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A review by malissac
Pretty Fierce by Kieran Scott
3.0
I am going to start this review with a little bit of a side note, a little challenge that a reader who purchases a finished copy should not have, but something that may have colored my review just a tad. I am really disappointed to say that the advanced reader copy sent out was terribly formatted. Entire sentences were run together with no spacing between the words. Again, this isn't something (I hope) anyone who buys a finished copy will deal with but trying to read these smashed together words and sentences made for quite a few challenges. I honestly never bring up problems with advanced copies; I completely understand that when you are gifted one of these books there will be some challenges, misspellings, some small formatting issues, etc. The issues in this copy however were severe and as I mentioned above may be coloring my review because I found it so challenging to read, to stay in the moment, to grasp everything that was going on.
Okay, with that said lets get to the actual story. Pretty Fierce is a YA Suspense full of action and adventure and a completely sweet romance that is perfect for the younger age range of YA readers. I love the concept behind this story, a young teenage girl who has lived a more than unusual life with parents who are hired assassins. You feel completely torn up for her when both her parents are 'killed' and she herself ends up on the run and thrown into a 'normal' teenage life...that is until her past starts to catch up to her and tries to kill her too. I loved all the action and adventure, all the twists and turns even when things got way out of hand and down right unbelievable at times. There were a number of things that you have to take with a grain of salt, but that's pretty much the truth of any suspense book I have ever read...Jason Bourne and Jack Reacher land in these situations that make me scratch my head all the time so two teenagers on the run from multiple threats, anything can and does happen.
While I like Kaia just fine I was totally over the moon with Oliver. He's this broken boy striving to make his world better. He is literally fighting for his life on a regular basis and just trying to make it until he can escape the dark place he has landed in all while trying to protect the people he loves. I could have used more of his story, more depth and detail....heck I could use an entire second book that goes into what happens after this one ends, what happens to Oliver. We know that Kaia in the end is going to be okay and there are hints that Oliver will be too, but there is a lot of story left to be told when it comes to this hero and his future.
I liked that this story had a kick ass Heroine but that the Hero could and did stand next to her when she needed him most. Neither of these two main characters would ever let themselves be taken by surprise but together they made an awesome team, even when you wanted to shake Oliver for his moments of self-doubt and Kaia for her many moments of being self-absorbed. I loved their reactions to everything going on around them the most. I loved that even though this crazy insanity is occurring, people are coming at the two of them from every angle and they don't know if they will live another day they don't come across as two super secret agents who know everything. They are two teens who have ultimately had unusual and at times dangerous upbringings. Their lives up to this point have nurtured them into two people who have skills that will help them survive but they are still teens who have no idea what's really happening. They are two teens who are scared and on the run, but they have each other and they for the most part work together to stay alive and to solve the mystery of who is after Kaia.
I really wish the ending hadn't come as quickly as it did. There was a lot of build up and action in the first 60% percent of the book and then the last 30% came at you fast and furious. Before you know it is is over and honestly I still have a lot of questions, like I mentioned above with Oliver. Now, I could be totally wrong and there could end up being a second (or more) book, but I didn't get that vibe and that was a complete bummer. Olivier and Kaia could easily find themselves in one sticky situation after another, we could get more detail on Kaia's parents, more about what they decide to do in the future, let's go back to more about what happens to Oliver...hint, hint.
