Book Impressions: Blades of Winter by G. T. Almasi

When I picked up this book, for some reason I had assumed it was urban fantasy - probably because of the feisty-looking heavily-armed young woman on the cover. Should anyone else wonder, it's not urban fantasy but rather an alternative-history thriller with some sci-fi technology.

Blades of Winter

G. T. Almasi

**

In one of the most exciting debuts in years, G. T. Almasi has fused the intricate cat-and-mouse games of a John le Carré novel with the brash style of comic book superheroes to create a kick-ass alternate history that reimagines the Cold War as a clash of spies with biological, chemical, and technological enhancements.

Nineteen-year-old Alix Nico, a self-described “million-dollar murder machine,” is a rising star in ExOps, a covert-action agency that aggressively shields the United States from its three great enemies: the Soviet Union, Greater Germany, and the Nationalist Republic of China. Rather than risk another all-out war, the four superpowers have poured their resources into creating superspies known as Levels.

Alix is one of the hottest young American Levels. That’s no surprise: Her dad was America’s top Level before he was captured and killed eight years ago. But when an impulsive decision explodes—literally—in her face, Alix uncovers a conspiracy that pushes her to her limits and could upset the global balance of power forever.

Good things about this book: interesting world-building (a world where World War II ended very differently indeed), with clearly a good amount of thought put into things. LOTS of action. Exciting. As a big-screen, big-budget spy action thriller, this would be perfect.

Bad things about this book: Alix. God I hated her. Loathed. I don't think I've felt this much antipathy for the protagonist of a book in ages, and it being in first person really didn't help. I just wanted to punch her in the face (or rather have someone stronger than me do it). Towards the end, I seriously started to hope she'd be killed.

She's just such an obnoxious, insane idiot that .. eurgh. I think I ended up hating absolutely everything about her.

This might have been a four star book with a heroine that was at least somewhat likeable. As it is, I'm only giving it two because it was exciting and had a semi-decent plot. For those with more tolerance for incredibly irritating protagonists, and who happen to like high-octane action-driven stories, I'd happily recommend it, though.