Saturday, January 8, 2011

The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee (thoughts)



My first read of 2011! I chose this book to read first as I've heard good things all over the book blogs and the synopsis sounded interesting. For instance on the back of the book it gives this very short but succinct summary:

"In the gritty world of Victorian London, in a house with many secrets, nothing is as it seems...least of all Mary Quinn."

What a perfect way to describe this book! Because Mary Quinn is a spy working undercover in her first assignment as a companion to a difficult young woman with secrets of her own. In fact, everyone in the household where Mary works seems to have secrets and hidden agendas. This was a fast paced read that hooked me into the story from the very beginning. I loved the idea of a young woman (especially during this time period) being a spy and Mary's adventures were a lot of fun to read about. Mary has a lot of spunk to her character and I liked her from the beginning. I also liked that there was a history to her...a past that even she doesn't completely know but that she began to learn about in the book. It made her background more mysterious and I'm anxious to see what else she will learn in future books. The atmosphere of the book was filled with suspense at certain moments which caused me turn the pages even faster. And I enjoyed the gritty Victorian feel that was present throughout the novel. I find that I am quite a fan of reading books set in this time period and the mystery aspect just was an added bonus. I didn't end up having any major complaints with this book although the ending wasn't quite a surprise for me. But it was a good mystery overall. All in all it ended up being a good read to begin the year with, and I will definitely be reading more in this series in the future just to see what kind of trouble Mary gets herself into next.

Disclaimer: Obtained from my local library :)

20 comments:

  1. What a great way to start the year! I loved this one as well, and enjoyed Body at the Tower too.

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  3. Your year is off to an auspicious start with a book you really enjoyed! I will keep an eye out for this book, Sam.

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  4. Sounds like a good one, and i like the setting.
    Great review.
    http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

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  5. Shelley- I'm excited to read Body at the Tower and am hoping that my library has it available.

    Suko- It is a great way to start off the new year...I love a good book!

    Naida- I'm sure that this is a book that you would enjoy. You should check it out!

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  6. I have this on my list to read this year...the time period is one of my favorite!! Fun review!

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  7. I actually haven't heard of this one but it does sound good! I like books set in the Victorian era. One of my favorites is Fingersmith by Sarah Waters.

    Hope you had a good weekend Sam!

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  8. The description alone had me hooked! I am glad you enjoyed this one, Samantha. I like the premise of a female spy too.

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  9. Staci- If you like this time period then I bet you'll enjoy it when you get to it :)

    Trish- I have Fingersmith on my TBR list. Can you believe that I've never read anything by this author before? Hopefully this year that will change!

    Literary Feline- I loved that short little description...it fit the book perfectly :)

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  10. I just noticed--did you change your blog title? I like it!

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  11. Trish- Yep, I did thanks to my significant other :) He came up with and I couldn't resist..thanks for noticing!

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  12. Great choice! I've got this sitting on my bookshelf right now, waiting to be read. I can't wait to read it!

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  13. Katy- I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did. I'll be picking up the next book sometime soon :)

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  14. I haven't heard of this on ebefore, i don't think, but it certainly sounds good. Great review, thanks :)

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  15. Nikki Ann- Hope you get a chance to read this one and enjoy it as much as I did!

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  16. this year bodes well for you, with such a great start.

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  17. Parrish- I hope that 2011 is a great year of reading!!! And for you as well :)

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  18. I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book last year, and I really enjoyed it. It wasn't without flaws, but it was still highly enjoyable. I'm looking forward to getting the chance to read the rest of the books in the series!

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  19. Tea and Tomes- I'm glad to hear that you liked it as well. I'm hoping to get the chance to read the next one soon but there are so many other books that I want to read as well :)

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  20. Well, it's almost been a year since you posted this, but I just read the book this month and wanted to say . . . I agree! :)

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