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ellenbrickley's review
4.0
Pure fun. Thoroughly enjoying this. Lots of drama and intrigue (not something one reads for the biting social realism) and a well-drawn, seedy, absorbing world.
banalgirl's review
4.0
PT
Blacklist é a continuação do livro Unrivaled. Não li o primeiro livro e confirmo que, ao contrário do que me foi dito, não precisam de o ler para entenderem bem o segundo.
Esta obra segue o misterioso desaparecimento de Madison Brooks, a rapariga mais gira e adorada em Hollywood. Os seus "amigos" e conhecidos vêm-se envolvidos na história do seu desenvolvimento e, quando um deles é quase julgado culpado, juntam-se e tentam encontrar Madison que, afinal, não é bem quem dizia ser.
Quando comecei a ler este livro, ia um pouco "a medo" uma vez que todas as opiniões que li eram muito negativas. No entanto, confesso que adorei este livro e que estou desejosa pelo o próximo.
A ação principal é bastante cativante e eu senti-me mesmo interessada em descobrir quem e porquê tinha causado o desaparecimento de Madison.
O facto de a história ser contada em vários pontos de vista é outra característica que tornou o livro tão bom. Devido a este ponto, ficamos a conhecer e entender melhor cada personagem, o que é um fator muito importante quando queremos descobrir quem é o culpado.
EN
Blacklist is the continuation of the book Unrivaled. I have not read the first book. However, I believe that, contrary to what I have been told, you do not need to read it to understand the second one.
This book follows the mysterious disappearance of Madison Brooks, the hottest and most beloved girl in Hollywood. Their "friends" and acquaintances have become involved in the history of her disappearance and, when one of them is is almost deemed guilty, they come together and try to find Madison who, after all, is not quite who she claimed to be.
When I started reading this book, I was a bit scared since all the reviews I read were very negative. However, I confess that I loved this book and am looking forward to the next one.
The main action is quite captivating and I felt really interested in figuring out who caused her disappearance and why.
The fact that the story is told in several points of view is another feature that made the book so good.We get to know and understand each character better, which is a very important factor if you are trying to find out who is the guilty one.
The only thing in this book that made me less happy was the fact that not everything was revealed which make us wait (ANSIOUSLY !!) for the next volume !! I hope HarperCollins publishes it quickly!
Blacklist é a continuação do livro Unrivaled. Não li o primeiro livro e confirmo que, ao contrário do que me foi dito, não precisam de o ler para entenderem bem o segundo.
Esta obra segue o misterioso desaparecimento de Madison Brooks, a rapariga mais gira e adorada em Hollywood. Os seus "amigos" e conhecidos vêm-se envolvidos na história do seu desenvolvimento e, quando um deles é quase julgado culpado, juntam-se e tentam encontrar Madison que, afinal, não é bem quem dizia ser.
Quando comecei a ler este livro, ia um pouco "a medo" uma vez que todas as opiniões que li eram muito negativas. No entanto, confesso que adorei este livro e que estou desejosa pelo o próximo.
A ação principal é bastante cativante e eu senti-me mesmo interessada em descobrir quem e porquê tinha causado o desaparecimento de Madison.
O facto de a história ser contada em vários pontos de vista é outra característica que tornou o livro tão bom. Devido a este ponto, ficamos a conhecer e entender melhor cada personagem, o que é um fator muito importante quando queremos descobrir quem é o culpado.
EN
Blacklist is the continuation of the book Unrivaled. I have not read the first book. However, I believe that, contrary to what I have been told, you do not need to read it to understand the second one.
This book follows the mysterious disappearance of Madison Brooks, the hottest and most beloved girl in Hollywood. Their "friends" and acquaintances have become involved in the history of her disappearance and, when one of them is is almost deemed guilty, they come together and try to find Madison who, after all, is not quite who she claimed to be.
When I started reading this book, I was a bit scared since all the reviews I read were very negative. However, I confess that I loved this book and am looking forward to the next one.
The main action is quite captivating and I felt really interested in figuring out who caused her disappearance and why.
