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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
Beautifully written, I think Rebecca James is one of my new favorite authors. I've recently read her 2 books in the last couple weeks and I am Definitely looking forward to more from her.
Really smooth first novel. Lots of thriller stuff happens, but she captures the 'feel' of adolescence. A little bit of admiring the luminous and confident friend reminded me of a Separate Peace. Docked it a whole star for the twist and its consequences. The twist was necessary, but I wanted more Hollywood happiness for Katherine.
I'd read her subsequent books.
Oddly, it seems like all the reviews of this book on Goodreads are people who received ARCs or other authors. Good promotion, or murking up the well?
I'd read her subsequent books.
Oddly, it seems like all the reviews of this book on Goodreads are people who received ARCs or other authors. Good promotion, or murking up the well?
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Murder
Terrifying and I can absolutely see a screen play coming next. Deals with family tragedy on top of family tragedy yet the story is not sad and depressing, just dark and intriguing. Grade 9 and up.
This novel started with a bang. The first sentence being "I didn't go to Alice's funeral." The novel beings by immediately introducing a character. Although we don't know who Alice is we can tell immediately she's done the main character some wrong. As the novel progresses we meet Alice and learn more about her and Robbie is added to the story, he who brings a nice balance of restraint and responsibility compared to Alice's craziness. The story continues to introduce characters like Phillipa who introduces Katherine to Mick, which leads on to better and greater things. We start to see the more dangerous side to Alice and her cruel side and we uncover the truth as to why she treats Katherine the way she does. Alice is hanging on a delicate line of friendship with Katherine and Robbie and she cuts it and stamps on it several times causing their friendship to be a-thing-of-the-past. Life for Katherine has been worse and yet it still hurts. She begins to see Alice's more psychotic side as she keeps making Katherine's life partly a living hell. Mick and Katherine throw Alice off their trail for a bit but she comes back just as things have improved greatly for Katherine and she destroys Katherine's life again. After that Robbie re-enters the story and it ends with a note of happiness filled with lots of sorrow.
Katherine was a mature and capable character who I greatly admired for persevering through her life, even if she did cut herself off from the world after her sisters death. Robbie was a caring and supportive character who had a positive influence on Katherine's life as a friend. Mick and Phillipa played different parts in Katherine's life one as a friend and the other as a boyfriend. Phillipa was a sweet girl who accidentally became Katherine's friend after Alice plays cruel with her and the others. Mick, Phillipa's brother, kept Katherine happy and alive and although he seemed to mostly keep to himself, he was a great support for Katherine.
Beautiful Malice was incredibly emotional and well worth reading. I'm still in love with this book after reading it 3 times in the same amount of years. So I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wanted a book that will make you grateful for the life you've got.
Katherine was a mature and capable character who I greatly admired for persevering through her life, even if she did cut herself off from the world after her sisters death. Robbie was a caring and supportive character who had a positive influence on Katherine's life as a friend. Mick and Phillipa played different parts in Katherine's life one as a friend and the other as a boyfriend. Phillipa was a sweet girl who accidentally became Katherine's friend after Alice plays cruel with her and the others. Mick, Phillipa's brother, kept Katherine happy and alive and although he seemed to mostly keep to himself, he was a great support for Katherine.
Beautiful Malice was incredibly emotional and well worth reading. I'm still in love with this book after reading it 3 times in the same amount of years. So I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wanted a book that will make you grateful for the life you've got.
Mean girl. Guilt. New adult.
Story: When Alice comes up to Katherine and invites her to a party, Katherine is surprised. She is quiet and unnoticeable and didn't even know that Alice knew her name. But as the two girls' friendship grows, at the same time it spirals out of control.
Characters: Katherine is an ordinary girl, on the surface. She wears jeans and gets good grades. She just started at a new school and is a loner. Alice is the complete opposite. She is gorgeous and flamboyant and outgoing, and also mysterious.
Language: This is a new adult book with references to sex and alcohol. The characters are over sixteen and there are chapters that show them in their 20's. The book is set in Australia and contains some regional slang and vocabulary.
While reading the first half of this book I was dragging through and preparing to give this book a low score. It contains tropes, unrealistic parents and adults, and just seemed as vapid as a Twilight book. But in the second half of the book, although these things still continued, the characters started responding with more thought and less naivety, more maturity and less drama. And for that reason alone, the book turned for me into some guilty pleasure trashy book into a story that I could see (mature) young adults reading and actually getting quality content out of. A pleasant surprise.
Story: When Alice comes up to Katherine and invites her to a party, Katherine is surprised. She is quiet and unnoticeable and didn't even know that Alice knew her name. But as the two girls' friendship grows, at the same time it spirals out of control.
Characters: Katherine is an ordinary girl, on the surface. She wears jeans and gets good grades. She just started at a new school and is a loner. Alice is the complete opposite. She is gorgeous and flamboyant and outgoing, and also mysterious.
Language: This is a new adult book with references to sex and alcohol. The characters are over sixteen and there are chapters that show them in their 20's. The book is set in Australia and contains some regional slang and vocabulary.
While reading the first half of this book I was dragging through and preparing to give this book a low score. It contains tropes, unrealistic parents and adults, and just seemed as vapid as a Twilight book. But in the second half of the book, although these things still continued, the characters started responding with more thought and less naivety, more maturity and less drama. And for that reason alone, the book turned for me into some guilty pleasure trashy book into a story that I could see (mature) young adults reading and actually getting quality content out of. A pleasant surprise.
would have been better if i read it when jasmine actually told me to but anywyas this was mildly fucked up but like after reading gillian flynn not really
I could never really get into this book. I'm still not sure what happened...
I think my biggest problem with it was that Alice didn't seem *that* evil. I mean, she was far from a nice person, but she was far less evil than I had hoped for. Also, the story wasn't really about her, and she wasn't in it as much as I had wanted either.
This is my second try reading this book and I did not like it this time either. I would not recommend this book really. Even though I have heard some good things about it.
I think my biggest problem with it was that Alice didn't seem *that* evil. I mean, she was far from a nice person, but she was far less evil than I had hoped for. Also, the story wasn't really about her, and she wasn't in it as much as I had wanted either.
This is my second try reading this book and I did not like it this time either. I would not recommend this book really. Even though I have heard some good things about it.
I finished it! Yay!
After month of putting it away I read 3/4 book in day and half. First it was slow and confusing, but after that it was really interesting. It had a little to much insta-love and insta-friendship for me, but story, characters and writing (oh, writing is so beautiful) were so I can't give it under 4 stars.
I hope to read more from this author
After month of putting it away I read 3/4 book in day and half. First it was slow and confusing, but after that it was really interesting. It had a little to much insta-love and insta-friendship for me, but story, characters and writing (oh, writing is so beautiful) were so I can't give it under 4 stars.
I hope to read more from this author