Sekret (Sekret Series)

Let me fan girl for a moment because I really love this novel! It has so many factors that I adore in a story and I just can't believe how flawlessly it comes together. I love the paranormal aspect and the historical aspect that I adore. It brings to life two of my favorite genres into one story. It's amazing.

The story of Sekret is one of complex interweaving of many different concepts that somehow flow together in a very beautiful way. Yulia, the main character, is the type of main character that the reader will either want to hold as her world crumbles or shake as she makes decisions that you don't like. Her world has been one of secrets and lies, which quickly becomes very evident as the KGB kidnap her and force her to become show more something that she never wanted to be - a spy. A soldier simply because she has powers beyond what a normal person has. She can touch an object - a person - and pull memories and emotions from it, creating an idea of what occurred in the past and that makes it easier to guess what is going to happen in the future. The other people she is working with all have their own secrets and their own motives. So she must ask herself the question, who can she trust - if she can trust anyone? Lindsay's novel is written so beautiful that I was immediately pulled in to the world of Yulia and I never wanted to leave. It fit all of my desires for an awesome young adult novel, which is why I am fangirling so much about this!

Yulia actually surprised me. I wasn't sure I would like her when I first began to read the novel because she came off a little different than the average novel heroine. As she continued to grow throughout the first chapter, I found myself attached to this rough around the edges girl who has a great amount of loyalty to her family. She would literally do anything for her family and I admire her greatly for that. She became such an amazing young woman that it honestly held my attention for such a long time afterwards. I now find her as a strong, confident, a ration rat that had everything taken for her and yet she managed to prove she was more than just a girl that defined herself by her situation. No, she defined herself by her family. She may keep to herself and perhaps she doesn't trust easily but she is so much more beneath her facade and after the midway point through the book, she truly becomes a character to admire. I love her. By far one of my favorite main characters I have read.

Her family is certainly a complex unit of people that have more secrets than perhaps any government in existence. But you know what, they can have these secrets because they know about the special powers that apparently have appeared in Russia during the Cold War. They worked on this intense project in regards to that and quickly became disenchanted with the government they were working for, I believe. All of secrets I am sure will eventually cause some form of chaos and eventually it will explode in the worse sort of way. Yet they are loyal to each other despite each person's ulterior motives. Her brother is amazing and he has a disability that makes him more different than anyone else. His world is different than what everyone else sees. He hears music, he finds comfort in repetition, and he sees in brilliant colors. I loved him almost as much as I loved Yulia.

There, I suppose, are two love interest for my lovely Yulia. First is Sergei who is the typical manly boy that loves hockey and is very outgoing. He is comfortable with the idea of being a spy because he knows that they are being taken care of by the government and that eventually if he obeys, he can live the life he wants and occasionally compromise what he should believe is right or wrong. However, from the moment he meets Yulia, you can see that he likes her and that he will do anything to protect her. So that is love interest number one. Love interest number to is my personal favorite, Valentin. He is the brooding musician type that prefers to stick to his thoughts and to himself. The way he carries himself shows that he feels a great deal of guilt, sadness, and self hatred but escape is impossible when it comes to the KGB program. They will find him if he attempts to escape and most of the occupants in the program learn that first hand. He slowly warms up to Yulia and the whole time I was just dying for him to make a move or prove that he was romantically interested in her. Trust me when I say I wasn't disappointed in the romantic aspect for this novel. But I won't tell you who wins the girl or... kisses the girl. You'll have to read and see!

Larissa is perhaps the one female character outside of Yulia that I actually grew to like and perhaps adore. Little by little she moved from the girl that appeared on random pages to the girl that I knew would be the type of friend the main character needed. Even though she had her secrets and her motives for her actions, there was a certain purity about her that I found admirable. That even though she was trapped in this situation she somehow manages to leave some parts of her untouched. Her power is amazing, which I won't reveal, and if I had it, I would totally use it to my advantage but she maintains the stance that she will not or perhaps cannot change the inevitable outcome of what her power provides her.

I love, love, love this novel and I feel horrible posting this review so early before the release but I felt you needed to know how awesome this book truly is.

