Rating: 5 stars
Pub Date: September 17, 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Genre: young adult contemporary, spies
Format: Hardcover, bought from B&N because, hello, bonus story
Status: Final book in the Gallagher Girls series :(
Summary:
Cammie Morgan has lost
her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the
best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet.
Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization
called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and
Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they
implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever.
Review:
As I’ve said before, I was part of the Gallagher Girls since almost the
very beginning. I can’t even remember when I first read LYKY, but I remember picking it up because it had a cute cover, an
intriguing title, and an even more interesting description. I remember loving
it. I remember obsessively checking Ally Carter’s website daily to make sure I
wasn’t missing out on any GG news. I remember being so excited about this series
and sharing it with my mom. I don’t remember it becoming a massive hit, but
then suddenly, I realized I wasn’t the only one waiting anxiously for each new
installment of the adventures of Cammie, Bex, Liz, and Macey. Suddenly, I was
part of something bigger, something that even the word fandom can’t quite
encapsulate. I was a part of the real Gallagher Girls. I was part of a family
of readers who could imagine perfectly fitting into a world of spies, lies, and
danger. That’s why this review is pretty hard to write. How do you say goodbye
to something that means so much to so many? How do you say properly critique
something when you know whatever you say will be considered aimless gushing?
The answer, I suppose is that you don’t. You don’t say goodbye. You don’t give
a proper critique of the technical aspects. You gush. You cry a little. You
laugh. And you say, see you on your next adventure.
I think one of the reasons the Gallagher Girls series is such a hit is
that Cammie is one of the best narrators a book could have. Sure, as this is in
first person, we know Cammie’s story will be a little unreliable, as all first
person narration is. However, when the
narrator is also a spy-in-training and is actually recording every event, every
conversation for use in Official Government Documents, you trust her a little
bit more. Cammie is the chameleon. She blends in the background in every
mission (or she’s better than the rest, at least). Well, she’s also a chameleon
for the fact that she’s one of the most relatable characters I’ve ever read in
ya. Cammie’s story is so diverse and rich in experience that I dare you to find
someone who doesn’t share something with her, from the death of her father; to
her feelings of invisibility and later, inadequacy and insanity; to her guilt,
fear, and anger of both the future and the past; to her connection with her mom
and aunt; her friendships; her romantic relationships… I could go on, but I
think that’s a good list. Cammie will always be someone I feel like I can go to
when I’m having a problem because I feel like she and her three supporting
musketeers have solved just about every problem a girl can possibly have. And
if not, they certainly have gifted me with the tools to solve my problems.
One of the best things about Cammie through the series has been her
remarkable ability to change and adapt, which is another aspect of her
chameleon-ness. With long series, I think it can be hard to have your
characters change realistically without intense reader backlash. We always love
the characters in the first book, but sometimes, it’s hard for a reader to
accept the changes an author creates in sequels. Not in this case. Cammie’s
been through the ringer, emotionally, physically, mentally. By United We Spy, she’s incredibly
different from the innocent young girl we met in LYKY; however, she’s also the same in many ways, a feat I attribute
to her extraordinary strength of character. Even when at her most vulnerable
and broken, she’s strong. I find Cammie one of the most remarkably admirable
characters in any book of any genre.
Next, we have Cammie’s stalwart roommates, teammates, cheerleaders, and
minions: Bex, Liz, and Macey. A tougher and more loyal group of sidekicks there
never was, and the amazing thing is that I actually feel pretty guilty calling
them Cammie’s sidekicks because each girl goes through her own intense
development and trials throughout the series. They’re not just yes-girls.
They’re their own main character in their own story that Ally for whatever
reason chose not to write. But the fact that “Double Crossed” exists and that
each girl had her moment[s] in the series proves they’re leading ladies in
their own right (darn right I stole that concept from The Holiday!). Like Cammie, each of the three has moments of
fragility intertwined with moments of hardiness. There are times in these books
when I wondered if one of the girls would fall prey to jealousy or weakness or
fear. I wondered if one of them would ever give up on Cammie, give up on the
Gallagher Girls. There are occasions when I could see them deciding it was too
much effort. Macey and Liz, especially, had tastes of life outside of spying,
and I wondered if they would ever just quit. They did not. They are Gallagher
Girls. They stuck with it to the end because their stubbornness and their love
for one another just wouldn’t let them give up. If there’s anything I admire in
a person, fictional or otherwise, it is loyalty. The Gallagher Girls display
that in spades.
