You Don't Know My Name by Kristen OrlandoMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
You Don't Know My Name is an action-packed thriller for which I received a free copy in exchange for review via NetGalley and the publisher. Reagan is a teenager preparing to complete high school who spends her time studying, applying to colleges, hanging out with her friends when she can and training to begin work for the Black Angels, a secret faction of the CIA to which most people are not even aware, even most people in the CIA. They are an elite unit used to rescue and handle very dangerous assignments. The Navy and Army are not the only ones with specially trained units. The Black Angels are so elite they train some of their members as soon as they come out of the womb and this includes Reagan.
Reagan is the daughter of two Black Angels and the entire organization has nurtured and honed her skills for her entire life, however, Reagan is starting to wonder if being a Black Angel and risking her life is really what she wants to do for a living. Maybe she might like to attend college and nurture the education that she has worked so hard to excel at and gain. Maybe she would like to do all of the things that her friends are doing, including maybe falling for the boy next door that she has grown so close to over the last year or so. When a mission her parents are on goes terribly wrong, Reagan has to decide quickly what she wants to do because despite wanting to give it some thought she is in the crosshairs before she has even finished her training and chosen to be a Black Angel.
I have to admit that one of my favorite things to do when reading a book with an exciting title is to tie the title to something that happens in the book. You Don't Know My Name did not disappoint in tieing in the title. This book does a great job of building in intensity and not releasing the tension even at the end of the book. The author does a good job of fleshing out the characters and drawing the reader into the story until they are invested in the outcome. Once that happened I knew I would follow this series wherever it leads. I have to admit the ending was not at all what I expected. It was heartbreaking but I am still hooked.
