The Gallagher Girls Series by Ally Carter is the story of a group of girls that grow into magnificent women while attending a school of spies and protecting the world from evil foes. The series is best described by Carter on the fifth installment, 'Out of Sight, Out of Time', when she writes: "The truth of the matter is that, yes, we have been training covert operatives since 1865, but the thing that no one realizes until they've seen our school for themselves is this: we are a school for girls". In other words, even though a large portion of the series revolves around the fact that the main characters are spies, at its core, the series is about the fact that they are girls. They can do amazing things already but, in this series they learn to become girls and later on, women.
The tone of the series is extremely lighthearted and fun. Even when things get darker as the series progresses, Carter still manages to balance the darker themes with the fun essence the reader falls in love in the first few books. At the beginning of the story, the girls are still innocent and carefree. Their youth has not been overshadowed by their spy upbringing. They still make rookie mistakes and have much to learn. However, as the story progresses, we see their growth into not only amazing spies but also women. Furthermore, as they develop, Carter starts to include more adult themes and characters. This way, the author implies that the girls are changing with each book and hence, are taking the steps towards adulthood. They still make mistakes, but the further the series goes, the less "boy crazy" and childish they act. However, even though they grow, at their core they are still the same characters we love.
The most important theme of the story is relationships. The main relationship is the girls friendship. The story develops around this relationship in order to show the reader not only how the girls grow but also how they influence the development of each other. This way the author shows the importance friends have in the development of a teenager. Other relationships developed are family, mentor and mentee, romantic and rivals/enemies. Throughout the series, the reader can see that each of these have a major influence on the growth of a teenager and the person they become.
All the characters Carter introduces in the series are interesting, well developed and, surprisingly, relatable. Even though they live crazy lives, the author still manages to make us relate with each character, especially if the reader is a girl. The antagonists are also quiet interesting and not bland or a plot mechanism to push the story forward. Instead of having a faceless organization for the girls to fight, Carter chooses to introduce and develop the members of the organization that come into contact with the girls. Furthermore, the villains motives are clear and easy to understand. In my opinion, complex villain plots can be distracting for the reader and can cause plot holes.
The story has many plot twists which I find necessary for a series about secrets and spies. Most of them can be predictable if you are an experienced reader. However, for the target audience, young teenage girls, they probably work. Furthermore, even if they can be predictable, they do not ruin the enjoyment of the series. The author also knows how to keep the reader entertained by introducing new plot points and characters in each book. Even though the byline of the story is the same: the girls sneaking out of school to resolve a mystery, the route the characters follow is different each time. This way the reader gets to keep the things he or she enjoyed in the first book while not getting bored.
To conclude, I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys books that are fun and a little silly. The story is so heartwarming and amazing that I can see anyone enjoying it. Unlike other books I adored as a child and now don't think much of, this series holds up. The reason why is, mainly, because the book is not trying to take itself seriously and hence, you can also not do so and simply relax and have fun! If you haven't read this series and like reading for fun the, this Gallagher Girls may be for you!
A More In Depth Review
***SPOILER ALERT***
The first book of the series, I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You, does a perfect job of introducing the main characters and showing the readers their personalities and what "role" they play in the group. Cameron is the leader, Bex is the loyal friend and strength of the group, Liz is the brains and heart and Macey is the gateway to the outside world. Furthermore, Josh's character and the shenanigans that ensue in his romance with Cammie allow the writer to shows us where each characters stands before she presents us with the distractions villains can become. This book can also be used to reflect how much the characters grow by the end of the series.
On Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy, Carter introduces new characters and mystery by bringing The Blackthorn Institute into the Gallagher Academy. Throughout the book, it's kind of obvious that the boys should be suspected. However, even though they're spies, the girls react innocently and "girly" when confronted by the evidence. This innocence and "stupidity" is Carter's objective in order to make the reader realize how a group of trained girls can come undone when presented with something new. It also makes us realize that even though they believe they are already spies, there's still a lot more they need to learn before being ready.
Don't Judge a girl by Her Cover finally introduces what will become the main villain of the series, The Circle of Cavan. And it does so in a spectacular way! As always, Carter manages to stump the girls with a new mystery and make them realize again that all is not what it seems. We also get new awesome characters in Abby and Preston who manage to steal our heart at once. Furthermore, in this book, the story starts to get a little less "boy crazy" and silly and instead takes a darker more serious undertone. However, this does not mean that we lose the silliness and fun that made us fall in love with the series in the first place.
