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The Athena Protocol #1
The Athena Protocol
Jessie Archer is a member of the Athena Protocol, an elite organization of female spies who enact vigilante justice around the world.
Athena operatives are never supposed to shoot to kill—so when Jessie can’t stop herself from pulling the trigger, she gets kicked out of the organization, right before a huge mission to take down a human trafficker in Belgrade.
Jessie needs to right her wrong and prove herself, so she starts her own investigation into the trafficking. But going rogue means she has no one to watch her back as she delves into the horrors she uncovers. Meanwhile, her former teammates have been ordered to bring her down. Jessie must face danger from all sides if she’s to complete her mission—and survive.
Athena operatives are never supposed to shoot to kill—so when Jessie can’t stop herself from pulling the trigger, she gets kicked out of the organization, right before a huge mission to take down a human trafficker in Belgrade.
Jessie needs to right her wrong and prove herself, so she starts her own investigation into the trafficking. But going rogue means she has no one to watch her back as she delves into the horrors she uncovers. Meanwhile, her former teammates have been ordered to bring her down. Jessie must face danger from all sides if she’s to complete her mission—and survive.
320 pages, ebook
First published October 8, 2019
About the author
Shamim Sarif
11 books433 followersBorn in the UK, Shamim is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, and director.
Her next book, The Athena Protocol, is an all-female YA contemporary action thriller that is published by Harper Teen in September 2019.
Her debut novel, The World Unseen, won a Betty Trask award and the Pendleton May First Novel award.
Shamim has adapted and directed the films of three of her novels including, most recently, Despite the Falling Snow. The book was published by Headline in the UK and St Martin’s Press in the US. The movie stars Rebecca Ferguson and Charles Dance in a story of love and betrayal in cold war Russia. Her films have won 47 awards internationally.
Shamim’s third novel, I Can’t Think Straight, formed the basis of her cult hit film of the same name.
Shamim’s book festival appearances include Hay-on-Wye, Cheltenham and Edinburgh.
An accomplished speaker, Shamim has spoken at TED events worldwide, at the INK Conference in India and DLD in Munich. Corporate speaking events have included Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Citibank and Disney.
Shamim lives in London with her wife, Hanan, and their two sons
Her next book, The Athena Protocol, is an all-female YA contemporary action thriller that is published by Harper Teen in September 2019.
Her debut novel, The World Unseen, won a Betty Trask award and the Pendleton May First Novel award.
Shamim has adapted and directed the films of three of her novels including, most recently, Despite the Falling Snow. The book was published by Headline in the UK and St Martin’s Press in the US. The movie stars Rebecca Ferguson and Charles Dance in a story of love and betrayal in cold war Russia. Her films have won 47 awards internationally.
Shamim’s third novel, I Can’t Think Straight, formed the basis of her cult hit film of the same name.
Shamim’s book festival appearances include Hay-on-Wye, Cheltenham and Edinburgh.
An accomplished speaker, Shamim has spoken at TED events worldwide, at the INK Conference in India and DLD in Munich. Corporate speaking events have included Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Citibank and Disney.
Shamim lives in London with her wife, Hanan, and their two sons
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 227 reviews
July 26, 2020
A cinematic and taught spy thriller with a sapphic main character! This is way outside my comfort zone genre-wise but it was an incredibly engaging book and hit just the right amount of darkness to make the story compelling and complex. I can’t wait to read more about these characters. SO so good.
August 8, 2020
Q:
My heart screamed for years.”
It’s a devastating image. A heart screaming. (c)
Q:
“I didn’t know you were attracted to . . .”
“Human traffickers?” I ask, still not meeting her eyes.
Kit smiles. “Well, I was going to say, attracted to women.” (c)
My heart screamed for years.”
It’s a devastating image. A heart screaming. (c)
Q:
“I didn’t know you were attracted to . . .”
“Human traffickers?” I ask, still not meeting her eyes.
Kit smiles. “Well, I was going to say, attracted to women.” (c)
March 13, 2021
“We all believe in the work we do for Athena. But some of that work is dirty. And maybe we should stop trying to pretend that it isn't.”
The Athena Protocol has been described by Patrick Ness as the Mission: Impossible of YA. While I think the praise is a bit of a stretch, the action scenes were executed well enough to keep me consistently engaged.
~★~ What is this book about? ~★~
Jessie Archer is a member of the Athena Protocol—an organization of female special operatives dedicated to capturing the worst of criminals. Jessie’s anger gets the best of her on a mission in Cameroon, where she pulls the trigger and violates the Athena Protocol’s base rule—never shoot to kill.
Jessie’s impulsiveness threatened the organization, and so she gets kicked out of Athena right before their mission to hunt down a human trafficker. In attempt at proving her partners wrong, she discretely sends them information she's discovered about the case, even when the rest of Athena has been ordered to take her down.
~★~
Most aspects of this book didn’t go beyond decent for me. Jessie was a pretty likeable protagonist, though her impulsive decision making was frustrating at times. Her fellow teammates seemed interesting as well, though there definitely wasn’t enough page time dedicated to them. It was hard to become attached to any of the side characters because of how little time there was to get a feel for their personalities and backstory.
It took about a hundred pages for me to become invested in the plot, but once things started rolling, they got really good! I found myself enraptured in the mystery of Athena’s next target, and really enjoyed the intense action scenes that occurred once trouble found the protagonist.
Shamim Arif’s writing was okay. It lacked in the character development and dialogue department, but delivered in terms of plot execution. To be frank, this isn’t a book I’ll remember much about in a month from now, but it was enjoyable in the moment.
Representation: Lesbian protagonist, Muslim side character, Asian side character, African side character.
July 28, 2024
Mission: Impossible for YA readers? That's what novelist Patrick Ness suggests The Athena Protocol is in a blurb on the dust jacket, and the comparison is reasonable. But while the Impossible Missions Force is connected with the government, Athena is accountable only to the strong-willed trio of women who run the organization. There's Li Chen, a technology innovator originally from Shanghai, now living in the United States with a vast fortune at her disposal. Chen Technologies is the perfect cover for Athena, a company just as legit as it seems and which generates more than enough capital to fund Athena's international missions. Peggy Delaney is the second woman in charge, a former U.S. ambassador turned civil rights crusader, who redirected her savvy into an organization dedicated to ferreting out heinous criminals around the globe. The third of the triumvirate is Kit Love, a former superstar singer who converted her ambitions into creating a safer world following her retirement from the limelight. Athena's missions are carried out by several young agents, some in their teens. Jessie Archer is Kit's daughter, trained in every facet of espionage, and is on a mission to the African nation of Cameroon as The Athena Protocol opens. Accompanied by agents Caitlin and Hala, Jessie's target is the lair of a sex trafficker named Ahmed, who is receiving a shipment of abducted women. Jessie and her comrades dispatch of the guards and apprehend Ahmed, but Jessie knows he has the money and influence to wriggle out of all criminal charges and set up shop again after a slight delay. Defying direct orders, she draws her pistol and sends a bullet through Ahmed's forehead. It feels good, but Jessie's rash action will have consequences.
At their first meeting back in the U.S., tucked away in Li Chen's corporate building, Jessie knows she's in trouble. Hala makes no secret of her disdain for what Jessie did, and Li and Kit are brimming with anger. Jessie should muster at least a show of contrition to get back in Athena's good graces, but she isn't sorry. She stopped Ahmed from ever exploiting another female; wasn't that worth a breach in protocol? The media is all over the story of Ahmed's unexplained death, and Jake Graham, a high-profile television reporter, has expressed suspicions that will lead investigators in Athena's direction. For a group that depends on total invisibility to the government, such attention could be its downfall. On the eve of an undercover Athena sting in Serbia against one of the world's wealthiest sex traffickers, Li, Peggy, and Kit announce their stunning decision: Jessie's employment with Athena is hereby terminated. Caitlin and Hala will go to Serbia without her.
Access to her Athena equipment and support system is immediately revoked, but Jessie has no intention of staying home while the others risk their lives in Eastern Europe. Gregory Pavlic heads a massive network of sex traffickers that pumps money into his personal bank account from every region of the planet. Headquartered in Belgrade, Serbia, he'll have state-of-the-art security protecting his computer files; it is believed that Pavlic possesses incriminating evidence against hundreds of businessmen and politicians who have used his trafficking services. If Athena steals the files containing this evidence, Pavlic can no longer blackmail his way out of criminal charges. Jessie was Athena's best computer technician, and she smoothly hacks into Athena's mainframe unnoticed to conduct her own investigation of Pavlic once she arrives in Belgrade. With Caitlin, Hala, Li, Peggy, and Kit all aware that Jessie might shadow them on this mission, staying off their radar won't be easy.
