Yay! The close of that chapter for Yulia’s life.

Merged review:

Yay! The close of that chapter for Yulia’s life.

excellent sequel with a satisfying ending!

It was a quality plot! My only thing about it is that it took FOREVER to finish. It felt like it dragged on and on when the plot could have been more precise and less rambles

This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/

Check out my series review here: https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/2016/04/15/series-review-sekret-duology-by-lindsay-smith/

Critically
Plot – 4 out of 5 stars
exciting, intriguing, suspenseful, full of action and mystery, new setting and new characters, lots of twists and turns, a lot more emotionally deep than the first, really intense

Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
historically accurate, elaborate, descriptive, detailed, vivid, poetic, emotional, precise, intense

Characters – 4 out of 5 stars
Yulia is still one of my faves but she’s in shaky ground in this book. She’s in a whole new place, with a completely different kind of culture and it’s tough for her to get her bearings. She’s still incredibly brave and determined and powerful. However, she has a lot of doubts about herself and her insecurity shows and we get a glimpse into a more vulnerable part of her life. She’s angry and emotional and scared a bit. I loved her development and really enjoyed the ending.
I wasn’t captivated by the new characters in this series as much as I was in the first book. I liked them but I didn’t find them as intriguing as the group from the first book. They made an appearance and I was blown away by them once again. The romance developed in a very natural way, I loved how it wasn’t just all sunshine and roses. It reflected what was happening in the plot and what the characters had been through, while still tugging at my heart and pushing me to root for them. I feel like it was a great way to end the duology though I want more of the world.

Emotionally

Spoiler

I was so surprised that I enjoyed this duology when I read it. It’s now one of my favorite of all times.

I was anxious to finish this duology because I loved the first book so much and this second book did not disappoint.

The plot is suspenseful. Yulia has traveled somewhere new and she is now a part of the CIA, thanks to the connections her dad has in America. However, she does not recognize him at all, he’s changed completely, and she’s put to work to stop the KGB, the people who held her captive as well as her mother and brother, and end their plans. One of my favorite parts about this book is the world building. We’ve moved from Russia to America, so there’s a little bit more freedom to explore the surroundings. The music, the clothes, the slang terms and the roles in society were all totally on point and amazing. It really helps transport you to a different time. But I feel like that was the part that really caught my attention not the plot. I was intrigued and interested enough but it was a lot slower and a bit less mysterious than the first book. The beginning was interesting but it wasn’t until halfway that I was really snagged into the plot and got me to that edge of my seat feeling. I wish it could’ve been just as exciting as the first book but I also understand why it wasn’t that way. There’s a lot of other factors at play when you are in the US than when in Russia specially at that time in history. The ending was really bittersweet and not really what I was expecting but realistic and actually quite on the hopeful side.

Yulia is all over the place in this book but again it’s understandable. She’s in a new country, new city where things are completely different than where she’s from. She’s reunited with her father after years apart but he’s not how she remembers him and she has no idea why. However, the character traits that I loved about her are still relevant: her tenacity and determination. Her strength is actually quite awe inspiring for me.

Overall, I really need more people to read this duology! I feel like it’s completely underrated. It’s a great representation of historical fiction and I highly, highly recommend it.

My rating is more a 3.5. I liked this better than Sekret actually. I really like Lindsay Smith's writing. But the Russian psychic spy thing isn't really my type of book so I didn't love it but I still liked it!

I have really enjoyed this duology. I like the mix of physic powers with the history of the Cold War. I enjoy historical fiction and I enjoy paranormal, so the mix here was really great for me.

Yulia is a very strong character and I enjoyed watching her deal with integrating into a new culture, dealing with a father who is nothing like what she remembers and a new job working for the CIA. The odds are stacked against this girl, but she stubbornly plods onward towards her goals.

