Marie Lu knows how to write action and "Stars and Smoke" is full of action sequences that will have you turning pages. I enjoyed delving into the world of secret agents and getting to see where Lu would take her characters. What better place to set a dark, glamorous spy thriller than in London? Readers will definitely enjoy the European locale while watching two teens take down a major crime syndicate, all while looking fabulous.
The two main characters, despite coming from very different worlds, have so much in common. Both Sydney and Winter share troubled family histories, secrets that they can't let anyone see, and a persona that the need to maintain to keep everyone at arms-length. It makes them the perfect partners and good at their jobs, but it also might make it a bit difficult to connect with either of them, as their guarded natures make it difficult for them to be open and relatable.
I certainly struggled with enjoying reading from Sydney's perspective, as she is almost always pessimistic, judges people harshly before she even knows them, and is almost always in a bad mood. Though this fits with her tough "I'm a spy" persona, it sometimes comes across as too much and also pretty stereotypical of this genre. Winter is a little easier to like, since we see him constantly doing kind things for others and putting the people he loves before himself, but he also just doesn't have much of a personality. He's almost like a walking billboard for teen pop star, with a touch of "but I'm actually just really normal, insecure, and don't believe I deserve anything because I have mom-issues." Winter needs therapy and a lot of it. He's also lost his brother, the golden boy in the family, and someone who he was close to, so he has almost every tragic backstory check boxed ticked.
The story itself is fun if a bit unbelievable. I think most teens who read this book will be able to suspend their disbelief about major agencies using teens as spies (especially in Sydney's case). The story follows familiar plot-points, where the two overly-guarded teens find kinship and open up to each other, and develop feelings. The romance is a little stilted and forced at times, and you can see it coming from a mile away, but teens looking for a bit of love mixed in with the action won't be disappointed. There is a plot twist that doesn't feel out of place or forced, so Lu provides a solid conclusion for her story.
There are definitely diverse elements built into the story, though they feel like Lu has a list that she's checking off with each addition, but this feels pretty typical of current YA authors trying to make sure they score diversity points. I don't hold it against Lu for wanting to represent as many groups as she can, even if they only feel surface-level and aren't really integral to the story itself. I do appreciate Lu giving time to develop Winter's Chinese heritage, through is interactions with his mom. Without these moments, he might have read white, so it's helpful that she at least spent time making sure the reader knew he was Chinese-American.
Overall, I'd say this story is fun, engaging, and will definitely appeal to teens looking for a little romance with their action/thriller.
The two main characters, despite coming from very different worlds, have so much in common. Both Sydney and Winter share troubled family histories, secrets that they can't let anyone see, and a persona that the need to maintain to keep everyone at arms-length. It makes them the perfect partners and good at their jobs, but it also might make it a bit difficult to connect with either of them, as their guarded natures make it difficult for them to be open and relatable.
I certainly struggled with enjoying reading from Sydney's perspective, as she is almost always pessimistic, judges people harshly before she even knows them, and is almost always in a bad mood. Though this fits with her tough "I'm a spy" persona, it sometimes comes across as too much and also pretty stereotypical of this genre. Winter is a little easier to like, since we see him constantly doing kind things for others and putting the people he loves before himself, but he also just doesn't have much of a personality. He's almost like a walking billboard for teen pop star, with a touch of "but I'm actually just really normal, insecure, and don't believe I deserve anything because I have mom-issues." Winter needs therapy and a lot of it. He's also lost his brother, the golden boy in the family, and someone who he was close to, so he has almost every tragic backstory check boxed ticked.
The story itself is fun if a bit unbelievable. I think most teens who read this book will be able to suspend their disbelief about major agencies using teens as spies (especially in Sydney's case). The story follows familiar plot-points, where the two overly-guarded teens find kinship and open up to each other, and develop feelings. The romance is a little stilted and forced at times, and you can see it coming from a mile away, but teens looking for a bit of love mixed in with the action won't be disappointed. There is a plot twist that doesn't feel out of place or forced, so Lu provides a solid conclusion for her story.
There are definitely diverse elements built into the story, though they feel like Lu has a list that she's checking off with each addition, but this feels pretty typical of current YA authors trying to make sure they score diversity points. I don't hold it against Lu for wanting to represent as many groups as she can, even if they only feel surface-level and aren't really integral to the story itself. I do appreciate Lu giving time to develop Winter's Chinese heritage, through is interactions with his mom. Without these moments, he might have read white, so it's helpful that she at least spent time making sure the reader knew he was Chinese-American.
Overall, I'd say this story is fun, engaging, and will definitely appeal to teens looking for a little romance with their action/thriller.