Review Detail

THE ATHENA PROTOCOL was a fantastic YA spy/thriller that pulls you in from the start. Jessie is an agent of Athena, a secret organization of female spies who go around the world enacting justice. For instance, the beginning of the book has her team infiltrating a camp where women are being trafficked to help get them out and capture the man who is committing these crimes. However, when Jessie enacts her own brand of justice- against orders- she is forced to leave the organization.

Jessie is fully committed to what they do and knows that her team will not be able to do their next op without her. Going undercover, she operates outside of the organization in the hopes of helping them take down a bigger target. While she dodges her former teammates and infiltrates the target, Jessie must also deal with her personal feelings about the last mission, as well as her current contact on this mission, and concerns about her future at Athena.

What I loved: First of all, I loved the fact that all the main characters are female- it was great to get so many different opinions and skills among so many talented and awesome female characters. There is also great representation with some different ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientations (Jessie is attracted to women). There are also some mentions about mental health/illness which are surface level but leave it open for future stories to go more in-depth (PTSD in one character and counseling for them). This is a difficult job, and that is reiterated throughout. Jessie goes through a lot for her mission and justice.

In terms of the overall story, it was action-packed and kept up a strong pace right from the start. The spy action sequences are Jason Bourne or Mission Impossible level, and it will be delightful for fans of this genre. The plot comes with its own twists and turns that make this quite the page-turner.

Final verdict: Overall, this was a fascinating and action-packed read that features some incredible female characters with broad appeal for fans of thrillers and spy stories. I could easily see this becoming a must-read series in the action/adventure genre. Highly recommend for anyone who loves bold heroines, spies, and thrilling mysteries.