The Shadow Mission

September 15, 2020
Athena agents discover that the terrorists who attacked a girls school in India are far from fringe--and they have a personal vendetta against one of the agency's founders. While in pursuit of the terrorist who burned down a girls school in Pakistan--the catalyst for the founding of the clandestine Athena agency--Jessie, Caitlin, and Hala find that they are too late to stop an attack by extremist organization Family First in Mumbai. Resenting Western cultural influences and what they perceive as the erosion of family values through female education, Family First's target is personal: a girls school established by Jessie's mother, Athena co-founder Kit Love. In Mumbai the agents investigate the attackers and Jessie butts heads with (and fights her attraction to) local female detective Riya Kapoor, who is also lesbian. Together they find that Family First's reach is substantial, involving a prominent politician as well as the military and police in both India and Pakistan. They face great dangers, as their enemies are unafraid to make examples of them. Sarif's second volume in this woman-centered spy series is as fast-paced and engaging as the first. The ethnically and globally diverse cast of Athena women make prominent appearances, but this volume is much more plot focused than revelatory of individual backstory. White British Jessie continues to confront the universality of patriarchal norms, misogyny, and oppressive treatment of women worldwide. A badass, action-packed, feminist page-turner. (Thriller. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 2, 2020

Gr 9 Up-In this sequel to The Athena Protocol, Jessie has finally proven herself to not only Athena, a secret spy organization, but to her mother. It helps that her mother is head of Athena, not that she takes it any easier on her daughter. Jessie, Caitlin, and Hala are sent to Pakistan after a school was bombed. Little do they know what waits for them-more bad guys than they can count and more bombs then anyone wants to deal with. Sarif throws readers back into the action-packed world of Athena that keeps readers turning pages. The main characters are described in a way they could be any ethnicity, except for Hala, whose character is deeply rooted in Middle Eastern culture with many allusions to her background, beliefs, and culture. VERDICT With female spies, arch enemies, and quick pacing, this book will be a hit with anyone. Jessie, Caitlin, and Hala are reminiscent of Charlie's Angels without Charlie in the speaker box.-Rena Gibson, Ralph Ellison Lib., Oklahoma City

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.