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rereader33's review against another edition
1.0
Holy fuck, holy actual fuck, what did I just read? How did this book take such an incredible nosedive from potentially good to absolutely awful? I really don't know, but the least I can do is give you my long-ass rant about how much I disliked this book. Please, grab a snack or a drink or both, this is going to take awhile.
First off, let me elaborate on what I originally stated. When I said, "potentially good," I meant that when I got to about the halfway mark, I was thinking this was going to be a three star book. I had no hopes that it was going to get better, but to me three stars isn't that bad (obviously because it's average). But then the halfway mark hit and suddenly everything tanked SPECTACULARLY. The characters? Boring and generic with only a handful of redeemable moments. The story? Predictable, cliched, and fucking BORING, but I'll get to that later. And the writing? Mediocre at best, cringe-worthy and cheesy at worst. Now, the ranting begins.
Wow, where do I even begin with the characters? Thea, our main character, started off fine. A teenager grieving the death of her cousin Natalie, a death that has gone unsolved despite a potential suspect. One thing I did appreciate about this novel is that at least Thea's character arc revolved around her coming to terms with grief, and honestly that was handled well, no complaints here. However, she goes from reclusive teenager to "badass leader" of her Black Coats group in just a few chapters. No lie, there is no build up, no sense that she was even leader material, but because she's the main character she HAS to be the leader. Not only that, but considering how reclusive she was in school (which is told to us, rarely shown) she instantly falls in love with the first guy the readers are introduced to and she's totally okay with hanging out with him and flirts with him. Because, you know, that's totally the behavior of a reclusive teenager. Not only does her character take on the role of leader out of fucking nowhere, but no one in her group challenges this (despite most of them having pretty assertive personalities) and I kid you not when she talks to her team she sounds like those stereotypical leading characters that always have to sound bad-ass just to remind you that they're bad-ass. It was cringe-inducing and came out of nowhere. I'm not going to bother discussing the other characters because, quite frankly, none of them are interesting. Each one has a personality trait that defines them and a skill set that defines them and that's it. Going off of that, we now get into the biggest problem with this novel-the story is effectively a cliched, terrible action movie.
I shit you not, all through the last half of the novel, the action movie cliches just kept piling up. Main character becomes a bad-ass out of nowhere and leads a team of misfits on missions? Check. Main character has an insta-love relationship with a guy for no fucking reason other than to further the plot and for there to be romance in the story? Check. Organization that sounds good on paper but turns out to be predominantly evil? Check. Main character pisses off organization so they kidnap her boyfriend? Check. Mentor figure mysteriously vanishes but comes back at the last possible second during a mission to save the group? Check. Main character and boyfriend make out immediately after he is rescued despite still being in danger? Check. Only other male character that had trained main character turns out to be on evil organization's side? Check. NEED. I. GO. ON???? Because trust me, I could. But there is one thing other than everything that I have stated that may have ruined the book from the start, and that is pacing.
The pacing in this novel is unnecessarily fast. Honestly, I can't believe I'm saying this since I adore stand-alone novels, but this novel should have been at least a duology. Oakes crams so much shit because she wants to have a complete story in one novel that everything suffers because of it. The characters, the story, the writing, all of it is beyond bad because Oakes tried to put her whole story in one book and couldn't give proper attention to any one aspect of her book. If this novel had been a duology, she could have focused on the characters more, made them more nuanced, give them richer backstories, and let the story takes its time to unfold, then leave the story on a cliffhanger to pick up in the second book, which could have been more story-driven. Instead, what was bestowed upon us is what reads as a hastily written story drowning in cliches lead by some boring characters bogged down by mediocre writing. I think I've proven my point by now, but before I wrap up, I still haven't addressed the elephant in the book-the revenge plot.
I'm going to be completely honest, I haven't brought it up until this point because I don't have much to say about it. Do I think it was handled well? I guess. It's a stereotypical revenge plot, only with a secret organization rather than a singular person like in The Female of the Species or a school group like Moxie. Did I find it interesting? Not really. It wasn't any different than what any other story with this topic has done, the only difference is that it feels really fucking rushed and was hard to take seriously once the Black Coats became a "sinister organization," like every other bad action movie. Do I think it's problematic? No. It's pretty clear that the Black Coats are not meant to be idealized and while the story demonstrates the moral grey of vigilantism, it's pretty clear by the end that the Black Coats are not to be emulated. And that's pretty much it on that topic, really.
