Name: Russian Roulette
Rating: 4.275 (20 reviews)
ISBN: 9781406360288

Anthony Horowitz

The eagerly anticipated, deadly prequel to the number one bestselling Alex Rider series. In the prequel to the number one bestselling Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz, contract killer YassenGregorovich is given orders to kill Alex. But Yassen knows a secret from the past that connects him to the fourteen-year-old spy. What is it that makes one of them choose to do evil, and what does it take to turn him into a killer?

Russian Roulette

Presented with an unexpected assignment, Alex Rider's greatest nemesis, Yassen Gregoravich, recalls his life and the path that led him to become an assassin while his one-time friend, Alex's uncle, became a spy, in the final book of the #1 best-selling series.

Bryony Trump

** spoiler alert **
           I've been picking at this slowly, a few pages at a time, over the last week or so and bingeread the rest today while I had a moment. Anyways, I felt like this book, though very well written and action packed--as Horowitz's works always are--was not as strong as the rest of the Alex Rider series. Perhaps my memory faults me or the passage of time has changed things in my mind but I was of that opinion. Still, it was nice to take one more journey into the world of the Alex Rider series, and this time learn about the enigmatic Yassen Gregorovich. I had forgotten a lot of story details regarding his connection to the Rider family, more specifically Alex's father John. In the context of this book, it makes sense as to why Yassen always spared Alex.

Hope Brockway

Y'all already know I had to read this book. I mean, it's a book all about Yassen Gregorovich. I just had to see what happened. (view spoiler)[Plus we get some amazing Hunter content and I was here for it (hide spoiler)] So, after that fascinating deep dive into my favorite Russian assassin, what have I learned? 

1. Yassen Gregorovich, big scary assassin, has a diary. We begin with post-Stormbreaker Yassen reminiscing about "old times" and reading his diary. I am endlessly amused by this. He actually admits it's a bad idea, but I love it. There is also the implication that he rereads sections periodically and, again, I find this so funny. This book then progresses into first-person POV, which I was not expecting at all. But getting into Yassen's head was fascinating and I loved it.

2. Yassen Gregorovich had a bit of a tragic life. Since his introduction in Stormbreaker, we all knew Yassen wasn't the best person, but we never knew how he got into the freelance assassin business (if that's even the correct job description). Watching Yassen's tragic story unfold was fascinating. Pieces started falling into place. But, what was fascinating, was the similarities between Yassen and Alex. They're both orphans. They were both forced to do things they never wanted to do in order to survive. They were both sucked into the grittiness of the world at fourteen. They have quite a few similarities, and I loved seeing Anthony Horowitz explore that. 

3. Yassen has a complicated relationship with the Riders. We explored this a bit in previous books (especially Eagle Strike), but I loved seeing this complicated relationship brought up again. (view spoiler)[I mean, John saved his life. Yassen was naturally in awe of him. The whole John shooting the General and the spider off Yassen still astonishes me. But I was also a bit fascinated (and maybe a bit disappointed) that Yassen knew about John's double life. Yeah, John was a bit sloppy at the airport. But I loved seeing John's heart. I loved seeing John deal with Yassen like he would have his own son (which is so sad that he was a part of Alex's life for only a few months). I kind of got the impression that Yassen's whole life of crime was just to spite John. I was not really here for that. I also began to wonder why, then, Yassen told Alex about John and Scorpia. I mean, was he thinking that Alex would become an assassin and turn John in his grave?? Idk. Again, not really a fan of that. And turning Yassen away from the assassin life . . .  I loved every moment of it. We also get to see the iconic scene in Stormbreaker where Yassen spares Alex. And the fact that Yassen disobeyed his order was just . . . I . . . He still cares about the Riders, somewhere deep down in his assassin's heart and I love it. He also mentions Ian, which is huge. Ian is largely overlooked, in my opinion. The main reason I like Stormbreaker is because Ian and Alex kind of complete the mission in tandem. Well, Ian by leaving behind a few clues, and Alex actually solving it and defeating the threat. But I love Ian so much and I wish we had more Ian/Alex content. PLEASE, ANTHONY HOROWITZ. (hide spoiler)]

4. Yassen wasn't always . . . Yassen. So the fact that Yassen's real name is Yasha gets me. It really signifies that he left everything behind. He is a completely different person than that innocent kid growing up on the farm (I guess it kinda was a farm but country-boy Yasha is hilarious to me). We also get to see his country roots being explored and, again, I am so here for it. 

(view spoiler)[ And, in case you were wondering, I am still low-key convinced that Yassen is alive, even though there is plenty of evidence that indicates the opposite. (hide spoiler)]

As you can clearly see, I loved this book. Me, and most of the fandom tbh, adore Yassen and kind of see him as this unwanted godfather to Alex (unlike ASH, ugh). So yeah, if you, like me, kind of have an unhealthy obsession with Yassen Gregorovich, then totally read this book. It's a must, y'all.

Russian Roulette

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