The bustle and pungency of Eastern Europe invade Jessie's senses as she settles into a small, grungy apartment in Belgrade. She's close enough to surveil the art gallery owned by Pauline Pavlic, Gregory's daughter, who may or may not be part of her father's criminal enterprise. Jessie gradually insinuates herself as a friend to Pauline, whose good looks and wit are extraordinary. Under different circumstances she might accept Pauline's willingness to get very close as an invitation to a more personal relationship, but Jessie can't afford to let eroticism take the lead. She hopes Pauline isn't privy to her father's sex trafficking racket, but Jessie can't assume she's innocent. And she wonders: would Pauline hate her if she knew Jessie wanted to send her father to prison for life?
Athena plans to make its move at Gregory Pavlic's lavish fiftieth birthday party, a gala attended by hundreds of family, friends, and clients. Kit has managed to get herself booked as the featured music entertainment, and Caitlin will pose as her bodyguard; while Kit is belting out her greatest hits onstage, Caitlin's orders are to sneak inside the mansion and track down Pavlic's encrypted files. They should provide all the proof required to ensure this is Pavlic's last birthday as a free man. Staying a step ahead of her former Athena cohorts, Jessie coaxes Pauline into inviting her to the party, but she must be cautious; if Caitlin or Hala detect her presence at the event, they'll try to capture her. Jessie senses that Caitlin will need help completing the tech aspect of her mission without alerting Pavlic's ever-present bodyguards, but she has no idea how complicated and dangerous the whole operation is about to get.
A wall safe rigged to detonate, an Orpheus-like voyage into the bloody bowels of a sex trafficking warehouse, and an assassination attempt by a trusted friend are only a preview of what's to come. It would be hard enough under normal circumstances to discern who is a true ally and who would sell her out to Pavlic, but Jessie's common sense becomes unmoored as Pauline's interest in her turns romantic. Jessie won't take it easy on Pavlic for Pauline's sake no matter how pretty she is, but Jessie isn't sure she can objectively evaluate the sex trafficker's gorgeous daughter. After Jessie follows up on an explosive new lead, she realizes Pavlic's depravity is worse than anyone suspected; trafficking women is only the tip of the iceberg. But how can Jessie hope to complete the mission without access to Athena's infrastructure? Would Li, Peggy, and Kit even consider reinstating her after her actions in Cameroon? One way or another, Jessie has to get the goods on Pavlic soon, or not only will he get away with horrific human rights abuses again, but Athena may be dismantled from the inside out.
"There is a Chinese saying—that precious stones need sculpting before they become gems."
—Li Chen, The Athena Protocol, P. 282
Taking an unconventional approach to serious problems can work marvelously. Li, Peggy, and Kit founded Athena to cross boundaries that governments either can't or won't, brushing aside the restrictions of bureaucracy to help people in need. Athena's operatives are outraged by criminals like Gregory Pavlic who victimize vulnerable people, but they're trained to harness that outrage into useful action. As Jessie notes, "The best way to deal with fear is to channel the adrenaline into something that can help you, like an ingenious plan." Easier said than done, but it's the ideal way to react in a crisis, a response worth cultivating. Not just any concerned citizen could step into Jessie's shoes and achieve her same results as an agent of positive change in the world, and that leads to the central conflict of The Athena Protocol: what's more important, obeying the rules or moving decisively to eliminate evil, even if it means taking morally dubious action? To Jessie, killing Ahmed was an easy choice in the moment. It spared myriads of future women from his violent oppression. But what if Athena agents executed everyone they believe deserves it, assuming the power of judge, jury, and executioner? Is that justice? What if they're mistaken, and kill someone innocent? What if agents taking the law into their own hands leads to Athena being publicly exposed? It would be the end of their helping exploited people, and allow the rise of more men like Gregory Pavlic and Ahmed. The debate has no simple solution, and is sure to be revisited time and again when dealing with passionate agents like Jessie. At least she and her bosses have one unifying conviction: in Jessie's own words, "We all believe in the work we do for Athena."
Author Shamim Sarif definitely has the "juice" to write a story like this. The Athena Protocol is a well-placed window into the thrills of the international spy game. Strong themes are embedded in the narrative, questions of right and wrong we can wrestle with long after turning the final page. The story is smart and cultured, from the vivid depiction of metropolitan Serbia to the learned vibe of Athena as an organization, beginning with its name as a reference to the Ancient Greek goddess of justice. Athena was founded by sophisticates who understand the moral imperatives of Western civilization and see their goals as an outgrowth of it, valuing human lives above all else. In the end, as good as The Athena Protocol is, it suffers when compared to the Tom Cruise movies of the Mission: Impossible franchise. The action isn't as captivating, and the deceptions aren't awesome on the same scale we see in the films, where my mind has been blown on at least a couple of occasions with each theatrical release. The Athena Protocol is excellent, though; I'd likely rate it the full three stars, and Shamim Sarif deserves all the accolades. A novel like this one is a joy to experience.
At their first meeting back in the U.S., tucked away in Li Chen's corporate building, Jessie knows she's in trouble. Hala makes no secret of her disdain for what Jessie did, and Li and Kit are brimming with anger. Jessie should muster at least a show of contrition to get back in Athena's good graces, but she isn't sorry. She stopped Ahmed from ever exploiting another female; wasn't that worth a breach in protocol? The media is all over the story of Ahmed's unexplained death, and Jake Graham, a high-profile television reporter, has expressed suspicions that will lead investigators in Athena's direction. For a group that depends on total invisibility to the government, such attention could be its downfall. On the eve of an undercover Athena sting in Serbia against one of the world's wealthiest sex traffickers, Li, Peggy, and Kit announce their stunning decision: Jessie's employment with Athena is hereby terminated. Caitlin and Hala will go to Serbia without her.
Access to her Athena equipment and support system is immediately revoked, but Jessie has no intention of staying home while the others risk their lives in Eastern Europe. Gregory Pavlic heads a massive network of sex traffickers that pumps money into his personal bank account from every region of the planet. Headquartered in Belgrade, Serbia, he'll have state-of-the-art security protecting his computer files; it is believed that Pavlic possesses incriminating evidence against hundreds of businessmen and politicians who have used his trafficking services. If Athena steals the files containing this evidence, Pavlic can no longer blackmail his way out of criminal charges. Jessie was Athena's best computer technician, and she smoothly hacks into Athena's mainframe unnoticed to conduct her own investigation of Pavlic once she arrives in Belgrade. With Caitlin, Hala, Li, Peggy, and Kit all aware that Jessie might shadow them on this mission, staying off their radar won't be easy.
The bustle and pungency of Eastern Europe invade Jessie's senses as she settles into a small, grungy apartment in Belgrade. She's close enough to surveil the art gallery owned by Pauline Pavlic, Gregory's daughter, who may or may not be part of her father's criminal enterprise. Jessie gradually insinuates herself as a friend to Pauline, whose good looks and wit are extraordinary. Under different circumstances she might accept Pauline's willingness to get very close as an invitation to a more personal relationship, but Jessie can't afford to let eroticism take the lead. She hopes Pauline isn't privy to her father's sex trafficking racket, but Jessie can't assume she's innocent. And she wonders: would Pauline hate her if she knew Jessie wanted to send her father to prison for life?
Athena plans to make its move at Gregory Pavlic's lavish fiftieth birthday party, a gala attended by hundreds of family, friends, and clients. Kit has managed to get herself booked as the featured music entertainment, and Caitlin will pose as her bodyguard; while Kit is belting out her greatest hits onstage, Caitlin's orders are to sneak inside the mansion and track down Pavlic's encrypted files. They should provide all the proof required to ensure this is Pavlic's last birthday as a free man. Staying a step ahead of her former Athena cohorts, Jessie coaxes Pauline into inviting her to the party, but she must be cautious; if Caitlin or Hala detect her presence at the event, they'll try to capture her. Jessie senses that Caitlin will need help completing the tech aspect of her mission without alerting Pavlic's ever-present bodyguards, but she has no idea how complicated and dangerous the whole operation is about to get.
A wall safe rigged to detonate, an Orpheus-like voyage into the bloody bowels of a sex trafficking warehouse, and an assassination attempt by a trusted friend are only a preview of what's to come. It would be hard enough under normal circumstances to discern who is a true ally and who would sell her out to Pavlic, but Jessie's common sense becomes unmoored as Pauline's interest in her turns romantic. Jessie won't take it easy on Pavlic for Pauline's sake no matter how pretty she is, but Jessie isn't sure she can objectively evaluate the sex trafficker's gorgeous daughter. After Jessie follows up on an explosive new lead, she realizes Pavlic's depravity is worse than anyone suspected; trafficking women is only the tip of the iceberg. But how can Jessie hope to complete the mission without access to Athena's infrastructure? Would Li, Peggy, and Kit even consider reinstating her after her actions in Cameroon? One way or another, Jessie has to get the goods on Pavlic soon, or not only will he get away with horrific human rights abuses again, but Athena may be dismantled from the inside out.
"There is a Chinese saying—that precious stones need sculpting before they become gems."
