Hostage

Bodyguard #1

by Chris Bradford

ASSESS THE THREAT.
COUNTER THE DANGER.
ESCAPE THE KILLZONE.

In a dangerous world, everyone needs protection.

No one suspects that a teenager could protect someone – but Connor Reeves is no ordinary 14 year old. He’s a professional bodyguard trained in surveillance, anti-ambush techniques, hostage survival and unarmed combat. When he’s summoned to protect the President’s daughter, his protection skills face the ultimate test.

Alicia doesn’t want to be guarded. She just wants to have fun. With no clue that Connor is her bodyguard, she tries to escape the Secret Service and lead him astray. But unknown to her and Connor, a terrorist sleeper cell has been activated.

Its mission: to take the President’s daughter HOSTAGE.

Genres: Young Adult, Action, Thriller, Adventure, Fiction, Crime, Mystery

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Chris Bradford is the bestselling author of the Young Samurai, Bodyguard and Soul Series.

Chris is renowned for his inspiring author events and ‘method writing’ style. For his award-winning Young Samurai series, he trained in samurai swordmanship, karate, ninjutsu and earned his black belt in Zen Kyu Shin Taijutsu.

For his BODYGUARD series, Chris embarked on an intensive close protection course to become a qualified professional bodyguard.

And for the Soul Prophecy trilogy, Chris travelled extensively to experience first-hand the cultures featured in the story – from living with the Shona people in Zimbabwe, to trekking the Inca trail, to meditating in a Buddhist temple amid the mountains of Japan.

His books have been published in more than 25 languages and been nominated for 30+ book awards, winning among others the Northern Ireland Book Award 2011, the Hampshire Book Award 2014 and the Brilliant Book Award 2014. Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior was deemed one of Puffin’s 70 Best Ever Books, alongside Treasure Island and Robin Hood.

To discover more about Chris or book an author visit: www.chrisbradford.co.uk

Reviews

[Ptdog · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sick day. I just finished the Jason Steed series. This first book of this series didn't compare in many ways. 20% of the first 30% of the book had too much detail about training to be a "buddyguard" for my attention span. It was just dull to me. Then once the buddyguard assignment started the story began to get interesting. I'm going to give the next book a chance and see if it gets better.

[Clive Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first attempt at the Body Guard books. I got confused by the title what is book 1, then I understand that the Uk and the US have different titles. But the series has got off to a very promising start, think Alex Rider and Jason Steed, although Connor Reeves is a teen Kick boxing champion and Jason Steed is a teen Karate champion, (First book written in 2010, I will say no more).

It is worth a read, I will read the rest as I have read all the Alex Rider and Jason Steed novels and wanted more teen spy action, this delivers.

[DaJa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eigentlich bin ich ja komplett außerhalb der Zielgruppe dieser Buchreihe aber das Buch war genau das richtige für mich. Leicht, spannend, aktionreich.
Connor beginnt als Buddyguard für Jugendliche zu arbeiten und tritt damit in die Fussstapfen seines toten Vaters. Das nächste Buch liegt auch schon bereit und ich bin gespannt wie es weitergeht mit den Bodyguards. (Buddygards hört sie eigentlich scheiße an ;))

[Samantha (A Dream of Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books about boy spies and the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz is one of my favourites. This series is in a similar vein but with a twist - instead of spies it focuses on teen bodyguards who are recruited and trained to protect people of importance. As teenagers they are able to go places where a standard protection team are unable to go.

The author, Chris Bradford, underwent professional bodyguard training in preparation for writing 'Hostage' and his dedication shows in the authenticity of the story. There's a lot of detail about the extent of the training that someone must undergo to become prepared to protect someone else's life and that was a really fascinating element of the book which I enjoyed reading about.

Being a bodyguard is a tough, dangerous job, not suited to everyone, but fourteen year old Connor Reeves, who is the central character in the story, seems to have a talent for it. Recruited to join the team, he is soon sent on his first job - to protect the daughter of the President of the United States. Connor is tough and resilient but is facing the biggest and most dangerous challenge of his life.