Next, there is Zach, the mysterious guy who seemed just like another
guy in CMH. Since it seemed like Josh
would not be around, I expected Zach to likewise be a one-and-done. Ally really
surprised me with that one. I had no idea Zach would be so very central to the
arc of the entire series. Zach was always frustrating to me because like
Cammie, I had a difficult time figuring him out. Even when I wanted to trust
him, to love him wholly, there was always something holding me back. I guess
that’s a spy for you. I really do have to credit Ally with all the remarkable
depth she gave to the story with Zach. You know you’ve got a well-written
character when, despite an inability to trust him and his intentions, you want to trust him. With Zach, I wanted
to throttle him just as many times as I wanted him to rip off his shirt. My
favorite moments of the series are often the scenes with Cammie and Zach, but
not because of the kissing (which, I admit, was spectacular. I mean, there’s a
scene in UWS that just took my breath
away!). It was because Cammie became something more with Zach. She had to be
stronger, smarter, more cautious, but she also was more human and she inspired
that in Zach as well. Watching them grow together both as a couple and as spies
and as people was glorious.
The supporting cast was all incredible as well. Cammie’s mom, Aunt
Abby, Mr. Solomon, Agent Townsend, Mrs. Buckingham, Madame Dabney, Mr. Smith,
Courtney Bauer, Tina, etc. These characters never seemed like props. They were
real people, and each served a special and distinct purpose. I am sad that like
a lot of the supporting characters in Harry Potter, many were not even seen in
the final book, but then, by that time, Cammie was past the point of needing so
much backup. Still, I will always cherish those initial outings of the
sophomore CoveOps class and the gossipy meals in the Grand Hall with all the
crème brulee.
Finally, the plot. LYKY was
so much more a cute contemporary romance than the later books. We got the
background, we met many of the players, the stage was set. Little by little, Ally
increased the pace with each installment until the books became one high-stakes
spy game with romance on the side. I think United
We Spy was an appropriate finale. It answered all my questions and gave me
the resolution I’d been craving. I don’t feel disappointed. I feel complete. I
feel like Ally accomplished everything I wanted her to and more while leaving
an open enough ending that I know at least some of the Gallagher Girls are
moving on in one way or another. I say open because it doesn’t spell out the
future in precise detail. That said, will Ally go back to this extraordinary
spy world? Perhaps. I hope she might, one day, many many years from now. But do
I honestly think she will? It’s hard to say. The story of Cammie and her
friends is almost certainly at an end, and I’m okay with that. But if a
character from GG popped up in a future Heist Society or Embassy Row adventure,
I’d be okay with that too.
I know this was kind of long and ramble-y, but honestly, this wasn’t
entirely for you. Sorry, guys. This was just what I need for closure for a
series that I’ve been intimately acquainted with for a long, long time.
Honestly, I really don’t know what I’m going to do. I haven’t felt slightly
lost like this at the conclusion of a series since I finished Harry Potter. I’m
not sure I’ll ever have a series where I feel like this again.
So Ally, if you read this, thank you. This series has meant so much to
me. Thank you for your incredible writing. Thank you for your silly yet totally
believable names for gadgets and tactics and fighting moves. Thank you for
finally writing a scene in which Zach is wearing a towel and nothing else. Thank you for sharing Cammie and the crew with
me, with all of us Gallagher Girls. You crafted a phenomenal tale about a group
of girls in spy school who do remarkable things, but for the record, I know the
truth. You are the true Gallagher
Girl, and you have done the most remarkable thing of all: you made us believe.
About the Author:
Author Links:
You put into words what I cannot. This is perfect.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kristi!
DeleteWow, sounds like Gallagher girls sounds amazing! I actually read my first Ally Carter with Heist Society, and didn't enjoy it too much. I loved the whole smart heroine aspect of it and how she was one step of everyone else, but it didn't seem to go anywhere. I've heard the Gallagher girls series is superior though, and your review definitely cemented that for me. Thanks for the awesome review!
ReplyDeleteJeann @ Happy Indulgence
Heist is good, but not as good as GG. Perfect Scoundrels is my favorite out of those three. I'm really glad you like my review. Hopefully, your experience lives up to mine with GG! Happy reading!
DeleteAww, this sounds like a great series and I love how much you loved it! (: I seriously hope my kids have at least one series they love like we love books!
ReplyDeleteI hope so too! Let me know if you ever read GG. We'll talk.
DeleteI loved this book ^.^ And the ending!
ReplyDelete