—Li Chen, The Athena Protocol, P. 282
Taking an unconventional approach to serious problems can work marvelously. Li, Peggy, and Kit founded Athena to cross boundaries that governments either can't or won't, brushing aside the restrictions of bureaucracy to help people in need. Athena's operatives are outraged by criminals like Gregory Pavlic who victimize vulnerable people, but they're trained to harness that outrage into useful action. As Jessie notes, "The best way to deal with fear is to channel the adrenaline into something that can help you, like an ingenious plan." Easier said than done, but it's the ideal way to react in a crisis, a response worth cultivating. Not just any concerned citizen could step into Jessie's shoes and achieve her same results as an agent of positive change in the world, and that leads to the central conflict of The Athena Protocol: what's more important, obeying the rules or moving decisively to eliminate evil, even if it means taking morally dubious action? To Jessie, killing Ahmed was an easy choice in the moment. It spared myriads of future women from his violent oppression. But what if Athena agents executed everyone they believe deserves it, assuming the power of judge, jury, and executioner? Is that justice? What if they're mistaken, and kill someone innocent? What if agents taking the law into their own hands leads to Athena being publicly exposed? It would be the end of their helping exploited people, and allow the rise of more men like Gregory Pavlic and Ahmed. The debate has no simple solution, and is sure to be revisited time and again when dealing with passionate agents like Jessie. At least she and her bosses have one unifying conviction: in Jessie's own words, "We all believe in the work we do for Athena."
Author Shamim Sarif definitely has the "juice" to write a story like this. The Athena Protocol is a well-placed window into the thrills of the international spy game. Strong themes are embedded in the narrative, questions of right and wrong we can wrestle with long after turning the final page. The story is smart and cultured, from the vivid depiction of metropolitan Serbia to the learned vibe of Athena as an organization, beginning with its name as a reference to the Ancient Greek goddess of justice. Athena was founded by sophisticates who understand the moral imperatives of Western civilization and see their goals as an outgrowth of it, valuing human lives above all else. In the end, as good as The Athena Protocol is, it suffers when compared to the Tom Cruise movies of the Mission: Impossible franchise. The action isn't as captivating, and the deceptions aren't awesome on the same scale we see in the films, where my mind has been blown on at least a couple of occasions with each theatrical release. The Athena Protocol is excellent, though; I'd likely rate it the full three stars, and Shamim Sarif deserves all the accolades. A novel like this one is a joy to experience.
November 16, 2019
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Spy thrillers will never fail to be straight-up cool, and The Athena Protocol is no exception to this. It's a James Bond-esque story starring women and with lots of action and adventure from start to finish.
Here, the spies aren't working for the government, which was an interesting change; instead, it's a small, private, almost vigilante organization called Athena, with three heads and three main agents who work undercover to save women from dangerous situations.
Jessie was a really great main character; she's tough and resourceful, if impulsive and reckless. There were so many tight situations she wormed her way out of that it had me in absolute awe. After a reckless decision early in the book, Jessie finds herself operating without the help of Athena for a lot of the book, and it's really great at showing how clever she really is and how much she cares about the people in her life, even when they've abandoned her.
And a lot of the book focuses on the people in Jessie's life. There's Kit, Jessie's mother, whom she has a very complicated relationship with; her teammates, Hala and Caitlin, and the two other leaders of Athena, Li and Peggy. The Athena Protocol explores all these relationships in depth, but the one that fascinated me most was Jessie and Kit, which is one of the most complex and real mother/daughter relationships I've read in YA. In addition, Jessie and the daughter of the human trafficker Athena is taking down, Paulina, spend a lot of the book flirting. Jessie being queer was so lowkey in the story, but it was nice.
One thing that bothered me, however, was that Jessie didn't seem like a teenager; if the book wasn't YA, I'd have pegged her for twenty-four, minimum, and I don't think the book ever directly says her age but I really can't see her or frankly any of the characters as younger than nineteen. They all seem far too experienced and mature.
The plot made the book practically unputdownable. Jessie gets herself in and out of so many dangerous situations that the book had me on the edge of my seat. The people that Athena go after are wholly evil, human traffickers, corrupted politicians and the like, so the cathartic need to see bad things happen to them also kept me reading. It's tense and packed with action but leaves a lot of moments for emotional beats.
If you like a good, fast-paced story about clever women and justice, definitely pick up The Athena Protocol. It entirely succeeds in being a fun, fast, well-crafted spy thriller, and leaves room for a sequel that I will definitely be hoping for.
content warnings | human trafficking, rape mentions
representation | sapphic main character, characters of colour (arab, black, chinese)
Spy thrillers will never fail to be straight-up cool, and The Athena Protocol is no exception to this. It's a James Bond-esque story starring women and with lots of action and adventure from start to finish.
Here, the spies aren't working for the government, which was an interesting change; instead, it's a small, private, almost vigilante organization called Athena, with three heads and three main agents who work undercover to save women from dangerous situations.
Jessie was a really great main character; she's tough and resourceful, if impulsive and reckless. There were so many tight situations she wormed her way out of that it had me in absolute awe. After a reckless decision early in the book, Jessie finds herself operating without the help of Athena for a lot of the book, and it's really great at showing how clever she really is and how much she cares about the people in her life, even when they've abandoned her.
And a lot of the book focuses on the people in Jessie's life. There's Kit, Jessie's mother, whom she has a very complicated relationship with; her teammates, Hala and Caitlin, and the two other leaders of Athena, Li and Peggy. The Athena Protocol explores all these relationships in depth, but the one that fascinated me most was Jessie and Kit, which is one of the most complex and real mother/daughter relationships I've read in YA. In addition, Jessie and the daughter of the human trafficker Athena is taking down, Paulina, spend a lot of the book flirting. Jessie being queer was so lowkey in the story, but it was nice.
One thing that bothered me, however, was that Jessie didn't seem like a teenager; if the book wasn't YA, I'd have pegged her for twenty-four, minimum, and I don't think the book ever directly says her age but I really can't see her or frankly any of the characters as younger than nineteen. They all seem far too experienced and mature.
The plot made the book practically unputdownable. Jessie gets herself in and out of so many dangerous situations that the book had me on the edge of my seat. The people that Athena go after are wholly evil, human traffickers, corrupted politicians and the like, so the cathartic need to see bad things happen to them also kept me reading. It's tense and packed with action but leaves a lot of moments for emotional beats.
If you like a good, fast-paced story about clever women and justice, definitely pick up The Athena Protocol. It entirely succeeds in being a fun, fast, well-crafted spy thriller, and leaves room for a sequel that I will definitely be hoping for.
content warnings | human trafficking, rape mentions
representation | sapphic main character, characters of colour (arab, black, chinese)
July 8, 2020
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Edelweiss, Fantastic Flying Book Club, and HarperTeen for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.
Content Warning:
Human Trafficking, Death, Violence
Like I was mentioning above, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got this one, but I am so thankful that I read it. I was in love with this novel from the beginning – you know, besides the bad stuff that happened but it worked so well – and the premise was really enjoyable to read.
This totally gave me Charlie’s Angels vibes, and I was so happy to see that the Athenas were created to save girls from human trafficking, by most means necessary. They are experts in combat and espionage, and that was honestly so hot. I love what their mission is all about, and honestly there needs to be something like that in real life, if there isn’t already. I think this was even cooler than the missions I’ve seen in Charlie’s Angels, but I’m not about to girl on girl hate for a silly reason like that.
I was so upset about what happened with Jessie, our MC, because I feel like it wasn’t really something she should have been faulted for. I understand that the Athenas never kill, but sometimes if they have no choice, can’t they make an exception? I don’t know what that says about the kind of person I am, but if Jessie is able to kill someone to save the lives of so many girls from being trafficked, mistreated, and even murdered, then why should that be punished so harshly?
It always kills me when someone ends up being hunted by those they were initially close to, and they have to think out of the box in order to save their own lives from being snuffed out by their former partners. Those kinds of story-lines hurt me to my core, but it makes me wonder which ones of the former partners will end up doing what is right, versus what their orders are. Is it better to be the good soldier who doesn’t question orders, or to be cognizant of the decisions we have to make, and do what’s actually right.
Decisions, decisions.
I’d totally love to see this as a movie or something. The imagery was just great, and I was so rooting for Jessie to prove herself again in the Athenas’ eyes, even though I knew that she was worth way more than she believed.
Go read this, friends!
Content Warning:
Human Trafficking, Death, Violence
Like I was mentioning above, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got this one, but I am so thankful that I read it. I was in love with this novel from the beginning – you know, besides the bad stuff that happened but it worked so well – and the premise was really enjoyable to read.
This totally gave me Charlie’s Angels vibes, and I was so happy to see that the Athenas were created to save girls from human trafficking, by most means necessary. They are experts in combat and espionage, and that was honestly so hot. I love what their mission is all about, and honestly there needs to be something like that in real life, if there isn’t already. I think this was even cooler than the missions I’ve seen in Charlie’s Angels, but I’m not about to girl on girl hate for a silly reason like that.
