Summary: While Kiki Strike is in Paris trying to stop her evil cousin, the princess Sidonia, from all sorts of terrible deeds, it is up to Ananka and the other Irregulars to help Kiki find the cure for baldness, foil the evil plans of Oona's twin, and keep Ananka herself from falling in love with the wrong young man.
Voice of Youth Advocates Reviews
In volume three of this adventure mystery series, Kiki is off to the small nation of Pokrovia to decline the throne and dismantle the monarchy once and for all. Ananka is left in charge of the Irregulars, a band of badass teen girls, back in New York City. Kiki is kidnapped and held captive in Paris, and Irregular Betty must head to Paris to rescue her. Once in Paris, Betty becomes embroiled in her own mystery involving jilted royalty, an accused World War II traitor, a humorless headmistress, and a secret community, The Darkness Dwellers, who patrol the Parisian catacombs. While Ananka helps another Irregular, Oona, solve the problem of her evil twin wreaking havoc in Chinatown, the intercontinental mysteries twist and turn and eventually entwine until the truth is revealed and order is restored, thanks once again to the Irregulars. What is interesting about the Kiki Strike series is that Miller's Irregulars are not static types, nor does Miller reduce the Irregulars' victories to distractions from "normal girl" activities. The Irregulars are smart, tough, and skilled, their exploits of worldwide significance. In turn, the familiar conflicts of young adult "girl books" are not present in this series, or if they are, they are made to seem petty and inconsequential compared to the real battles the girls must fight. That the girls like doing battle and solving mysteries, and that they are depicted as being dedicated to strengthening their individual talents in order to strengthen the group, makes this mystery series unusually smart and original.—Jennifer M. Miskec 4Q 4P M J S Copyright 2011 Voya Reviews.
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