And that's it. That's my long-ass rant about a book I suffered through because I apparently hate myself. I do not recommend this title and would easily recommend The Female of the Species by: Mindy McGinnis if you want a solid revenge plot that deals with injustice and specifically rape culture. I would seriously pass on this unless you want a blisteringly fast and easy read.
First off, let me elaborate on what I originally stated. When I said, "potentially good," I meant that when I got to about the halfway mark, I was thinking this was going to be a three star book. I had no hopes that it was going to get better, but to me three stars isn't that bad (obviously because it's average). But then the halfway mark hit and suddenly everything tanked SPECTACULARLY. The characters? Boring and generic with only a handful of redeemable moments. The story? Predictable, cliched, and fucking BORING, but I'll get to that later. And the writing? Mediocre at best, cringe-worthy and cheesy at worst. Now, the ranting begins.
Wow, where do I even begin with the characters? Thea, our main character, started off fine. A teenager grieving the death of her cousin Natalie, a death that has gone unsolved despite a potential suspect. One thing I did appreciate about this novel is that at least Thea's character arc revolved around her coming to terms with grief, and honestly that was handled well, no complaints here. However, she goes from reclusive teenager to "badass leader" of her Black Coats group in just a few chapters. No lie, there is no build up, no sense that she was even leader material, but because she's the main character she HAS to be the leader. Not only that, but considering how reclusive she was in school (which is told to us, rarely shown) she instantly falls in love with the first guy the readers are introduced to and she's totally okay with hanging out with him and flirts with him. Because, you know, that's totally the behavior of a reclusive teenager. Not only does her character take on the role of leader out of fucking nowhere, but no one in her group challenges this (despite most of them having pretty assertive personalities) and I kid you not when she talks to her team she sounds like those stereotypical leading characters that always have to sound bad-ass just to remind you that they're bad-ass. It was cringe-inducing and came out of nowhere. I'm not going to bother discussing the other characters because, quite frankly, none of them are interesting. Each one has a personality trait that defines them and a skill set that defines them and that's it. Going off of that, we now get into the biggest problem with this novel-the story is effectively a cliched, terrible action movie.
I shit you not, all through the last half of the novel, the action movie cliches just kept piling up. Main character becomes a bad-ass out of nowhere and leads a team of misfits on missions? Check. Main character has an insta-love relationship with a guy for no fucking reason other than to further the plot and for there to be romance in the story? Check. Organization that sounds good on paper but turns out to be predominantly evil? Check. Main character pisses off organization so they kidnap her boyfriend? Check. Mentor figure mysteriously vanishes but comes back at the last possible second during a mission to save the group? Check. Main character and boyfriend make out immediately after he is rescued despite still being in danger? Check. Only other male character that had trained main character turns out to be on evil organization's side? Check. NEED. I. GO. ON???? Because trust me, I could. But there is one thing other than everything that I have stated that may have ruined the book from the start, and that is pacing.
The pacing in this novel is unnecessarily fast. Honestly, I can't believe I'm saying this since I adore stand-alone novels, but this novel should have been at least a duology. Oakes crams so much shit because she wants to have a complete story in one novel that everything suffers because of it. The characters, the story, the writing, all of it is beyond bad because Oakes tried to put her whole story in one book and couldn't give proper attention to any one aspect of her book. If this novel had been a duology, she could have focused on the characters more, made them more nuanced, give them richer backstories, and let the story takes its time to unfold, then leave the story on a cliffhanger to pick up in the second book, which could have been more story-driven. Instead, what was bestowed upon us is what reads as a hastily written story drowning in cliches lead by some boring characters bogged down by mediocre writing. I think I've proven my point by now, but before I wrap up, I still haven't addressed the elephant in the book-the revenge plot.