I loved this book and read it in one sitting. The plot was utterly gripping and compulsive and each chapter was packed full of moments which left me on the edge of my seat. If you're still mourning the end of Alex Rider or Young Bond and looking for something to fill the void then let me tell you, this is it! Fast-paced with non-stop explosive action, boys and girls alike should gain a lot of enjoyment from 'Bodyguard: Hostage' which showcases action-adventure at its very best.

Chris Bradford is currently hard at work on the next exciting instalment 'Bodyguard: Ransom' which is set to be published in May 2014 and I for one can't wait.

[Nick]

A great read!

Not flawless, far from it. But the author doesn't pretend to be perfect, and it's one of great things about him and this book. I LOVE it when people actually know what they write about.

There were endless small disappointments, like for Connor not to stand up openly to those annoying bullies (the more satisfaction when he got them in the end), or for him forgetting about the knife attacker at the back, or not aiming to kill Kedar, though he was able to, or for him not to finish Malik off.. Like I said, the list is endless. The biggest issue would probably be the "Maybe" issue with Alicia and the ruined hope for it. But, amazingly, nearly every single time after being off a bit I realised the author was right about his choices. I did have my small disagreements eventually, but, ..

The fact that that book was able to provide me a hideout when I seriously needed it just overweights everything! Dived into it headfirst and forgot myself.

P.S. I'm seriously rooting for Connor and Charley, if that is even possible. The series seems to have a grave ending, though..

[Romana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.

(Here are some trigger warnings. To add: potentially some Islamophobia, if you squint - all shall be explained in the review).

It always feels good to return to my trusty kid-spy roots, and this bodyguard twist from Chris Bradford was no exception.

Connor Reeves lives a normal life. Ok, he is a martial arts champion, but otherwise he's a regular 14-year-old kid from East London. That is until Connor is approached by the top secret 'Buddyguard' organisation who want to recruit him as their latest teen bodyguard. When he learns that his late father died on duty as a bodyguard, Connor jumps at the opportunity to follow in his footsteps, and he is whisked away to a special facility to receive training. It's not long before Connor is specially requested for the most high-profile assignment any Buddyguard has ever received - to protect the only daughter of the President of the United States.

I'm making the executive decision to discuss my one key issue with Hostage first. It is something I debated throughout the time I was reading and still remain somewhat conflicted about: the presentation of Muslims and Islam. The thing is, the antagonists in this novel are supposed to be an Islamic extremist group associating themselves with Al-Qaeda. The second this was revealed (relatively early in the novel, thanks to Bradford's third-person narrative), I had some doubts. My main concern is that Hostage is targeted at a relatively young audience, and Bradford fails to give any legitimate details about this group and their associated terrorist beliefs and actions. Given the age of many Hostage readers, I expected more attention to be given to the fact that such groups use religion and the name of Islam in vain, and some of those who carry out attacks or assist in them have been radicalised or groomed. It took Bradford a very very long time to address these realities, and even then they were only implied or revealed in passing comments.

In addition, every explicit mention of religion/Islam was cast in a negative light, or used as a beacon for terrorist activity. I understand that Al-Qaeda and Islamic extremists are responsible for some of the worst terrorist attacks across the world (obviously), but 9/11 in particular sparked a massive rise in Islamophobia in much of the Western world, and I'm just a little disappointed that Chris Bradford didn't do more to ensure that Muslims were not typecast as terrorists in this novel. I assume that the secondary characters Amir and Kalila (friends of Connor and the President's daughter, respectively) were somewhat intended to ensure this, but this should have been more explicit. For starters, whilst Amir is a Muslim name, he never mentions religion, and whilst Kalila wears a headscarf, her defining character traits are that of controlling and restrictive parents (another dangerous stereotype). As a result of these two wasted characters, I was left with only very negative portrayals of Islam which could easily be generalised by young readers.

