About the Book
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Author:
- Shamim Sarif
Cover Story: Womanspreading
BFF Charm: Oda Mae Brown
Talky Talk: Laconic
Bonus Factors: Family, Diversity
Factor: Human Trafficking
Relationship Status: Thank You For Your Service
Cover Story: Womanspreading
Why is the model sitting like that? And what’s with the red triangle? Is it supposed to look like the letter A, or … Okay, better not to overthink it. At least the model looks sort of like Jessie.
The Deal:
Jessie Archer is an operative of Athena, a private agency dedicated to saving women and children from human trafficking. The agency has a no-kill protocol, so when Jessie loses her temper and shoots a particularly nasty target, her superiors – including her mother, one of Athena’s founders – fire her. To prove herself, and also to protect her team/family, she decides to follow them on their next mission and investigate on her own.
BFF Charm: Oda Mae Brown
Sure, Jessie. Second-guess your highly trained and experienced leaders because they couldn’t do this job without you, even though you’ve only been on the team for a year. Go rogue and infiltrate a crime boss’s den all by yourself, after you literally just got fired for being too reckless. There’s no way this could possibly go wrong.
Swoonworthy Scale: 5
Jessie has all the usual spy character trust issues, so romance is a challenge, especially when flirting with a potential source of information. The swoon score might have been higher, though if not for a twist which you’ll probably see from the beginning. She’s basically a lesbian James Bond.
Talky Talk: Laconic
This is Jessie’s internal monologue when her mother checks on her after the failed mission:
“You okay?”
Lost my job. Made my first kill and I haven’t even been promoted. Having the time of my life.
“Yeah.”
If she weren’t the first-person narrator, we’d know hardly anything she was feeling. It makes one worry about her mental health, but as a stylistic choice for a character like this, it’s perfect.
Bonus Factor: Family
Jessie has a complicated but loving relationship with her mother Kit, a former rock star and recovering alcoholic, who was once an absent mother but is now dedicated to protecting women and children everywhere. The other members of Athena are a family too, balancing the risks they send each other into with care and loyalty, from small things like a nutrition plan to waiting outside someone’s hospital room all night.
Bonus Factor: Diversity
Athena was founded by African-American, Chinese, and English women. Their team includes a Middle Eastern and an Asian-British agent. They work together with mutual respect, but the author doesn’t ignore the potential for conflict. There is a painful but necessary moment where Jessie confronts her own bias against a POC teammate.
Factor: Human Trafficking
I almost named this an anti-bonus factor because the practice itself is so horrible, but I do appreciate that the Athena group makes the survivors their first priority, taking care of them and helping them become independent. I would have liked to see a bit more of that side of the organization, even though it’s not exactly action thriller material.
Relationship Status: Thank You For Your Service
Dear Book, you just grabbed my hand and pulled me headlong out of a horrible situation. I’m truly grateful, but let’s not make a habit of this.
Literary Matchmaking
A Spy in the House by Y. S. Lee also features an organization of female spies.
Internment by Samira Ahmed is another story about fighting systemic violence written by a POC author.
The Ballad of Ami Miles by Kristy Dallas Alley is a story about overcoming abuse from a survivor’s perspective.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received no compensation for this review. The Athena Protocol is available now.
