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A review by _isabel_
Agent Bayne by Jordan Castillo Price
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Another banging installment in this absolutely fabulous series.
"Agent Bayne" wasn't my favourite, because some of the things that made me fall in love with this series were missing (and I'll get back to that), but it was still impressive, original and I think, the most mature, thoughtful and serious book of the series so far. Each one of these novels have such a distinct vibe and I found the atmosphere of this ninth book very in tune with all the uncertainty and confusion Victor has been feeling about his place in the world now that he's officially a fed, coupled with his somewhat more mature approach to life and his powers.
So yes, in some ways this book is very different from the previous ones: I found it less hilariously messed-up, because Victor's changed. He's still a mess and he's still awkward, but because he doesn't actually need to hide how powerful he is anymore and because he's much more in control of his powers, he's slowly but surely getting a hang of his life. His new-found maturity and the more serious tone of this book didn't leave much room for his usual snark and hilariously messed-up reasonings, but I'm confident he'll get his groove back soon enough. I know I can count on JCP to find new ways to mess up Vic's life.
What I totally adored of this book was, other than the utterly compelling mystery, the fact that we're starting to get glimpses of Victor's past before Camp Hell and all the repressed memories of his childhood: this book made me realize that, even after nine books, Victor still remains a total mystery, an intriguing and potentially emotionally devastating mystery, and I'm SO looking forward to unlocking his secrets.
I also adored Jacob and all the side characters, the new and the old. I missed Con and Lisa to death though: hopefully they'll resurface soon enough.
This ninth book was riveting and exciting and new, and although I'm hoping the next books will recover the more hilariously unhinged qualities of the previous books, I loved it. Victor's next adventures with the FPMP already sound promising and I cannot wait to continue.
"Agent Bayne" wasn't my favourite, because some of the things that made me fall in love with this series were missing (and I'll get back to that), but it was still impressive, original and I think, the most mature, thoughtful and serious book of the series so far. Each one of these novels have such a distinct vibe and I found the atmosphere of this ninth book very in tune with all the uncertainty and confusion Victor has been feeling about his place in the world now that he's officially a fed, coupled with his somewhat more mature approach to life and his powers.
So yes, in some ways this book is very different from the previous ones: I found it less hilariously messed-up, because Victor's changed. He's still a mess and he's still awkward, but because he doesn't actually need to hide how powerful he is anymore and because he's much more in control of his powers, he's slowly but surely getting a hang of his life. His new-found maturity and the more serious tone of this book didn't leave much room for his usual snark and hilariously messed-up reasonings, but I'm confident he'll get his groove back soon enough. I know I can count on JCP to find new ways to mess up Vic's life.
What I totally adored of this book was, other than the utterly compelling mystery, the fact that we're starting to get glimpses of Victor's past before Camp Hell and all the repressed memories of his childhood: this book made me realize that, even after nine books, Victor still remains a total mystery, an intriguing and potentially emotionally devastating mystery, and I'm SO looking forward to unlocking his secrets.
I also adored Jacob and all the side characters, the new and the old. I missed Con and Lisa to death though: hopefully they'll resurface soon enough.
This ninth book was riveting and exciting and new, and although I'm hoping the next books will recover the more hilariously unhinged qualities of the previous books, I loved it. Victor's next adventures with the FPMP already sound promising and I cannot wait to continue.