Howdy YAL!

I really enjoy this series. Though I think originally it was only to be a stand alone. The first book is so different in tone from the rest of the series. And it has no Zach, who in my opinion is far superior from Josh. I have to say though, I really enjoy this series evolution from cutsey to a genuine espionage mystery. The characters are pretty fleshed out. Cammie is a likable protagonist with flaws and the same can be said about the rest of the cast. The plot is pretty tightly woven, even in the first book, so it's pretty crucial that you read every book in the series or you'll miss something-though you could probably get away without reading the first one.Best Feature: Progression: With these books I think they get better and better with each installment. A lot of the time, especially in YA series, you don't see this. While the overall series might be good, more often than not there's a book or two in the middle that stands out as the dunce in the series. So far, knock on wood, this has not happened with this series and you really have to applaud Ally for that.Worst Feature: Too long of a wait time: The waiting time between installments of these books is sort of ridiculous. I'm planning on having a Gallagher marathon reading session this weekend, just to get a rehash on all the little nuggets of information I might have forgot before diving head first into the fifth one. I guess this really not a fault though because the best things in life, you have to wait a bit. And Ally almost always delivers. It's just that it unless I reread the series prior to opening the new addition I'm a little confused at first about what's going on.To see full review which includes a deep and thoughtful analysis on why Health and Safety class should be replaced with Spy class click here:http://yalbookbriefs.blogspot.com/2012/03/gallagher-girls-books-ally-carter.html