Lies That Bind by Diana Rodriguez Wallach Series: Anastasia Phoenix #2
Published by Entangled: Teen in March 2018
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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The Italian Job meets Bourne Identity meets Spy Kids in this sequel to Proof of Lies.
What if saving yourself meant destroying everyone you love?
Still reeling from everything she learned while searching for her sister in Italy, Anastasia Phoenix is ready to call it quits with spies. Then she and her friends learn that Marcus’s—her kinda boyfriend—brother, Antonio, has also gone missing. Luckily, they track down Antonio in a fiery festival in England, only to learn he has been working for the enemy, Department D, the whole time. But Antonio wants out. And so does Anastasia.
But before any of them can leave espionage and their parents’ crimes behind them, a close friend turns up dead. No one is safe, not while Department D still exists. So Anastasia and her friends embark on a dangerous plan to bring down an entire criminal empire, using every Dresden Kid they can find.
As their world becomes surrounded by spies, and the children of spies, Anastasia starts to question who she can really trust. Including her best friends…
Note: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions shared are my own.
**SPOILER ALERT: This review may contain spoilers for the first book in the series. Please do not read this review if you have not yet read Proof of Lies.
Without reading the synopsis, I totally thought this book was going to be an adventure finding Marcus’s brother Antonio. I was wrong. They found him in the first chapter or two. He claims he no longer works for Department D and is no longer a spy. Therefore, he becomes a part of their group. (I don’t know about you, but I found that quite suspicious…)
Since that obviously wasn’t the story… The story is actually about Anastasia, Marcus, Keira, Charlotte, Julian, and Antonio trying to take down Department D after the death of Anastasia’s close friend. To do so, they travel the world looking for Dresden Kids whose families have been wronged by Department D hoping to collect evidence.
The overall story was thrilling and adventurous. Parts of the story were very predictable, but other parts caught me off guard. I’d say it was a fairly nice balance. The overarching theme though was trust. Essentially, Anastasia has an issue trusting people, which put her at odds with pretty much everyone. She’s by far my favorite character, and I loved the growth she exhibited by the end of the story.
I can’t wait for the last book in the Anastasia Phoenix series. (I think this is a trilogy…) If you like YA spy-themed thrillers, I’d highly recommend giving this series a try.