I was so upset about what happened with Jessie, our MC, because I feel like it wasn’t really something she should have been faulted for. I understand that the Athenas never kill, but sometimes if they have no choice, can’t they make an exception? I don’t know what that says about the kind of person I am, but if Jessie is able to kill someone to save the lives of so many girls from being trafficked, mistreated, and even murdered, then why should that be punished so harshly?
It always kills me when someone ends up being hunted by those they were initially close to, and they have to think out of the box in order to save their own lives from being snuffed out by their former partners. Those kinds of story-lines hurt me to my core, but it makes me wonder which ones of the former partners will end up doing what is right, versus what their orders are. Is it better to be the good soldier who doesn’t question orders, or to be cognizant of the decisions we have to make, and do what’s actually right.
Decisions, decisions.
I’d totally love to see this as a movie or something. The imagery was just great, and I was so rooting for Jessie to prove herself again in the Athenas’ eyes, even though I knew that she was worth way more than she believed.
Go read this, friends!
September 24, 2019
The Athena Protocol in a gist: Lady spies serve justice to the human scum of the world--MOTHER.EFFING.YES.
The character growth is strong with this one. It is so nice and refreshing to see concrete character development! Jessie starts her journey in a REALLY bad place; having had her first kill. She raises some good questions to herself--is it really terrible of her to kill a man who was trafficking women and was not going to stop? Is it up to her to decide? Why shouldn't she take justice into her own hands? Does that make her equally as bad? These are questions she restless with...also her sassy quips and arrogance.
THE ROMANCE. Slooow burning. Uuuuffffff the thirst within me is very real. I was so into the heroine being into the daughter of the human trafficking gangster. Paulina was just so enchanting and the chemistry between Jessie and her was electric. I loved how vulnerable Jessie was when she was with Paulina, and vice versa. Kind of gave me "Killing Eve" vibes ;)
The relationships are terrific! The author takes her time to build the connections between characters; the three agents (Jessie, Hala, and Caitlin), the three founders of Athena (Li, Kit, and Peggy), and even more side characters (Thomas, Amber, Paulina). Every single one of them has their own thing going on that makes them feel like a real person and not just someone who is there to fill a role and I appreciate that. I also love the complicated relationship between Jessie, Hala and Caitlin. They are a team, but a new-ish team who are still getting to know and trust each other.
COMPLICATED PARENTAL RELATIONSHIPS that feel very genuine/real (also, the parent is not DEAD on this one... are you sure this is YA?). Very front and center is the relationship between Jessie and her country singer/star mother, Kit. Kit spent most of Jessie's childhood on the road, and only when Jessie was old enough did she settle down and started Athena with the rest of the founders (that backstory is SO sad and chilling). She invited Jessie to join, but Jessie spends most of the novel still resenting her for the lost childhood.
My own complaint? The Athena Protocol does not feel like a YA read. I might have missed it, but I thought the characters are in their twenties, not YA age. Which would make this more "New Adult". Believe it or not that genre (is it officially a genre?) can produce quality reads! So I was very confused when I read this is being promoted as being YA. Doesn't feel like it at all as you read it (not that young adults couldn't read it and enjoy it!)
I am so looking forward to the sequel! Maybe it will be from the POV of another character, maybe Hana? I feel like Jessie is in a good place by the end, so it would be interesting to see this world through Hana's POV (and her story will be the most complicated come the sequel).
The character growth is strong with this one. It is so nice and refreshing to see concrete character development! Jessie starts her journey in a REALLY bad place; having had her first kill. She raises some good questions to herself--is it really terrible of her to kill a man who was trafficking women and was not going to stop? Is it up to her to decide? Why shouldn't she take justice into her own hands? Does that make her equally as bad? These are questions she restless with...also her sassy quips and arrogance.
THE ROMANCE. Slooow burning. Uuuuffffff the thirst within me is very real. I was so into the heroine being into the daughter of the human trafficking gangster. Paulina was just so enchanting and the chemistry between Jessie and her was electric. I loved how vulnerable Jessie was when she was with Paulina, and vice versa. Kind of gave me "Killing Eve" vibes ;)
The relationships are terrific! The author takes her time to build the connections between characters; the three agents (Jessie, Hala, and Caitlin), the three founders of Athena (Li, Kit, and Peggy), and even more side characters (Thomas, Amber, Paulina). Every single one of them has their own thing going on that makes them feel like a real person and not just someone who is there to fill a role and I appreciate that. I also love the complicated relationship between Jessie, Hala and Caitlin. They are a team, but a new-ish team who are still getting to know and trust each other.
COMPLICATED PARENTAL RELATIONSHIPS that feel very genuine/real (also, the parent is not DEAD on this one... are you sure this is YA?). Very front and center is the relationship between Jessie and her country singer/star mother, Kit. Kit spent most of Jessie's childhood on the road, and only when Jessie was old enough did she settle down and started Athena with the rest of the founders (that backstory is SO sad and chilling). She invited Jessie to join, but Jessie spends most of the novel still resenting her for the lost childhood.
My own complaint? The Athena Protocol does not feel like a YA read. I might have missed it, but I thought the characters are in their twenties, not YA age. Which would make this more "New Adult". Believe it or not that genre (is it officially a genre?) can produce quality reads! So I was very confused when I read this is being promoted as being YA. Doesn't feel like it at all as you read it (not that young adults couldn't read it and enjoy it!)
I am so looking forward to the sequel! Maybe it will be from the POV of another character, maybe Hana? I feel like Jessie is in a good place by the end, so it would be interesting to see this world through Hana's POV (and her story will be the most complicated come the sequel).
October 9, 2019
Jessie Archer is a member of the Athena Protocol, a secret all-female organisation that targets dangerous criminals around the world. The organisation is very strict on their methods to make sure that the criminals are imprisoned but never killed. When Jessie takes matters into her own hands and kills a malicious villain, she gets kicked out of the organisation before an important mission to take down a human trafficker in Belgrade. As she goes rogue to prove herself worthy, she’ll need to watch her back from the criminals, her own organisation and from the enigmatic and attractive daughter of the human trafficker…
Ms. Sarif is quite a versatile author, she has written romance, historical fiction and, now with ‘The Athena Protocol’, a young adult action book. She’s also an award-winning filmmaker who has adapted her own books to the big screen. All her works have different audiences and expectations but she doesn’t fail to deliver and this book is no exception. This is an action-packed page-turner, Jessie being like a kind of Jane Bond, together with advanced firearms, sophisticated spy gadgets and fancy vehicles. Like the film franchise, don’t expect this novel to be totally realistic but it surely is entertaining as hell.
Written in first person from the point of view of Jessie, the readers see the world from her teenager eyes that have seen and experienced beyond her age. She’s a great character to hang around with her sarcasm, her sense of duty, her confused feelings for the villain’s daughter, and her conflicted relationships with her mother and colleagues. While there is a love interest, I wouldn’t go as far as to call this a romance. The secondary characters are all well-written and have distinctive personality traits. The end doesn’t leave a cliffhanger but suggests that there might be a sequel coming which I would love to read.
Overall, a very entertaining and action-packed young adult book aimed at a teen audience but that the adults might enjoy. 5 stars.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
See all my reviews at www.lezreviewbooks.com
Ms. Sarif is quite a versatile author, she has written romance, historical fiction and, now with ‘The Athena Protocol’, a young adult action book. She’s also an award-winning filmmaker who has adapted her own books to the big screen. All her works have different audiences and expectations but she doesn’t fail to deliver and this book is no exception. This is an action-packed page-turner, Jessie being like a kind of Jane Bond, together with advanced firearms, sophisticated spy gadgets and fancy vehicles. Like the film franchise, don’t expect this novel to be totally realistic but it surely is entertaining as hell.
Written in first person from the point of view of Jessie, the readers see the world from her teenager eyes that have seen and experienced beyond her age. She’s a great character to hang around with her sarcasm, her sense of duty, her confused feelings for the villain’s daughter, and her conflicted relationships with her mother and colleagues. While there is a love interest, I wouldn’t go as far as to call this a romance. The secondary characters are all well-written and have distinctive personality traits. The end doesn’t leave a cliffhanger but suggests that there might be a sequel coming which I would love to read.
Overall, a very entertaining and action-packed young adult book aimed at a teen audience but that the adults might enjoy. 5 stars.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
See all my reviews at www.lezreviewbooks.com
June 24, 2020
This read comes from another one of my online library sprawls and honestly, I think it's pretty close to the real thing. (essentially I choose a collection and start borrowing based on the cover/title and sometimes the summary)
Some books turn out great, while others are ..... meh
Gripping for the moment, but a little woozy on holding my interest.
I like to rewrite summaries so here's mine:
Jessie messed up. By neglecting to follow protocol, she's lost her job, her team, and the next mission. But she isn't about to call it quits just because she got fired.
And because I also like to write reviews here's mine:
The cover is gorgeous. The main character sucks. The action exists. And the chemistry...is sizzling .
I think the plot was pretty good. There were enough twists to keep me on edge and the action scenes were pretty intense too. Maybe not teeth-clenching-ly intense, but definitely enough to make you want to sit on the floor so you don't fall off your chair. The whole setup was nice too, everything sorta fit together, and there were no real problems with the plot.
