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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Sometimes, a family is like an ear of summer corn: It might look perfect on the outside, but when you peel the husk away. every kernel is rotten.”
I decided to start reading this series (I read the first one, but can't remember anything about it), right with the prequel to see how/why Ali acted the way she did.
"So she shut her eyes and channeled her sister. A beautiful bitch. A manipulative queen bee. The girl who'd ruined her life."
I surprisingly really loved Ali (Courtney) in this book (not a big fan of her on the show). Ali (Courtney) has had to put up with a lot from her twin that needs some help. Yet, the real Ali is the one that got Courtney sent away so that she could be the only girl in the family and get all the attention. That is until Courtney finds a way to become "Ali" and get the real Ali sent away to get the help she really needs.
The whole Ali, Courtney thing is rather confusing. I'll even admit that I had to re-read certain paragraphs again to make sure that I was getting everything right.
One thing that did bother me, was how Jason who apparently was super close to Courtney couldn't ever tell that she was the one pretending to be Ali so she could have a normal live. It just didn't make sense to me. Also, how can two parents really not tell their twins apart? When they obviously have some difference even if they are supposed to be identical.
“She'd make them wish they were never Alison DiLaurentis's friends in the first place. She didn't know how, and she didn't know when, but at least she had one person she could count on to help her carry it out. Together, they were going to make it happen.
Even if it killed her.”
Let's get back to Ali (Courtney) though and her new found friendship with Emily, Spencer, Aria and Hannah. While they are all supposed to be BFF, it felt to me like she was closer to Emily and Hannah from the start and just saw Spencer as competition, and I'm still not really sure what brought her and Aria together (did I miss something?). I really did like learning about the life Ali (Courtney) had made for herself and how she really was just trying to be a 'normal' young girl. I actually felt for her when it seemed like the other girls were keeping secrets from her, but I can also see it from their side about why they didn't tell her things. She can be extremely rude about it, and is extremely controlling of their friendship and will use anything to keep them all in line.
I will full admit that the ending still got me. I knew what was going to happen, but it didn't make it any less shocking, if anything it made it more shocking because of some other details we find out.
Overall now I'm really looking forward to finally starting this series properly!
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I decided to start reading this series (I read the first one, but can't remember anything about it), right with the prequel to see how/why Ali acted the way she did.
"So she shut her eyes and channeled her sister. A beautiful bitch. A manipulative queen bee. The girl who'd ruined her life."
I surprisingly really loved Ali (Courtney) in this book (not a big fan of her on the show). Ali (Courtney) has had to put up with a lot from her twin that needs some help. Yet, the real Ali is the one that got Courtney sent away so that she could be the only girl in the family and get all the attention. That is until Courtney finds a way to become "Ali" and get the real Ali sent away to get the help she really needs.
The whole Ali, Courtney thing is rather confusing. I'll even admit that I had to re-read certain paragraphs again to make sure that I was getting everything right.
One thing that did bother me, was how Jason who apparently was super close to Courtney couldn't ever tell that she was the one pretending to be Ali so she could have a normal live. It just didn't make sense to me. Also, how can two parents really not tell their twins apart? When they obviously have some difference even if they are supposed to be identical.
“She'd make them wish they were never Alison DiLaurentis's friends in the first place. She didn't know how, and she didn't know when, but at least she had one person she could count on to help her carry it out. Together, they were going to make it happen.
Even if it killed her.”
Let's get back to Ali (Courtney) though and her new found friendship with Emily, Spencer, Aria and Hannah. While they are all supposed to be BFF, it felt to me like she was closer to Emily and Hannah from the start and just saw Spencer as competition, and I'm still not really sure what brought her and Aria together (did I miss something?). I really did like learning about the life Ali (Courtney) had made for herself and how she really was just trying to be a 'normal' young girl. I actually felt for her when it seemed like the other girls were keeping secrets from her, but I can also see it from their side about why they didn't tell her things. She can be extremely rude about it, and is extremely controlling of their friendship and will use anything to keep them all in line.
I will full admit that the ending still got me. I knew what was going to happen, but it didn't make it any less shocking, if anything it made it more shocking because of some other details we find out.
Overall now I'm really looking forward to finally starting this series properly!
