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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
personally i think it could’ve been shorter, but ultimately i really enjoyed it and i can’t wait to continue this series
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ugh. I’m so sick of these books where the men are all cheating manwhores and the main female characters are virgins. It’s not the 1800’s. Plus the sex scenes are so without chemistry they are like reading a recipe.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The thing about enemies to lovers romance books is that most authors don't really understand the true meaning of that trope. The majority of the time it's more of a rivals to lovers or just plain jerk to lovers romance and completely miss the mark. I think LJ Shen knows what a true enemies to lovers romance is and knows how to write one.
I have been on such an emotional roller coaster reading this book. It has so much more depth and nuance than I was expecting. The epilogue really sets the stage for the plot of this book. It shows how the smallest decisions made out of jealousy can impact other people's lives including your own. It shows how we perceive things when we are young and our minds are not fully developed to process details of others situations. In the same token, the epilogue also shows how as adults we don't know how certain actions or words can affect children, sometimes irreversibly.
Daria's character is so complex. She is the queen of her school and from the outside she has it all. The family, the money, popularity. She's the envy of every girl and all the boys want her. Inside, she hates herself. She's petty, jealous, conniving, manipulative. You as a reader should really hate her but you emphasize with her instead. Her family pretty much overlook and ignore her. Her mother shows no interest in her. Daira's starved for her mother's attention but their distance is so big it's sad. I liked that she actually has a very good relationship with her father. She can confide in him and she does in one of the most pivotal scenes in the book. I'm so glad she decided to let go off all that toxicity in the one person she knows will have her back. He never judges her and will always be a support for her.
Penn was pretty much out for revenge for Daria's part in his twin sister, Via, disappearing. Although I will sat that he was also a complex character having to make decisions based on loyalty. Loyalty to his sister or to the girl he was falling for and was supposed to hate. Oddly enough he trusts Daria and she trusts him too which makes their relationship so interesting. Extenuating circumstances lands him under the Followhill's home. As soon as he steps foot into that house, his chemistry with Daria was off the charts. They allowed themselves to be vulnerable around each other and honest. Daria mores that Penn but his feelings for her were clear from the beginning and frankly he did a horrible job hating her.
I think for me the thing I enjoyed the most about this book was Daria. Her growth was heartfelt and I cried with her throughout the book. She just wanted to be seen and we all have been there. Her relationship with her mother is so strained I felt like I myself was choking. I wanted to scream at them to fix it so when they finally started making the moves to bridge the gap between them, it felt so special. Relationships between mothers and daughters are complicated and I felt like LJ did a great job in portraying an extremely strained one but not a hopeless one. The resolution was incredibly satisfying.
Overall I think it was a great start to a new series. I'm looking forward to learning about Luna and Knight's history and their blossoming relationship.
I have been on such an emotional roller coaster reading this book. It has so much more depth and nuance than I was expecting. The epilogue really sets the stage for the plot of this book. It shows how the smallest decisions made out of jealousy can impact other people's lives including your own. It shows how we perceive things when we are young and our minds are not fully developed to process details of others situations. In the same token, the epilogue also shows how as adults we don't know how certain actions or words can affect children, sometimes irreversibly.
Daria's character is so complex. She is the queen of her school and from the outside she has it all. The family, the money, popularity. She's the envy of every girl and all the boys want her. Inside, she hates herself. She's petty, jealous, conniving, manipulative. You as a reader should really hate her but you emphasize with her instead. Her family pretty much overlook and ignore her. Her mother shows no interest in her. Daira's starved for her mother's attention but their distance is so big it's sad. I liked that she actually has a very good relationship with her father. She can confide in him and she does in one of the most pivotal scenes in the book. I'm so glad she decided to let go off all that toxicity in the one person she knows will have her back. He never judges her and will always be a support for her.
Penn was pretty much out for revenge for Daria's part in his twin sister, Via, disappearing. Although I will sat that he was also a complex character having to make decisions based on loyalty. Loyalty to his sister or to the girl he was falling for and was supposed to hate. Oddly enough he trusts Daria and she trusts him too which makes their relationship so interesting. Extenuating circumstances lands him under the Followhill's home. As soon as he steps foot into that house, his chemistry with Daria was off the charts. They allowed themselves to be vulnerable around each other and honest. Daria mores that Penn but his feelings for her were clear from the beginning and frankly he did a horrible job hating her.
I think for me the thing I enjoyed the most about this book was Daria. Her growth was heartfelt and I cried with her throughout the book. She just wanted to be seen and we all have been there. Her relationship with her mother is so strained I felt like I myself was choking. I wanted to scream at them to fix it so when they finally started making the moves to bridge the gap between them, it felt so special. Relationships between mothers and daughters are complicated and I felt like LJ did a great job in portraying an extremely strained one but not a hopeless one. The resolution was incredibly satisfying.
Overall I think it was a great start to a new series. I'm looking forward to learning about Luna and Knight's history and their blossoming relationship.
LJ Shen is one of my favorite contemporary writers; I wait anxiously for her new books to be released... and she’s just so cool that she usually releases them early for her thirsty fans.
Pretty Reckless was worth all the hype and was even better than I expected. It was an awesome continuation of the Sinners of Saints series; and Daria is truly the queen. So complex and well written. Now comes the hard part of waiting for the other books in the series to be released...
Pretty Reckless was worth all the hype and was even better than I expected. It was an awesome continuation of the Sinners of Saints series; and Daria is truly the queen. So complex and well written. Now comes the hard part of waiting for the other books in the series to be released...
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I barely finished the prologue. I used to love L.J. Shen, but I've no clue what happened to her writing.
That said, this is meant to be teenage angsty, so at least it seems to tick the box. I don't much care to find out more. It just didn't click.
That said, this is meant to be teenage angsty, so at least it seems to tick the box. I don't much care to find out more. It just didn't click.