Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Review: Sekret

SEKRET
Sekret #1
Lindsay Smith
Young Adult/Historical/Paranormal
337 pages
Roaring Book Press/Macmillan
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
An empty mind is a safe mind.

Yulia's father always taught her to hide her thoughts and control her emotions to survive the harsh realities of Soviet Russia. But when she's captured by the KGB and forced to work as a psychic spy with a mission to undermine the U.S. space program, she's thrust into a world of suspicion, deceit, and horrifying power. Yulia quickly realizes she can trust no one--not her KGB superiors or the other operatives vying for her attention--and must rely on her own wits and skills to survive in this world where no SEKRET can stay hidden for long.


MY THOUGHTS
Sekret is a story that creeps forward slowly rather than leaping from the gate with a great deal of speed and intensity, the intricacies of the mind a focal point that forces us to pay close attention and stay sharp even as our attention sometimes wants to wander. It's a tale that's clearly well-researched and well-thought out, but some of the Russian names and plot intricacies–particularly those that focus on historically significant events like the space race between Russia and the US–do occasionally trip us up as we try to figure out how they tie into Yulia's ability. The various missions she and the other young men and women like her execute can also be a touch confusing, the gifts each of them possesses at times muddying the waters given how tricky it is to tell whose psychic eyes we're seeing through as events unfold.

Yulia has the ability to touch people or objects and see events and conversations linked to them, something she's only recently come into when we meet her. We're therefore almost as out of sorts as she is from the beginning and have the pleasure of asking questions and figuring things out right along with her, ensuring we're connected to her throughout. She's clever and knows to keep her guard up even around those who appear to be friends, and while that doesn't always keep her from being hurt when someone manages to slip past her defenses, we can't help but admire her sense of self-preservation.

The romance is an extraordinarily minor element and one that's very low on the drama scale, something we're certainly grateful for but at the same time it's hard not to wish for a touch more. It's almost so minor an element as to be unnecessary to the overall plot, though having said that, there's no instant attraction or angst that makes it feel as though it was an element simply tossed into the story to appease those of us who crave love in their young adult fiction. In fact there's no mention of love at all, it's much more of a quiet friendship that eventually leads to more, and though it is undoubtedly a beautiful relationship full of music and hope, it doesn't strike that emotional chord that has us flipping the pages with added speed just to get to the next scene between them.

Overall, Sekret will be hugely appealing to those who love historical fiction, especially the politics and the power games between the United States and Russia in the 1960's. The added supernatural element provides an extra layer of tension, but at the same time it can be difficult to sort through all the contrasting psychic inputs to figure out which pieces of information are ones we need to take careful note of, slowing the pacing down overall. We're certainly left with questions, but they're not of the tear-your-hair-out variety, rather we're content with where Yulia is and hopeful that those questions will find answers in the next installment.

Rating: 3.5/5


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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

25 comments:

  1. See, I'm not the biggest fan of these years and also War/Russia related themes, which is why I never really cared about this book. However, I really like you describe the romance as sweet and naturally evolving..

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  2. I am not sure, the Cold war...eh

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  3. I was really excited about this book...until the review started rolling in. It's not like everyone gave it 1 stars or anything, it just didn't live up to my expectations. I will probably put this on hold or on my super long TBR list. Thanks for the review jenny!

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  4. I find myself so confused when it comes to this one because some readers have loved its romance and plot while others have bashed the love triangle and fantasy elements quite soundly, so I find myself in the strange position of having no idea what to make of this novel. Either way, I'm glad to see you enjoyed it, Jenny, for the most part. Lovely review!

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  5. *strokes chin* This sounds interesting, even if it's not in the normal historical era I read. The psychic ability seems pretty sweet too (though I'm sure it's less sweet to actually have).

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  6. I do like historical books, but I passed this one along to Gabrielle to review (she likes Russian stuff). She said that at times she felt like she was reading a history book. =/ Not sure how I feel about this.

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  7. I was quite intrigued by this one when I read the synopsis, and after reading your review even more. I think I'd be quite happy about the lack of proper romance for a change.
    Thanks for a fantastic review, Jenny!

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  8. I do enjoy a good historical, and the fact that this has a bit of supenatural has me intrigued. I don't think I've read much of this era before, but I like the sound of the characters. Thanks for the wonderful review, Jenny!

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  9. I like the premise of this one but I feel like the author couldn't make up their mind as to keep it historical fiction or a paranormal in a historical setting. I'm going to take a pass on this one, but I'm glad you found something to like in this book, Jenny.