** This book was received from the publisher via NetGalley. None of the review was influenced by the author or the publisher. This is a completely original review. The thoughts and feelings of the reviewer are entirely her own and have no ties to the publisher.** show less

It’s the Cold War and life in the U.S.S.R. is bleak and the government is suspicious of everyone. Yulia and her family were once affluent members of the Party but now Yulia is like a street rat, stealing and making deals. She does this to get food for her family and medicine for her mother’s secret medical clinic. A group of teens with psychic powers are being trained by a Soviet pair to use as weapons in the spy network and now Yulia has been captured and brought in as an addition to the group. It seems she has powers she’s not even fully aware of, and under the Soviet training, she is learning that she can glean information through touch. Yulia’s father always told her: “An empty mind is a safe mind.” This mantra serves show more the girl well as she tries to keep her mind closed off to the other psychics attempting to probe her for the truth. As she meets other teens with psychic abilities, she is troubled with uncertainty over just whom she can trust. The historical setting is unique for teen fiction. Smith recreates a world most teens know little of, a Soviet world of suspicions, hunger, fear and animosity toward the United States. Instead of keeping to a strict historical framework, Smith has added a paranormal element. The plot centers on psychics and the efforts of both the U.S. and the Soviet governments to manipulate these gifted people as part of their spy network. This tale of espionage and tension between the two countries in the Cold War is interesting but the paranormal element takes the book to a different dimension. The conspiracy involving the space program is hard to follow and the psychic storyline trumps the historical setting. show less

In 1960's Russia, Yulia Chernina is struggling to support her family. Her parents used to be prestigious scientists, but now struggle to make ends meet as outcasts. Yulia does what she can and haggles on the black market for much needed supplies, using her uncanny instincts to read people to her benefit. While out in the market one day, her family is captured by the KGB and she is coerced into working for them or they will harm her family. So Yulia is forced into a dilapidated warehouse with psychics around her age to discover how to harness and use her powers to benefit Russia. Along with them is an adult psychic who can manipulate memories and control thoughts. Yulia bides her time and works to hone her skills and help them until she show more can escape.

Sekret is the first novel I've ever read about this time period in Russia. Lindsay Smith captures the era and setting beautifully with descriptions of the vast difference between the rich and poor, vivid descriptions of a conflicted state (recovering from Stalin's terror, frustration at Khrushchev's passive rule, and the youthful craving for Western culture), a few Russian words, and consistent Russian cultural references throughout the text. It was also fascinating to see that part of history through different eyes. Their view of of Jackie O and President Kennedy as well their reaction to the President's assassination is vastly different than that of Americans. I particularly enjoyed the musical aspects of the novel. To block out other psychics, each person would have a song or piece running through their head to use as a shield. It gave each character an added layer because musical choice says a lot about a person. The various psychics and their powers are varied and included some I hadn't seen before. They could also work together to amplify their powers in ways they couldn't alone.

It took me a while to really get into Sekret. Even though it's from Yulia's perspective, I didn't get a good sense of who she was until around the middle of the novel. The romance was sweet, but nothing special. The only real positive was that it didn't distract much from the main plot. I also think I'm kind of burnt out on unnecessary teen romances stuck in a novel that doesn't really need one. I don't really know why romance HAS to be in every YA novel, but it's kind of annoying. Except for the change in setting and time, it read very much like every other dystopian YA novel. I wish it were a little more interesting with so much real history to draw from.

Sekret has some wonderful elements, but reads as too typical in an oversaturated genre. The ending is left open for a sequel and I'm frankly not sure if I want to read it. show less

I really did enjoy this story. I never knew just how much I loved historical fiction until I stumble on little gems like this.

I loved the characters and found each in their own power and ability to be completely fascinating. I also found the landscape the story takes place to be rich in detail and history and I just loved feeling pulled into it.

But I've had a cold over the last few days, and I think the fever muddled with my understanding of the book. I kept getting confused. I was losing track of names and who was who. Ivan popped up and I couldn't remember who he was and had to backtrack. I blame most of this on being sick. I think I would have enjoyed it a little more.

Fun story taking place in 1964 Moscow centered on a teen who is forcefully put in a program for teens with psychic abilities. They are trained to use their skills to find American infiltrators and Soviet traitors.

Yulia is the daughter of scientists who were involved in a study about genetic anomalies. Her brother was born with a different mental illness which isn't quite explained. Yulia's mother and brother are being held and threatened to ensure her participation in typical Soviet manner.

There are all different types of psychic abilities including telekinesis, seeing the future, scrubbing other's memories. Yulia is able to see memories by touching other people or items. As her father told her, "An empty mind is a safe mind." I found show more it interesting that she used music to block her mind from others. One of them introduces her to the Beatles and Arlo Guthrie but she used Shostakovich's Leningrad Symphony.

Will she be able to find her way through the intricate threats that surround her and escape the country and her terrible situation?

First part of a series. show less

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A slow start, but overall a very unique read full of suspense, romance and a wonderful setting.

