Carter, Ally: Out of Sight, Out of Time (Gallagher Girls, #5)

March 13, 2012
Disney-Hyperion
YA Contemporary/Action, 294 pages
Acquired and read: Through the local library (I think they know by now what happens if they stand between a die-hard Gallagher Girl and her latest installment...) and I finished it within a day and a half - that was the longest I could drag it out...

The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan--an ancient terrorist organization that has been hunting her for over a year. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie’s summer vacation are the bruises on her body and the dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home.

Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers. Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. It’s a race against time. The Circle is hot on their trail and willing stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.

I finished this last night, but I needed a few extra hours in order to collect my thoughts. To me, I think that's the sign of a good writer. I mean, you know that a spy school for girls isn't exactly Nobel Prize-worthy material, but you can't deny that the Gallagher Girls has it all.

(If you agree otherwise, I'm sorry...we can't be friends anymore.)

Cammie Morgan, a.k.a. the Chameleon, cannot remember what she did last summer. At all. She's woken up in a convent in the middle of the Alps, battered and bruised and without a clue of what to tell her mother about where she's been - or with who. Hypothetically, she's been a prisoner of the Circle of Cavan, the sworn enemy of the Gallagher Girls (a.k.a. The Bad Guys), but what did they do to her, and why?

Turns out that not knowing the extent of the torture can be just as bad as the torture itself.

Of course, there's drama waiting for her at home as well. Mr. Solomon is still in a coma, and her best friends and her sorta-boyfriend Zach don't seem to know how to treat her now that she's back. Well, Bex is totally ticked off and acting really strange, which is another complicated situation in itself. On top of that, Cammie's lost her dad's journal, the only clue to her finding out what's happened to him. If she can't remember what she set out to achieve last summer, how is this ever going to work out?

Okay, that's pretty much the gist of it all. I'm clamping my lips shut to keep all the spoilers out of this review...really, I get way too excited when it comes to this series. You know how some kids look out their window, waiting for an owl and a Hogwarts letter that will never come? I keep waiting for a Gillian Gallagher crest in my mailbox and a fancy limo pulling up in my backyard. Hey, a girl can dream.

So, the plot. As usual, Ally Carter pulls off the new complications in Cammie's life with grace. I mean, how many authors can pull off amnesia without it sounding totally B-rated and cliche? However, I do have to warn you: if you're looking for a bit more mystery, don't expect it from this volume. I found quite a few aspects of the plot (and *cough* some characters) surprisingly predicable compared to the previous books.

Also, Zach and Cammie NEED TO STOP DANCING AROUND EACH OTHER. This is getting old - and I'm not even a romance-invested reader.

(Spoiler alert! Though I don't really think this counts as a spoiler, but whatever: Zach is a Gallagher Boy. The first Gallagher Boy. Yes, he goes to a school for girls...I'm sorry, I couldn't help but laugh at this. I mean, how does a guy stay manly with that embroidered on his suitcase?)

I am doing a very bad job of this "stay focused, don't spoil" thing. Just one more, important detail, okay? You will need a hankie. That is all I'm going to say. Get that hankie and hold it by the side of your desk. Don't laugh, just do it. Trust me on this: you're gonna need that.

To sum up: Out of Sight, Out of Time = talented author who DOES NOT UPDATE FAST ENOUGH + action coming out of the seams + Gallagher Girls! (...You know you read this series for the sisterhood. And Macey. If I ever had to choose a Gallagher Girl to become, I'd totally choose Macey. Read it for yourself and see.)

If you'll excuse me, I'm checking the mailbox again. Can't hurt, can it?

Warnings: None. Nope. Unless you have a really weak stomach for action and drama like whoa. But then again, why are you reading YA in the first place? Go and take a nice lie-down. And watch a movie with lots of pink and little cats. That should help.

Need a second opinion? Hobbitsies' post on OOS, OOT