Quirky Cat
Written on Apr 10, 2018
Skyjack is the second book in the Thea Paris series (the first one being The Freedom Broker), though for the sake of honesty I have tell you that I didn’t know that before I started reading this novel. While I’m sure I missed quite a bit of backstory and character development by missing out on Freedom Broker, I was able to read and fully understand Skyjack with no issues. So reading the first one isn’t technically a requirement (though I’ll admit I’m very curious about what happened in the first novel – it was alluded to several times, but never to the point of outright repeating the first book’s plot).
Skyjack wastes no time getting into the thick of things; instead starting the main plot after minimal character introduction. It’ll immediately grab your attention and pull you into the story; at least, it did for me. I was immediately concerned about the skyjacking that was occurring, as well as worried about the passengers and the reason for why it was all happening.
I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by saying the whole story starts off with a skyjacking – that is sort of implied by the title of the novel, after all. Luckily for those on board the unlucky plane, Thea Paris is also one of the passengers. She’s one of the world’s best hostage negotiators, and she’s got a pretty good reason to care about the welfare of those on board (besides herself being one of the passengers, that is); she’s escorting two war orphans to their new home.
We’re clearly meant to like Thea right from the start (again, she’s already got a whole book under her belt, I just happened to miss it), which is affirmed by her caring about these two boys and the rest of the passengers. She’s also clearly very competent at what she does, between the actions we see and the reputation that precedes her.
Skyjack was a really quick read for me – I think it only took me a few hours at most to get through it all. Which is great, it’s a fun, light read with minimal investment. If this is the sort of book you’re looking for, then I have good news for you!
I’ll admit that I liked the beginning quite a bit more than the later parts of the novel. The ante was constantly being upped, which was really necessary since I was already invested in the welfare of the plane’s passengers. I also didn’t really feel attached to any of the secondary characters (Rif or his team primarily). I’d probably feel differently had I read these books in order, so take that comment with a grain of salt.
Skyjack was a pretty interesting read on the whole. I love the concept of having a series focused on a hostage negotiator. I’m not sure that’s been done before (and if it has, I certainly haven’t heard of that series). It’s clever and novel (no pun intended). I’m curious to see how long a series like this will end up running for.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks