2 stars.

This was a disappointment and I don't think I'll be trying this author again. I might but it's unlikely.

I read the first 40 pages and I got bored. So from there I skimmed and skipped the next 150 pages. After that I started reading it more completely.

The last half of the story was good and entertaining. However I did have a problem with one major thing. Simon and James are spies but they both (mostly Simon though) seemed really stupid. There were so many moments where neither Simon nor James figured out what was going on. It made me wonder how are they spies if they are so dumb? I don't mind Simon making a mistake but when he doesn't figure out anything it's more than just a mistake it's stupidity. I can explain away James's lack of mental quickness because he had just come back from being captured, drugged, and starved. But Simon had no such excuse.

In the end I don't think this author is for me.