I'm going to be completely honest, I haven't brought it up until this point because I don't have much to say about it. Do I think it was handled well? I guess. It's a stereotypical revenge plot, only with a secret organization rather than a singular person like in The Female of the Species or a school group like Moxie. Did I find it interesting? Not really. It wasn't any different than what any other story with this topic has done, the only difference is that it feels really fucking rushed and was hard to take seriously once the Black Coats became a "sinister organization," like every other bad action movie. Do I think it's problematic? No. It's pretty clear that the Black Coats are not meant to be idealized and while the story demonstrates the moral grey of vigilantism, it's pretty clear by the end that the Black Coats are not to be emulated. And that's pretty much it on that topic, really.
And that's it. That's my long-ass rant about a book I suffered through because I apparently hate myself. I do not recommend this title and would easily recommend The Female of the Species by: Mindy McGinnis if you want a solid revenge plot that deals with injustice and specifically rape culture. I would seriously pass on this unless you want a blisteringly fast and easy read.
alongreader's review against another edition
3.0
There's nothing wrong with this book - it's exciting, it's a good plot, I wanted to know what was going to happen - but I wasn't desperate to find out, I was happy to wait until I got back to it. It's a perfectly good read, but not a breathless, staying up at night one.
I'll still recommend it to others, because I think it'll do well.
Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.
There was still no word from Drew, so she took a deep breath and texted him everything she wanted to say. After Natalie's loss, she should have known better: the time to say important things was always now. I'm sorry for lying to you. You were right--about almost everything. Can we talk after the ceremony tomorrow? Then without thinking, she typed:
Drew Porter, I think I might love you, in spite of everything.
Thea sat back in her chair, anxiously waiting any response as the night grew long around her.
Finally it popped up:
See you tomorrow at graduation.
Thea let a small glimmer of hope pass through her. Maybe there was a chance that she wouldn't lose this, too. Still, before heading up for bed she triple-checked the locks and tucked a knife up her sleeve.
I'll still recommend it to others, because I think it'll do well.
Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.
There was still no word from Drew, so she took a deep breath and texted him everything she wanted to say. After Natalie's loss, she should have known better: the time to say important things was always now. I'm sorry for lying to you. You were right--about almost everything. Can we talk after the ceremony tomorrow? Then without thinking, she typed:
Drew Porter, I think I might love you, in spite of everything.
Thea sat back in her chair, anxiously waiting any response as the night grew long around her.
Finally it popped up:
See you tomorrow at graduation.
Thea let a small glimmer of hope pass through her. Maybe there was a chance that she wouldn't lose this, too. Still, before heading up for bed she triple-checked the locks and tucked a knife up her sleeve.
hastings91's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. I have mixed feelings. The concept is amazing and so are a lot of the messages explored, but at the same time a lot of what was portrayed lacked the nuance and moral ambiguity I wanted it too. The main character was fairly developed and likable as was one side character (Mirabelle) but everyone else was super flat. There are really graphic action scenes in this book but the pacing is slow. The best parts of were the first few chapters, the female friendships that developed, and the portrayal of racialized misogyny in a small-town setting.
Cw: sexual assault, violence, murder, trauma, racism, anti-blackness, sexism, v.a.w in general
Cw: sexual assault, violence, murder, trauma, racism, anti-blackness, sexism, v.a.w in general
popthebutterfly's review against another edition
2.0
Disclaimer: I received this book from BookSparks and HarperTeen. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 2.5/5
Publication Date: February 12, 2019
Genre: YA Contemporary
Recommended Age: 16+ (rape, rape culture, drug intake, sexual assault, suicide, suicidal thoughts, abuse, language, violence, slight gore)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 400
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Roses are read, violets are blue, if you hurt us, we’re coming for you.
The deeply secretive Black Coats have been exacting vengeance on men who hurt girls and women for years. And Thea has just received an invitation to join them. This is the opportunity she’s been waiting for to finally get justice for her cousin Natalie, whose killer went free.
Thea dives head first into the group, training every day with other girls whose stories rival hers. Together they carry out Balancings—acts of revenge guaranteed to teach a lesson. With every predator threatened, every blackmailer exposed, and every date rapist punished, Thea can feel herself getting closer to avenging Natalie’s death.
But then the Balancings begin to escalate in brutality, and Thea discovers that the Black Coats are not all they seem to be. Thea must confront just how far she’s willing to go for justice—and what kind of justice Natalie, and Thea herself, deserve. Because when the line between justice and revenge is razor thin, it’s hard not to get cut.