This has been a rant and a half, but ultimately, Chris Bradford needed to be more attentive to how he presented this particular religious group when taking the risk to tie his antagonists to existing threats and a real and popular religion.

With that out of the way, I can talk about all the things I actually liked about this novel. After all, I've given it 4 stars, so with the representation aside, I really enjoyed this story.

Connor is another great example of a cool and talented but relatable hero. Just like my beloved Alex Rider, Connor knows his stuff and is lives a life very far from my own, but he still thinks like a teenager. Bradford is careful not to slip into the mind of an adult, so simplifies most situations and details accordingly to suit his younger audience and young protagonist.

The details themselves, however, were always impressive and well-researched. I was shocked and astounded to learn that Chris Bradford himself had trained as a close-protection bodyguard in preparation for writing this series, but it shows. He clearly knew what he was talking about when it came to describing the details of Connor's training and most important tactics. Research has always been one of the most noticeable aspects in every spy book I've read, so I was glad that Bradford matched the high standard and refused to let the illusion slip as a result of poor knowledge.

The plot itself, whilst a little slow at first, was engaging and exciting. It provided opportunity to showcase Connor's new abilities as well as developing both his character and Alicia's. there was much to enjoy in seeing his first assignment unfold, and I would be happy to read another if Bradford's sequels turn up...

[Saphirablue · Rating 4 out of 5]

That has been fun. I mean, ethical questions about using teens as bodyguards (and putting them deliberately in danger) aside of course.

Some things have been a bit cliche-y (the dead bodyguard dad, for example) but overall I enjoyed it and it has been fun reading it. Even though I'm an adult, I didn't get bored and while I've seen some plot twists coming, nothing has been really eyeroll worthy for me. :)

I also appreciated that, while the "hero" of the book is a white male, that there are several female characters in key positions (the Director of National Intelligence for example) and there are also quite a few non-white characters (the President of the US is Mexican-American for example) in various key and supporting roles. And while the bad guys haven been terrorists from Yemen and the opening scene is during an attack in Iraq, it's been pointed out from the beginning that there are innocent people of the same nationality/faith caught in the crossfire and that they don't represent this faith. Not perfect, but still a step up.

But, then there is also the fact, that the First Lady doesn't have a first name. -.-

I like Connor and his team and I really understood why Alicia is behaving this way. I hope, we get some more character stuff and get to know a bit more about Connor and his team in the next book, though. :)

[Lailie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich liebe diese Buchreihe 😍 Ich weiss nicht wie man sie nicht lieben kann. Habe sie schon mindestens 5-6 mal Komplett gelesen.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://luciebook.blogspot.be/2015/03/...

Voici la chronique d’un autre roman jeunesse qui m’a bien plu.

Dans ce roman nous suivons Connor Reeves, 14 ans. Il mène une vie on ne peut plus normale, il habite avec sa mère et sa grand-mère.
Une vie normale jusqu’à ce qu’il participe à un match national de kickboxing à Londres et où un homme l’observe ; normale jusqu’à ce qu’il se fasse malmener dans la rue en voulant sauver un jeune garçon embêté par ce qu’il prend pour des voyous.
À partir de ce soir-là, sa vie va complètement changer, il va faire la connaissance du Colonel Black, un homme à la tête d’une agence de recrutement secrète.
Connor a 2 choix : accepter la mystérieuse proposition qui lui est faite ou simplement la refuser et retourner à sa vie de tous les jours.
Connor finira par accepter pour des raisons que vous trouverez dans le livre
Cette agence secrète forme de jeunes adolescents aux techniques de gardes du corps. Notre jeune héros va ainsi faire la connaissance d’une quinzaine de jeunes gens entre autres Ling, Jason, Charley, Amir et Marc.

Les chapitres alternent avec la préparation d’un attentat par un homme appelé Malik avec l’aide d’un jeune garçon, Hazim.

