Alpha Kappa Chi sorority sister Jen Williams has recently died of “natural causes.” Turns out that Jen was also a rookie agent for SD-6. AKX is spending spring break in Waikiki, and Jen was supposed to undertake an important mission for SD-6 there. But now Jen is dead, and it’s up to Sydney to infiltrate the sorority and carry out Jen’s Hawaiian mission . . . and find out what really happened to her sister spy.
Laura Peyton Roberts is the author of numerous books for teens and tweens, including the Clearwater Crossing series, Ghost of a Chance, The Queen of Second Place, Queen B, Green, and Walk on Water. Visit her at www.LauraPeytonRoberts.com
Glad Sydney was able to join a sorority. Also glad that she was able to get the prototype. Poor Sydney. Roxy seemed like a nice woman. Hope SD-6 will be able to help Roxy. Also hope Noah and Sydney will get together.
Of the first four Alias prequel novels, the fourth novel, titled Sister Spy, is possibly my least favorite (with the third novel, titled Disappeared, probably being my favorite). The main reason why I didn't enjoy Sister Spy quite as much as I have the previous three novels is that it is very slow-paced during a fairly good chunk of the book. The story takes a very long time to get anywhere really significant because there is far too much exposition and setup. Something that I will give this novel, however, is that its author, Laura Peyton Roberts, improved her writing technique since having written the second novel in the series, A Secret Life. Scenes and settings, for example, are described in vividly rich detail. I definitely recommend the novel to fans of the television series (Alias). In typical Alias fashion, there is a pretty major plot twist near the end of the novel, and there are also some ironic references to the television series that one would only understand after having seen it. Page 105 of the novel, for example, reads, "'I hope they don't mind my coming,' she thought, putting on her mask and securing the dive bag to her waist. 'After all, we're on the same side.'" This is the main protagonist Sydney talking about potential ghosts of Pearl Harbor victims, and fans of the television series should immediately recognize it as narrative irony. Even previous fans of the television series, however, should read the novels in order because there are characters and arcs which recur and carry over. I only wish, as I said previously, that the conflict didn't take as long as it does to finally emerge, as there really is too much setup.
I am really liking these prequel novels about Sidney. It is interesting to see how she became a spy and how she learns how to balance the two sides of her life. "Sister Spy" was a very readable story where Sidney has to complete two missions at once while also trying not to ruin her friendship with Francie. Also her romantic life takes an unexpected turn.