In Only the Good Spy Young, the series gets a little more serious since the Circle of Cavan is closer than ever and after Cammie. Furthermore, Carter manages to keep us on the edge of our seats by making us distrust every character we've come to love. Through the book, the reader doesn't know if they can trust Mr. Solomon, Zach, the teachers or even the other girls at Gallagher Academy. Anyone could be a spy for the Circle and hence, we have to take every word with a grain of salt. The mystery plot is extremely witty even if it can be a little predictable. However, the target audience, young girls, will probably be shocked! Carter also introduces a new intriguing and unique antagonist: Agent Townsend. Furthermore, the romance of the story is more contained giving the writer the time to develop the other relationships and the plot of the book. Most importantly, in this book you start seeing how their past experiences is starting to weigh on the girls. Their innocence and ignorance is slowly fading as they grow not only as women but also spies.
Just when things might've gotten monotone and repetitive, on Out of Sight, Out of Time, Carter found a clever way to get a blank slate and keep the mystery alive: She erased the main character's memories and changed everyone around her. Bex, Zach and even Townsend feel fresh without being out of character. The plot of this book is the most interesting and less predictable of the series. Though Carter offers clues of what will come, they are way more subtle than in the previous books. Furthermore, by giving Cammie amnesia, the author can justify the mistakes she makes since being young and inexperienced can no longer be said as an excuse. This book also shows that Ally Carter is not afraid of trying new things and her gamble pays off! Other authors would've been hesitant to include adults as part of their teen girls team. However, Carter knows that it's unrealistic for the girls to accomplish all without help from more experienced spies. Furthermore, if the girls manage to take on a worldwide organization by themselves then, Carter won't be able to justify their mistakes later on. The inclusion of the adults is also a way for the author to show that Cammie, Bex, Liz and Macey are no longer girls searching a boy's trash can, but future spies without saying it outright. It becomes a tool to symbolize the growth of the characters and at the same time show how much they've still got to learn.
The beginning of United We Spy was slow, especially after the exciting first chapters of the last couple of books. However, as soon as the girls and Zach runaway from the Gallagher Academy, you are entranced and can't put it down. The conclusion to the series was amazing and Carter did a spectacular job tying up loose ends. The reader gets closure with all the main antagonists: Catherine, Dr. Steve, Agent Edwards, Ambassador Winters and The Circle, while also exploring new plot points and mysteries. Also, the reader gets to see most of the characters they've come to love, while focusing mainly on the girls once more. This story started with them uniting to solve a mystery and it ended the same way. The girls on this book are so different than the first one, but their journey has been believable and developed so beautifully that the readers understands where each change came from. Besides, even though they've grown a lot, at their core they are still the same characters we've come to love.
One thing I noticed was that Carter left room for growth and possible plot threads that could be explored in the future. While the story has a complete end, it wouldn't be a spy and mystery series if every question was answered. The main possible future plot thread I saw was given by Preston. Through this book, in my opinion, the character was acting weird. He got over his father's death way too fast and did not seemed scared about what was happening around him at all. He didn't seemed faced at all about the fact that a bomb went off ten feet away from him and that someone got shot in front of him! He didn't even get mad at Cammie for lying about his father's death. He was acting way too brave and confident for a civilian. Besides, we still don't know what happened between them in Cammie's lost summer. I kept expecting for the other foot to drop, but it didn’t. This may have been Carter's objective or she simply didn't want to waste time on Preston panicking. However, when saying goodbye to Cammie, Preston says a line that makes me think otherwise. He said: "I think it's time for me to go be with my family." This could be referring to his mother or in my opinion, most likely, is a way for Carter to leave things open for the possibility of a future story where the girls have to reunite to end a newly resurfaced Circle of Cavan with Preston as the leader…..or maybe I am just paranoid. Other plot points that could be further developed are the fact that Townsend is Zack's father and Abby's boyfriend. We also don't know how Catherine got away from security in order to explode the Gallagher Academy! However, not all mysteries need answers hence, Carter managed to create a perfect ending by tying up loose ends but also keeping the mystery alive. After all, the girl's career as spies is just starting.
Comments