Noa poursuit sa formation jusqu’à sa première mission et pas la moindre : il doit protéger la fille du président des États-Unis, Alicia, 14 ans.

Si le héros est jeune, j’ai été embarquée dans sa mission, il est responsable et ne prend pas les ordres qui lui sont donnés à la légère.
Alicia, sa protégée, n’aspire qu’à avoir une vie normale, pouvoir sortir sans gardes du corps, être la fille du président des États-Unis n’est pas une partie de plaisir pour elle, elle voit la maison blanche comme une prison dorée.

Chris Bradford nous décrit la maison blanche admirablement, on évolue en son sein, on parcourt Washington et ses monuments célèbres. Un côté du roman que j'ai bien aimé.
J’ai aussi apprécié son idée de faire d’ados normaux des gardes du corps, les raisons qu’il évoque sont tout à fait probables et tiennent la route.

Chris Bradford, dans ce premier tome, pose les jalons de sa saga, on n’en sait pas beaucoup sur l’organisation, sur certains personnages comme Charley, une recrue qu’on aperçoit de temps en temps, qui je pense, aura un rôle plus important dans les prochains opus. (du moins, je l’espère)
L’auteur nous livre ce qui est nécessaire à ce premier tome, qui est Connor, pourquoi le président le choisit lui plus tôt qu’une autre recrue.

En soit ce roman n’a rien de révolutionnaire, on suit un schéma classique propre à la littérature jeunesse, mais malgré tout une lecture plaisante, du suspens, des moments de tension, une course poursuite, une intrigue bien amenée, un sujet bien monté où l’on comprend les enjeux du terrorisme et des chefs d’états qui doivent y faire face. (Sujet qui colle en plus, malheureusement, à l’actualité)

Mon seul regret, j’aurais aimé que l’auteur développe un peu plus les chapitres concernant les terroristes, ces passages étaient intéressants, mais il m’a manqué un soupçon de détails qui auraient pu amener encore plus de tensions, peut-être moins stéréeotypés aussi... je reste avec des questions, mais qui sais ? Je les trouverai peut-être dans les prochains opus ?

C’est une saga, mais on peut tout à fait lire les livres indépendamment ; le tome 1 se termine en annonçant la prochaine mission de Connor (tome 2 : la rançon à paraître en septembre 2015)

En bref une histoire qui n’a, en soit, rien de bien original, mais un livre qui nous fait passer un agréable moment de lecture et c’est bien là le but d’un roman non ?

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Bradford wanted to write books for boys and for girls that were just full blown action and I'd say he has achieved his goal by once again thrilling his audience with astounding literature skill and creative thinking but be warned all the techniques in Chris' books are real and dangerous. So if you like non-stop action,are boy or girl, don't mind a bit of romance then I'd highly recommend you read this book, it's AWESOME!!!

[Sydney Mugerwa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps I was punching below my weight or something with Hostage. It just didn't do it for me. I got turned off with platitudes by the bucketload. I gushed about the Young Samurai volumes in their entirety so Chris Bradford and I go way back. But for me, this was a lackluster performance.

[Dagmar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dit was echt GEWÉLDIG! Wil jij weten waarom? Lees mijn recensie: http://leesendroom.jouwweb.nl/gijzeling

[Chiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

very thrilling. Nice weapons and secret messages.

[T]

Loveee this series - it never gets old no matter how many times I re read it.

[Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Conner felt a sharp stab of pain in his ribs as the blade hit its mark…” Recently I read a book called Bodyguard 2 by Chris Bradford. It is a great book with lots of action. I think that he wrote it for I think maybe 7th 8th and maybe some freshman. I have read the first one I really liked it I think the next book I'm going to read next quarter is the third book of the series it is definitely a book I couldn't put down. I think he wanted it to be an action-packed book with some romance here and there and a lot of cliffhangers to make you not stop reading. Chris Bradford believes that even if you are younger (as in maybe a 15 or 16-year-old) you can be trusted for jobs that may be more complex than others. In this example that I am reading about Conner was selected by an agency called Bodyguard because he was a kickboxing champion in the UK. He was a signed the biggest job of all the students at Bodyguard, to protect the president of the United States daughter as her personal bodyguard. I think a great comparison to this book would be Ready player one which was still a little bit better than Bodyguard as far as the story goes, but in bodyguard, there is so much more action and adventure. These two factors occur so frequently that the book is hard to put down. I think that the story and life of the main character was a little cheesy and hard to relate but that is because it is made for thirteen-year-olds. He is kind of like a superhero in the book to me. Overall this book was very engaging and eventful I found it hard to put down. I would rate this book a 4.5/5 due to the cheesiness of the book otherwise it would be a 5.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent first book in a new series. It was a book which I have thoroughly enjoyed and I look forward to reading the other books in the series.

The main character is Conner a teenage who has been trained in all manner of protection techniques in his role as a bodyguard. Following in the footsteps of his father he goes on his first solo mission to protect the president of America's daughter. A difficult teenage girl who doesn't like her CIA surveillance and does everything within her power to get away from them. Conner has to befriend Alicia to keep her safe.

There are some secondary characters in this book but I think they will be explored more in the other books in the series.

The storyline isn't the most original but it is a new twist on the spy genre. The pacing is good and I especially like the twist at the ending.

4 stars, a great read

[The Honest Book Reviewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book in this series is a solid entry into the YA action space. It offers fast-paced entertainment, a high-concept setup, and a protagonist thrown into real danger under very improbable circumstances.

Connor, a 14-year-old kick-boxer, is recruited into Buddyguard, which is a covert group training teenagers as undercover bodyguards. The premise is a stretch (posing as a “special exchange student” for a high-level protection detail), and Connor falls into traps a bit too easily at times. Still, it’s the kind of premise that works if you lean into the fantasy of teens saving the day while the adults bumble in the background and this book mostly gets away with it.

One of its strengths is in its supporting cast. The Buddyguard team is diverse and genuinely likeable, and the author shines a light on the emotional costs of the job, adding a welcome sense of realism. It doesn’t glamorize the work entirely, which I appreciated.

The mystery elements are handled reasonably well, with several red herrings and moments of misdirection. Some of the twists feel a little obvious, but others land well and keep the tension moving. The pacing overall is steady, if not blistering.

Hostage may not be spectacular, but it’s engaging and well suited to its audience. Teen readers especially will find a lot to enjoy here and there's enough promise in this setup to keep me curious about what comes next. But I have a suspicion each book may be much of the same.

[Roo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool. Great ya story

[Marc Secchia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent tale that ends on the worst cliffhanger. Why do authors do that? Secondly, the series order seems to be all over the place, with books having changed numbers, been split ... it's really confusing. I enjoyed the read nonetheless and will be reading others in this series.

[key 💚🫶🏻 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh mein Gott, dieses Buch war sooooo gut, es war mit leichtem Politischen Hintergrund (9/11, Anschläge USA yk)
Aber es war super spannend und jetzt lese ich erstmal die nächsten Bände ;D

[malwinka ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

no okej, ale strasznie przewidywalne.
moze przeczytam 2 tom kiedys

[Ree · Rating 3 out of 5]

The amount of Islamophobia in this 😭. If ONE more spy book has anything to say about all Muslims being terrorists or something, I SWEAR...

[BookLoversLife · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic. I haven't read anything like it before and absolutely flew through the pages. The idea of a young bodyguard immediately appealed to me and I jumped at the chance to read it.

I loved the plot and the idea behind it. You could imagine having a bodyguard for your child, if you were rich of course, so why not have a highly trained bodyguard who is the same age as your child and blends in!! That is the whole idea surrounding this book.

