glad you liked the book, though I’m sorry you didn’t like Vannie very much. She’s an ENFP and Kyle’s an INFJ, which means it’s pretty easy for him to get overshadowed by her sometimes rather obnoxious personality, especially seeing how he processes a lot of things internally and is thus generally quieter. Kyle is around 12 1/2, though, so he is older. I think he has a July birthday, though I don’t know that for sure.
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Yeah! I liked it, but as I said, I was in a book slump, and didn’t enjoy a lot of books as much as I was thinking I would…
And actually, that would make sense why I didn’t connect with Vannie that well! I often times don’t click well with ENFPs or similar personality types. And that’s cool that Kyle is an INFJ, so is my sister!
Anyways, I did enjoy the book, and thanks for allowing me to be apart of the tour!! 😀
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I understand. I was having a hard time liking any books at Christmas because I’d just finished Winter. It can be hard.
Makes sense! I’m an INFJ (which helps me understand Kyle, though he’s nicer/more tactful than I am) and INFJs tend to work really well with ENFPs, so I was able to understand, like, and work with Vannie pretty well.
You’re welcome. I’m glad you could be a part of it! 🙂
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Yeah, it’s not fun. And it was my first reading slump in at least a couple years.
That’s cool!
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