Book Review: All Fall Down

All Fall Down
By: Ally Carter
Published By: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: January 27th, 2015
Page Count: 320
Source: ARC Kindly Provided By Publisher
Audience/Genre: YA Fiction
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After finishing my first Ally Carter title in a single day, I found myself sad because 1) the book was over (and I have to wait for a sequel), and because 2) now I know what I've been missing out on by never picking up one of her books before now. Because this first book in the Embassy Row series is a smartly written YA spy thriller, with an intriguing mystery, a hint of romance, and enough richly drawn characters to fill this series for books and books to come.

Read the first two chapters HERE.

Grace is still reeling after witnessing her mother's violent and sudden death years earlier, a death she is convinced was not accidental as everyone around her claims. She's been sent to stay with her grandfather, the influential US ambassador to Adria, in the hopes that the peaceful atmosphere of the seaside nation will help her put herself back together. But with an Army ranger for a father, a career diplomat for a grandfather, a host of childhood friends among the inhabitants of Embassy Row, and Grace's knack for finding danger, there's no way this will be a peaceful stay.

There is NO doubt that Ally Carter does espionage well, this story had me guessing and on the edge of my seat several times. But I have to call it a tie between the fantastic plot and the wonderful cast of characters she creates in this book. Initially, I thought some of the characters were a bit predictable, but then I was proven SO very wrong, multiple times. At multiple points throughout the novel I wasn't sure where (both in country and friendships) many of the characters' loyalties lied. Grace has a believable vulnerability underneath her spunk and tenacity and her friends, Alexei, Noah, Megan, Lila, and Rosie, round out the embassy kids group nicely. But my absolute favorite was Ms. Chancellor! Oh, Ms. Chancellor with her quiet power, her feminine wiles, and her strength in spades make me glad, like Grace is, that she's on her side (or is she?).

A final word about the ending -- it was both positioned well for a sequel and completely satisfying, which I find a rarity in the current environment where it seems everything is being forced into a trilogy or a series or a cycle. For this story, and these characters, a series seems a natural fit. I can't recommend this book enough, and I'm definitely looking forward to spending more time with Grace and the Embassy Row gang!

Summary via Goodreads

Grace can best be described as a daredevil, an Army brat, and a rebel. She is also the only granddaughter of perhaps the most powerful ambassador in the world and Grace has spent every summer of her childhood running across the roofs of Embassy Row.

Now, at age sixteen, she's come back to stay - in order to solve the mystery of her mother's death. In the process, she uncovers an international conspiracy of unsettling proportions, and must choose her friends and watch her foes carefully if she and the world are to be saved.