Matt Killeen’s debut novel, ORPHAN MONSTER SPY, takes place in Europe amidst World War II and follows a Jewish 15-year-old girl named Sarah. After her mom is shot and killed at a checkpoint, Sarah is forced onto the streets alone and has no clue what the rest of her life holds. She then meets Captain Floyd, a British spy who offers her a mission: infiltrate an elite Nazi boarding school and befriend the daughter of a scientist who created a bomb that could wipe out an entire population. Sarah goes through with the plan and is then swept into a society that hates her own, trying to get past the evil teachers, cutthroat students and challenges she never would have expected having to go through before.

"A fast-paced journey that will leave anyone wanting more. Topped with witty writing and a boatload of action, this book leaves me extremely ecstatic for more work from Matt Killeen..."

I was so excited to start this book because I am a complete sucker for anything historical fiction especially WWII since I think that time is so interesting --- the added feature of spies doesn’t hurt either! Usually when I read books I find myself more interested with the characters instead of the plot and vice versa but, in this case, I was obsessed with both aspects. It made it so much fun to get through since I couldn’t help but be obsessed with many of the characters we were introduced to as well as all the plot twists along the way.

Speaking of characters, Sarah was definitely one of my favorites. She was headstrong and intelligent and it was so wonderful reading from her perspective. She wasn’t afraid to stand up for her friends and even herself which was something I really admired. She had amazing character development from the beginning of the novel and by the end, she morphed into this confident heroine who could take on anything thrown at her.

I also really loved her relationship with Captain Floyd. They have this really sweet and caring father/daughter connection that reminded me a lot of Hopper and Eleven from season two of “Stranger Things” (aka my all-time FAVORITE show). He also really became this super supportive figure in Sarah’s life and I really just want more scenes from the pair!

The action in this book was also incredibly wild since it really felt like I was watching everything unfold from the big screen. It did get a little gory after some of the situations but I think those scenes added to the dire setting Sarah was in. Nothing felt too unrealistic since --- while I was reading --- I kept realizing that Sarah was only 15, which sometimes baffled me since I couldn’t imagine being that strong at that age. It just goes to show how desperate those times were and how you really needed to protect yourself to survive. I think that overall Killeen did a great job of transferring the readers into the environment which really made me feel like I was in the late ‘30s, making the read all the more exciting.

Perfect for fans of the film The Man from U.N.C.L.E. or even novels that take place during WWII, ORPHAN MONSTER SPY is a fast-paced journey that will leave anyone wanting more. Topped with witty writing and a boatload of action, this book leaves me extremely ecstatic for more work from Matt Killeen in the future.