Lindsay Smith
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
ISBN: 9781596438927
Hardcover: 352 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Teen
About the Book:
An empty mind is a safe mind.About the author
Yulia's father always taught her to hide her thoughts and control her emotions to survive the harsh realities of Soviet Russia. But when she's captured by the KGB and forced to work as a psychic spy with a mission to undermine the U.S. space program, she's thrust into a world of suspicion, deceit, and horrifying power. Yulia quickly realizes she can trust no one--not her KGB superiors or the other operatives vying for her attention--and must rely on her own wits and skills to survive in this world where no SEKRET can stay hidden for long.
Lindsay Smith's love of Russian culture has taken her to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and a reindeer festival in the middle of Siberia. She writes on foreign affairs and lives in Washington, D.C. Sekret is her first novel.
My Thoughts:
Yulia and the other children have abilities that get them kidnapped and trained for missions that will help Russia undermine the United States. Taking place during the Cold War in the 1960's this novel will have you on the edge of your seat at times. Russia was not known as a place that treats their prisoners well, so the children are basically prisoners with above average psychic abilities - so you can imagine how things are for them.
Even so, the children have learned to adapt and learned how to do things to keep them off radar. The are strong, intelligent and of course, have feelings that they learn how to protect.
This novel was both disturbing and exciting. I had a hard time putting it aside and an even harder time when I closed it up and realized it would be a while before I could read the next installment. The characters were engrossing to me - each had personalities that were quite a bit different than the rest, but they all had the same problem/outcome facing them. I really appreciated the mix and the feelings that to me were quite true to form for that situation.
This book should appeal to most that enjoy fiction centered around true historical time periods/events as well as those that just enjoy a great page-turning young adult novel. I loved it for both reasons.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley courtesy of the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, but instead, one that gives my honest opinion.
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