Review: United We Spy by Ally Carter

United We Spy by Ally Carter

Steph's Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: ebook

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Publication Date: September 17th 2013

Pages: 304

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.

 

Steph's Review:

Oh boy. This. Book. I can't express how sad I feel now that I know there are no more GG books coming out. I've been with these books since one of my friends (hey there Jess) introduced me to its very first book, I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You, during elementary school. I am proud to say that I've stuck with the Gallagher Girls through high school to see them off to graduation.

This is the final showdown between the Circle of Cavan and Cammie. Her goal? Get rid of the seven descendent families of the original founders to stop their havoc on the world. Their goal? Get rid of her. Its a race against time to see who can be just one step ahead of each other--and of course, what would a GG book be without the double crosser.

It's senior year, but Cammie's been through a lot to say the least. School honestly seems just like annoyance now to Cammie and her friends because they've got more important things to handle. First on their list? Get Preston for the U.S. embassy in Rome. Cavan members acting as his "bodyguards" are more like his own walking set of prison bars, and he doesn't even know about his families affiliation with the Circle. They have to save him before its too late, and someone takes out Preston for good measure. 

Winding their way around to avoid the eyes of higher ups, Cammie and her friends find out the true reason behind the actions of the terrorist group. Turmoil and chaos will dissipate political holdings, leaving the Circle on top with the most power of them all. They have a frightening goal that could mean the possible end of the U.S.A., and our four masterminds are the only ones who can stop it.

Preston. The poor boy has to go through a lot in this book. I mean, when you break it to him that his elite and prestigious family has been involved in a secret cult-like group who's been causing chaos around the globe, you can't really expect a great reaction. Since he's related to the Circle, he's a target with a very large red dot on the middle of his forehead. Spies and assassins from all around are hunting him and his ambassador father down, and he'll have to go through periods of captivity, imprisonment, questioning, you name it. I didn't really expect all this to go down with Preston actually because he was only a really big character in book 3, though he did make a little cameo appearance in book 5. In United We Spy, you may as well start lumping this kid in with the gang though.

Cammie has changed a lot throughout this series, and its noted quite a few times during the book. She recalls how much of an idiot she was when she dated Josh, how childish it was of her. Pain has molded her into a stronger person, and now she's finally made the transition into responsibility and adulthood...which is evident in her relationship with Zach (oh that hottie). When you read the dialogue between the two, they talk more maturely and there's a lot less "does he really love me" junk. I wish there were more Zach and Cammie moments though now that they were really together, and I felt like their whole relationship in the book was full of stolen or hidden moments.

United We Spy is going to have you wound up and crazy from all of the plot twists. I'm warning you readers now: be like a spy and never trust anyone or anything if you want to save yourself from lots of bulging eyes and jaw dropping. There is indeed a butterfly effect going on here: one spark leads to a whole master plan uncovered, like dominoes toppling over in successive order. I finished this book in one sitting, because I was afraid if I stopped midway I was going to forget the details of the "cause" events and not get the same vibe from the "effect" events. It really becomes an even more complex story before everything gives way into a nice ending.

So there's this one lady I haven't gotten to yet. I really hate her and I have a list of profanities I could call her. Remember Catherine? (Ok how could you forget her). Well this lady has an agenda of her own. We first thought she was with the Circle since she made attempts on Cammie's life, but now we know she actually isn't. Her meddling made me want to yell countless times because she always seemed to get in the way of things that were going perfectly. Honestly, she felt like an even worse antagonist than the Circle itself, and she's just one lady. Again, thats how much I hate her. I suppose she got what she deserved in the end, but even that stunt she pulled before it caused lots of trouble.

This book is the full embodiment of what the Gallagher Girls series is all about--finding out who you are and your own purpose. There was this touching speech by our graduating valedictorian Liz about what a Gallagher Girl is, but I don't think it really applied to only our GG's. I think it applied to all the ladies out there, and it was just a very empowering speech that gave me the chills as I read it. I admit I started sniffling a little bit too. This was an awesome conclusion to an equally amazing series, and should definitely be picked up by all Gallagher Girl lovers!