Now let's get to the MC. I don't know what it was about her character, but I just didn't like it. Maybe it was how she couldn't figure out for the life of her what she wanted. If you hate your mom, then hate your mom. If you forgive your mom, then act like it. I think there were times were her actions and her thoughts seemed a little bratty and fickle which nagged at me a bit.
How was I supposed to believe that she would come up with these (very ingenious) plans, but unable to think empathetically? (Ok as I write this down I realize these are two different things entirely and you don't need one to have the other. But her character kinda sucked for someone who was so gungho about saving women)
The chemistry....otherwise known as romance. It was sweet and it was short. It was very subtle and I very much liked that. I think what Sarif did there was good. Sometimes though, it seemed like the MC had no idea what would come out of her investigations. Like the next step just fell into her lap.
Overall, this was not a bad book. I think it is very possible I was not in the mood for this book, and did not have the patience for this character. I usually like to comment on character development as well. But in this book there wasn't a lot, there was definitely a bit, but not enough to bother commenting.
Some books turn out great, while others are ..... meh
Gripping for the moment, but a little woozy on holding my interest.
I like to rewrite summaries so here's mine:
Jessie messed up. By neglecting to follow protocol, she's lost her job, her team, and the next mission. But she isn't about to call it quits just because she got fired.
And because I also like to write reviews here's mine:
The cover is gorgeous. The main character sucks. The action exists. And the chemistry...is sizzling .
I think the plot was pretty good. There were enough twists to keep me on edge and the action scenes were pretty intense too. Maybe not teeth-clenching-ly intense, but definitely enough to make you want to sit on the floor so you don't fall off your chair. The whole setup was nice too, everything sorta fit together, and there were no real problems with the plot.
Now let's get to the MC. I don't know what it was about her character, but I just didn't like it. Maybe it was how she couldn't figure out for the life of her what she wanted. If you hate your mom, then hate your mom. If you forgive your mom, then act like it. I think there were times were her actions and her thoughts seemed a little bratty and fickle which nagged at me a bit.
How was I supposed to believe that she would come up with these (very ingenious) plans, but unable to think empathetically? (Ok as I write this down I realize these are two different things entirely and you don't need one to have the other. But her character kinda sucked for someone who was so gungho about saving women)
The chemistry....otherwise known as romance. It was sweet and it was short. It was very subtle and I very much liked that. I think what Sarif did there was good. Sometimes though, it seemed like the MC had no idea what would come out of her investigations. Like the next step just fell into her lap.
Overall, this was not a bad book. I think it is very possible I was not in the mood for this book, and did not have the patience for this character. I usually like to comment on character development as well. But in this book there wasn't a lot, there was definitely a bit, but not enough to bother commenting.
October 18, 2019
*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Thriller, Mystery
*Rating* 3.5
*Thoughts*
The Athena Protocol is the first installment in the author's yet to be named duology with The Shadow Mission following next year. The Athena Protocol is a secret spy agency of diverse female women who bring justice to the world's evil all over the globe. It was founded by three women (Peggy Delaney, Kit Love, & Li Chen) that uses young, brilliant, diverse, ultra-skilled female operatives (Jessie, Hala, & Caitlin) to save the women and girls of the world from kidnappers and traffickers who the world has ignored.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
*Genre* Thriller, Mystery
*Rating* 3.5
*Thoughts*
The Athena Protocol is the first installment in the author's yet to be named duology with The Shadow Mission following next year. The Athena Protocol is a secret spy agency of diverse female women who bring justice to the world's evil all over the globe. It was founded by three women (Peggy Delaney, Kit Love, & Li Chen) that uses young, brilliant, diverse, ultra-skilled female operatives (Jessie, Hala, & Caitlin) to save the women and girls of the world from kidnappers and traffickers who the world has ignored.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
August 15, 2020
My Rating: 4 stars
In The Athena Protocol, the members are never supposed to shoot to kill. So when Jessie messes up and can't stop herself from shooting to kill - even if it was just one time - she faces serious consequences, such as getting kicked out of Athena, an all-woman vigilante justice group that takes on missions across the globe to better it. Jessie gets kicked out right before a major mission to Belgrade to take down a major human trafficker, and she feels that she has to launch her own investigation. Going rogue means that she doesn't have anyone to watch her back, and she needs to do double the work because her former teammates have orders to take her down. Will Jessie be able to face both sides of danger and survive?
My Breakdown:
- Right, I know my book summary is terrible, but I wrote this first thing in the morning right after I finished it, so my brain isn't working properly. We are going to let this slide.
- If you know anything about me, I am a total sucker for heists, so when I heard about this book, I just had to pick it up. And I think I made a good decision because this Carmen Sandiego -esque (because, no, I have not seen a James Bond film, so this is the closest I can get to a comparison) book was very good. I loved the idea of Athena and seeing the base and all the missions were very, very cool.
- One of the things that I found very funny was that Jessie went rogue and her former teammates had orders to bring her down, but she still continued to relay information back to Athena and help them out. It was like, dude, they're trying to arrest you! But it makes sense, considering Jessie's own mother is one of the founders of Athena and all she's known, ever since she was a teenager, was Athena.
- I just liked how Jessie was running around Belgrade taking names and kicking ass, quite literally. It was badass. Especially a woman a couple years older than me doing it? Epic as hell! She was resourceful, impulsive, reckless, and really, really smart. I was left in awe with how many situations she was able to worm herself out of. I also loved how she kept talking about how others impact her life and that she wouldn't be who she is without them.
- Seeing the Athena base and all of the technology was really cool as well. It was all sleek and innovation, and it made me wish I was a member of Athena, just so I can be a part of the cool technology and stuff like that!
- In some parts of the book, however, the writing got a bit flat. Jessie got a bit annoying and a little boring, but that never lasted more than a couple of pages, and for this book, I am going to let it slide because I really liked the heists.
- I'm not going to get started on the antagonist because I really just straight-up hated them. I mean, who could do such a thing? I get that desperate times call for desperate measures, but one should never stoop to such a level of terribleness. But it does happen, unfortunately, and there are corrupt world leaders that gain too much from exploiting others that they aren't willing to stop it.
- Overall, this book was pretty good. 4 stars because of the epic heists and badass girls doing them. If you love thrillers and spy flicks, this book is for you.
---
Rep: queer MC (unspecified), Syrian side character, Black side character, Chinese side character, queer LI (unspecified)
TW for book: human trafficking, organ harvesting, arson (mentioned), murder, war in Iraq (mentioned), terrorism in Syria (mentioned), rape (mentioned)
In The Athena Protocol, the members are never supposed to shoot to kill. So when Jessie messes up and can't stop herself from shooting to kill - even if it was just one time - she faces serious consequences, such as getting kicked out of Athena, an all-woman vigilante justice group that takes on missions across the globe to better it. Jessie gets kicked out right before a major mission to Belgrade to take down a major human trafficker, and she feels that she has to launch her own investigation. Going rogue means that she doesn't have anyone to watch her back, and she needs to do double the work because her former teammates have orders to take her down. Will Jessie be able to face both sides of danger and survive?
My Breakdown:
- Right, I know my book summary is terrible, but I wrote this first thing in the morning right after I finished it, so my brain isn't working properly. We are going to let this slide.
- If you know anything about me, I am a total sucker for heists, so when I heard about this book, I just had to pick it up. And I think I made a good decision because this Carmen Sandiego -esque (because, no, I have not seen a James Bond film, so this is the closest I can get to a comparison) book was very good. I loved the idea of Athena and seeing the base and all the missions were very, very cool.
- One of the things that I found very funny was that Jessie went rogue and her former teammates had orders to bring her down, but she still continued to relay information back to Athena and help them out. It was like, dude, they're trying to arrest you! But it makes sense, considering Jessie's own mother is one of the founders of Athena and all she's known, ever since she was a teenager, was Athena.
- I just liked how Jessie was running around Belgrade taking names and kicking ass, quite literally. It was badass. Especially a woman a couple years older than me doing it? Epic as hell! She was resourceful, impulsive, reckless, and really, really smart. I was left in awe with how many situations she was able to worm herself out of. I also loved how she kept talking about how others impact her life and that she wouldn't be who she is without them.
- Seeing the Athena base and all of the technology was really cool as well. It was all sleek and innovation, and it made me wish I was a member of Athena, just so I can be a part of the cool technology and stuff like that!
- In some parts of the book, however, the writing got a bit flat. Jessie got a bit annoying and a little boring, but that never lasted more than a couple of pages, and for this book, I am going to let it slide because I really liked the heists.
- I'm not going to get started on the antagonist because I really just straight-up hated them. I mean, who could do such a thing? I get that desperate times call for desperate measures, but one should never stoop to such a level of terribleness. But it does happen, unfortunately, and there are corrupt world leaders that gain too much from exploiting others that they aren't willing to stop it.
