Lies
that Bind
Author:
Diana Rodriguez Wallach
Series: Anastasia Phoenix #2
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Pages: 300
Release date: 6th
March 2018
Synopsis
(Goodreads): The
Italian Job meets Bourne Identity meets Spy Kids in this sequel to Proof of
Lies.
What if saving yourself meant destroying everyone you love?
Still reeling from everything she learned while searching for her sister in Italy, Anastasia Phoenix is ready to call it quits with spies. Then she and her friends learn that Marcus’s—her kinda boyfriend—brother, Antonio, has also gone missing. Luckily, they track down Antonio in a fiery festival in England, only to learn he has been working for the enemy, Department D, the whole time. But Antonio wants out. And so does Anastasia.
But before any of them can leave espionage and their parents’ crimes behind them, a close friend turns up dead. No one is safe, not while Department D still exists. So Anastasia and her friends embark on a dangerous plan to bring down an entire criminal empire, using every Dresden Kid they can find.
As their world becomes surrounded by spies, and the children of spies, Anastasia starts to question who she can really trust. Including her best friends…
What if saving yourself meant destroying everyone you love?
Still reeling from everything she learned while searching for her sister in Italy, Anastasia Phoenix is ready to call it quits with spies. Then she and her friends learn that Marcus’s—her kinda boyfriend—brother, Antonio, has also gone missing. Luckily, they track down Antonio in a fiery festival in England, only to learn he has been working for the enemy, Department D, the whole time. But Antonio wants out. And so does Anastasia.
But before any of them can leave espionage and their parents’ crimes behind them, a close friend turns up dead. No one is safe, not while Department D still exists. So Anastasia and her friends embark on a dangerous plan to bring down an entire criminal empire, using every Dresden Kid they can find.
As their world becomes surrounded by spies, and the children of spies, Anastasia starts to question who she can really trust. Including her best friends…
Review:
3.5 out of 5 stars
Contains
possible spoilers from the first book
Lies
that Bind is the second book in the Anastasia Phoenix series, I
thoroughly enjoyed the excitement of the first book Proof of Lies so I was most eager to start on this.
This
is a series that really should be read in order to fully understand the events
that have already taken place, enough of a recap is given but it may still be quite
confusing.
After
trekking all over the place in the first book in search of Anastasia’s sister
Keira and having a danger-filled and thrilling adventure; Anastasia is now staying
in London with friends when they find out Marcus’s brother Antonio has gone
missing. Now determined to take down Department D and locate other Dresden
kids, they set out to collect enough evidence to shut them down once and for
all.
I was impressed by the world-building and the intense
plot is fast paced and full of non-stop action although it did very much mimic
the first book; as with Proof of Lies
I couldn’t quite guess who could and couldn’t be trusted! It really was a
search for the truth throughout the whole book and many secrets were exposed.
Lies
that Bind was an exciting sequel! It was
mysterious, filled with wonderful characters that progressed throughout the
book and the ending that leaves you satisfied but also wanting more. This book
seemed to have more angst and drama than the first book which made me quite
edgy.
What frustrated me in the first book was the
hot and cold relationship between Marcus and Anastasia so I am pleased to see
some progression. They worked well together and I thoroughly enjoyed their
interactions.
I found Diana Rodriguez Wallach’s writing to be engaging and the storyline was exciting; I am definitely eager to read more books by this author.
Thank you to Entangled Teen via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Lies that Bind.
About
the author: Diana Rodriguez Wallach is the
author of the Anastasia Phoenix series, three YA spy thrillers set to debut
beginning in March 2017 (Entangled Publishing). She is also the author of three
award-winning young adult novels: Amor and Summer Secrets, Amigas and School
Scandals, and Adios to All The Drama (Kensington Books); as well as a YA
short-story collection based on the Narcissus myth, entitled Mirror, Mirror
(Buzz Books, 2013).In 2011, she published a highly regarded essay in Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories (HarperCollins). It was the only essay chosen from the anthology by Scholastic to be used in its classroom materials. Diana is featured in the anthology, Latina Authors and Their Muses (Twilight Times Books, 2015), and she is currently on staff as a featured blogger for Quirk Books.
In 2010 Diana was named one of the Top Ten New Latino Authors to Watch by LatinoStories.com, and she placed second in the International Latino Book Awards. She is an advisory board member for the Philly Spells Writing Center, and is an active advocate for inner-city public schools. She holds a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University, and currently lives in Philadelphia.
Visit Diana's website to learn all about her: dianarodriguezwallach.com
Diana is represented by Taylor Martindale Kean of Full Circle Literary.