The fact that the story is told in several points of view is another feature that made the book so good.We get to know and understand each character better, which is a very important factor if you are trying to find out who is the guilty one.
The only thing in this book that made me less happy was the fact that not everything was revealed which make us wait (ANSIOUSLY !!) for the next volume !! I hope HarperCollins publishes it quickly!
teenage_reads's review
3.0
This just in: Madison Brooks Murdered! Reporters all around flock to Hollywood to capturing this gut wrenching story. It seems as if A-list celebrity, Madison Brooks, a girl that came to us with nothing, left this world with a bang, so it seems. With a blood drench dress, and a no alibi, Aster Amirpour is the number one (and only) suspect. All Aster wanted was to become famous, to see herself and Madison as equals in their A-list world. But after being publicly seen on Madison’s (well now ex) boyfriend’s arms when Madison publicly broke up with him (for good reasons) but with her retreating back (covered by an overtly-protective Tommy) being the last time anyone seen Madison alive, and Aster’s dress covered in blood in the hotel laundry room, all eyes point to her.
Jail. There are worst ways you can make fame. For Aster becoming a promoter has been just the start. See saw herself in the Hollywood hall of fame, winning Oscars and Golden Globes, maybe even staring in the next blockbuster movie – you never know. When gorgeous Ryan promising to help her out, show her the back door into the life she always wanted, without hesitation, clung to Ryan like she was Rose from Titanic, and Ryan was the door. She never meant to piss Madison off, but the opposite, she wanted to become best friends with her, so maybe going after his boyfriend was not the best idea after all. With Ira paying Aster bail, and setting her back up in a top-notch hotel, Aster is not off the hook yet. With her trial date approaching, Aster needs to swindle her friends (and by friends she means Layla and Tommy) into helping her clear her name, and find Madison, wherever that Hollywood elite is hiding.
If Unrivaled made you puke at the character’s personality, this one is no better. Where Alyson Noel truly dives deep into this Hollywood world, it is enough to make you puke. Layla, being the worst character, does not get any slack in this novel. Where she is upset with her and Mateo break up (because that is what their break is), instead of putting herself into the job she ‘won’ she slacks off, making her boss, Emerson believe she does not deserve working here. Still top’s off for Layla for being a friend, as she decides to help Aster on her quest to clear her name, even breaking into Madison’s house to see if there was any evidence the police did not see. Still how would Madison feel about Layla being in her house? As Ryan once told her: “She kept a blacklist of people who dissed her. You were on it”. Being a writer of a celebrity trash blog is not smiled upon in this world, and if Layla wants to swim with the fishes, she better hopes she’s the biggest one out there. Lucky for her when he is not saving other girls, Tommy is the first to throw protection up Layla’s way. Yes, our hometown boy still crushing hard on Layla, and even more now with her boyfriend out of the way. Still Layla does not feel the same about Tommy, luckily for her, he is willing to play the long run just to win her over, which is how Tommy finds himself back in Aster and her murder trial case, all for a shot at the girl who keeps pushing him away.
The point of view Noel chose to tell this from was: Layla, Aster, Tommy (our three heroes), Madison, Mateo (oh yes he is not done yet), and our favorite reporter: Trena. Yes, they all play a part in this novel (and hopefully the upcoming one). Noel’s writing was similar to the first book: preppy, common, leaving this story to run at a fast pace. The plot is still interesting, as the main plot in the series is in the works, and the subs-plots are working themselves out. Although the character’s themselves are not the highlight of the story, it is interesting the world Noel create for them. These eighteen-year-old (well Tommy is nineteen) kids are running around, owning night clubs (even though drinking age is twenty-one in the states), and no one is batting an eye. I guess that’s true in Hollywood, the younger you are, the more fame you get, and the more tabloids you can get into. Where Ira is a firm believer is no publicity is bad publicity, I do not believe he meant that about a murder in his most popular club. With the date ticking down, Layla, Aster and Tommy, the most unlikely friends, are running out of time to find Madison, and by this rate, they are more likely to find her dead than alive.
