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thistleonions's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Death, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, Bullying, Homophobia, and Emotional abuse
justinbaumann71's review against another edition
3.0
I did not have a great time with this one. Its a great but simple concept: killer girl scouts fight inter-dimensional monsters and its a secret society. Amazing.
However, it is really not that fun bc we get bogged down by too many elements for a YA novel to really deal with in a standalone novel. Not only do we have a large cast of characters that have varying degrees of importance we have just way too many storylines. We have the whole secret society, the lore about the monsters, the non-sighted characters vs. the sighted ones, the ethics of indoctronating these really and truly children into this secret society where they can die, the mother/daughter relationship, the familial relationship, the main and secondary antogonist, then the actual training and day to day monotany of being a lady bird scout (but the non-fighting point).
What saved this novel from being a 2 for me was the mother daughter relationship and how the trauma/ptsd was handled in this book as well as a really great final fight scene and resolution. That whole section of the book was handled very well and improved my experience of the story significantly.
However, it is really not that fun bc we get bogged down by too many elements for a YA novel to really deal with in a standalone novel. Not only do we have a large cast of characters that have varying degrees of importance we have just way too many storylines. We have the whole secret society, the lore about the monsters, the non-sighted characters vs. the sighted ones, the ethics of indoctronating these really and truly children into this secret society where they can die, the mother/daughter relationship, the familial relationship, the main and secondary antogonist, then the actual training and day to day monotany of being a lady bird scout (but the non-fighting point).
What saved this novel from being a 2 for me was the mother daughter relationship and how the trauma/ptsd was handled in this book as well as a really great final fight scene and resolution. That whole section of the book was handled very well and improved my experience of the story significantly.
librarycat50's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
Campy; Pitch Perfect girls as monster hunters
virgo_reader's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this YA book. The premise is the heroine, Prudence Perry, was born into a monster hunting family. Only they’re not exactly monsters, but ~things~ that come to Earth from another galaxy/inter-dimensional plane and feed on human emotions.
The monster hunters in this world are Lady Bird Scouts - they start training as young girls and become Senior Scouts as older teens and eventually Dames.
Prue retired three years ago after her friend was killed by a monster. Now she’s been recruited to train new scouts and decides to try to infiltrate the organization to get a tea of forgetting that will prevent her from seeing the monsters.
You have to suspend disbelief a little bit if you read this book as an adult, because even the wisened, retired Prudence at 16 is unbelievably young to me. Thinking about her learning to fight/kill at 10, 11 is wild.
I enjoyed the story, the friendships as Prue trains her scouts, and the fear as she balances her monster killing with her relationship, since her boyfriend is out of the loop, as well as the conflict towards the end of the book.
booksandladders's review against another edition
5.0
See this review and more on Books and Ladders!
Content Warning: death of a loved one (friend), blood, ptsd, anxiety, gore,
Well, I was right. I want another 10 books set in this world and as a series. This is everything I wanted from an urban fantasy that actually looks at the effects fighting monsters and losing friends has on the children and teenagers who are set to protect it. I absolutely loved Prue and the way she was able to work through her emotions, use her mental health - and wanting to protect it - to her advantage and to protect others, and the friendship between everyone.
I did want a little more description about her relationship with Kyle, but those ending chapters with them were super cute so I will give it a bit of a pass. I thought it was such an interesting novel, the relationships were so well done, and I just loved it to pieces.
Now I need a Dark Pru Era where she follows more of the Faith storyline from Buffy. Please and thank you.
Highly recommend!
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Content Warning: death of a loved one (friend), blood, ptsd, anxiety, gore,
Well, I was right. I want another 10 books set in this world and as a series. This is everything I wanted from an urban fantasy that actually looks at the effects fighting monsters and losing friends has on the children and teenagers who are set to protect it. I absolutely loved Prue and the way she was able to work through her emotions, use her mental health - and wanting to protect it - to her advantage and to protect others, and the friendship between everyone.
I did want a little more description about her relationship with Kyle, but those ending chapters with them were super cute so I will give it a bit of a pass. I thought it was such an interesting novel, the relationships were so well done, and I just loved it to pieces.
Now I need a Dark Pru Era where she follows more of the Faith storyline from Buffy. Please and thank you.
Highly recommend!
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thatpine's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Could have used some more characterization but the concept was super cool and I enjoyed the read.
rainbowbrarian's review against another edition
3.0
This was a good story and I liked how it ended, overhaul the shitty program. BUT, those abusers never got called on their shit. Never apologized. And that’s not okay with me.
Also, as a Girl Scout, I got really tired of all the “cookie pusher” digs. Shitting all over the organization that does a lot of good for girls wasn’t cool.
Lot of mixed feelings about this book. I’m glad I finished this because I needed to know what happened, but I’m relieved that it’s finished too. Tough read.
Also, as a Girl Scout, I got really tired of all the “cookie pusher” digs. Shitting all over the organization that does a lot of good for girls wasn’t cool.
Lot of mixed feelings about this book. I’m glad I finished this because I needed to know what happened, but I’m relieved that it’s finished too. Tough read.
graamcracker's review against another edition
3.0
This was an entertaining read, a mix of Girl Scouts and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is the second book I've read by Anderson (Undead Girl Gang); she has fun concepts but her writing doesn't hook me enough. Obsessed with the cover though!
the_crooked_neighbor's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really enjoyed this book- and was surprised by how much. I liked the concept but was worried about the execution. I thought, about halfway through, that this would be a 3 to 4 star read but it really surpassed my expectations on how it wrapped up. I was really pleased with the resolution of the book. I think it hits a lot of important issues and doesn't minimize them. It's nice to see someone with anxiety so accurately depicted who also gets to be the hero of the book.
noroomforghosts's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5