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A review by ladytiara
All Fall Down by Ally Carter
4.0
Ally Carter is known for the Gallagher Girls and Heist Society series, and All Fall Down is the first installment in a new series, Embassy Row. Like the earlier series, there’s a certain amount of suspension of disbelief needed, but if you can get past that, the book is quite enjoyable. The tone of this book is fairly serious, and it has more in common with the Heist Society series than with the more light-hearted Gallagher Girls books.
Sixteen-year-old Grace Blakely has been sent to live with her grandfather, the U.S. Ambassador to a fictional Mediterranean country named Adria. Three years ago, Grace’s mother died in a fire, and Grace is convinced that she was murdered by a man with a scar on his cheek. No one believes her, and she’s spent some time in an institution dealing with her issues. Grace is a loose cannon, and on her first day living at the embassy, she causes an international incident. Grace soon sees a man with a scar, and she becomes convinced that he is her mother’s killer. With the help of a motley band of embassy kids, she tries to uncover the truth about her mother’s death.
All Fall Down is an entertaining, fast-paced YA thriller. The plot is very engaging, and it’s filled with twists and turns. Just when I thought I had things figured out, it went in a completely different direction. Grace is an unreliable narrator, so you’re never sure of what’s real and what isn’t. Grace is a spirited heroine, and she’s determined to uncover the truth at any cost. This means she’s occasionally reckless, but this makes sense for her character; she’s desperate for the truth and she’ll do anything to find answers.
The ending is interesting; the central mystery is resolved, but it opens up many questions that will presumably be the plots for future books. I thought this was a good way to start the series; I don’t like it when the first book in a series doesn’t have some resolution and instead ends in a big cliffhanger. This ending felt right and makes me want to read the next book in the series.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
Sixteen-year-old Grace Blakely has been sent to live with her grandfather, the U.S. Ambassador to a fictional Mediterranean country named Adria. Three years ago, Grace’s mother died in a fire, and Grace is convinced that she was murdered by a man with a scar on his cheek. No one believes her, and she’s spent some time in an institution dealing with her issues. Grace is a loose cannon, and on her first day living at the embassy, she causes an international incident. Grace soon sees a man with a scar, and she becomes convinced that he is her mother’s killer. With the help of a motley band of embassy kids, she tries to uncover the truth about her mother’s death.
All Fall Down is an entertaining, fast-paced YA thriller. The plot is very engaging, and it’s filled with twists and turns. Just when I thought I had things figured out, it went in a completely different direction. Grace is an unreliable narrator, so you’re never sure of what’s real and what isn’t. Grace is a spirited heroine, and she’s determined to uncover the truth at any cost. This means she’s occasionally reckless, but this makes sense for her character; she’s desperate for the truth and she’ll do anything to find answers.
The ending is interesting; the central mystery is resolved, but it opens up many questions that will presumably be the plots for future books. I thought this was a good way to start the series; I don’t like it when the first book in a series doesn’t have some resolution and instead ends in a big cliffhanger. This ending felt right and makes me want to read the next book in the series.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.