Jail. There are worst ways you can make fame. For Aster becoming a promoter has been just the start. See saw herself in the Hollywood hall of fame, winning Oscars and Golden Globes, maybe even staring in the next blockbuster movie – you never know. When gorgeous Ryan promising to help her out, show her the back door into the life she always wanted, without hesitation, clung to Ryan like she was Rose from Titanic, and Ryan was the door. She never meant to piss Madison off, but the opposite, she wanted to become best friends with her, so maybe going after his boyfriend was not the best idea after all. With Ira paying Aster bail, and setting her back up in a top-notch hotel, Aster is not off the hook yet. With her trial date approaching, Aster needs to swindle her friends (and by friends she means Layla and Tommy) into helping her clear her name, and find Madison, wherever that Hollywood elite is hiding.
If Unrivaled made you puke at the character’s personality, this one is no better. Where Alyson Noel truly dives deep into this Hollywood world, it is enough to make you puke. Layla, being the worst character, does not get any slack in this novel. Where she is upset with her and Mateo break up (because that is what their break is), instead of putting herself into the job she ‘won’ she slacks off, making her boss, Emerson believe she does not deserve working here. Still top’s off for Layla for being a friend, as she decides to help Aster on her quest to clear her name, even breaking into Madison’s house to see if there was any evidence the police did not see. Still how would Madison feel about Layla being in her house? As Ryan once told her: “She kept a blacklist of people who dissed her. You were on it”. Being a writer of a celebrity trash blog is not smiled upon in this world, and if Layla wants to swim with the fishes, she better hopes she’s the biggest one out there. Lucky for her when he is not saving other girls, Tommy is the first to throw protection up Layla’s way. Yes, our hometown boy still crushing hard on Layla, and even more now with her boyfriend out of the way. Still Layla does not feel the same about Tommy, luckily for her, he is willing to play the long run just to win her over, which is how Tommy finds himself back in Aster and her murder trial case, all for a shot at the girl who keeps pushing him away.
The point of view Noel chose to tell this from was: Layla, Aster, Tommy (our three heroes), Madison, Mateo (oh yes he is not done yet), and our favorite reporter: Trena. Yes, they all play a part in this novel (and hopefully the upcoming one). Noel’s writing was similar to the first book: preppy, common, leaving this story to run at a fast pace. The plot is still interesting, as the main plot in the series is in the works, and the subs-plots are working themselves out. Although the character’s themselves are not the highlight of the story, it is interesting the world Noel create for them. These eighteen-year-old (well Tommy is nineteen) kids are running around, owning night clubs (even though drinking age is twenty-one in the states), and no one is batting an eye. I guess that’s true in Hollywood, the younger you are, the more fame you get, and the more tabloids you can get into. Where Ira is a firm believer is no publicity is bad publicity, I do not believe he meant that about a murder in his most popular club. With the date ticking down, Layla, Aster and Tommy, the most unlikely friends, are running out of time to find Madison, and by this rate, they are more likely to find her dead than alive.
danagavrila's review
4.0
Thank you to NetGallery for providing me a copy for review! Blacklist comes out April 4th!
I was so pumped to read this after finishing the first book in the series, Unrivalled. It ended in such a cliffhanger and as soon as I finished it I started reading this one! And let me tell you, it did not disappoint! It answered all the questions left unanswered in the previous book and it become more eventful which was so much more exciting!
This instalment is mostly based on the disappearance of Madison Brooks and what the gang - Layla, Tommy and Aster, discover about Madison's secretive past. Which may I add was so exciting to find out about. I was hoping that more information about her character would be given to us in this book and I love love loved the way it was revealed.
The book definitely had more of a Pretty Little Liars feel than the previous one, I found it so creepy at points but it only made me want to read more. I also really enjoyed trying to piece the mystery together and failing hard, with every new character introduced I was so weary about them, much to how I reacted when watching Pretty Little Liars.
I was also really happy with Ryan's character in this book. You kinda get to know his story more although I have my suspicions. I still feel like there wasn't much character development, like in the first book. But Aster became more bearable. The new romance also had me excited, the way the author went about it came across really mature, which is what YA novels lack these days. Layla and Tommy stay the same, flat characters they were before, but we are also introduced to new characters. I still have my suspicions.