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challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“If you’re going to be two-faced, at least make one of them pretty.” -Marilyn Monroe
4.25/5 Wow, okay, this series is straight up like my modern day soap opera. Saying I’m obsessed is an understatement
4.25/5 Wow, okay, this series is straight up like my modern day soap opera. Saying I’m obsessed is an understatement
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
wow, madre mia....al fin el punto de vista de courtney...siempre el villano de una historia mal contada
Páni...zatím nejlepší díl lhářek, všechno se najednou ukazuje v novém světle a já nestačila kroutit hlavou. Byly by to jasné 4*, kdyby hlavní zápletka nebyla tak uhozená. Čí rodiče by mohli být tak natvrdlí???
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wish I had liked this book more than I did. The last half was a little too by-the-numbers. The last few hours before Alison was killed was so full of stuff that happened that it just felt like it was all being crammed in. It was interesting to see everything from a different perspective, but I wish that it covered more of the stuff I was interested in.
If you thought Ali was Satan incarnate in the previous books, brace yourself for Ali's Pretty Little Lies. Alison DiLaurentis wasn't your typical Queen Bee with a flair for manipulation, she was a full blown sociopath. If you enjoyed delving into the twisted psyche of a teenage murderess in Kate Brian's [b:Privilege|2875036|Privilege (Privilege, #1)|Kate Brian|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348709443s/2875036.jpg|2901199] series, you'll absolutely adore this book.
This book follows Ali and Courtney's relationship from early childhood through to the murder. We learn that the feud started at a young age, but it wasn't just a case of Courtney imitating Alison, both girls were cray cray. For reasons unknown, Alison often forced Courtney into pretending to be her. Then whenever their parents found out, Alison would play victim and claim that Courtney was being creepy. Eventually Courtney did begin to feel that Ali was the better twin, and resentment for Alison grew. It all culminated with Courtney attempting to strangle Alison, and Courtney being carted off to the mental hospital with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia.
While on a weekend home from the hospital, Courtney plots revenge against her sister. Through stealing her sister's "A" ring and interacting with the "Liars" in the yard, Courtney is able to convince their parents that she's Ali. The real Ali is carted off to the mental hospital, and Courtney is free to assume Ali's life with the help of her diary. Courtney is untouchable as the tween Queen of Rosewood Day, while the real Alison rots away in the Preserve.
But Alison is just as cunning as Courtney, and realises that the more she claims to be the real Alison, the longer she'll stay locked up. Alison promptly shuts up and feigns sanity until she earns her release from the mental hospital. Once released, she spends her days tortmenting Courtney and devising a plan for revenge. It all comes to a head the night of the sleepover, with Alison and an unknown accomplice cornering Courtney in the backyard. Courtney is pushed into the gazebo ditch and killed, with Alison returning to the house to take back her life.
Unfortunately for the real Alison, her plan backfires: without her "A" ring and "Jenna Thing" bracelet, her parents quickly realise she's not the Alison they've been living with for the past 18 months, and cart her straight back to the Preserve. With her twin dead, Alison is running out of people to blame, and locks onto the last person she sees: Spencer Hastings. Were it not for the Liars' presence in her yard on that fateful day, Courtney would never have been able to make the switch. And with that, she vows to get revenge on the Liars if it's the last thing she does.
If you found the Alison/Courtney switcheroo in previous books as confusing as I did, this book will help to clear the air. You'll be frustrated to begin with, struggling to decipher the references to Alison, “Alison”, Courtney and “Courtney”, but stick with it. As Courtney begins to think of herself as Alison and not a girl simply pretending to be her, so does the reader. The reader simply accepts that the girl ruling Rosewood Day with the Liars is Alison, and the vengeful girl locked in the Preserve is Courtney. Although in the back of our minds we know the truth, as readers we simply accept that it's Alison dying in the DiLaurentis backyard that fateful night.
Sara Shepard would have done well to publish this book earlier, not only to clarify the Courtney/Ali switcheroo, but to give readers an insight into the twins' twisted psyches. In the previous books we're led to believe that Alison was the 'good twin', and Courtney was simply a bad egg that was jealous of her sister. We believe that despite Alison being a royal bitch, she was sane and was only driven to madness upon being imprisoned in the Preserve. However, this book states that they were both rotten apples, with Alison showing narcissistic and sociopath tendencies of her own. Courtney wasn't simply jealous of her twin, she became that way after being forced into imitating her.
I really hope Shepard writes a book from real!Ali's perspective, because I'd love some insight into why she forced Courtney to imitate her. Was it simple narcissism in believing she was the better twin? Was it just a case of a kid wanting to miss school, or get her sibling in trouble? Or was it something more sinister? And what exactly did she threaten Courtney with, to get her to comply? Did Ali always harbour murderous urges, threatening their family's lives unless Courtney pretended to be Ali at school? Or did she only become that way after her stint in the Preserve?
