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cveraa14's review against another edition
5.0
This book gave me so many feelings. I laughed because the characters could be funny, I teared up because it was heartbreaking. And I got so damn mad because this happens in the real world.
Vigilante was an amazing book that made me think about the way we look at victims of sexual assault and how their cases are handled and sometimes how they arnt handled at all. This book made me want to fight back and do something to help.
I love how this book was about women coming together. She did an amazing job with her arguements and even including moments about the "not all men" response in which she pointed out that there are good guys out there by including many in her story.
Cross did this amazingly and I will be recommending this to boys and girls for a long time to come.
Vigilante was an amazing book that made me think about the way we look at victims of sexual assault and how their cases are handled and sometimes how they arnt handled at all. This book made me want to fight back and do something to help.
I love how this book was about women coming together. She did an amazing job with her arguements and even including moments about the "not all men" response in which she pointed out that there are good guys out there by including many in her story.
Cross did this amazingly and I will be recommending this to boys and girls for a long time to come.
ceuran's review against another edition
2.0
This book tried to speak about an important topic and missed its mark. Simplicity in writing can be good for a book, but in this case it made everything seem black and white when there is definitely some gray area. It also really forced a narrative when it should have been letting you come to those conclusions on your own.
I would pass on this one if I were you.
I would pass on this one if I were you.
raix's review
4.0
Note: I received an ARC of this book at a library conference. There was no expectation for me to review it.
This book was much better than I thought it'd be!
The writing starts off kind of flat and it has a tone like an "issue" book (trying to throw in facts/statistics in an unnatural way). That tone still pops up occasionally later in the book, but I find that the tone becomes more natural and visceral overall as the story continues. Some similar books I've read have been kind of wishy-washy and refused to take a stand other than throwing out some general facts, but this one felt like it had more of a real character arc.
I especially appreciate how realistic Hadley's thoughts are, complete with curse words and all the anger she should rightly be feeling. I also liked how rough the book was, with lots of action and scary/suspenseful moments.
I've seen people say that every girl should read this book, but I don't know if that's true. Girls already know about the threat of violence they face in the everyday world. The plot can be empowering, but some of the more preachy moments in the book might not do any good directed at the choir. I think this might be an important book for boys to read, too. Since we get Hadley's first-person perspective on the issues, it gives good insight to those who might not be familiar.
The book of course, has some issues. The voice isn't always consistent which can make it feel less real, especially as the story goes on. The narrative is not always consistent either with whether or not Magda should have expected to be raped (although it largely states that it was not her fault, there are some moments even later on that are kind of iffy). Another big issue I had was the repeated lines of Drew being "a psychopath", or "not mentally healthy". Not only does this perpetuate stigma against the mentally ill, it ignores the sad reality that crimes like rape and sexual assault are carried out by average people every day. It's not because of any kind of mental defect - it's because our society largely teaches it as acceptable. I think this is an important distinction to make to hold perpetrators of sexual violence (as well as our culture) accountable.
A word of warning, while the grittiness of this book is something I appreciated, it does contain a graphic scene of violent sexual assault, so readers who might want to avoid that should steer clear.
This book was much better than I thought it'd be!
The writing starts off kind of flat and it has a tone like an "issue" book (trying to throw in facts/statistics in an unnatural way). That tone still pops up occasionally later in the book, but I find that the tone becomes more natural and visceral overall as the story continues. Some similar books I've read have been kind of wishy-washy and refused to take a stand other than throwing out some general facts, but this one felt like it had more of a real character arc.
I especially appreciate how realistic Hadley's thoughts are, complete with curse words and all the anger she should rightly be feeling. I also liked how rough the book was, with lots of action and scary/suspenseful moments.
I've seen people say that every girl should read this book, but I don't know if that's true. Girls already know about the threat of violence they face in the everyday world. The plot can be empowering, but some of the more preachy moments in the book might not do any good directed at the choir. I think this might be an important book for boys to read, too. Since we get Hadley's first-person perspective on the issues, it gives good insight to those who might not be familiar.
The book of course, has some issues. The voice isn't always consistent which can make it feel less real, especially as the story goes on. The narrative is not always consistent either with whether or not Magda should have expected to be raped (although it largely states that it was not her fault, there are some moments even later on that are kind of iffy). Another big issue I had was the repeated lines of Drew being "a psychopath", or "not mentally healthy". Not only does this perpetuate stigma against the mentally ill, it ignores the sad reality that crimes like rape and sexual assault are carried out by average people every day. It's not because of any kind of mental defect - it's because our society largely teaches it as acceptable. I think this is an important distinction to make to hold perpetrators of sexual violence (as well as our culture) accountable.