I think as a sequel this was a fantastic book! It delved much deeper into the story and all the things that got me really excited in the first book. Overall it was a brilliant read, I read it in one sitting and I was so absorbed in the story. I was a little bit skeptical since I've never read a book by Alyson Noël before and I've heard mixed things about her most popular Immortals series. But I was so pleasantly surprised! I love the first book and I loved the second book even more!
Its such a great and fun read if you're looking for a different YA contemporary novel, opposed to the typical ones. I cannot wait for the third book, I felt like I had it all figured out when the book ended, only to be met with another cliffhanger. (darn it)
I was so pumped to read this after finishing the first book in the series, Unrivalled. It ended in such a cliffhanger and as soon as I finished it I started reading this one! And let me tell you, it did not disappoint! It answered all the questions left unanswered in the previous book and it become more eventful which was so much more exciting!
This instalment is mostly based on the disappearance of Madison Brooks and what the gang - Layla, Tommy and Aster, discover about Madison's secretive past. Which may I add was so exciting to find out about. I was hoping that more information about her character would be given to us in this book and I love love loved the way it was revealed.
The book definitely had more of a Pretty Little Liars feel than the previous one, I found it so creepy at points but it only made me want to read more. I also really enjoyed trying to piece the mystery together and failing hard, with every new character introduced I was so weary about them, much to how I reacted when watching Pretty Little Liars.
I was also really happy with Ryan's character in this book. You kinda get to know his story more although I have my suspicions. I still feel like there wasn't much character development, like in the first book. But Aster became more bearable. The new romance also had me excited, the way the author went about it came across really mature, which is what YA novels lack these days. Layla and Tommy stay the same, flat characters they were before, but we are also introduced to new characters. I still have my suspicions.
I think as a sequel this was a fantastic book! It delved much deeper into the story and all the things that got me really excited in the first book. Overall it was a brilliant read, I read it in one sitting and I was so absorbed in the story. I was a little bit skeptical since I've never read a book by Alyson Noël before and I've heard mixed things about her most popular Immortals series. But I was so pleasantly surprised! I love the first book and I loved the second book even more!
Its such a great and fun read if you're looking for a different YA contemporary novel, opposed to the typical ones. I cannot wait for the third book, I felt like I had it all figured out when the book ended, only to be met with another cliffhanger. (darn it)
sarie's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
hildabjorkman's review
2.0
Initially, I thought the book was on the same level as the first one - an enjoyable book to read in the sun. And it was. There was nothing necessarily wrong with it, it just wasn't that good. This book took me 15 days to read while the first book "Unrivaled" took me two days. I just didn't find myself drifting towards this book, I did not think about it except when I had it in my hands. When I think back on it, I can not point out any especially important events. Yes, some things shifted in the characters' relationships and small things happened, but I can not help but think that this series could have been just two books.
This was a bit dull and definitely did not help the case to prove that "middle books" aren't boring. Despite that, I will probably still read the third and final book just to get some closure.
This was a bit dull and definitely did not help the case to prove that "middle books" aren't boring. Despite that, I will probably still read the third and final book just to get some closure.
yeoman_chloe's review
4.0
It dragged a bit if I'm honest and didn't really capture my attention in the same way that the first one did. It was still well written but it really was just a filler between books one and three.
maggiebooks's review against another edition
4.0
Olá queridos leitores!
Antes de começar a ler o livro disseram-me que precisava de ler o primeiro da trilogia para poder perceber a história. Na verdade, não senti isso. Parece ser uma história completamente à parte de qualquer outra. Pelo menos foi o que eu achei. Se calhar escaparam-me pormenores importantes e nem me apercebi...
Por um lado, gostei muito de ler este romance. Tem algum suspense e, no geral, tem uma boa história. Mas, por outro lado, não havia necessidade nenhuma de arrastar tanto... toda a narrativa desenvolve-se em volta do desaparecimento de Madison, mas foca-se mais nos seus amigos e conhecidos do que propriamente em Madison. Para mim esse é o maior "defeito" deste livro. Acabamos por não conhecer nenhuma das personagens de forma íntima... apenas conhecemos pequenos flashes da vida de cada um.