- Overall, this book was pretty good. 4 stars because of the epic heists and badass girls doing them. If you love thrillers and spy flicks, this book is for you.
---
Rep: queer MC (unspecified), Syrian side character, Black side character, Chinese side character, queer LI (unspecified)
TW for book: human trafficking, organ harvesting, arson (mentioned), murder, war in Iraq (mentioned), terrorism in Syria (mentioned), rape (mentioned)
August 7, 2020
I was expecting so much from this book and boy was I let down.
This book follows a poc rogue agency that takes on the jobs that the world governments either can’t or won’t take on. Sounds amazing right?
We also follow a diverse cast who all get their time to shine and their background explored. So far, so good.
Unfortunately, lacklustre writing and a run of the mill plot links turned what could have been an amazing poc lgbtq+ book into a boring book that I wasn’t interested in.
This book follows a poc rogue agency that takes on the jobs that the world governments either can’t or won’t take on. Sounds amazing right?
We also follow a diverse cast who all get their time to shine and their background explored. So far, so good.
Unfortunately, lacklustre writing and a run of the mill plot links turned what could have been an amazing poc lgbtq+ book into a boring book that I wasn’t interested in.
December 1, 2020
My streak continues of "it's not you, it's me." The Athena Protocol was a neat take on the traditionally male-centered spy novel. I loved the number of strong women in this book and Athena's focus on helping women and children. The middle of the book was surprisingly slow but it did allow for some time to get to know our main character, Jessie, a bit better. I found the story engrossing though Jessie's tendency to whine and act impulsively frustrated me at times.
C/W:
C/W:
October 5, 2019
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Nathalie DeFelice
Spy stories aren’t usually my thing. I’ll even admit that I wasn’t really hooked when I started reading this book. Everything changed around chapter four, and I was suddenly transported into this world of young women fighting against the oppression of women, and the dangers that accompany the young women in this world. Not only that, but I got to see relationships with women that were beneficial, rather than toxic to each other, forming strong bonds of sisterhood and friendship. The story was thrilling, and will keep you on your toes until the very end, and I quite enjoyed getting to read it. There are some stronger themes in this book, so I might approach with caution if you’re uncomfortable reading about death and violence (especially against women), and human trafficking. Although I did notice that the ages in this book are not really in the teens anymore, so that might also be something to consider.
In The Athena Protocol, we meet Jessie Archer, a member of the aforementioned agency, who enact their own version of vigilante justice around the world. The Athena operatives never shoot anyone to kill, therefore, when Jessie is a little too trigger happy, she’s kicked out of the agency, just before a big operation to take down a human trafficking operation in Belgrade. In order to right her wrong and prove herself to the agency, she goes rogue, with no one watching her back as she uncovers horrors worse than she’d originally thought. With her old teammates hunting her down, and the clock running out on catching the criminals, Jessie will face danger from all sides if she’s going to complete the mission, and survive.
As I said in the beginning, I didn’t really start getting into the book until around chapter four and I think it’s because there isn’t enough background at the start of the story to get me invested in these characters. Jessie is compelling for sure, but I felt that there was something off about her at the beginning. Her teammates seemed nice enough, but I couldn’t see how they connected with one another until around chapter four. Around there is where things start to get really interesting. It seems as though Jessie is living a little too much like a soldier mindlessly following orders, despite her previous actions. Once I truly got to know the personality that Jessie had, it was definitely a more interesting journey. She’s funny, and reckless, and a little wild. Most importantly, she’s angry. Unfortunately for her, that anger rages a little too uncontrollably at times, making this a little more difficult.
The plot itself moves along very quickly, and suddenly we find ourselves in Belgrade, doing some very dangerous things. There are several nail-biting moments throughout the book where you’re wondering who’s the culprit, and there’s definitely a couple of wicked twists thrown in there. I love the little details that are worked in about the mission that Jessie is on, and just how she’s doing what she’s doing. And of course, I can’t forget about the romance(s) going on in the book.
We’ve got some serious slow burn romances going on in The Athena Protocol. Like glacial movement slow (although with global warming, it might not be the best analogy anymore), which honestly made me a little mad. This was the story where I wanted to see a little more where these relationships went, especially Jessie’s. I can’t go much further than that without spoiling some of the story, so I’ll stop there.
This story is definitely about the bonds of sisterhood, and the relationships between women, and I really enjoyed how this was explored in the book. It transcends age, cultures, and stereotypes. These are women that are supposed to have each other’s backs because as we’ve seen in the synopsis, their type of work isn’t necessarily legal. The betrayals between these women definitely hurt, but seeing them lift each other up is so much more satisfying. The ending for me was something that I would love to see in more novels.
Despite its slow start, I think The Athena Protocol is a worthy read. I rate it a 7/10 stars, and encourage you to pick it up if you like fast paced spy stories. It’s an exhilarating read with some very complex characters, and you’ll want to stay because of how the girls treat each other in this story. Men are definitely not the ones doing any damsel rescuing in this one.
Spy stories aren’t usually my thing. I’ll even admit that I wasn’t really hooked when I started reading this book. Everything changed around chapter four, and I was suddenly transported into this world of young women fighting against the oppression of women, and the dangers that accompany the young women in this world. Not only that, but I got to see relationships with women that were beneficial, rather than toxic to each other, forming strong bonds of sisterhood and friendship. The story was thrilling, and will keep you on your toes until the very end, and I quite enjoyed getting to read it. There are some stronger themes in this book, so I might approach with caution if you’re uncomfortable reading about death and violence (especially against women), and human trafficking. Although I did notice that the ages in this book are not really in the teens anymore, so that might also be something to consider.
In The Athena Protocol, we meet Jessie Archer, a member of the aforementioned agency, who enact their own version of vigilante justice around the world. The Athena operatives never shoot anyone to kill, therefore, when Jessie is a little too trigger happy, she’s kicked out of the agency, just before a big operation to take down a human trafficking operation in Belgrade. In order to right her wrong and prove herself to the agency, she goes rogue, with no one watching her back as she uncovers horrors worse than she’d originally thought. With her old teammates hunting her down, and the clock running out on catching the criminals, Jessie will face danger from all sides if she’s going to complete the mission, and survive.
As I said in the beginning, I didn’t really start getting into the book until around chapter four and I think it’s because there isn’t enough background at the start of the story to get me invested in these characters. Jessie is compelling for sure, but I felt that there was something off about her at the beginning. Her teammates seemed nice enough, but I couldn’t see how they connected with one another until around chapter four. Around there is where things start to get really interesting. It seems as though Jessie is living a little too much like a soldier mindlessly following orders, despite her previous actions. Once I truly got to know the personality that Jessie had, it was definitely a more interesting journey. She’s funny, and reckless, and a little wild. Most importantly, she’s angry. Unfortunately for her, that anger rages a little too uncontrollably at times, making this a little more difficult.
The plot itself moves along very quickly, and suddenly we find ourselves in Belgrade, doing some very dangerous things. There are several nail-biting moments throughout the book where you’re wondering who’s the culprit, and there’s definitely a couple of wicked twists thrown in there. I love the little details that are worked in about the mission that Jessie is on, and just how she’s doing what she’s doing. And of course, I can’t forget about the romance(s) going on in the book.
We’ve got some serious slow burn romances going on in The Athena Protocol. Like glacial movement slow (although with global warming, it might not be the best analogy anymore), which honestly made me a little mad. This was the story where I wanted to see a little more where these relationships went, especially Jessie’s. I can’t go much further than that without spoiling some of the story, so I’ll stop there.
This story is definitely about the bonds of sisterhood, and the relationships between women, and I really enjoyed how this was explored in the book. It transcends age, cultures, and stereotypes. These are women that are supposed to have each other’s backs because as we’ve seen in the synopsis, their type of work isn’t necessarily legal. The betrayals between these women definitely hurt, but seeing them lift each other up is so much more satisfying. The ending for me was something that I would love to see in more novels.
Despite its slow start, I think The Athena Protocol is a worthy read. I rate it a 7/10 stars, and encourage you to pick it up if you like fast paced spy stories. It’s an exhilarating read with some very complex characters, and you’ll want to stay because of how the girls treat each other in this story. Men are definitely not the ones doing any damsel rescuing in this one.
January 30, 2022
This is so fucking awesome!
I'd totally watch the movie if it ever comes out.
I'd totally watch the movie if it ever comes out.
Want to read
July 21, 2020Mission Imposible, but with an all girls organization and queer....
Okay, I’ll bite.
Okay, I’ll bite.
September 21, 2019
The Athena Protocol is a fantastic YA action thriller with a whole cast of strong and diverse women who are unafraid to take risks to bring the bad guys down. High action scenes, surveillance with cool tech, hand-to-hand combat and sniper shootouts all with a positive message about working together, family, belonging and righting the wrongs of the world. I seriously loved this book and can’t wait to see where the next book in the series leads.
