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sarahkhan27 's review for:
Flawless
by Sara Shepard
The Pretty Little Liars series centers around four high-school juniors: Aria, Hanna, Spencer, and Emily. After the apparent murder of their friend Alison in the 7th grade, the girls have drifted apart and have led entirely different lives from one another. However, the beginning of threatening texts, notes, and instant messages, all from a mysterious person named "A" brings the girls closer together again- and closer to finding out what really happened the night Alison died.
As the story progresses, "A" continues to blackmail the girls with unbelievable secrets about each of them- secrets that only Alison herself knew. As the lies add up and each girl realizes they're in way over their heads, the climax of the story occurs leaving the reader completely surprised- and wondering about what they thought they knew.
The series itself is like its lead characters. On the outside- pretty, fluffy, a seemingly quick read that is filled with high school drama and gossip that makes anyone not in their teen years roll their eyes....but on the inside, much darker and more sinister than you'd ever have imagined. I was taken aback by the mystery content that Shepard added and was left baffled by the seriousness of events which tend to occur towards the end of every book. (Flawless is book #2, currently there are 10 books in the series, with an 11th said to be coming out next year.) Despite that , the book is an easy read and requires that you set aside all mature, responsible thinking and simply immerse yourself in the scandalous things that these girls get up to.
At the same time, it follows a relatively simple routine that after book 2, I got tired of. The only thing that kept me going was the need to solve the mystery, which possibly still isn't solved at all considering there are books still being written. The plot was interesting and the characters had traits that I could relate to, but there were quite a few times when I thought with frustration, "Get a MOVE on already, ugh!" The book has its surprises, but was it worth all the time it took to get to them? I didn't think so. I think I would be perfectly fine if someone just told me what happened rather than my having to read it. The same goes for books 3-10. :/
Which is why I won't read them. The books have been adapted into a tv series, and I suppose on the whole it may be more entertaining to simply watch that than read these. I'm glad I did try reading them though, they've become big enough in popular culture that I'm better off being well-equipped for a conversation about them. :D
As the story progresses, "A" continues to blackmail the girls with unbelievable secrets about each of them- secrets that only Alison herself knew. As the lies add up and each girl realizes they're in way over their heads, the climax of the story occurs leaving the reader completely surprised- and wondering about what they thought they knew.
The series itself is like its lead characters. On the outside- pretty, fluffy, a seemingly quick read that is filled with high school drama and gossip that makes anyone not in their teen years roll their eyes....but on the inside, much darker and more sinister than you'd ever have imagined. I was taken aback by the mystery content that Shepard added and was left baffled by the seriousness of events which tend to occur towards the end of every book. (Flawless is book #2, currently there are 10 books in the series, with an 11th said to be coming out next year.) Despite that , the book is an easy read and requires that you set aside all mature, responsible thinking and simply immerse yourself in the scandalous things that these girls get up to.
At the same time, it follows a relatively simple routine that after book 2, I got tired of. The only thing that kept me going was the need to solve the mystery, which possibly still isn't solved at all considering there are books still being written. The plot was interesting and the characters had traits that I could relate to, but there were quite a few times when I thought with frustration, "Get a MOVE on already, ugh!" The book has its surprises, but was it worth all the time it took to get to them? I didn't think so. I think I would be perfectly fine if someone just told me what happened rather than my having to read it. The same goes for books 3-10. :/
Which is why I won't read them. The books have been adapted into a tv series, and I suppose on the whole it may be more entertaining to simply watch that than read these. I'm glad I did try reading them though, they've become big enough in popular culture that I'm better off being well-equipped for a conversation about them. :D