The Cruelty Series, Book 1

November 21, 2016
Liam Neeson’s 2008 film Taken concerned a spy who engages in mass mayhem while attempting to recover his kidnapped daughter. Bergstrom reverses this plot in his violent, well-crafted first novel. Seventeen-year-old gymnast Gwendolyn Bloom doesn’t learn that her father is a genuine spy—and not merely an overworked State Department employee—until after he is kidnapped by international gangsters, and the CIA makes little attempt to recover him. Vowing to find her father, Gwen heads for Europe, where she is intercepted by a tough Israeli agent who trains her in Krav Maga and spycraft. The seedy, back-alley Europe that Gwen moves through comes alive as she traces her father to Prague and gains employment with his murderous captors. It’s a premise that demands a degree of suspended disbelief, but Bergstrom manages Gwen’s transformation from high school student to assassin believably enough, and he doesn’t avoid the toll Gwen’s actions take on her. Not for the weak of heart, this is a grim, fast-paced tale that stands knee-deep in dead bodies. Ages 17–up. Agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary.

December 1, 2016

Gr 10 Up-Gwendolyn Bloom, 17, is an outsider at an elite New York private school. Shortly after the anniversary of her mother's gang rape and death in Algiers, her stepfather disappears while traveling for his government job. When U.S. officials fail to find him, Gwendolyn strikes out on her own, and her journey takes her to Paris, then Berlin, and finally Prague as she explores a dark world of assassins, spies, and criminals. Over the course of the narrative, she quickly transforms from a wallflower who speaks five languages and loves jazz to a hardened young adult pursuing justice. Originally self-published in 2014, this is Bergstrom's debut novel and the first in a planned series. He excels at establishing scenes and locations in vivid detail, but the story suffers from overwriting and is in need of strong editing. Many characters do not advance the plot and soon disappear. Gwendolyn's metamorphosis and ability to almost single-handedly rescue her father, a character barely introduced before he disappears, in combination with her quickness to resort to violence and murder, are convenient but not believable. VERDICT The consistent strong language, graphic violence, and harrowing situations, including human trafficking and rape, make this a better choice for readers ready to tackle mature content, but the book's poor execution overall makes this an easy pass.-Amanda Foust, Consultant, Littleton, CO

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2016
Grades 9-12 In this propulsive but incredulous action thriller, 17-year-old Gwendolyn transforms from a normal teenager into a skilled, implacable killer, after her father disappears in Paris. As it turns out, her father is a spy and, if the CIA is to be believed, a deserter. Gwendolyn knows he would never abandon her, so with the help of an ex-Mossad neighbor, a coded copy of 1984, and a hacker friend, she flies to Paris. There her contact gives her a cover identity and a new lead and teaches her Krav Maga. Gwendolyn follows her father's trail to Berlin and then Prague, infiltrating increasingly dangerous criminal organizationsarms dealers, sex traffickerswith relative ease, eventually uncovering the CIA's dirty secrets. Bergstrom quickly flips bullied Gwendolyn into a ridiculously competent, amoral spy, which leaves little time for emotional reflection; token attempts to show her conscience and love for her father don't jibe with her dispassionate tone. Like big-budget cinema, this debut novel is relentlessly paced, full of global sets, slick action, and unlikely coincidences, with a grim, ass-kicking antihero.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)