Liberty - Portes, Andrea

Funny, refreshing, and brilliant. Liberty by Andrea Portes is a spy story unlike any other.

Paige Nolan’s journalist parents went missing, and were presumably captured by terrorists. No one has told Paige whether they’re dead or alive, and there is nothing she can do to help them. Nothing, that is, until she is approached by Madden Carter, a spy from an obscure government agency called RAITH. If Paige goes to Russia disguised as a foreign exchange student and gets the government secrets from a government traitor, she can get the case on her missing parents reopened.

The problem? That foreign traitor she has to wrangle the secrets out of? He’s kind of her hero. He revealed the unconstitutional and privacy-invading spying techniques of the American government to the world, and that is just awesome. The second problem? He is actually, kind of, really… cute.

Despite her (inevitable, really) clichรฉ falling in love with her target, this story was quite original. Spy girls are usually portrayed as perfect little rebels, with hidden talents and a pretty tough exterior. Paige was anything but. She talks a lot when she gets nervous, she is a TERRIBLE driver, and she has a dissociative disorder (which, if we are honest, is a pretty awesome thing to have in a fight, but not so useful when you want to have a serious relationship). She is also remarkably funny, and easy to relate to, and I’m sure that this book wouldn’t be what it is without her complex personality.

The plot was very intricate and suspenseful, providing just enough information to keep me hooked. There were some action-packed scenes, and some cute, emotional ones, too. Overall, this books gets a 9/10. Not a 10/10 because it didn’t impact my life in anyway but it was exceptionally enjoying to read. There also were some annoyingly stereotypical views in there, and it glorified good ol’ America a bit too much. I do recommend it, though, for anyone who wants to read a good spy story and have a laugh.