DISCLAIMING: Totally snatched this one from the publisher when I heard about it.
The Regional Office is an assassinry (assassinery?). An office full of killers, k? Badass female killers with gifts and specialties. The book is narrated from three separate points of view: Sarah has a robotic arm and is at home with the Regional Office in a way that most of its Operatives are not. Rose is a troubled teen taken in and trained, and now she's infiltrating the organization. The third perspective is a little different...an academic paper and history of the Regional Office which is great at tying all the threads together. It also provides the backstory of Mr. Niles and Oyemi, the founders, and how they came to this crazy profession.
What I found odd (but not bad) about this book is that it's fairly humdrum that the world is magical or might be taken over by demons at any time. That a man can put on a wizard's hand and throw down with some mass destruction. That's just life in this novel, and our Operatives save the world from shit like that all the time. The real issue at hand is that some of the Operatives have gone rogue, and that's why the office is under attack. There are moles, people rappelling down air shafts, illicit relationships, and cyborgs. And Oracles! And lots of killing.
While this book was more about Sarah's and Rose's specific experiences and their "upbringing" in the organization, and while we got to know a lot about Mr. Niles, Oyemi, and Henry (who trains the Operatives)...I didn't feel particularly close to any of them. Again, this didn't distract from my enjoyment of the book, but it's much more about a quick plot, snappy writing, and an overall picture of The Regional Office than it is about a deep, emotional dive into any one character.
Bottom line: FUN BOOK. So much fun. I ate it up.
Riverhead, April 12, 2016
E-galley
ISBN: 1594632413
Just added it to my Audible wishlist! With four readers, it's bound to be a great audio, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteHaha - humdrum about possibly being taken over by demons!
ReplyDeleteWhaaaaaaaaaaat?! That sounds awesome.
ReplyDeleteI WANTS it! Fun and not too emotionally deep sounds perfect.
ReplyDeleteHalfway through and soooo wishing for more hours in the day. SO MUCH DAMN FUN.
ReplyDeleteYESSSSSSSSSSSS assassins! I can't wait to read this!
ReplyDeleteOOh, what fun!
ReplyDeleteDid this seem like it was the start to a series? Just curious.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds totally wild.
ReplyDeleteHere for it.
ReplyDeleteSome books are just really good fun and this sounds like one of them, plus you can't go wrong with female assassins.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so bonkers crazy awesome. Sold!
ReplyDeleteI really need to read this book!
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds like too much fun! Only been hearing good things!
ReplyDeleteI think it JUST came in at the library for me. So stoked.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Jenny - hooray, assassins! Especially female ones. I agree this could be a good audiobook, especially if it doesn't go too deep into stuff.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a lot of fun too, with the fast plot and snappy (good word!) writing. But I was a bit disappointed by the lack of emotional connection or depth to the world building and I really didn't like how dark it was. I expected this to be a 5 star read for me and I ended up only giving it 3.
ReplyDeleteI'm so in the mood for this book. I'll be buying it in May for sure. Thanks for the great review!
ReplyDeleteI could've used more detail about the missions that TRO take on, but you're right- this was really just meant to be action-y, fast, & fun. Also, I totally want Sarah's arm.
ReplyDeleteI could've used more detail about the missions that TRO take on, but you're right- this was really just meant to be action-y, fast, & fun. Also, I totally want Sarah's arm.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like tons of fun.
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