The Year of Secret Assignments - Jaclyn Moriarty

At the suggestion of a friend, I recently read The Year of Secret Assignments, and very much enjoyed it.

The whole book is written in a series of letters between three sets of penpals from rival schools. This seemed to me like an idea that could have been rather lame, but turned out quite well. The characters were quite believable, and all had very different writing styles. I think that writing styles that are too similar is probably the easiest mistake to make when writing a book of that type.

The story was a bit fantastical at times, but I don't think that worked against it in the end. For most books, I think expectations make a huge difference in how much you enjoy it, and this book is no exception. I, for example, expected this book to be fun, and not too serious. As it turned out, that was a good expectation to have, because that was what it was. However, if I had read it hoping for a serious book, or a very complex plot, I would probably have been disappointed.

I guess the point I was trying to make in that last paragraph was this: This book is great for what it is, which is a fun, light read.  The characters were good, the plot was fun, and the writing was better and more diverse that I would have expected.

This is the kind of book that I would take and blow through in an afternoon. It's writing is easy to read, and the plot and characters are compelling, but not too serious. It's also a bit of a girl book. For me, all of this translates in to something that I enjoyed, but I won't make any promises about you.

If, after reading all my comments, you think it seems like the kind of book you would like, then give it a try. I do not think that you will be disappointed. If you are looking for another Ender's Game, or Alex Rider, this is probably not the book for you.

As usual, if you feel a need to understand the plot now that you have heard it deconstructed, the title of the book up at the top of the post to go to it's Amazon page.

Have you read this book, or any other book I have reviewed? If so, please let me know what you thought in the comments. I would love to put some reader thoughts right in the original posts, to help give a second or third opinion for prospective readers. I don't care what kind of opinion you have. In fact, a dissenting opinion would be more valuable for the readers.