Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen
Published by: Viking Books on March 20, 2018
Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
RATING: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: Her name is Sarah. She’s blonde, blue-eyed, and Jewish in 1939 Germany. And her act of resistance is about to change the world.
After her mother is shot at a checkpoint, fifteen-year-old Sarah meets a mysterious man with an ambiguous accent, a suspiciously bare apartment, and a lockbox full of weapons. He’s part of the secret resistance against the Third Reich, and he needs Sarah to hide in plain sight at a school for the daughters of top Nazi brass, posing as one of them. If she can befriend the daughter of a key scientist and get invited to her house, she might be able to steal the blueprints to a bomb that could destroy the cities of Western Europe. Nothing could prepare Sarah for her cutthroat schoolmates, and soon she finds herself in a battle for survival unlike any she’d ever imagined. But anyone who underestimates this innocent-seeming girl does so at their peril. She may look sweet, but she’s the Nazis’ worst nightmare.
I found this book in the middle of an ARC giveaway at my local library, and the summary immediately drew me in. It’s the kind of pure YA historical fiction that I haven’t touched in a while, and I was ready to dive back in.
Orphan Monster Spy (I really love this title by the way, it fits the book so perfectly) starts en media res, and to be honest, it’s a little jumbled. From the beginning, the narration from Sarah’s POV is punctuated by echoes of her mother that she hears in her head. Even though Killeen differentiates her inner “mom’s voice” with italics, I found it a little confusing, especially since I didn’t realize that it was her mother’s voice that she was imagining/hearing for a good three pages. I’m also personally not a big fan of beginnings that throw characters into lethal situations before I’ve gotten to actually know them or care about them much. Ultimately it works because Sarah is the kind of character that shines in life-threatening situations, but it isn’t the best part of the book.
The rest of the book, however, was fantastic. I read most of it in one heart-pounding sitting, completely unable to tear my eyes from the page. The writing was totally immersive, and the ending was filled with insane twists and a thrilling climax. If you plan to read this book then get ready to pull an all-nighter, because it is NOT easy to put down.
The character development is so good. Sarah is smart, sharp, and resourceful. Yet she’s also rather violent and sometimes impulsive. She’s the survivor of a life’s worth of accumulated hardships, the victim of a heart-wrenching backstory that’s woven in throughout the book through flashbacks and her own reflections. I quickly fell in love with her knack for talking her way out of sticky situations and her sharp-witted nature. She’s a badass, but that doesn’t mean that she’s just another headstrong, overly-powerful YA teenage protagonist. Instead she’s a multifaceted character with a truly unique voice. She’s a gymnast, actress, and spy all rolled up into one awesome character.
Best of all, Killeen doesn’t give all of her to the reader at once. He doesn’t dump all of her awful past experiences and troubled relationship with her mother over the course of a few pages. He uncovers Sarah bit by bit, peeling back layer after layer in small pieces, and it works so well. He’s also consistent in Sarah’s characterization, which makes her seem all the more real. One of the most admirable (and terrifying) aspects of her character is the way that she bottles up her most horrifying memories and worst nightmares, and then uses them as fuel to get through her scariest situations. By the end of the book, this becomes hauntingly familiar.
Overall, I would say this book is surprisingly mature. A lot of YA historical fiction novels — particularly World War II books — occupy a very similar space within the genre, but this book is far more innovative and unique. The spy storyline takes it to an entirely different place from other YA novels. Rather than the usual story of a Jew on the run from Nazis, Sarah is an Aryan Jew perfectly positioned to infiltrate a boarding school filled with brainwashed daughters of Nazi officers. If other books tend to be cat-and-mouse games, this one features a mouse walking straight into a snake’s open jaw. Even better, the book alludes to the consequences Sarah would face if discovered without having to explicitly detail them (since everyone is familiar enough with WWII to have a decent idea). The constant threat of these unspoken horrors constantly looms over the story and raises the stakes even higher.
It also doesn’t shy away from the brutal reality of Sarah’s world. It’s not an overly gory book but there are parts that are chillingly violent. Killeen doesn’t pull any punches, and that’s what helps maintain the heart-gripping tension that sustains the breathless pace of the plot. The boarding school is filled with appropriately horrifying people, and the subtle nods to true historical events in the war create an ominous backdrop.
Above all, most of the supporting characters are fleshed out. I love that Killeen develops characters that are obviously brainwashed and violently bigoted without making them cardboard cutout villains, as so many other WWII books tend to do. From Elsa Schafer, to the Mouse, to Foch, the supporting cast each still have their own unique backstories, trials and tribulations, and personalities. The only character that I wished had been developed more was the Captain. But then again, he’s a spy and a liar by trade, so perhaps that was too much to wish for.
Verdict: Orphan Monster Spy is a heart-wrenching roller coaster ride, a spy thriller set against the high-pressure backdrop of Nazi Germany filled with wonderfully fleshed out characters, immersive writing, and fast-paced twists that will satisfy any suspense-loving reader.
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