Red Sparrow

This book was a slow burn but it was spectacular. Thrilling, deeply moving. I’d you like spies and suspense you will love it.

I couldn't get through the first few chapters. I felt like I was slogging through the words and needed to be an actual spy in order to understand or care about what was happening. It's rare that I don't finish a book.

Nate Nash is a young CIA agent running assets in Moscow, good at his job and highly motivated to get even better. When a chance encounter with the opposition, namely the Russian equivalent of the CIA (FSB for the most part but a few times referenced by other initials which was a little confusing) blows his cover and endangers his asset, he's pulled from the assignment. Pouting, he makes his way to Helsinki where he's given another chance. Meanwhile Dominika Egorov, niece of a high-ranking Russian intelligence officer, has seen her promising ballet career cut short after a physical attack by a jealous rival. Dominika is drafted into service by her uncle, and she makes a point to do well in her courses and assignments. Still, she soon finds herself forced to attend Sparrow school so that she can run honeypot traps - she's furious that they want to use her for her body when her mind is so sharp and her instincts so spot on. Now Nate and Dominika will test each other in every way, as one tries to pry information out of the other hoping for a break for their respective intelligent agencies and countries. This is a solid spy novel, where intelligence is more than just an initial in an acronym. Dominika is a natural for the work, and Nate underestimates her - as do many, at their own peril. Dominika is the real star of this novel, everyone else feels like an extra, with some being more likable than others. I really didn't find Nate to be her equal at all. Still, he was necessary for our insight into the American operation, while Dominika represented the idealistic Russian point of view and her uncle provided us with the more sinister Russian motives. The story was a slow and steady build up of spy operations for both countries. Focused on intelligence gathering, recruitment of assets, and establishing rock-solid covers, it reminded me very much of The Americans (a TV show) but on mostly foreign soil (from an American point of view, that is), albeit in a more modern world where Putin is firmly in charge and technology is rapidly evolving. The characters and storylines felt authentic, likely because the author has a CIA background. I was pretty invested in the outcome, and in Dominika's future, by the end. I could have done without the (view spoiler), but overall I enjoyed it and look forward to book 2. I was never quite clear on why each chapter ended with a recipe, but I thought it was a pretty fun gimmick and a lot of the recipes sound delicious.