Connor is only 14 but he is a world champion kick boxer. his father was in the army and made Connor take self defense classes, and it payed off because when Connor wins the championship, he is recruited to be a bodyguard. He is hesitant at first because how can a 14 year old be a bodyguard, but when he learns that his father wasn't in fact in the army but was a prestigious bodyguard, he warms to the idea. After vigorous training Connor gets his first assignment. He is to go undercover as the bodyguard of the presidents daughter. Little does he know that this is going to throw him into the thick of things and he needs to rely on his training to keep both of them alive.
The author put so much into this book and it shows! His attention to detail was amazing. I felt like I was going through the training along with Connor. We learned so much about the ins and outs of bodyguard training that you feel sorry for the kids put through it! Its a tough and very dangerous job, but as they say, someones got to do it.

Connor was such an awesome hero. He is easily relatable and an all round nice guy. He wants to make his dad proud but he also wants to look after his ailing mum and gran. When the offer is made he takes it initially because they will look after his mum properly, but once he starts the training, he realises that he likes this.

Alicia is the impulsive daughter of the president and hates having the secret service trailing her. She has managed to give them the slip before and her dad knows that an undercover bodyguard would be perfect for her. My heart went out to Alicia! I can only imagine what it would be like to be so famous and have your every move watched over. She felt like a caged bird. Connor knows that he has his work cut out for him in keeping her safe.

I thoroughly enjoyed Connor and Alicias relationship. They start out as friends with Connor quietly guarding her but slowly things seem to be progressing, though against Connors better judgement! It was sweet to see them together.
This was quite the page turner as well. I loved reading every single word and found myself on the edge of my seat at times. Connor has a dangerous job and when that gets ramped up to Kidnapping, well lets just say that I couldn't see how Connor could get out of it. It was such an action packed read!

Anyway, Bodyguard : Hostage was an action packed and gripping read. You are immediately gripped by the writing and pulled along for the ride. Its a thrilling and captivating read and I would highly recommend for everyone. I loved everything about it and can not wait for the next installment!!

The audio of this was awesome. I loved the narrators accent and found him to be perfect for Connor. He brought the boy alive and I could feel his tenseness during the book. If you want a thrilling audio, then this is for you!!

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

'To put it simply, mate, the world's your enemy.'

Een boek waar in het dankwoord mijn naam vermeld staat, dat moet ik wel gewoon goed vinden natuurlijk. Met dank aan Chris Bradford in eigen persoon, die een keer een wedstrijdje heeft gehouden om die vermelding te krijgen.

Maar ja, ook zonder die vermelding is het gewoon de moeite natuurlijk. Je merkt dat het Engels is, en van Bradford, al is dat niet helemaal een positief punt: soms eindigt hij een hoofdstuk op de vreemdste plaatsen, midden in een gesprek, en daar ben ik echt geen fan van. Maar verder niets dan lof over de stijl en de taal. Ik vind het heel kenmerkend voor hem.

Als het verhaal gaat over een jongen die bodyguard wordt, weet je dat je verzekerd ben van een hoop spanning, actie en gevechtskunsten - zeker als je ook al bekend bent met zijn andere reeks, De Jonge Samoerai. Zoals gewoonlijk zijn die actiescènes geweldig uitgewerkt, en mooi verdeeld doorheen het boek. De auteur speelt met de verwachtingen van de lezer door soms verwachte dingen te doen, en je soms helemaal op het verkeerde spoor te zetten. Het is dan ook altijd in spanning afwachten. Tot op het laatste moment van het verhaal slaagt hij erin een extraatje te geven. Je zit op het puntje van je stoel, en je vergeet adem te halen!

Er zijn niets dan aangename personages aanwezig. Connor, Charley, Alicia, kolonel Black, en zo kan je wel blijven doorgaan. Ik heb het altijd ontzettend zonde gevonden dat alleen de Buddyguards en hun instructeurs terugkerende personages zijn, en dat we de 'Principal' (ik weet niet hoe ze in het Nederlands heten) bijna nooit meer in latere boeken zien. Ik mis Alicia nu al. Gelukkig blijven al die andere personages nog wel over. Connor als hoofdpersonage is geweldig, en hij heeft iets van die typische Britsheid om hem hangen - misschien is het het feit dat hij altijd kalm probeert te blijven/over te komen, of dat hij zo vriendelijk is, en redelijk serieus. En ondanks dat slaagt Bradford er toch steeds in om grappige scènes in het boek te steken.

