THE CHILDREN HAVE LITTLE CHOICE: KILL OR BE KILLED
In this new pulse-pounding thriller, Eva will risk everything to free the most vulnerable from a life of violence and tyranny.
The gun-toting children are lethal and highly trained instruments of death. The cartel has given them little choice: kill or be killed.
Eva is the only one who can possibly save them from a dark future they have … can possibly save them from a dark future they have little chance of escaping on their own.
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Children have been trained to wield weapons in order to defend themselves, and their Mexican town, from the local cartel. Kylie, a photojournalist, has been documenting this, and the news has spread and grabbed Eva’s attention. Eva has a soft spot for children, and with a government useless in protecting these kids, she decides to take things into her own hands.
This book had snapshots from previous books, showing again how Eva became who she is, as well as some background for other characters. I did feel there was a lot of character backstory, whereas the manipulation and takedown of the villains seemed to go by fairly quickly. Still a good read, but not my favourite of the series.
The Queen of Spades still rules
Eva, our international woman of assistance and assassination, heads to Mexico once again on a rescue mission. As the story progresses the memories of her past life threaten to overwhelm, the danger she faces could overpower, and just when you think everything will be all right a wrench gets thrown into the works. Kristi Belcamino has once again proven that the Queen of Spades still rules with a hardened heart for those who do wrong and compassion for those who are deserving.
I received a free copy of the book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.
I’m giving this a 3.5.
In this fifth installment of the Queen of Spades series, the character of Kylie, a photojournalist on a mission to make people see the injustices of the world, adds some welcome freshness and sass to a storyline that feels a bit off kilter. Eva’s sections of the book are broken up with flashbacks and with bouts of concern over her emotional stumbling blocks, which creates a choppy feel. The plot line is interesting and story elements are current and relevant, but the pacing and flow are simply uneven. Readers can still expect action and intrigue just in a slightly less cohesive package. I have really enjoyed all of the other Queen of Spades and Gia Santella books so this feels like a bit of a hiccup. Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the next installment and seeing how Eva and Kylie and maybe even Gia will interact!
No spoilers ins this review: This installment of the Eva Santella Queen of Spades series is as wonderful as all the others. Edge of your seat thrills keep you riveted to this captivating, page-turner, burn up your Kindle thriller! This book does fine as a standalone, but there are recurring characters that turn up so in order to have the entire backstory (and it might flow better for you) but you might want to read the others first if you haven’t already. But, don’t let that stop you from one-clicking, you will be able to follow along just fine! A total heartstring tugger that also goes up against a Mexican cartel and corruption…all in all, a great read with everything you’d look for in a thriller. I am also on the edge of my seat withing for the next book by this fab author! I’ve never been disappointed with any of her books! I received an ARC and am happy to provide my honest and unsolicited review.
I was lucky enough to have gotten a ARC copy of this book from the author. I am volunteering to leave this review. This book will have you outraged for the children, angry at politicians and crying tears at the end.Kristi Belcamino
Another exciting thriller in the Queen of Spades series that follows Eva to Mexico to save the young children who are being trained as soldiers to defend their village from a Mexican cartel and the American journalist who is photographing and telling their story to the world.
Thanks to Kylie, the journalist capturing the tragic and deadly story of the Mexican children training to fight from a very young age to defend themselves and their home from the cartel, their story has hit the front page of the news and captured national attention. This is the kind of attention high ranking officials and the cartel do not want in their country so plans are put into place to eliminate both the journalist and the children.
The front-page story catches Eva’s eye and she knows she must help so she heads to Mexico to pick up Kylie’s trail hoping to intercede and save her and the children from a terrible fate. Manipulation, lies, deceit, violence, and death await Eva as she inserts herself into the plight to save the children before it is too late.
I did enjoy this book, but not as much as others in the series. It felt like it was missing something to me, like it needed more focus and depth and detail on the plot of the story instead of reminiscing on more of Eva’s past. It kind of felt like that overshadowed the action and takedown and made it feel a little rushed at the end. I guess I wanted all the bad guys to suffer a bit more. Ha! But it was still an exciting adventure and I am looking forward to Eva’s next book.
The Mexican cartel is trying to take over a village that now has children being trained to fight to defend themselves against the cartel. An American journalist, Kylie, is in the village taking pictures and videos. Kylie is transmitting the images to her editor. The story is now national news. The President and Governor of Mexico are being paid by the cartel. So the President will not send troops to protect the people. The Queen of Spades goes to help the people of this Mexican village. A very dangerous mission.