Jessie is part of the Athena Protocol, a secret group of three highly-trained female operatives led by a group of powerful women. Jessie may only be young, but she has been trained by the best of the best in surveillance, combat, research, weapons, coding, and hacking. Which is why she and her team are surprised when, on their most recent mission, Jessie breaks orders and shoots their target. Suspended from the team, Jessie knows they will need her help as they go after a human trafficker with extensive resources. So, Jessie does her own research and fieldwork, but going rouge means she is without the support of her teammates and when things get really dangerous, she will have to watch her back.
This book is about some serious girl power. Even the love interest is a woman (Jessie is LGBT). I loved the reasons given for these women to have come together to bring justice down on those who think they are outside the law. The glimpses of backstories are just are interesting as the real-time action and I hope we find out more about each operative as the series progresses.
Jessie makes for a brilliant protagonist. She is undoubtably talented and highly trained. She is good at what she can do (like shoot, defuse bombs and hack a security system), but she is also flawed (like all people are) in being a little bit too confident and not relying on her team enough. She has a few things to learn in the course of the book but it is also really easy for the reader to see her side of the story and be rooting for her to show everyone just how much they need her back on the team.
Diverse characters, serious girl power, non-stop action — The Athena Protocol will thrill readers and leave them begging for more.
The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.
Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library
Jessie is part of the Athena Protocol, a secret group of three highly-trained female operatives led by a group of powerful women. Jessie may only be young, but she has been trained by the best of the best in surveillance, combat, research, weapons, coding, and hacking. Which is why she and her team are surprised when, on their most recent mission, Jessie breaks orders and shoots their target. Suspended from the team, Jessie knows they will need her help as they go after a human trafficker with extensive resources. So, Jessie does her own research and fieldwork, but going rouge means she is without the support of her teammates and when things get really dangerous, she will have to watch her back.
This book is about some serious girl power. Even the love interest is a woman (Jessie is LGBT). I loved the reasons given for these women to have come together to bring justice down on those who think they are outside the law. The glimpses of backstories are just are interesting as the real-time action and I hope we find out more about each operative as the series progresses.
Jessie makes for a brilliant protagonist. She is undoubtably talented and highly trained. She is good at what she can do (like shoot, defuse bombs and hack a security system), but she is also flawed (like all people are) in being a little bit too confident and not relying on her team enough. She has a few things to learn in the course of the book but it is also really easy for the reader to see her side of the story and be rooting for her to show everyone just how much they need her back on the team.
Diverse characters, serious girl power, non-stop action — The Athena Protocol will thrill readers and leave them begging for more.
The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.
Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library
Want to read
September 9, 2020Why am I getting major Black Widow vibes from both the cover and the synopsis? (I'm probably just physically craving that movie... anyway, this books sounds like a great way to read out of my comfort zone and I'M HERE FOR IT!)
October 23, 2019
super badass!
February 22, 2021
Teresa - per RFS
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Athena Protocol non è il classico libro che tratta una spy story, è molto di più. Tutta la narrazione si incentra su un’organizzazione privata e segreta, gestita esclusivamente da donne per proteggere non solo quelle maltrattate, ma anche in generale i più deboli… è una storia che ti cattura dalla prima pagina. Sì, è proprio così, perché non è solo fatta di pura azione, ma ci sono presenti anche riflessioni importanti: donne abusate, sfruttate e il senso di giustizia.
La protagonista Jessie è fantastica, come il resto dei personaggi ideati che ti trascinano a pieno in questa storia alla mission impossible tutta in rosa. Di lei ho amato il suo mostrarsi sempre una donna forte con un grande senso di prontezza, una lucidità che le permette di essere davvero brava nel suo lavoro. Nonostante Jassie sia così, mantiene sempre il suo lato umano, soprattutto verso le altre agenti. Se fa scelte discutibili che mettono in pericolo, è solo perché non sempre crede che le decisioni prese dai suoi capi siano giuste o che il loro fine lo sia. Infatti, dopo aver stabilito cosa fare mettendosi anche in contrasto con i suoi superiori, viene allontanata dall’agenzia e dalle missioni ed è allora che Jessie decide di operare da sola. Pensa che questo possa essere il modo per riconquistare la fiducia del team; la sua intraprendenza la metterà in serio pericolo, ma con caparbietà riuscirà a dimostrare che le sue scelte si basano su fondamenta solide.
Le descrizioni all’interno del libro non sono molte e, secondo me, giuste, non le definirei crude nonostante il tema, anzi sono ottime per uno spy. Oltre a ciò la storia narrata sembra quasi raccontare di una vera missione e che l’agenzia esista veramente.
Nulla è scontato, l’autrice con grande abilità riesce a far evolvere la trama con spunti sempre interessanti, mai cadendo nel banale. Le semplici ambientazioni, le missioni, tutto vi cattura e vi delizia. Non posso che esserne rimasta affascinata.
Vi consiglio questa storia fantastica, non solo per il genere e i temi trattati, ma per la stessa autrice, la cui penna… ho adorato.
.
Athena Protocol non è il classico libro che tratta una spy story, è molto di più. Tutta la narrazione si incentra su un’organizzazione privata e segreta, gestita esclusivamente da donne per proteggere non solo quelle maltrattate, ma anche in generale i più deboli… è una storia che ti cattura dalla prima pagina. Sì, è proprio così, perché non è solo fatta di pura azione, ma ci sono presenti anche riflessioni importanti: donne abusate, sfruttate e il senso di giustizia.
La protagonista Jessie è fantastica, come il resto dei personaggi ideati che ti trascinano a pieno in questa storia alla mission impossible tutta in rosa. Di lei ho amato il suo mostrarsi sempre una donna forte con un grande senso di prontezza, una lucidità che le permette di essere davvero brava nel suo lavoro. Nonostante Jassie sia così, mantiene sempre il suo lato umano, soprattutto verso le altre agenti. Se fa scelte discutibili che mettono in pericolo, è solo perché non sempre crede che le decisioni prese dai suoi capi siano giuste o che il loro fine lo sia. Infatti, dopo aver stabilito cosa fare mettendosi anche in contrasto con i suoi superiori, viene allontanata dall’agenzia e dalle missioni ed è allora che Jessie decide di operare da sola. Pensa che questo possa essere il modo per riconquistare la fiducia del team; la sua intraprendenza la metterà in serio pericolo, ma con caparbietà riuscirà a dimostrare che le sue scelte si basano su fondamenta solide.
Le descrizioni all’interno del libro non sono molte e, secondo me, giuste, non le definirei crude nonostante il tema, anzi sono ottime per uno spy. Oltre a ciò la storia narrata sembra quasi raccontare di una vera missione e che l’agenzia esista veramente.
Nulla è scontato, l’autrice con grande abilità riesce a far evolvere la trama con spunti sempre interessanti, mai cadendo nel banale. Le semplici ambientazioni, le missioni, tutto vi cattura e vi delizia. Non posso che esserne rimasta affascinata.
Vi consiglio questa storia fantastica, non solo per il genere e i temi trattati, ma per la stessa autrice, la cui penna… ho adorato.
October 3, 2019
Whoa... This book was a non-stop action thriller from the first page to the last with Jessie being a kick-ass protagonist. A spy thriller like this, I haven't read in recent times, maybe never, this would make a brilliant action movie.
The book dealt with the issues of human trafficking where Athena was the covert operational agency started by 3 women who wanted to make a difference and 3 operatives who did all the work. Jessie was one of the operatives, who took a decision against their protocol and was kicked out. With her mother going on another operation and Jessie's instincts warning her against it, she knew she had to take action.
My first book by author Shamim Sarif, the book was a bundle of pulsations. It thrummed with a beat so fast that I couldn't help but surrender myself completely into its emotions. This was an all-girls team which made me pump my fist in air with happiness. The scenes felt that it had been loaded on pure adrenaline.
The characters had their skirmishes, but they were supportive of each other. Jessie's heart was in the right place. I understood why she felt the need to wipe the earth clean of people who abuse women. Her relationship with her mother was rocky, but the bond of love was evident. Jessie was quite complex in characterization yet simple and clear in her thoughts.
The writing could have been smoother, but I also understood that a spy thriller often is choppy just like its scenes. The story was straightforward with action and reactions.
There was romance, but I didn't give it much weight as it were the other scenes which fired up my imagination. I often see myself as a kick-ass heroine with a gun and knife. So Jessie fit right into my imagery.
Overall, this was a thrilling read which skyrocketed right into my hemisphere and blew me away.
The book dealt with the issues of human trafficking where Athena was the covert operational agency started by 3 women who wanted to make a difference and 3 operatives who did all the work. Jessie was one of the operatives, who took a decision against their protocol and was kicked out. With her mother going on another operation and Jessie's instincts warning her against it, she knew she had to take action.
My first book by author Shamim Sarif, the book was a bundle of pulsations. It thrummed with a beat so fast that I couldn't help but surrender myself completely into its emotions. This was an all-girls team which made me pump my fist in air with happiness. The scenes felt that it had been loaded on pure adrenaline.