Review: Okay so for the most part this was a good book. The book was well written and the characters were pretty well developed. The book was fast, so this would be an excellent book to read in one sitting. The plot was intriguing and if you’re a big fan of action/spy books then you would more than likely love this book.
However, I have some slight issues with this book. There is a rape scene about 4 pages into the book and from what I could see there’s no trigger warning in the beginning of the book. I feel this can upset or trigger some people reading it that are unaware of this. There are also suicidal thoughts and tendencies presented in the book as well as drug use, so be careful reading this one. The book is really unrealistic. There is almost no mention of parents or cops being around. The book is also really slow. I’m mainly worried about the use of revenge in this book. Vigilantism is a problem in criminal justice and it can get people killed or in trouble with the law themselves. The book uses revenge as a means to get justice via online bullying or other means. This could cause kids to seek out and perform the same things in the name of “justice”, but two wrongs don’t make a right. As someone who has a masters in criminal justice and who has worked with juvenile justice programs, the majority of kids who do really stupid things like fighting or bullying are often suffering from problems at home. They oftentimes live a rough home life where they are sometimes abused themselves. Their cry for help is to act out on others. To perform vigilante justice on these bullies that more than likely need help can cause some severe issues to happen. The way to heal from being bullied is to find retribution, not revenge. I’m also worried about how Adam Porter was excused for being a cop. The book acknowledges racism, but I didn’t like how it discarded the fact that a majority of cops in America are perpetrators of domestic violence. In fact, when reading this book I looked over at some news articles on my phone and saw three instances where cops displayed racism and/or deliberately covered up crimes to cover their own asses. Being a cop in this day and age doesn’t excuse you for anything anymore. Also there’s a slight plot hole where an adopted child is said to look so much like their adopted mother.
Verdict: A really action packed book, definitely for fans of Moxie. I feel like the book is amazing and did well to explain the racism that exists and will definitely empower people, but it might have missed the mark a bit.
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 2.5/5
Publication Date: February 12, 2019
Genre: YA Contemporary
Recommended Age: 16+ (rape, rape culture, drug intake, sexual assault, suicide, suicidal thoughts, abuse, language, violence, slight gore)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 400
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Roses are read, violets are blue, if you hurt us, we’re coming for you.
The deeply secretive Black Coats have been exacting vengeance on men who hurt girls and women for years. And Thea has just received an invitation to join them. This is the opportunity she’s been waiting for to finally get justice for her cousin Natalie, whose killer went free.
Thea dives head first into the group, training every day with other girls whose stories rival hers. Together they carry out Balancings—acts of revenge guaranteed to teach a lesson. With every predator threatened, every blackmailer exposed, and every date rapist punished, Thea can feel herself getting closer to avenging Natalie’s death.
But then the Balancings begin to escalate in brutality, and Thea discovers that the Black Coats are not all they seem to be. Thea must confront just how far she’s willing to go for justice—and what kind of justice Natalie, and Thea herself, deserve. Because when the line between justice and revenge is razor thin, it’s hard not to get cut.
Review: Okay so for the most part this was a good book. The book was well written and the characters were pretty well developed. The book was fast, so this would be an excellent book to read in one sitting. The plot was intriguing and if you’re a big fan of action/spy books then you would more than likely love this book.
However, I have some slight issues with this book. There is a rape scene about 4 pages into the book and from what I could see there’s no trigger warning in the beginning of the book. I feel this can upset or trigger some people reading it that are unaware of this. There are also suicidal thoughts and tendencies presented in the book as well as drug use, so be careful reading this one. The book is really unrealistic. There is almost no mention of parents or cops being around. The book is also really slow. I’m mainly worried about the use of revenge in this book. Vigilantism is a problem in criminal justice and it can get people killed or in trouble with the law themselves. The book uses revenge as a means to get justice via online bullying or other means. This could cause kids to seek out and perform the same things in the name of “justice”, but two wrongs don’t make a right. As someone who has a masters in criminal justice and who has worked with juvenile justice programs, the majority of kids who do really stupid things like fighting or bullying are often suffering from problems at home. They oftentimes live a rough home life where they are sometimes abused themselves. Their cry for help is to act out on others. To perform vigilante justice on these bullies that more than likely need help can cause some severe issues to happen. The way to heal from being bullied is to find retribution, not revenge. I’m also worried about how Adam Porter was excused for being a cop. The book acknowledges racism, but I didn’t like how it discarded the fact that a majority of cops in America are perpetrators of domestic violence. In fact, when reading this book I looked over at some news articles on my phone and saw three instances where cops displayed racism and/or deliberately covered up crimes to cover their own asses. Being a cop in this day and age doesn’t excuse you for anything anymore. Also there’s a slight plot hole where an adopted child is said to look so much like their adopted mother.