A word of warning, while the grittiness of this book is something I appreciated, it does contain a graphic scene of violent sexual assault, so readers who might want to avoid that should steer clear.
ashleylovestoreadx's review
2.0
Verdict: Loan from the library or just pass all together.
I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Vigilante by Kady Cross follows the same pattern throughout the entire book which results in it being extremely predictable. This is the gist of the story; put on a ridiculous pink mask, attack boys who have wronged a woman, fear you’ve been caught, rinse wash repeat. I almost added this book to my Did not finish shelf; however, I held out to see if something would happen that came as a surprise. Nothing did, it was a waste of time. The overall approach the author took to Hady handling her vengeance against the boys that got away with raping her best friend is extremely unbelievable and hard to follow. I understand that sexual assaults are an issue and that they do happen frequently; however, I questioned how often Hadley encountered sexual assaults. The other thing I found unbelievable is that the four boys Hadley targeted continued to get drunk and act reckless even though someone was attacking them, wait what? Then you add the fact that the author continuously mentions their rich backgrounds and highly regarded fathers and expects us to believe that their fathers would just continue to let them run the streets when they’re being targeted?
Vigilante does get a star for bringing light to the issue of sexual assault. I did like how Kady Cross stressed that rape is not the victims fault no matter what the individual was wearing or how drunk they were. I did not enjoy how that seemed to be the only substance in the book and eventually it became a bit much.
I did not see any development in the main character throughout the story. She continued to put herself into unsafe situations in the name of vengeance. There were times in the book I thought she would come through and have some personal revelations, good thing I did not hold my breath because it did not happen. The relationship between Hadley and Gabriel seemed fake and forced. I also felt that the way Gabriel spoke to Hadley went against everything she claimed to hate in men; although, Hadley continuously called him a “Good Guy”.
I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Spoiler
Vigilante by Kady Cross follows the same pattern throughout the entire book which results in it being extremely predictable. This is the gist of the story; put on a ridiculous pink mask, attack boys who have wronged a woman, fear you’ve been caught, rinse wash repeat. I almost added this book to my Did not finish shelf; however, I held out to see if something would happen that came as a surprise. Nothing did, it was a waste of time. The overall approach the author took to Hady handling her vengeance against the boys that got away with raping her best friend is extremely unbelievable and hard to follow. I understand that sexual assaults are an issue and that they do happen frequently; however, I questioned how often Hadley encountered sexual assaults. The other thing I found unbelievable is that the four boys Hadley targeted continued to get drunk and act reckless even though someone was attacking them, wait what? Then you add the fact that the author continuously mentions their rich backgrounds and highly regarded fathers and expects us to believe that their fathers would just continue to let them run the streets when they’re being targeted?
Vigilante does get a star for bringing light to the issue of sexual assault. I did like how Kady Cross stressed that rape is not the victims fault no matter what the individual was wearing or how drunk they were. I did not enjoy how that seemed to be the only substance in the book and eventually it became a bit much.
I did not see any development in the main character throughout the story. She continued to put herself into unsafe situations in the name of vengeance. There were times in the book I thought she would come through and have some personal revelations, good thing I did not hold my breath because it did not happen. The relationship between Hadley and Gabriel seemed fake and forced. I also felt that the way Gabriel spoke to Hadley went against everything she claimed to hate in men; although, Hadley continuously called him a “Good Guy”.
melbsreads's review
4.0
Trigger warnings: rape, suicide, graphic violence, assault, bullying, slut shaming.
This book is definitely not an easy one to read, but I'm not entirely sure why it's slid under the radar as much as it has. It's the story of a teenage girl whose best friend was date raped and gang raped the previous year. In the "she wanted it" aftermath of bullshit, said best friend commits suicide. The protagonist - who was the one to find her best friend after both the rape AND the suicide - blames herself. In her senior year, she decides that she's going to get revenge on the group of boys responsible, seeing as the law has had zero impact.
So it's definitely not an easy book to read. And at times, Hadley was...an infuriating character. Certainly in the early stages, she has moments where she blames Magda for what happened, saying that Magda shouldn't have been interested in Drew. I *think* the intention was to show her character development and how prevalent rape culture is, even in those who believe and support rape victims, but it just came across as a little...icky.
ANYWAY.
There's a lot of girl power stuff in this book, which was great. There's a lot of teenage girls banding together to support each other and have each other's backs. There's a lot of Hadley actually making female friends and learning that adult women have experienced just as much rape culture bullshit as she has.
The actual vigilante stuff was...a little contrived at times. The romance was a little insta-love adjacent but still cute.
