Wanted by Sara Shepard

WARNING - Review of the LAST book of the Pretty Little Liars Series, might contain spoilers of previous books.

Just when they thought they were done and over with A, and that Ali's killer was finally caught, Hanna, Emily, Aria and Spencer realize that they don't know the half of it. There are still some very dangerous, twisty secrets hiding in Rosewood. And they still have their own drama to get through.

As per usual, Spencer's family life is less than great, her mother is practically a zombie and her sister lays all the blame on Spencer. Hanna's dad is always taking her evil stepsister's side, and her Mom is so far away she feels a bit forgotten, plus she's sliding down in the Rosewood Day's totem pol of popularity. Emily, I'm not sure what her problem is anymore. And Aria has to juggle her new relationship with Noel Khan - a typical rich Rosewood guy - and living at home with her dad and his pregnant girlfriend while trying to avoid her Mom's sleazy new boyfriend.

Everything grinds to a halt with the arrival of a new girl, Courtney.

And that's all I'm saying about it.

Okay, so I'm not going to spoil you the ending, just say that it was WAY twisted, but sort of fitting for the series. I had a different problem with this Wanted and is that when I say everything grinds to a halt, I mean it. All the girl's problems, which had kept the story going in the last couple of books, suddenly weren't there anymore, it all went to this new story line, and the issues weren't addressed until the very end which felt a lot like an after thought.

So, it's not bad, it's an OK conclusion to the series and all, but it sort of felt rushed and I really wanted to see them solve their problems, not just been told they had.

Cover Love #4 - Wanted

Here's the cover for the eight and final Pretty Little Liar's novel, Wanted (to be released on June 8, 2010).

I sort of think it's my least favorite.

What say you?

Heartless by Sara Shepard

Heartless is the seventh book in the Pretty Little Liars Series. Some Spoilers apply.

We're back in Rosewood, PA for the seventh time and our Pretty Little Liars are, as usual, having a crappy time.

After the fire that nearly killed them at the end of the last book, the girls aren't getting much sympathy. For one, everyone is saying they are just seeking attention; some are even starting to believe they might have had something to do with Ali's murder.

Plus, secrets keep coming out of the woodwork.

Emily follows "A's" instructions and ends up in Lancaster - in the middle of an Amish community - and makes some surprising discoveries about certain member of Rosewood PD. Aria thinks that Ali's ghost might be trying to tell her something and her quest to find out what that something is leads her to find understanding in a very unexpected place. Spencer begins to rebuild her strained relationship with her parents... only to see it crumbling down again. And Hanna gets shipped off to a mental health clinic, much against her will, and soon the fact that she can only talk to her new boyfriend once a week is the least of her problems.

Okay, so this is what's getting to be my problem with this series: I get that we all have secrets but why does EVERYBODY has to go around acting guilty? More over, most of the 'adult's are starting to resemble cartoons, especially the police.

I seriously have no idea how Sara Shepard is going to wrap up this story because right now it looks like too many lose ends. But I'm willing to find out, so I guess that counts for something.

Grade:
1/2

Killer by Sara Shepard

Killer is the sixth book in the Pretty Little Liars series, so some spoilers from previous books might be found. Also, I'm going to assume you're following the series.

We are once more in Rosewood, Pennsylvania diving into the lives of Aria, Emily, Spencer and Hanna. When we last saw them they had just found the dead body of Ian Thomas in the woods at the back of Spencer's house only that, by the time the police arrived, the body was gone and soon the girls are labeled as liars seeking attention.

Clearly, the new "A" is not going to make things easy for the girls while they struggle with their different problems:

Emily has to face the fact that her new boyfriend's mom hates her. Spencer is dealing with Momma-Drama too, as she seeks for her would be biological mother. Aria has moved back with her father to avoid her mother's slimy new boyfriend. And Hanna is in a death match against her stepsister Kate, both to see who's Rosewood Day's it girl and for the heart of a younger lacrosse player.

And, all the while, disturbing stuff about the past is coming to the light, about Ali's murder, her brother Jason, Officer Wilden and even Jenna Cavannaugh, as "A" sends each of the girls in a wild goose chase, making them doubt what they know about what happened all those years ago.

Okay, so like I said we are back in Rosewood and I'm sorry to say but the story is getting a little tired, I know there are only two more books to go in the series but I somehow felt like nothing really happened during this book and yet everyone's life got screwed over at some point or another, but then again, it has been happening in every book.

I guess that is a testament to Mrs. Shepard's skill that even though I didn't particularly like or dislike this book, I still want to read the next one because not knowing who killed Ali is driving me nuts.

Read if you are hooked in the series and you must.

Grade:

Book Gossip (#18)

Book Gossip #18 - Yet another piece of Pretty Little Liar's Gossip.

What is it you ask? Well, only that Pretty Little Liars might hit the TV screen sometime soon. ABC Family is closing a deal to bring the "Liars" as a TV show. They are also trying to sing Lucy Hale (From Privileged, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2) as Aria, the rest of the girls remain un cast.

You can check it out here.

In other news, you can check the first 50 pages of so of Splendor (A Luxe Novel), which comes out next Tuesday, right now at using H&C's Browse Inside feature.

Book Gossip (#3.5)

Book Gossip Update!

