Friday 25 October 2013

Review: Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover

Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover
Author:

Publication Date: January 6th 2011 (first published June 9th 2009)      
Publisher:  Orchard
 

When Cammie "The Chameleon" Morgan visits her roommate Macey in Boston, she thinks she's in for an exciting end to her summer break. After all, she's there to watch Macey's father accept the nomination for vice president of the United States. But when you go to the world's best school (for spies), "exciting" and "deadly" are never far apart. Cammie and Macey soon find themselves trapped in a kidnappers' plot, with only their espionage skills to save them.

As her junior year begins, Cammie can't shake the memory of what happened in Boston, and even the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women doesn't feel like the safe haven it once did. Shocking secrets and old flames seem to lurk around every one of the mansion's corners as Cammie and her friends struggle to answer the questions, Who is after Macey? And how can the Gallagher Girls keep her safe?

Soon Cammie is joining Bex and Liz as Macey's private security team on the campaign trail. The girls must use their spy training at every turn as the stakes are raised, and Cammie gets closer and closer to the shocking truth




It's been a year since Macey McHenry, a direct descendant of Gillian Gallagher, the founder of the Gallagher Girls Academy, and being the daughter of a soon to be vice president of the United States, she's used to being in the spotlight. Whether she likes it or not. Inviting Cammie to Boston so watching her father accept the nomination for vice president more less boring, with appearances' and statements she has to do, but things go wrong when up on the roof they get wrapped up into a kidnapping plot. Macey's used to attention, but she doesn't like this. A narrow escape leaves both Macey and Cammie with bruises, a broken bone and a serious head injury, but it also leaves them changed, and everything's quite not the same anymore.

For Cammie, something about that night didn't add up- and she's seen it replaying in her head all the time, because something's wrong and an emblem on a ring of an attacker leaves her unsettled because she recognises the symbol but it hasn't shown up in any database available, even the FBI, nothing, nada. She's also seeing Zach everywhere she goes, and she knows he has answers, he has something to do with it.
And she's determined to find out what.
Know what I find really hard? Writing a review for each book of a series, especially one like Gallagher Girls, because no matter how awesome it is (and it is), it's short and  there's not much of a mix-up, while comparing to each one. Yes, there's different elements and new characters and information divulged but it's not enough to write a lot about, since most Never Judge a Girl by Her Cover, was more of misplaced conversations, hear say and placing the major storyline that probably spans the rest of the book. Like the previous two, the third in the series it plays and reads like an episode, it's fast paced, funny and sneaky, which I do actually love that the most about The Gallagher Girls. But like I said, not a lot to really review on when you're plunged into the same setting, the same characters, so this will probably be short.

I don't think this one was as strong as the previous two, don't get me wrong, I think it was just as good, but there seemed like there was no movement for a while until the third half of it. For such a promising start of danger, it kind  fell flat a little in-between. I think it was also because for most of what comes next, and maybe some answers! it, since Cammie was out of the clue, so were we, even if it was staring her in the face.
I did love how it had us focusing on one thing, and then the whole thing tipped skywards, even if it left me with more questions than answers, and I guess is the set up for the next.
A few character development, mainly with Macey, that for a while she was back to square one from when she arrived at the Academy, and how she slowly turned back into the person her parents wanted her presented to be. She took a lot of damage in this one, with the rooftop incident, it opened her eyes quicker than they should have been.
Right now, with Cammie and the choices she makes, it's hard and it's freaking annoying not being in on what so many others seem to be, but the girl needs to know when to pick her battles.
Liz wasn't in the backseat this time, not as much as she was in  Cross My Heat and Hope to Spy, and girl finally has her say, too. And though she's not kickass in the sense of Cammie and Bex, but she's pretty badass.
I don't know whether to love or hate Zach at this point, I wanted to hit him through most of it. I'm kind of missing the easiness of Josh, since Zach was hot and cold, and then cold cold cold. See what I said about jumping ships?
So, this is actually longer than I expected it to be. Is it sad to high-five yourself?  Who cares. I'm looking forward to seeing where the next one takes me, and maybe some answers!

Rating: 4/5