In summary: the girl power stuff was great. The confrontation of rape culture was great. The ending was...a little abrupt, to be honest, and it was slightly too neat and tidy for my liking. But on the whole, this was solid.
This book is definitely not an easy one to read, but I'm not entirely sure why it's slid under the radar as much as it has. It's the story of a teenage girl whose best friend was date raped and gang raped the previous year. In the "she wanted it" aftermath of bullshit, said best friend commits suicide. The protagonist - who was the one to find her best friend after both the rape AND the suicide - blames herself. In her senior year, she decides that she's going to get revenge on the group of boys responsible, seeing as the law has had zero impact.
So it's definitely not an easy book to read. And at times, Hadley was...an infuriating character. Certainly in the early stages, she has moments where she blames Magda for what happened, saying that Magda shouldn't have been interested in Drew. I *think* the intention was to show her character development and how prevalent rape culture is, even in those who believe and support rape victims, but it just came across as a little...icky.
ANYWAY.
There's a lot of girl power stuff in this book, which was great. There's a lot of teenage girls banding together to support each other and have each other's backs. There's a lot of Hadley actually making female friends and learning that adult women have experienced just as much rape culture bullshit as she has.
The actual vigilante stuff was...a little contrived at times. The romance was a little insta-love adjacent but still cute.
In summary: the girl power stuff was great. The confrontation of rape culture was great. The ending was...a little abrupt, to be honest, and it was slightly too neat and tidy for my liking. But on the whole, this was solid.
lpcoolgirl's review
5.0
Oh, wow, this was such a fantastic book, I enjoyed it so much! And yeah, sexual assault and rape is just awful!
goldenbeebookshop's review
4.0
Is this a perfect book? No.
Is it one that everyone, especially every girl should read? Abso-effing-lutely.
This book deals with the wide array of social and legal complications that are built into rape culture and the concept of vigilante justice, and it's mostly done in a way that gives voice to each side of the argument.
When Hadley is dubbed the Pink Vigilante it's pointed out that if a male in a blue mask had been doling out the same kind of beatings and defense that he wouldn't be called the Blue Vigilante, he be called Batman. Needing to point out the gender of the attacker is unfortunately important for the men who want to be the ones to put her in a her place as a female, and important for the females who, even if they shouldn't pursue vigilante justice, need to see that they can protect themselves if they need to.
Cross also made a point of including a few times that more than girls should be taught to not get raped, boys need to be taught not to rape, that rape is never an option.
And she made a point of demonstrating that there is nothing wrong with a female wanting consensual sex. Being eager for sex as a female is nothing to be shamed.
And she also made it perfectly clear that sexual assault is just as egregious and illegal as rape.
The writing does feel a little repetitive in Hadley returning again and again to her guilt over Magda and her grappling with what her version of justice really means, but I'd be more concerned if she didn't second guess these things, and she'd be less human if her doubts and fears didn't return again and again.
My only wish is that in the wake of the defense classes, and in this unity rising up in women who were so ready to band together was that they could do it without a mask, that when they saw someone verbally, physically, or sexually assaulting someone that they could stand up together and without hiding, stop the attack and draw attention to the attacker. This isn't a comment on the writing, but rather a wish for that level of safety in the world.
This review was made possible thanks to a galley provided through the publisher and Netgalley.
Is it one that everyone, especially every girl should read? Abso-effing-lutely.
This book deals with the wide array of social and legal complications that are built into rape culture and the concept of vigilante justice, and it's mostly done in a way that gives voice to each side of the argument.
When Hadley is dubbed the Pink Vigilante it's pointed out that if a male in a blue mask had been doling out the same kind of beatings and defense that he wouldn't be called the Blue Vigilante, he be called Batman. Needing to point out the gender of the attacker is unfortunately important for the men who want to be the ones to put her in a her place as a female, and important for the females who, even if they shouldn't pursue vigilante justice, need to see that they can protect themselves if they need to.
Cross also made a point of including a few times that more than girls should be taught to not get raped, boys need to be taught not to rape, that rape is never an option.
And she made a point of demonstrating that there is nothing wrong with a female wanting consensual sex. Being eager for sex as a female is nothing to be shamed.
And she also made it perfectly clear that sexual assault is just as egregious and illegal as rape.
The writing does feel a little repetitive in Hadley returning again and again to her guilt over Magda and her grappling with what her version of justice really means, but I'd be more concerned if she didn't second guess these things, and she'd be less human if her doubts and fears didn't return again and again.
My only wish is that in the wake of the defense classes, and in this unity rising up in women who were so ready to band together was that they could do it without a mask, that when they saw someone verbally, physically, or sexually assaulting someone that they could stand up together and without hiding, stop the attack and draw attention to the attacker. This isn't a comment on the writing, but rather a wish for that level of safety in the world.