But as much as I'd like to delve into Ali's psyche, that's not to say that Courtney's wasn't fascinating! While it obviously takes some brainpower and cunning to pull off a switcheroo like that, I was surprised by just how cold and calculating she was. I personally tend to run on instincts and emotions, so it was intriguing to delve into the psyche of someone so meticulous and thoughtful. When most people are hurt, they instinctually lash out with words that they know will hurt the other person. Courtney would instead take a step back, recognise that she was feeling crappy, and realise that she could lift herself up by hurting someone else. And she'd scheme to find the easiest victim and most painful ammunition.
But while she was a conniving bitch that got off on hurting others, the author makes it clear at the end of the book that Alison and Courtney are two different kinds of evil. Though Courtney has done some hurtful things, the reader fears for her life when Alison is released. The reader feels sympathy for Courtney as she's tackled by Alison, desperately willing her to escape, even though we know how that night plays out. The reader wishes they could see the accomplice's face and tell the police, as Courtney fades away at the bottom of that hole. I've lost count of the amount of times I thought “Fuck that bitch, she deserved to die” throughout the series, but this book completely turned things around. Again, I have to wonder if Ali only turned into a teenage murderess due to her imprisonment, or if she always harboured evil inside her...
In addition to a book from real!Ali's perspective, I'd love to see more of her parents in the days following Courtney's disappearance. I'd always wondered why the hell they didn't come forward to the cops, and questioned why a secret twin hadn't come up in the police investigation. Although it would have no doubt been mortifying for people to learn that your daughter had been murdered by her secret twin, surely it would have caused less heartache for everybody involved. And how on earth did real!Ali con the DiLaurentises into believing that she hadn't hurt her sister, and was well enough to come home and have her existence revealed to the public? The more I think about it, the stupider the DiLaurentis parents seem...
Overall: For such a short book, Ali's Pretty Little Lies was amazingly insightful! In the previous books we're led to believe that Alison would not have gone off the deep end were it not for crazy Courtney, but this book reveals that things aren't always so black and white. Both the DiLaurentis twins were bad apples, and Courtney may have in fact been the lesser of two evils.
But as Shepard's books go, Ali's Pretty Little Lies raises more questions than it answers. Was Alison evil from the get go? Why did she force Courtney to imitate her? How the hell could the DiLaurentises be so convinced of Alison's guilt, but then let her enter Rosewood society a few years later? And who the hell was the accomplice in Courtney's murder? Was it Iris, although she was written off as a villain in a past book? Was it Tabitha, who the Liars are now convinced they'd wrongfully accused? Though Shepard has been off her “A Game” for the past few books (pun intended), she's rekindled the mystery with Ali's Pretty Little Lies.
I can only hope she gives us a more satisfying finale than Charlaine Harris did for Sookie Stackhouse fans!
This book follows Ali and Courtney's relationship from early childhood through to the murder. We learn that the feud started at a young age, but it wasn't just a case of Courtney imitating Alison, both girls were cray cray. For reasons unknown, Alison often forced Courtney into pretending to be her. Then whenever their parents found out, Alison would play victim and claim that Courtney was being creepy. Eventually Courtney did begin to feel that Ali was the better twin, and resentment for Alison grew. It all culminated with Courtney attempting to strangle Alison, and Courtney being carted off to the mental hospital with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia.
While on a weekend home from the hospital, Courtney plots revenge against her sister. Through stealing her sister's "A" ring and interacting with the "Liars" in the yard, Courtney is able to convince their parents that she's Ali. The real Ali is carted off to the mental hospital, and Courtney is free to assume Ali's life with the help of her diary. Courtney is untouchable as the tween Queen of Rosewood Day, while the real Alison rots away in the Preserve.
But Alison is just as cunning as Courtney, and realises that the more she claims to be the real Alison, the longer she'll stay locked up. Alison promptly shuts up and feigns sanity until she earns her release from the mental hospital. Once released, she spends her days tortmenting Courtney and devising a plan for revenge. It all comes to a head the night of the sleepover, with Alison and an unknown accomplice cornering Courtney in the backyard. Courtney is pushed into the gazebo ditch and killed, with Alison returning to the house to take back her life.
Unfortunately for the real Alison, her plan backfires: without her "A" ring and "Jenna Thing" bracelet, her parents quickly realise she's not the Alison they've been living with for the past 18 months, and cart her straight back to the Preserve. With her twin dead, Alison is running out of people to blame, and locks onto the last person she sees: Spencer Hastings. Were it not for the Liars' presence in her yard on that fateful day, Courtney would never have been able to make the switch. And with that, she vows to get revenge on the Liars if it's the last thing she does.