Opening Sentence: My rules for the black market are simple.

The Review:

It is the year 1963 in the communist country of Russia. Yulia has been in hiding for the last three years with her mother and handicap brother. Her parents were once very prominent members of the government, but now they are considered traitors. They have been successful in staying under the radar for all these years, but their luck is about the change. Yulia has always had a weird psychic ability, where if she touches someone or something she can see their past memories. It has been very useful while on the run, but it show more ends up attracting unwanted attention. The KGB end up capturing her and it turns out they have a unit full of psychics. In order to keep her family safe she agrees to become a spy to help bring down the U.S. space program. Thrown into a world full of lies, Yulia doesn’t know who she can trust.

With determination to escape and get her family back, Yulia has to learn how to fully use her powers, but the only way to do that is to learn from her captors. Keeping secrets from someone that can read your mind proves to be difficult and Yulia realizes that she is going to need allies. Sergei is attractive and very friendly, but he is very loyal to the KGB. Then there is Valentin, a boy that plays beautiful music and encourages Yulia to rebel. Yulia soon realizes that the advice her father gave her as a child is more valuable than she ever thought possible…“An empty mind is a safe mind!”

Yulia was a very unique character and I really liked her. Even though her very comfortable life was taken away, and now she is basically a prisoner, she never complains, which I really liked. She always stays strong and positive, which was refreshing. She is also very smart and resourceful, which made it so she could take care of herself. I always love when a girl is bright and spirited, yet still has vulnerable girly traits as well. She was an easy character to connect with and she had a great voice throughout the whole book.

There was a whole cast of secondary characters that I’m not going to go into big detail about because there are too many, but every single one of them played a very important role in the story coming together. Each one of them had an interesting story and I loved getting to know all of them. There are two boys that show interest in Yulia, but the romance is very subtle, so there’s no need to worry about the love triangle. I hope that we will get to see more of all the characters in the next book.

I wanted to start off by saying that this was very different from what I thought it was going to be. I had heard about some stellar reviews before I started this, so I was really excited for it and it was a little disappointing at first. I was expecting a fast paced book that I would fly through and for me the start was really slow. I kept having to force myself to read it for about half the book, but after I adjusted to the pacing, I actually really enjoyed it. I feel like I might have judged it a little harshly at first because it was so different from what I was anticipating, and that made me enjoy it less than I should have. With that all being said, this ended up being a wonderful story full of intrigue, suspense, and romance. Smith’s idea was very unique and the setting was fascinating with all the historical references. The characters were interesting and plot had some great twists that kept me guessing. Even though it started out slow, I ended up really enjoying this book and would highly recommend everyone give it a try.

Notable Scene:

Sergei’s hand touches my shoulder. It burns with conflicting emotions: sadness? Anger? “Yulia, you have to stop thinking about escape. It’s too dangerous.”

“What do you care?” A barge sounds its horn; I peer over the balcony ledge. If it were straight down, I could survive it, but the embankment slopes just enough…

“Maybe I don’t. You wouldn’t be the first to try.” He shrugs. “But believe me, if there’s one thing I’ve learned here … There are worse things than a bullet in the back, a broken neck. What they can do to your brain, or your family’s…”

Sergei flinches; his gaze roves anxiously, unsettled. I step from him, not liking the sudden darkness I sense on his skin.

“Death would be mercy,” he says. “For you and your family both.”

FTC Advisory: Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan Children’s provided me with a copy of Sekret. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less

Sekret by Lindsay Smith has it all…intrigue, psychic powers, espionage, history, and romance. The book is set in 1960’s Russia. The main character is seventeen-year-old Yulia Andreevna Chernina who has the psychic ability to reveal things about other people through touch. The book starts at full speed when Yulia is forcibly taken away from her family. She is removed to a school where she and other young people who have psychic abilities are trained to be spies while using their unusual gifts. She and the others are being forced to become part of a deadly international incident. Yulia has to determine which of these young people she can trust and she soon must make a decision as to whether she will use her talents to advance a cause show more that she doesn’t support.

This book is interesting in that it is based on some factual and historical background. According to the author here has been some experimentation with psychic abilities both in Russia and the United States. Some of the events also took place in Russia during the time of the novel. The fictional accounting using young people from Russia with psychic talents offers the targeted audience a unique reading experience. And it is written in such a way that understanding the culture does not become a barrier to enjoying the book. There is a nice mix of characters with a little bit of romance and some conflict to hold the reader’s interest.

ARC Ebook provided by NetGalley show less