We meet a host of new characters as well amongst Yulia's new American coworkers, as well as her re-united father. Her father is frustrating to me for most of the book, but towards the end we get some insight into why he is the way he is. My favourite of Yulia's coworkers in Cindy, who I am itching to learn more about. Lindsay Smith has said this series is over, but she may continue in this world and if she does, I hope it's with Cindy. That girl has secrets I'm dying to know about. Donna was a frustrating character as well, although she more or less redeemed herself. And Valentin is such a sad, sweet characters that I mostly just wanted to hug. Oh and Winnie! I love this woman as well. So fiesty and determined and such a great rolemodel for Yulia. The rest of the team (Marylou, Judd, Tony and Al) aren't developed quite as much and I help fairly neutral about.

One thing that sometimes got a bit confusing for me was the descriptions when Yulia was dealing with the scrubbers. It's a fairly abstract concept and I found myself having to re-read sometimes. But it didn't bother me, because it was meant to be confusing and disorienting, so it kind of worked.

I loved this glimpse into a paranormal-infused history. Yulia is such a tough girl forced to deal with culture shock, family issues, a romantic relationship AND psychic warfare all at once!

3.5 stars

Skandal is the second book of the Sekret series by Lindsay Smith and I thought it wrapped up Yulia’s story in a good way.

The book picks up with Yulia living in Washington D.C. with her father and Valentin. Having left her brother and mother behind, Yulia is constantly worried about them and how they are being used by the KGB but she is also unsure about her place within the CIA. She has been placed within a group to help her learn more about her psychic power so she can in turn, help the government figure out what General Rostov is up to and how to stop him but she definitely has some challenges to overcome due to the fact that she is Russian and worked fro Rostov.

Yulia is at a point where she needs to embrace her power and she does but she also struggles with knowing that everything she does for the CIA is a danger to her mother. I liked seeing her grow into her psychic ability and eventually begin to use it in a way that allows her to understand she is a strong, young woman. On top of her learning to use her ability better, she is also learning more about who her father is and what he has been up to. It was tough for Yulia to reconcile the man she is with now with the man she grew up with and loved. He is so different and she has no idea why. When she does find out why, it all began to make sense.

One of my favorite parts of this book was seeing the relationship between Yulia and Valya evolve. As Valya continues to struggle with his ability and the things he remembers from his childhood, Yulia looks to do whatever she can to help him. This could be as simple as being with him during a nightmare or on the extreme end, absorbing his vision and pain. This is where mastering her ability was important for her and she is willing to go to whatever lengths she has to in order to help Valya.

On top of all of that, Yulia is reminded every day that they have commitments to the government to help bring down the General however they could and that means they can't just hide away from everyone in their house. They are all in danger and the fact that the KGB has people out in the world that are being used to get to the most important people in the government, creates an even greater danger for Yulia and the group as their abilities are being used against them in some situations.

The pacing in this book felt a bit slower than the last book and at times I struggled with it but in the end, I thought the story was well done. Smith brought all of the pieces together and linking the paranormal aspect with the governmental fears of the 1960’s was great. I’m a history nerd so this was right up my alley and if you liked the first book, definitely check out this one as you will want to know how things end up for this group.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.

Action-packed and very enjoyable sequel to SEKRET! :)

THIS WAS SUCH A FUN READ.

Rate: 3.75/5 ⭐

TW: racism, sexism, sexual harassment & suicide

If I'm being completely honest, I like the sequel more.

It’s also interesting that the life, ideology and culture in Russia and America is so different to one another. But in the end, both wants to achieve the same goal which is demolished everything for their own purpose.

Reading this reminds me of the wars that these two countries started in Ukraine, Iran, etc. And also country like Palestine (IMO, it's still a country), India and Bangladesh. A lot of these countries started wars bcs of the difference in ideology and wants others to accept their ideology (hope this make sense).

But I want to focus more on the war that the mainstream keeps pushing in the early of 2022. Russia-Ukraine war. (If I'm not mistaken) like the war between them started again bcs Russia doesn't want Ukraine to join NATO bcs Russia believes that Ukraine is a part of Russia. That's why Putin declared war between those two countries. Fact check me if I'm wrong. And some theorists said that Russia actually wants to take over the world. Which is not shocking at all bcs America terrorized and started wars in the middle east long time ago AND IT'S STILL ONGOING!!!

In conclusion, let's not forget all the wars that these big, ego countries started.