Verdict: A really action packed book, definitely for fans of Moxie. I feel like the book is amazing and did well to explain the racism that exists and will definitely empower people, but it might have missed the mark a bit.
sk24's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
This book wasn’t quite what I expected it to be. I thought it was going to be a super badass book filled with girls kicking major butt. What I got was sort of a mess…not saying that the book was a mess – that’s not what I mean. I just mean it doesn’t take long before we start seeing glimpses of flaws in this Black Coats society. And then things spiral from there. It just wasn’t what I expected.
While I was slightly disappointed with the story, I still enjoyed it. I thought it was well written and came from a good place. And I understand the author’s need to put this out into the world.
The characters were well developed and believable. They were all flawed and had things to work through and they did it together.
The story was very captivating and I enjoyed it for the most part.
This book wasn’t quite what I expected it to be. I thought it was going to be a super badass book filled with girls kicking major butt. What I got was sort of a mess…not saying that the book was a mess – that’s not what I mean. I just mean it doesn’t take long before we start seeing glimpses of flaws in this Black Coats society. And then things spiral from there. It just wasn’t what I expected.
While I was slightly disappointed with the story, I still enjoyed it. I thought it was well written and came from a good place. And I understand the author’s need to put this out into the world.
The characters were well developed and believable. They were all flawed and had things to work through and they did it together.
The story was very captivating and I enjoyed it for the most part.
alice_99's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
3.75
runningonwords415's review against another edition
4.0
Really catchy opening and story - didn’t like the ending very much at all.
luckyniko's review against another edition
4.0
tw: sexual assault, murder, abuse mention, men at their worst... just existing
the only thing that wasn't very cash money was that it just started off with a sexual assault and i wasn't emotionally ready for that shit.
okay! so we love a black main character. a few times Oakes peppers in that she IS black. yes black, not dark tan. not 100% opacity le blanc okay? she black and she is kicking ass.
this is definitely a "fun" in the sense that she is working to be part of this elite group of women working to create their own form of justice. i would definitely rec this to any high schooler because i love that it makes the effort to show that not all "popular" kids are shallow and not all "loner" kids are special or whatever. they're all people and teamwork makes the dream work.
i won't lie though, it definitely took me about 50% of the way through before i could get really into it because it was just kind of bobbing along. but i really liked it.
the only thing that wasn't very cash money was that it just started off with a sexual assault and i wasn't emotionally ready for that shit.
okay! so we love a black main character. a few times Oakes peppers in that she IS black. yes black, not dark tan. not 100% opacity le blanc okay? she black and she is kicking ass.
this is definitely a "fun" in the sense that she is working to be part of this elite group of women working to create their own form of justice. i would definitely rec this to any high schooler because i love that it makes the effort to show that not all "popular" kids are shallow and not all "loner" kids are special or whatever. they're all people and teamwork makes the dream work.
i won't lie though, it definitely took me about 50% of the way through before i could get really into it because it was just kind of bobbing along. but i really liked it.
artzea's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
aliceinbabylon's review against another edition
3.0
2.5
I was really excited to read this book, and although it was all right, I have to say I'm disappointed. I simply expected more. In some parts I couldn't help to feel bored, I didn't really care for any of the side characters,the romance was meh. And something that caught my atention, I'm not sure if this counts as a spoiler or what, but just to be safe...
I was really excited to read this book, and although it was all right, I have to say I'm disappointed. I simply expected more. In some parts I couldn't help to feel bored, I didn't really care for any of the side characters,the romance was meh. And something that caught my atention, I'm not sure if this counts as a spoiler or what, but just to be safe...