The Laurentine Spy: Deserves more than 5 stars

The Laurentine Spy by Emily Gee

Saliel is in over her head. Masquerading as a noble lady in the fortress of Laureant’s greatest enemy, she sneaks into the old disused catacombs every other night to meet One, Two, and the Guardian, other Laurentine spies whose true identities she doesn’t know.

After foiling an enemy plan to take over another fought-over land, Saliel learns that the Prince and his consort know there are spies in the fortress and have hired a notorious and feared spycatcher. Saliel and the other spies still have work to do however, and must stay one step ahead of him in order to accomplish their goal. All the time Saliel must play a part — a part she know she has no business playing — and longs to be back home in Laureant, independent and finally free from playing roles. And free from her past.

I could not put down The Laurentine Spy. From the first chapter, Gee pulled me into the Laurentine spy network. My heart was racing throughout the entire book and I often found myself murmuring advice to the characters in order to keep them one step ahead of the evil spycatcher who was all too real and incredibly scary.

Gee’s knack for creating suspense could rival Alfred Hitchcock’s. Gee also was able to do something that too many authors can’t: she made me care about the characters from the very first chapter. I could relate to Saliel and shared in her fear and frustration throughout the entire book — she was an engaging character who I could wrap my head around. It was fantastic.

The Laurentine Spy was truly an engrossing novel. This is what good fantasy should be: edge of your seat, page-turning, late-night reading, heart-racing entertainment. I was captivated and I will definitely be reading more of Gee’s works.

My only complaint is that there was no map to refer to. I would have loved to have had a map of the world so I could gauge the distances. A map of the citadel would have also been very welcome. This was truly a minor thing however, definitely not a reason not to pick up The Laurentine Spy.

Julie Waineo, one of our earliest guest reviewers, earned an MBA at Bowling Green State University. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with a minor in French. Now living in Virginia with her husband and dog, Julie is an avid reader of not only fantasy, but historical fiction, the occasional “chick lit,” and children’s literature.