The Shadow Mission (The Athena Protocol #2)

Once again, Shamim Sarif did not disappoint. This follow-up to to Athena Protocol is as nail biting & edge of your seat as the first in the series. I love the action, subtle humor and the further character development. I became invested in the characters in the Athena Protocol, and even more so in the Shadow Mission because I know them better now. Shamim\’s writing has a way of grabbing ahold of you. I can hardly wait until the next book in the series, and speaking of series, t.v.?

Only Shamim Sarif can write books that surpass Ian Fleming’s and with woman at the center. I have enjoyed all of her books to date. THE SHADOW MISSION’S twists and turns had me begging for more. Brava Shamim, I cannot wait for the next book. This book is a must read. A film? Brava, Aileen Bordman

\”The Shadow Mission\” is the sequel to \”The Athena Protocol\” by Shamim Sarif, and both novels feature Jessie Archer, a secret agent/vigilante who works for Athena, a secret, nongovernmental organization dedicated to helping children and women around the world who are being targeted by fanatical groups or governments. In the first book, we learn that Jessie\’s mother, Kit, formerly a famous musician, created the group with two other powerful women. One is Li, a Chinese tech billionaire, and the other is Peggy, who was the first African American women to be a US ambassador to the UK, and who has contacts in every continent and country. Jessie and two other women form the active troops who actually get the \”saving\” part done. Caitlin is former military, served in the Middle East and has PTSD. Hala is from Syria and was a refugee; she still worries about her brother, who is stranded in their homeland. In this novel, a radical group called Family First has burned down one of the schools that Kit sponsored with the students and teachers inside the school in Pakistan. Family First is a shadowy Muslim terrorist organization that wants girls to have no choice but marriage — no education, no college, no independence. At the start of the story, Athena received word that another attack is planned on a school in Mumbai, and Jessie and the two others must find out where the attack will be. They don\’t have much time. In fact, they manage to save most of the schoolgirls, but their information came too late to save them all. The rest of the story is non-stop action and the ending is a heartbreaker. I love that Sarif makes the reader consider how the world treats women — usually as unimportant and not worth lots of effort. Her depiction of the gay romance is done with a light touch and the other agents also have some romantic attractions of their own. I really hope there\’s a third book.

I really enjoyed The Athena Protocol, and was excited to dive into The Shadow Mission. However, I’m sad to say that this was, overall, a disappointing sequel. I liked the character dynamics and the spy vibes, but there wasn’t any of the heart-pounding action that was so prominent in the first book. I sped through that one because the story was intense and I didn’t want to stop reading; I sped through this one simply because it was short and I had nothing better to do. While there were some intense moments in the end, it was much less satisfying. I wasn’t nearly as invested in Jessie’s story this time around. Speaking of Jessie, I have one thing to say: give that poor girl a girlfriend. She keeps getting seriously let down in the romance department. And while on the subject of romance, on a somewhat similar note, I’d like to say that I’m especially disappointed in the queer representation here. Jessie is sapphic, very casual, totally fine. But of the other two notable queer characters—and they were the only others, as far as I’m aware—one was an antagonist and the other died. Excuse me, Ms. Sarif, are you serious? That’s the best you, a queer woman, can do in the year 2020? Personally, I found this to be a huge let-down. I’m not sure what else to say. I don’t know if we’ll be getting another book, though the ending left that possibility open. Honestly, if we do get a third, I’m not sure I’ll pick it up. Representation -sapphic protagonist -sapphic Indian side character -side characters of color (ft Arab, Indian, Chinese, and Black rep) Content Warning: blood, violence, gun violence, death, child death, grief, sexism, suicide, homophobia

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