Book Musings - Homegrown Terror by Steve White

Name of the book : Homegrown Terror
Author's Name : Steve White
Genre : Young Adult, Action, Thriller
Series : Book 1 of Project Forge
Source : A free copy from the author for an unbiased review
Length: Novella

Blurb :

Kendra is a soft spoken girl at school, and many of her friends would describe her independent and shy. But beneath the surface is a fierce warrior: Kendra is in fact a teen spy. Her "parents" are handlers for the National Security Agency, and she is sent on missions around the country. Her newest mission: a new homegrown terrorist organization has sprung up in the US, and she must tear the organization down. She will come up against more danger than she has ever faced before - will she save her country? Or will she die trying?

My musings :


"Oh, a teen spy?" That was my first thought on reading the blurb. My second thought was ,"What kind of a title is Homegrown Terror?" I don't know why but it didn't gel for me. I was kind of surprised at myself because I had never questioned a book name till then. Later on, in the midst of the book, I realised that the book is aptly named since it describes the villain perfectly.

The book cover and the blurb promises an action packed story and it delivers, albeit a short one. One of the negative points of the book was that it was too short to focus much on the characters except Kendra, the protagonist. She is brave but a bit reckless. She makes a good spy but I would have liked to read about her personal life too. Her friends come and go in a Hi-Bye scene. Her parents, Peter and Sarah Murdoch, are introduced but they exit soon from the main part of the story. I would have liked more emotions but then it won't be a spy thriller, would it?

The villain was mad, literally mad and had all the advantages of a bad character. But otherwise, he didn't stand out much. He shouldn't have been that easy to be defeated by a teen, though she's a trained agent.

The story flowed well from scene to scene. I didn't feel any jerkiness in the narration. The adventures of Kendra kept me entertained till the end. Another negative point of the book was her fast recovery from her ordeal. It seemed too artificial and contrived. Other than that, the book is a good mixture of action, adventure and suspense to spend a few hours on.

I used to read Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books during my early years and well this book reminded me of them. If Nancy Drew was a spy, this would be her kind of story! For now, I have put the author on my waitlist. I hope he gets out the next book in the Project Forge series soon.

My one line review : The book is a fast and short read of adventure and action!

My rating : 4/5

My reread factor: 3.5/5

Floryie