The Spies That Bind

Okay... I really wanted to like this one. I loved the idea of it, spies, mystery, and that younger YA vibe, but it just didn’t work for me. I gave it 1 star because even though the concept had potential, the execution felt flat. The plot didn’t pull me in, the characters didn’t feel developed, and overall it just didn’t hit the way I hoped it would.

The pacing felt super off, some parts dragged, and others felt rushed. I kept waiting for that moment that would make me go “ah, now we’re getting somewhere,” but it never came. I didn’t feel connected to the main character or the world, and honestly, it felt like a lot of telling instead of showing. I get that it’s meant to be a short prequel, but even then, I wanted more show more depth and energy.

If you're already a big fan of the series, you might still enjoy this as a quick background read. But for me, it just didn’t bring anything new or exciting to the table. Cute concept, but the story fell short. It just wasn’t my vibe. show less

Review of the Audible Studios audiobook released June 2018

This was one of the free Audible Originals for January 2019 and, although YA books are not my regular reading, it was of more interest to me than the others, except for the theatrical recording of [book:Harry Clarke With Bonus Performance: Lillian|38203037], as it was at least in the cozy suspense & spy genre which I often do enjoy. That being said this was a reasonable prequel for its spy kids school series as it mixed in the universal feelings of uncertainty that all people have in a new environments with themes of bonding with new friends and coping with "mean girls."

Twelve-year-old Cammie Morgan is about to start her first semester at her new school, The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. Her mother is also beginning there as the new Headmistress, after a career as a spy.

Oh, yes. Gallagher Academy isn't just any exclusive private girls' school. It's a training academy for future female spies, founded during the Civil War, after Gillian Gallagher prevented an assassination attempt on Abraham Lincoln. (No, not the one at the Ford Theater.)

Arriving at the Gallagher Academy is as stressful as starting any new school, for Cammie, and for her fellow first-year classmates. Cammie worries she's only there because she's a legacy. Her roommate Liz Sutton worries she doesn't belong because she's show more one of the few who isn't a legacy and neither of her parents has been a spy. Their other roommate is black girl from the UK whom some believe doesn't belong there because she's the first student ever who isn't an American.

In a school where there are secret passages, booby traps, and dangerous weapons, and many of the girls have picked up rudimentary spy skills from their parents, the normal cliquish in-fighting can get really bad. And one of their classmates has decided that not only should Cammie and her roommates not be students there; Cammie's mother also has no business being Headmistress.

It's short, it's exciting, and the characters are a lot of fun. Recommended.

Either I bought this audiobook, or it was one of the free Audible Originals offerings to members. I'm not sure which, now. Either way, I am reviewing it voluntarily. show less

This was a free Audible Book and is YA Harry Potter fan fiction about young girls at a school for spies and appears to be the beginning of a series. Nothing fancy here, but middle school girls should like the adventure of girls learning to be spies, as well as recognize the obligatory mean girl who appears in the plot. This appears to be an empowering series of stories for young girls.

The Spies that Bind by Alley Carter and narrated by Rebecca Soler is a short prequel with hand picked 7th graders going to a special school to train to be spies! It's a girl's school and this story revolves around the first week. Lots of great characters, interesting world building, and girl bonding. I think I might follow this series, it is so clever and delightful at the same time.
Narration was excellent.

This was a cute short story. I haven't read the rest of the series, but this makes me want to! I love the girl power and an all girls secret spy school is awesome. The girls were cute as little seventh graders and I liked seeing their friendship form.

3.5*

This prequel novella tells the story of a 12-year-old girl, Cammie Morgan, about to start the 7th grade in a new school - not any old school, but the private prestigious Gallagher School for Extraordinary Young Women. To those in the know, this private school is even more than a school, it is a training ground for girls aspiring to be spies! Added to all the normal anxieties attendant on starting at a new school is the fact that Cammie's mother is the new headmistress and her father is missing, presumed dead.