This review was made possible thanks to a galley provided through the publisher and Netgalley.
dona_isreading's review
4.0
4/5 stars
(WARNING: SPOILERS)
Let me begin by saying that this is by no means a perfect book, but I finished it feeling a concoction of sadness, anger and another rather ineffable emotion.
Vigilante explores the horror of being a victim of rape, how it affects relationships, and in the book’s case, the sheer abhorrence of victim-blaming, as well as one girl’s desire to avenge the wronged.
You really feel for Hadley in the beginning: her best friend had committed suicide because she could not stand the constant victim-blaming that had happened to her. Reading about some of those remarks; ‘you were asking for it’, ‘what were you wearing?’ and ‘slut’ (among many others) made my blood boil. It reminded me yet again of the perpetuation of rape culture in our society, where some people had the tendency to blame the woman for being taken advantage of. It’s a cruel and horrible form of punishment for those who do not deserve punishment, and are instead marginalized by society for the actions of disgraceful and gormless human beings.
Hadley is a product of a society that, in many cases, fails to see justice being served to its perpetrators. Hadley is ridden with guilt, bombarded with anger and pain that she could have stopped her friend’s rape. So, she decides to take matters into her own hands.
Hadley’s decision to don a mask was questionable, yet understandable. She felt no justice had been received for Magda, and decides to punish the three boys responsible. You can say a lot about taking the law into your own hands; sometimes, it just doesn’t work, and you could end up in dangerous situations. Although I questioned Hadley’s decision, I understood it. The law had not helped Magda- it had abased her. Often times however, Hadley’s being a vigilante blurred the fine line between justice and revenge. She kind of began to remind me of Oliver Queen in Arrow– you know, taking stupid risks like a fight with four/five men against one, but weirdly coming out on top. She took gambles, let her anger get the better of her, crossed that aforementioned line between justice and vengeance and shut herself away from others at times to carry this silent burden herself. There were times she was problematic, but strangely, I understood her need to be.
I loved the inclusion and importance of self-defense classes for girls that was portrayed throughout the book, although it saddens me that we even needed to defend ourselves in the first place. It was a great initiative, teaching people to defend themselves if ever in danger. I also liked that the book mentions that rape is not always done by men- it can also be done by women. And, although it is mainly women’s rape stories that make the media and news, men suffer the same consequences- they just don’t speak up about it because of the notions of hyper-masculinity that permeates into society. It’s important to know that it is not only women that are abused, it is also men.
Vigilante also explores how sometimes, being rich and powerful had horrible perks. It was devastating in Magda’s case- that one of the boys that raped her had a father who could bend the law for him, so that he and his friends could get away with a ‘slap on the wrist’- but sadly, I think we can all acknowledge that is situation does not stretch too far from the truth. This injustice happens, and sometimes the law does not help the victim- it helps the perpetrator.
Speaking of ‘perpetrator’, the main rapist was one of the most disgusting book characters I have ever read about. He saw Hadley’s friend as a conquest; sees all girls’ as a conquest. Even after Magda’s rape, and her eventual suicide, he had not ceased his disgraceful behaviour. I was shocked to read on from Hadley’s viewpoint that he continued to take advantage of drunk (and often underage) girls. He hadn’t learned his lesson, and he would not ever learn it, it seemed.
Moving onto better aspects of the novel, I also loved the importance of girl-on-girl support. Hadley, after being a recluse after Magda’s death, begins to open up and become friends with other girls, and it was nice to see that they were willing to support each other whenever.
Would I recommend Vigilante? Hell yes. At times a little unrealistic (like, how did people not guess the vigilante was most likely to be Hadley?), but highlights one of the many horrific aspects of society that we see today. It is fiction, but it is important. I highly recommend Vigilante.
Vigilante comes out March 28th 2017. Thank you Harlequin Teen for the ARC copy
bookishuniversee's review
5.0
4.5 stars
I had slight problems here and there but other than that it was an amazing read.
This book has trigger warning such as rape and suicide.
I recommend this to everyone
I had slight problems here and there but other than that it was an amazing read.
This book has trigger warning such as rape and suicide.
I recommend this to everyone
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Suicide
maryam162424's review
4.0
What an AMAZING BOOK!!! This book touches the issue of sexual assault in a fantastic and touching manner that will cause people to critically think about it. I couldn't put this book down, it really was amazing. Hadley's perspective and pain was so real and raw, that I couldn't help but feel it too. The relationship that Hadley had with her new friends was amazing. The message of this book is also very important to girls. Us girls shouldn't fight with each other, we should fight for each other. Please read this one!!!