Quando terminei a leitura fiquei um pouco aborrecida. Quero saber muito mais do que aquilo que nos é descrito. Por favor, Harper Collins, tentem publicar o terceiro livro o mais rapidamente possível.
Vejo muitas semelhanças com Gossip Girl, mas apenas no desenvolver da história de cada personagem. As suas vidas têm um pouco em comum com as personagens da série...
O suspense devia destacar-se mais no desenvolvimento da ação, mas raramente dava cor de si.
Estou à espera que o terceiro livro seja mais entusiasmante. No entanto, gostei desta leitura e recomendo a quem tiver vontade de ler algo muito rápido e leve.
Antes de começar a ler o livro disseram-me que precisava de ler o primeiro da trilogia para poder perceber a história. Na verdade, não senti isso. Parece ser uma história completamente à parte de qualquer outra. Pelo menos foi o que eu achei. Se calhar escaparam-me pormenores importantes e nem me apercebi...
Por um lado, gostei muito de ler este romance. Tem algum suspense e, no geral, tem uma boa história. Mas, por outro lado, não havia necessidade nenhuma de arrastar tanto... toda a narrativa desenvolve-se em volta do desaparecimento de Madison, mas foca-se mais nos seus amigos e conhecidos do que propriamente em Madison. Para mim esse é o maior "defeito" deste livro. Acabamos por não conhecer nenhuma das personagens de forma íntima... apenas conhecemos pequenos flashes da vida de cada um.
Quando terminei a leitura fiquei um pouco aborrecida. Quero saber muito mais do que aquilo que nos é descrito. Por favor, Harper Collins, tentem publicar o terceiro livro o mais rapidamente possível.
Vejo muitas semelhanças com Gossip Girl, mas apenas no desenvolver da história de cada personagem. As suas vidas têm um pouco em comum com as personagens da série...
O suspense devia destacar-se mais no desenvolvimento da ação, mas raramente dava cor de si.
Estou à espera que o terceiro livro seja mais entusiasmante. No entanto, gostei desta leitura e recomendo a quem tiver vontade de ler algo muito rápido e leve.
_rowenaravenclaw_'s review
4.0
"Everybody loves you when you're gone"
4.5/5 stars
This is a reread for me due to the final book being released. I found that this time around I was able to get more into the story that the first time around. Although I do believe that it took a little while to get going and that there was some what of a drag and extra things that I believe didn't need to be in the book; it is such a wonderful read once you blow past it. Noel has a way of pulling at your heart and making you connect with the characters. From feeling the pain when one goes to jail as well as in the end when they are caught up in something much bigger than them, you can't help but want to jump in the book and help.
If you're unsure about thrillers/mysteries I do believe that this could be the book that will change your mind. Due to the setting of it being in LA and the types of individuals that the book talks about, it doesn't seem like you're reading a mystery/thriller until you are too engrossed in the book to put it down.
4.5/5 stars
This is a reread for me due to the final book being released. I found that this time around I was able to get more into the story that the first time around. Although I do believe that it took a little while to get going and that there was some what of a drag and extra things that I believe didn't need to be in the book; it is such a wonderful read once you blow past it. Noel has a way of pulling at your heart and making you connect with the characters. From feeling the pain when one goes to jail as well as in the end when they are caught up in something much bigger than them, you can't help but want to jump in the book and help.
If you're unsure about thrillers/mysteries I do believe that this could be the book that will change your mind. Due to the setting of it being in LA and the types of individuals that the book talks about, it doesn't seem like you're reading a mystery/thriller until you are too engrossed in the book to put it down.
cordeliasinej's review
2.0
i thought the first book was enjoyable but it was so much harder to get into this one. even though it has over 400 pages, it didn't add much to the plot, i had to force myself into reading sometimes. i think it might be a good set up for book 3, but the way it was dragging honestly made me want to not to continue with the series.