The characters had their skirmishes, but they were supportive of each other. Jessie's heart was in the right place. I understood why she felt the need to wipe the earth clean of people who abuse women. Her relationship with her mother was rocky, but the bond of love was evident. Jessie was quite complex in characterization yet simple and clear in her thoughts.
The writing could have been smoother, but I also understood that a spy thriller often is choppy just like its scenes. The story was straightforward with action and reactions.
There was romance, but I didn't give it much weight as it were the other scenes which fired up my imagination. I often see myself as a kick-ass heroine with a gun and knife. So Jessie fit right into my imagery.
Overall, this was a thrilling read which skyrocketed right into my hemisphere and blew me away.
Read
July 17, 2023Dnf @ 41%
Well, that was a disappointment.
I had so much hope for this book, but the more I read it,
the more I disliked it. The outline of this book sounded so interesting- an entirely female spy team that took out human traffickers? With a sapphic main character described as a “female James Bond”? Sign me up! But the more I read this, the more stereotypes I came across.
For one, our mc, Jessie, had a LOT of implicit bias that comes to light. She had a tendency to point out how characters around her fit a certain stereotype, which results in a lack of dimension for other characters. When she interacts with them, the dialogue has a tendency to dramatically jump from one thing to another in what I assume is an attempt to point out how other people treat the characters because of who they are. Hala, a Palestinian character whose family was killed when they moved to Syria, had an abrupt change in dialogue in a flashback that was written in a way that had me going back to reread in case I missed something that connected it to what was going on before, simply so that the author could try (and fail) to make a point about how refugees from certain countries are treated. Caitlin, an American character, is a literal caricature of what a southern person is/sounds like. Li, a Chinese characters, runs a tech company, and was rumored to have been taken from her family by the government to serve as a child spy.
The list goes on, but what bothered me the most was how the topic of human trafficking was addressed. Instead of pointing out that human trafficking is a global issue, the author focused solely on how it takes place in African nations, South Asian countries (like Pakistan), poor Eastern European countries, as well as China and -you guessed it- Russia; so basically any country that has been vilified by western media. While the author clearly tried to address the failure of the government and corrupt officials, it falls short.
I’m not denying that this goes on in these countries. But the fact that it is not ONCE mentioned that this takes place in America, or Canada, or any wealthy European country. Like I said, I only made it 41% of the way through, but this the reason I stopped.
Human trafficking is not a localized problem. It is global, and if you are going to try to address it, then you must acknowledge that.
Believe it or not, it gets worse. I love a good enemies to lovers, especially if it’s sapphic. However, I don’t like it when the love interest is someone you suspect of HUMAN TRAFFICKING. How could you be attracted to someone who you suspect of such a horrible crime? I’m willing to believe a lot for my favorite tropes, but I genuinely can’t this time.
Overall, I was very disappointed by this book and the way in which the subject material was handled. For a book named after the goddess of wisdom, not much was used in the writing of this book.
Well, that was a disappointment.
I had so much hope for this book, but the more I read it,
the more I disliked it. The outline of this book sounded so interesting- an entirely female spy team that took out human traffickers? With a sapphic main character described as a “female James Bond”? Sign me up! But the more I read this, the more stereotypes I came across.
For one, our mc, Jessie, had a LOT of implicit bias that comes to light. She had a tendency to point out how characters around her fit a certain stereotype, which results in a lack of dimension for other characters. When she interacts with them, the dialogue has a tendency to dramatically jump from one thing to another in what I assume is an attempt to point out how other people treat the characters because of who they are. Hala, a Palestinian character whose family was killed when they moved to Syria, had an abrupt change in dialogue in a flashback that was written in a way that had me going back to reread in case I missed something that connected it to what was going on before, simply so that the author could try (and fail) to make a point about how refugees from certain countries are treated. Caitlin, an American character, is a literal caricature of what a southern person is/sounds like. Li, a Chinese characters, runs a tech company, and was rumored to have been taken from her family by the government to serve as a child spy.
The list goes on, but what bothered me the most was how the topic of human trafficking was addressed. Instead of pointing out that human trafficking is a global issue, the author focused solely on how it takes place in African nations, South Asian countries (like Pakistan), poor Eastern European countries, as well as China and -you guessed it- Russia; so basically any country that has been vilified by western media. While the author clearly tried to address the failure of the government and corrupt officials, it falls short.
I’m not denying that this goes on in these countries. But the fact that it is not ONCE mentioned that this takes place in America, or Canada, or any wealthy European country. Like I said, I only made it 41% of the way through, but this the reason I stopped.
Human trafficking is not a localized problem. It is global, and if you are going to try to address it, then you must acknowledge that.
Believe it or not, it gets worse. I love a good enemies to lovers, especially if it’s sapphic. However, I don’t like it when the love interest is someone you suspect of HUMAN TRAFFICKING. How could you be attracted to someone who you suspect of such a horrible crime? I’m willing to believe a lot for my favorite tropes, but I genuinely can’t this time.
Overall, I was very disappointed by this book and the way in which the subject material was handled. For a book named after the goddess of wisdom, not much was used in the writing of this book.
May 24, 2019
The Athena ProtocolShamim Sarif
I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN!
I was sent an advanced copy and I loved it!
Ms Sarif once again writes a page turner with strong female characters that you truly care about. She pulls you in from the first page with gritty action and her interesting and powerful characters are achieving great feats, and yet are somehow relatable and women I wish to meet. Ms Sarif tells a story like few can and describes each situation with such effortless detail that I almost feel that I am standing in the room myself.
AND!!!!!!! THAT ENDING! I will not say too much except to say that the twist took me by surprise!!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN!
I was sent an advanced copy and I loved it!
Ms Sarif once again writes a page turner with strong female characters that you truly care about. She pulls you in from the first page with gritty action and her interesting and powerful characters are achieving great feats, and yet are somehow relatable and women I wish to meet. Ms Sarif tells a story like few can and describes each situation with such effortless detail that I almost feel that I am standing in the room myself.
AND!!!!!!! THAT ENDING! I will not say too much except to say that the twist took me by surprise!!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
August 28, 2019
4 1/2 stars. RTC for blog tour. Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for my review copy.
October 1, 2020
Female solidarity, vigilante justice, and found families. Ultimately enjoyable! Review to follow.
October 7, 2019
The Athena Protocol is predictable but ultimately an enjoyable, quick read with an all-female cast of characters. It scratches some interesting topics of female solidarity, familial relationships, justice and vengeance, but unfortunately doesn't dwell much them. While I understand and even like the author's decision to keep the story fast-paced and action-packed, I do kinda wish there was more introspection and exploration of certain Jessie's traits and dark places.
I'm not sure if the book comes with trigger warnings, but, human trafficking and violence aside, there were multiple mentions and descriptions of harvesting. I personally wasn't disturbed by them, but some people might be. (If you're one of them, tread lightly.)
All in all, it's a fun book that fans of strong female characters and YA thrillers will most likely enjoy.
*Thank you to HarperTeen and HarperCollins for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
I'm not sure if the book comes with trigger warnings, but, human trafficking and violence aside, there were multiple mentions and descriptions of harvesting. I personally wasn't disturbed by them, but some people might be. (If you're one of them, tread lightly.)
All in all, it's a fun book that fans of strong female characters and YA thrillers will most likely enjoy.
*Thank you to HarperTeen and HarperCollins for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
February 25, 2022
So to be fair, I've never been a big action reader (I can't visualize and it's hard to get invested in even the most well choreographed fight scene if you can't imagine what's going on) but I was hoping the plot surrounding the action scenes here would keep me hooked?
I just don't think action packed spy thrillers-whether women-led or not- are for me.
I just don't think action packed spy thrillers-whether women-led or not- are for me.
March 13, 2020
2.5
The premise was good, but I wasn’t a fan of the prose. Did enjoy the ending though, so I am glad I stuck around to finish it.
The premise was good, but I wasn’t a fan of the prose. Did enjoy the ending though, so I am glad I stuck around to finish it.
December 31, 2020
La storia è originale.
Da un certo punto di vista la narrazione si sviluppa con molti colpi di scena, dall'altro si trascina in descrizioni troppo particolareggiate delle azioni dei personaggi che presentano tratti caratteriali un po' nebulosi. Forse è una caratteristica dei romanzi YA a cui non sono particolarmente affezionata.
Non mi ha preso più di tanto. Peccato perché la squadra "Athena" poteva osare di più, essere meno rigida nei suoi protocolli che sembrano più regole da convento che adatti a un gruppo d'azione.
Da un certo punto di vista la narrazione si sviluppa con molti colpi di scena, dall'altro si trascina in descrizioni troppo particolareggiate delle azioni dei personaggi che presentano tratti caratteriali un po' nebulosi. Forse è una caratteristica dei romanzi YA a cui non sono particolarmente affezionata.
Non mi ha preso più di tanto. Peccato perché la squadra "Athena" poteva osare di più, essere meno rigida nei suoi protocolli che sembrano più regole da convento che adatti a un gruppo d'azione.
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