Book Review: All Fall Down, by Ally Carter

The fact that I’ve never read an Ally Carter novel has felt like a big hole in my YA repertoire so far. I knew I would soon rectify the situation after reading her hilarious story in My True Love Gave to Me. Now that I’ve read, All Fall Down – her newest suspense novel – I definitely know why she is such a beloved young adult author.

The novel follows Grace Blakely, who (as the back cover tells you) is absolutes certain about three things. (1) She is not crazy. (2) Her mother was murdered. (3) Someday she is going to find the killer and make him pay.

To give a little more information, Grace’s main problems come from her tendency to get into trouble and the fact that no one believes her. When her father is called back into active military duty, she moves in with her grandfather – the United States ambassador to Adria – for a fresh start. On Embassy Row, she is expected to believe everyone that her mother’s death was an accident and play the part of the pretty, perfect ambassador’s granddaughter (cue puffy, pink dresses and lots of curtsies). She finds herself unable to do this when she see’s a man with a scar that she remembers seeing the night of her mother’s death. Now she isn’t sure who to trust in her search for the truth and for vengeance. And while she’s following the scarred man, she can’t figure out why the Russian boy from the embassy next door seems to be following her.

There is a lot going on in this book, but all of the plot lines and twists are handled really well. This might not mean a lot because I’m the type of person you can usually convince that gullible is written on the ceiling, but I didn’t predict the ending of this book at all. Not even one little bit.

All in all, suspense isn’t usually my jam, but I would certainly recommend this novel and am keeping my fingers crossed that we get a sequel soon!