The Body at the Tower by Y.S. Lee
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
It has been a while since I read A Spy in the House, but I remember enjoying the premise and thought it would be fun to continue with this series.
It took me a bit to get back into the story and remember the main character and her background, but once I did, I was excited to really sink my teeth into this story.
I felt a little let down by the way the story unfolded. I had hoped for a little more intrigue, mystery and (maybe) ghostly elements. I mean the beginning talks a bit about it, but it all took a back seat somehow.
I like Mary Quinn. She seems like a badass and someone, who is just trying to find her place in the world. She doesn’t mind working hard and even facing some of her old demons in order to prove her worth.
Yet, I’m sad to say that a good chunk of the story focused on her pining after the guy she has a crush on. She and the story lose direction as soon as this guy shows up and her thoughts return to him time and time again. It got a bit boring after a while.
And this is where I think the plot goes slightly missing. We have this diary style narrative that shows the reader exactly what the protagonist is up to, plus her thoughts and most of the time everything that has to do with solving the murder seems to be only secondary, even when she is actually working on the case.
It’s like having a song stuck in your head for an entire day, while still trying to study for a biology exam. It just doesn’t work very well. And, of course, it is very distracting and becomes annoying after a while.
The writing in general was still good. The sentences were well constructed, and it was easy to follow what the author was trying to communicate.
Overall, I was a it disappointed with this second installment of The Agency Series and I think it might be some time before I consider picking up the next book in this series.