There is a lot of good about this story, I think it will totally appeal to the younger YA crowd and that's a great thing as a lot of YA these days is skimming into areas that as a parent you may not want your younger teens falling into yet. There is romance, there is death, there is abuse, there is fear but none of it is so in your face or over the top that it would be too much for a young teen who is really just now starting to notice 1. the opposite sex and 2. the reality that the world can be a harsh and hurtful place. It's also going to be an enjoyable action read for older teens who maybe need a break from all the deep dark books that are out there these days, (books I love, do not get me wrong, haha) when they need something to sit back and relax with, get through quickly, enjoy, and be able to walk away satisfied with their read. If you or a reader in your house or school room like suspense/mystery this could be a great choice for you. If you are fans of Ally Carter and her Gallagher Girls or Embassy Row series, give this one a go. I won't say it is quite as dynamic but it has all the components and makes for a quick enjoyable read. So if you are a fan of fast paced, plot (even when it is completely unrealistic...but then again like I said before, just think Bourne and Reacher....) driven, sweet romances, snatch up a copy and.. ~HAPPY READING ~
http://www.readsallthebooks.com/2017/04/pretty-fierce-by-kieran-scott-review.html
Okay, with that said lets get to the actual story. Pretty Fierce is a YA Suspense full of action and adventure and a completely sweet romance that is perfect for the younger age range of YA readers. I love the concept behind this story, a young teenage girl who has lived a more than unusual life with parents who are hired assassins. You feel completely torn up for her when both her parents are 'killed' and she herself ends up on the run and thrown into a 'normal' teenage life...that is until her past starts to catch up to her and tries to kill her too. I loved all the action and adventure, all the twists and turns even when things got way out of hand and down right unbelievable at times. There were a number of things that you have to take with a grain of salt, but that's pretty much the truth of any suspense book I have ever read...Jason Bourne and Jack Reacher land in these situations that make me scratch my head all the time so two teenagers on the run from multiple threats, anything can and does happen.
While I like Kaia just fine I was totally over the moon with Oliver. He's this broken boy striving to make his world better. He is literally fighting for his life on a regular basis and just trying to make it until he can escape the dark place he has landed in all while trying to protect the people he loves. I could have used more of his story, more depth and detail....heck I could use an entire second book that goes into what happens after this one ends, what happens to Oliver. We know that Kaia in the end is going to be okay and there are hints that Oliver will be too, but there is a lot of story left to be told when it comes to this hero and his future.
I liked that this story had a kick ass Heroine but that the Hero could and did stand next to her when she needed him most. Neither of these two main characters would ever let themselves be taken by surprise but together they made an awesome team, even when you wanted to shake Oliver for his moments of self-doubt and Kaia for her many moments of being self-absorbed. I loved their reactions to everything going on around them the most. I loved that even though this crazy insanity is occurring, people are coming at the two of them from every angle and they don't know if they will live another day they don't come across as two super secret agents who know everything. They are two teens who have ultimately had unusual and at times dangerous upbringings. Their lives up to this point have nurtured them into two people who have skills that will help them survive but they are still teens who have no idea what's really happening. They are two teens who are scared and on the run, but they have each other and they for the most part work together to stay alive and to solve the mystery of who is after Kaia.
I really wish the ending hadn't come as quickly as it did. There was a lot of build up and action in the first 60% percent of the book and then the last 30% came at you fast and furious. Before you know it is is over and honestly I still have a lot of questions, like I mentioned above with Oliver. Now, I could be totally wrong and there could end up being a second (or more) book, but I didn't get that vibe and that was a complete bummer. Olivier and Kaia could easily find themselves in one sticky situation after another, we could get more detail on Kaia's parents, more about what they decide to do in the future, let's go back to more about what happens to Oliver...hint, hint.
There is a lot of good about this story, I think it will totally appeal to the younger YA crowd and that's a great thing as a lot of YA these days is skimming into areas that as a parent you may not want your younger teens falling into yet. There is romance, there is death, there is abuse, there is fear but none of it is so in your face or over the top that it would be too much for a young teen who is really just now starting to notice 1. the opposite sex and 2. the reality that the world can be a harsh and hurtful place. It's also going to be an enjoyable action read for older teens who maybe need a break from all the deep dark books that are out there these days, (books I love, do not get me wrong, haha) when they need something to sit back and relax with, get through quickly, enjoy, and be able to walk away satisfied with their read. If you or a reader in your house or school room like suspense/mystery this could be a great choice for you. If you are fans of Ally Carter and her Gallagher Girls or Embassy Row series, give this one a go. I won't say it is quite as dynamic but it has all the components and makes for a quick enjoyable read. So if you are a fan of fast paced, plot (even when it is completely unrealistic...but then again like I said before, just think Bourne and Reacher....) driven, sweet romances, snatch up a copy and.. ~HAPPY READING ~
http://www.readsallthebooks.com/2017/04/pretty-fierce-by-kieran-scott-review.html