If you found the Alison/Courtney switcheroo in previous books as confusing as I did, this book will help to clear the air. You'll be frustrated to begin with, struggling to decipher the references to Alison, “Alison”, Courtney and “Courtney”, but stick with it. As Courtney begins to think of herself as Alison and not a girl simply pretending to be her, so does the reader. The reader simply accepts that the girl ruling Rosewood Day with the Liars is Alison, and the vengeful girl locked in the Preserve is Courtney. Although in the back of our minds we know the truth, as readers we simply accept that it's Alison dying in the DiLaurentis backyard that fateful night.
Sara Shepard would have done well to publish this book earlier, not only to clarify the Courtney/Ali switcheroo, but to give readers an insight into the twins' twisted psyches. In the previous books we're led to believe that Alison was the 'good twin', and Courtney was simply a bad egg that was jealous of her sister. We believe that despite Alison being a royal bitch, she was sane and was only driven to madness upon being imprisoned in the Preserve. However, this book states that they were both rotten apples, with Alison showing narcissistic and sociopath tendencies of her own. Courtney wasn't simply jealous of her twin, she became that way after being forced into imitating her.
I really hope Shepard writes a book from real!Ali's perspective, because I'd love some insight into why she forced Courtney to imitate her. Was it simple narcissism in believing she was the better twin? Was it just a case of a kid wanting to miss school, or get her sibling in trouble? Or was it something more sinister? And what exactly did she threaten Courtney with, to get her to comply? Did Ali always harbour murderous urges, threatening their family's lives unless Courtney pretended to be Ali at school? Or did she only become that way after her stint in the Preserve?
But as much as I'd like to delve into Ali's psyche, that's not to say that Courtney's wasn't fascinating! While it obviously takes some brainpower and cunning to pull off a switcheroo like that, I was surprised by just how cold and calculating she was. I personally tend to run on instincts and emotions, so it was intriguing to delve into the psyche of someone so meticulous and thoughtful. When most people are hurt, they instinctually lash out with words that they know will hurt the other person. Courtney would instead take a step back, recognise that she was feeling crappy, and realise that she could lift herself up by hurting someone else. And she'd scheme to find the easiest victim and most painful ammunition.
But while she was a conniving bitch that got off on hurting others, the author makes it clear at the end of the book that Alison and Courtney are two different kinds of evil. Though Courtney has done some hurtful things, the reader fears for her life when Alison is released. The reader feels sympathy for Courtney as she's tackled by Alison, desperately willing her to escape, even though we know how that night plays out. The reader wishes they could see the accomplice's face and tell the police, as Courtney fades away at the bottom of that hole. I've lost count of the amount of times I thought “Fuck that bitch, she deserved to die” throughout the series, but this book completely turned things around. Again, I have to wonder if Ali only turned into a teenage murderess due to her imprisonment, or if she always harboured evil inside her...
In addition to a book from real!Ali's perspective, I'd love to see more of her parents in the days following Courtney's disappearance. I'd always wondered why the hell they didn't come forward to the cops, and questioned why a secret twin hadn't come up in the police investigation. Although it would have no doubt been mortifying for people to learn that your daughter had been murdered by her secret twin, surely it would have caused less heartache for everybody involved. And how on earth did real!Ali con the DiLaurentises into believing that she hadn't hurt her sister, and was well enough to come home and have her existence revealed to the public? The more I think about it, the stupider the DiLaurentis parents seem...
Overall: For such a short book, Ali's Pretty Little Lies was amazingly insightful! In the previous books we're led to believe that Alison would not have gone off the deep end were it not for crazy Courtney, but this book reveals that things aren't always so black and white. Both the DiLaurentis twins were bad apples, and Courtney may have in fact been the lesser of two evils.
But as Shepard's books go, Ali's Pretty Little Lies raises more questions than it answers. Was Alison evil from the get go? Why did she force Courtney to imitate her? How the hell could the DiLaurentises be so convinced of Alison's guilt, but then let her enter Rosewood society a few years later? And who the hell was the accomplice in Courtney's murder? Was it Iris, although she was written off as a villain in a past book? Was it Tabitha, who the Liars are now convinced they'd wrongfully accused? Though Shepard has been off her “A Game” for the past few books (pun intended), she's rekindled the mystery with Ali's Pretty Little Lies.
I can only hope she gives us a more satisfying finale than Charlaine Harris did for Sookie Stackhouse fans!