8/10

[Namtarn Chawanrat · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a pararell world of Alex Rider or what???
1. 14 yrs old English boys. Master in martial arts
2. Alex's uncle was a spy. Connor's dad was a bodyguard. Oh man, you gotta to stop 'it's in your blood' stereotype.
3. They put kids in deadly jobs. Wtf
4. Alex is an orphan. Connor's dad died. So it wasn't cool if parents live. Get it?
And I might add, wtf is buddyguard *eyesroll*. Fine, i can pretend that is kinda cool with a bodyguard school. Personally, think the plot is soooooooo cliche. Everything is predictable from a very first page til the end. You'll know what will happen next. Admid it-- A bodyguard and a president's daughter! See? Everybody in this planet is doing this plot since forever. Also, I notice that Americans speak like English people. I don't feel like they're in Washington. It's like the story happens in England. It lacks American atmosphere. Moreover, I think both Alicia and Connor are too mature to be 14 years old kids. The ways they talk and think.. Sometimes they maje me feel like they're high schoolers. Moreover, Connor is having a very high hero complex. Ok, i thought it's cool but after I read through, his hero complex becomes annoying. And Alicia.. She's a dump spoil brat. She's plain stupid. Despite all those boring plot and weird story atmosphere, It's enjoyable even though the plot is weak and the story is predictable. It isn't that suffer. It's a so-so action book. It isn't bad, but I won't recommend to friends either.

[The Book Review Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fun to read and a nice break from the sci fi I usually read. I wasn't expecting much, as although I used to love them, teen spy (or similar, like this) books just seem incredibly unrealistic and the idea has been used many times. But I was surprised.

I enjoyed reading about Connor and his friends, both in the UK and America. These parts broke up the action and really made me get to know the main characters a lot more. The concept of a 'buddyguard' and Connor's training in general seemed a lot more believable than other similar books I have read, but I thought it would make a lot more sense to have an older teen or adult. But then again, the whole point is the fact he's a teen and the book is for teens.

One thing that REALLY stuck out for me as a negative was the plot. While it was fast paced and exciting, I have read extremely similar plots, and at some points I almost inwardly groaned at it. It was also predictable. I saw most of it coming miles away.

If it wasn't for the plot, I would have loved the book. I had fun reading it, and it was fast paced and once I got into it, I was never bored when reading. I will be reading the sequel, though.

[Danyal Wahid · Rating 3 out of 5]

In all honesty I didn't expect much from this book. It just seemed like the kind of novel you read to pass the time or if you have nothing better to do.
But I was in for a surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It was fun and it had that whole young James bond thing going on which I loved in the Alex rider series even if it wasn't as awesome.
However at times the storyline did seem a bit rushed and incomprehensive, thus the three stars.
Though I definitely would recommend it to anyone who just wants to relax and read a light fun book.

[LeslecturesdeMylene · Rating 5 out of 5]

17/20
En bref, dès la première page on est entrainés dans la vie de Connor. Ce dernier ne comprend pas tout ce qui lui arrive mais il est enrôlé pour devenir garde du corps d'adolescents de son âge. Il prend son rôle très à cœur d'autant que sa première mission l'emmène aux USA. Du rythme, des rebondissements, un peu de violence, de l'espoir, de l'amour et de l'amitié, tels sont les ingrédients de ce premier tome. Vivement la suite !

http://www.leslecturesdemylene.com/20...

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good quick read. I read this after looking for something similar to the Alex Rider series. Alex will remain forever and ever my favourite, but this one was fun. Well definitely be reading more by this author.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hampshire Book Award