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  10. Lovely review! I really enjoyed the ending.

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  11. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed this, Jenny. I started it some time back, but for some reason I couldn't get into it. I'm guessing it's because of the slow pace. I was hoping for more of a romance too, so I'm a little disappointed to hear that the romance doesn't play a big role and that it could have been eliminated entirely. You know how much I enjoy my romances. I do love historical fiction though. I'm currently reading Prisoner of Night and Fog and it's fantastic! I can't wait for you to read it. :)
    Lovely honest review, Jenny!

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  12. I am so torn about this one as well, the history nerd in me wants to read it but I am afraid I don't know enough about the events to really grasp everything I will need to.

    Either way, I am glad that even with the slow pace you liked this Jenny. Beautiful honest review!!

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  13. I love the premise of this tale and I'm glad to see you enjoyed in Jenny. I wonder if this is on audio. I am not worried about the romantic aspect since the history and ability appeals to me more. Wonderful review :)

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  14. This has few things I don't like - historical, talk about US/Russia tension - I always have feeling as if authors are manufacturing certain facts that aren't true or they are interpreting history from one point. I am sick of political games in my own country, so I try to avoid those topics in my books.
    I am glad to hear that you enjoyed reading this and I hope sequel will be even better reading experience for you, Jenny.

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  15. I started it, was intrigued by it but didn't finish reading because I was reading on my phone, which I really hate. But I need to read the rest. I liked the premise and, though the beginning was slow-going, I liked how it built tension.

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  16. Gosh, this cover is so creepy. Btw, doesn't Yulia's abilities remind you a little of Gwen and Gin (by Jennifer Estep)? Heh. Yulia seems like a good leading character. Yay for a great romance :) Btw, based on the cover I wouldn't think of this as any kind of supernatural read. Though supernatural is your middle name so I guess it suits you :D Heh. I'm glad you enjoyed this as a whole :)

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  17. I know that Maja didn't love this one, but my friend Sara RAVED about it. So I'm going to borrow her copy and see what I think. I'm really glad to see your mostly positive review though, I was afraid and excited at the same time. The description of definitely appeals to me!

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  18. I love historical fiction, so I'll have to keep my eye out for this one. I love the 1960s; plus, there's a supernatural element? Sounds fun and whenever historical fiction meets paranormal, I am usually a fan. Fantastic review, Jenny!

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  19. I can deal with those kinds of questions... I think. ;) I do enjoy historical fiction... more than I thought I would. I may wait until the next installment (because... questions!) but I do think I may have to at least library book this one just because you made me curious. :)

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  20. I really love the premise of this book, because I think it's so funny that the US and Russia were really doing experiments on psychics and such all the way up to the 80s, I believe. So I like the twist on that.

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  21. You had me at Russia/KGB and lost me at paranormal, ha ha.

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  22. Now you have me so curious as to whether I'm going to like this! It sounds like there are definitely some confusing aspects of the story, and I know I'm going to want way more romance and emotion, but I do love historical fiction, and I have always found the space race and the politics between Russia and the US fascinating. Hopefully that will be enough to have me enjoying it. Great balanced review Jenny! :-)

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  23. I love the premise of this one, but I read the opening chapters a couple weeks back, and I have to say that they didn't really hold my attention. Also, most reviews I've read seem to be around the 3 or 3.5 mark, which is a shame, as the book has such a cool premise!

    I often find, though, that in books dealing with Russian history, things can get pretty intricate and complicated, so unless you're very well versed in all things Russian, books of this type can sometimes be a hard slog - almost as if you're wading through a history book. Sounds like this one could do with a touch more romance too!

    Thanks for the insightful review, Jenny - I think I'll put this one on the backburner for now.

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  24. See Russian themes aren't my favorite, but I do LOVE a good spy story, and throw in a few supernatural elements, and it's hard for me to say no . . . BUT, I might have to wait and see where the series goes b/c 1. I DO like my romance, 2. I DON'T like missing lots of things b/c of an overly intricate plot and wandering minds, and 3. Now I know that there will be future installments (for some reason I had it in my head that this was a standalone). Still definitely a series to keep my eye on ;)

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  25. I'm sorry this wasn't a full hit for you! But I loved this for many reasons you mentioned in the last paragraph - I was fascinated by the history of it all, and I got caught up in how trapped Yulia was in this book and how much she wanted to escape. I agree that the romance wasn't fully necessary, though I did enjoy it still. Great review!

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