Twisty, complex and lots of multilayered characters - held together by the strong narration of “double 8”, Phoenix, Octavia , Josephine - a teen math prodigy. The action parts will engage younger readers but the complexity of the economics & financial dealings of the criminal empires Jo is forced to help may be a slog ? Also, the criminal activity centers on trafficking of teen girls for sex work, may be a bit much for younger teens. Her extraordinary math abilities seeing in "numbers" is intriguing and adds to the plot in so many ways. A little unrealistic about protagonist's (she's a teenager) ability to mange huge accounts for worldwide enterprises, then devise an enormous, very far-reaching "take down" of both international criminals & their empires, help right the worldwide economy (going into a recession) via a "superbond" she designed herself, then save as many abducted girls as she can by purchasing her own warehouse, outfit with technology, medical gear/facility, etc etc - but probably teen readers will have no trouble suspending disbelief. For a teen who's so adept at all these endeavors, she's also a bit slow on the uptake about her employer Chan's handsome, 18 yr old son - it's obvious that he's falling for her, but she continues to do this awkward rejection thing & then stress about it afterwards? (This from a prodigy who can also "read people" very very well.) Nevertheless, a good addition to the YA suspense /international thriller genre. ( )

Series Info/Source: I thought this was a stand alone book but it must be the start to a series based on the ending. I got this as an eGalley from NetGalley to review.

Story (4/5): I enjoyed this book. It's about a young girl (15ys old) who is a math/economic prodigy and gets kidnapped to work for a Chinese crime ring. She ends up being in a unique position to help save the world economy. Initially the book bounces between her childhood past and her past in the crime ring. Then it switches to her present day self and her past in the crime ring. There are a lot of fun twists and turns and I always enjoy reading about prodigies and the way they see the world!

This did get a bit slow mid-book but most of the story is very fast-paced. This looks like it's going to be the first book in a series which I did not realize when I picked this up. I wish publishers/authors would be more up front about that. While the book resolves the main issues presented, it leaves the reader on a huge cliffhanger to kick off the next book.

Characters (5/5): I absolutely loved the characters in this book, they are all complex and have so many secrets. Even the side characters are interesting and well done. Jo goes on such a ride through this story and watching her use her skills as a math/econ prodigy was absolutely fascinating. I loved her mentor Red and really enjoyed Kai as well.

Setting (5/5): I loved the setting in Shanghai, China. I have never been to Shanghai and am enjoying traveling to new and exatic places in my books since I can’t do so in real life right now. The insight into how some things work in China and some of the tunnels and other lesser known areas was fascinating and I really loved it.

Writing Style (5/5): I loved the way the book was set up and how we bounce from past to present until the story starts to come together. This was easy to read, incredibly hard to put down, and action packed. There were so many fun twists and turns and they never felt contrived or unbelievable. I thought this was incredibly well done and can’t wait to read more from McBee in the future.

My Summary (4.5/5): Overall, despite a slow section mid-book, I really loved this. I love reading about prodigies, and really enjoyed how well done the characters were and the exotic setting. The twisty plot keeps you engaged and thinking, but is written in such a way that the book is effortless to read. I absolutely loved this and am actually happy it is a series, even though I wish that it had been marketed upfront as a series. Recommended to those who enjoy fast-paced twisty turny plots and relatable characters; comparing this to the Count of Monte Cristo is very accurate it really has a similar feel to that story at some points. ( )

Jo Rivers, a teenaged prodigy known as Double 8, has been abducted and held captive in China on account of her gift for numbers. The criminals who exploit Jo's ability make her view her gift as a curse. But a fellow captive helps her realize there must be much more to her destiny—and many other lives may have need of her in Calculated by author Nova McBee.

Okay, I'll confess that this novel's intriguing, poignant opening nearly put me in tears. After that, I had trouble connecting with much of the first quarter of the book, as I didn't have a graspable sense of a "what" and "why" to make the scenes meaningful to me.

However, I'm quite familiar with the biblical story this novel retells in part. Once I recognized that, and the "what" and "why" started to become more apparent, the heroine's journey began to click for me. Ah!

Now, because the book has the ingredients for a thriller, I would've liked the story to move at a faster clip. My interest waned at times through the slower pace and stretches of description and reflection. Also, as commonly happens with fiction largely narrated in present tense, the heroine often slips in and out of the wrong tenses while she's narrating her story. (Granted, I read an advance, uncorrected copy, so those slips may no longer be an issue.)

Overall, the complex, inspiring plot here makes way for the profound at many turns, and this novel should hold appeal for both adult and young adult audiences. I'm keeping my eyes open for the next novel.
____________
I received an advance reading copy of this book via Netgalley for an honest review. ( )