Spies, Friends, and First Loves

Also Known As by Robin Benway
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maggie is a bit of a child prodigy--when it comes to cracking safes. Born into a family of spies who work for the mysterious Collective, Maggie has just received her first solo assignment. She has suddenly found herself in high school in New York where she must get to know Jesse Oliver, and gain information about his father, a magazine publisher who is planning to run a tell-all article about the Collective that will certainly expose Maggie and her family.  Of course, this can't be a simple assignment. Not only is Jesse good looking and very sweet, he is obviously crazy about Maggie. And then there's Roux, the first friend Maggie has ever had who was her own age. A social outcast, Roux helps Maggie navigate the foreign world of an elite private high school.
One of the things I really love about Robin Benway's writing is her ability to create real characters. Though the situation may require some suspension of disbelief, these are genuine teenagers, from their inner fears, to their outward expressions. The conclusion seemed a bit rushed with a tidy ending, but it was overall a fun read.

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Murder, Mystery, Madness

Having survived an attack from the Ripper, Rory has left Wexford for her parents' home in Bristol. Though her scar is healing, her therapy is not going as well. After all, she can't just tell her therapist that she sees ghosts, can she? And there's the mystery of the ghost she accidentally made disappear before she left Wexford. The only people who can help her are Stephen, Callum, and Boo, and once she returns to London and reconnects with them, more mysteries unfold. Relationships with her Wexford friends, especially Jerome, are falling apart as she becomes more involved with Stephen's team of ghost hunting police. This sequel to the Name of the Star continues to thrill readers with intrigue and there is no shortage of Rory diving into potentially dangerous situations as she tries to figure out what to do with her life now that she has not only the sight, but is also the only terminus the team has left to fight ghosts.