Back in Book Gossip #3, I mentioned that Book 8 of the Pretty Liar Series would be called Twisted but today I found out that it will be called WANTED and it's set to be released on June 29, 2010.

No cover for it yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I find one!

Wicked by Sara Shepard

Wicked by Sara Shepard is the 5th book in the Pretty Little Liars Series and, since this is not a series you can pick mid way, I'm going to assume you all read the first four.

Wicked picks up a few weeks after the end of Unbelievable, where A was unmasked. Hanna, Aria, Emily and Spencer are seeing a grief counselor to try to get some closure over Ali's death even as the trial of her alleged murderer is about to start.

For a while, the girls have been thinking that the whole A mess is done and over with, but soon a New A starts to send them creepy notes - and pictures - as they all begin to get into trouble anew.

Emily is confused about who she is these days, especially after she meets a cute boy at church and realizes she's attracted to him (even though for the first four books she was struggling with the idea of being gay). Aria meets a guy at an art gallery who later turns out to be dating her mother. Hanna is determined to get back to the top of the Rosewood Day food chain. And Spencer is still facing the consequences of the Golden Orchid debacle when her grandmother dies and leaves off her will... which in turn plants a seed of doubt inside of her about her standing as a Hastings.

Of the four ongoing story lines, I found Spencer's the most interesting (I'm starting to like her, actually, since the previous book Unbelievable); I've always liked Emily because she's the least bitchy of the girls and I actually liked her new relationship with Isaac. Aria's constant interest for older guy is starting to bug the hell out of me - it always lands her in trouble but she keeps doing it - and frankly I find it rather sleazy. And Hanna's character just seems flatter and flatter to me with each book, she only wants to be popular, no matter to cost or the detriments - the only time I've liked her was during Perfect.

That being said, the back story of it all - the Ali mystery - is still going with new clues and facts. I think I got my guilty guy already picked out but I shall have to wait and see if I'm right about that. Though, again, sometimes it feels a bit like a repeat of where we were at the beginning of the series.

Grade

Book Gossip (#13)

Book Gossip #13

Cover time once again! Here you have the cover of Heartless, book 7 of the Pretty Little Liars Series, set for release in January 2010.

I was a bit surprised when I saw it because I was actually expecting a cover featuring Aria, since that's the order of the first four books, and I'm guessing this one is Emily. But still, I kind of love these covers anyway.

I'm going to be reading Wicked soon :)

Unbelievable by Sara Shepard

Unbelievable is the fourth book of the Pretty Little Liars Series and it picks up right after the end of Perfect (book 3). Since PLL is not really something one can read out of order, I'm going to assume y'all already know what's going on.

As the book opens, Hanna is in the hospital after being hit by an SUV once she discovers who the mysterious 'A' is. Emily has been shipped off to Iowa to her super strict and conservative aunt and uncle - and devious cousins - to separate her from Maya, her sort of girlfriend. Spencer's memories of the night Ali went missing keep torturing her because she doesn't fully remember what exactly happened that night other than she and Ali got into an argument. And, finally, Aria's life is turning more and more complicated now that her boyfriend and teacher Ezra dumps her after they are caught by the police (her being a minor and he her teacher and all), she has to move in with her father Byron and his girlfriend Meredith and because she's begining to suspect someone in her former inner circle might be Ali's murderer.

A is getting closer to the girls, close enough to do some real damage instead of just spilling out their secrets. Obviously, I can't say how things develope but, by the end of Unbelievable, you know who 'A' was and there is a bunch of other things you're still wondering about.

In this book in particular, there are no new secrets and that was a bit of a let down, because it felt a bit like same old, same old to me though you do find out some new stuff but, at the same time it's not enough to give Unbelievable a sense of 'uniqueness' so to speak.

Characters and plot are still strong enough, though, so I'm going to go ahead and read Wicked (book 5) soon.

Grade:
3/4

Book Gossip (#3)

Book Gossip #3

News, first, the confirmed ones:

The third book in the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter will be out June 9, 2009 and this is the cover:I think it is very cute and in theme with the other ones. More info at Ally Carter's site

And, then, the rumor part of the blog:
I don't have it confirmed yet but the rumor is that the final two books in the Pretty Little Liars Series will be called Twisted (7) and Heartless(8). The latest one is Wicked (5) with Killer (6) coming on June 30, 2009. I'll confirm it or deny it as official info comes up.
Here is Killer's cover by the way:

Perfect by Sara Shepard

Perfect (Book three of the Pretty Little Liars Series)

Oh, there are plenty of secrets to go around Rosewood, and they keep destroying our four protagonist's lives. Spencer gets nominated to a prestigious award thanks to an essay she ripped off her perfect older sister Melissa. Emily keeps struggling with her sexuality. Aria has a new boyfriend but keeps thinking on the old one. And Hanna becoming a dork, all thanks to her best friend Mona.

There are more questions than answers in this book, though I found it highly satisfactory, it's fast paced, enthralling and fun. A's tricks keep getting more and more wicked as some people come closer to finding out her identity. Of course A isn't going to make it easy.

Again, these aren't books you can read out of order, but if you stick to them, you're in for great fun.

Grade:

Flawless by Sara Shepard

Flawless - Book 2 of the Pretty Little Liars series

The Pretty Little Liars Series (PLL) revolves around a group of girls Emily, Aria, Spencer and Hanna who used to be best friends with a girl named Alison. Ali had a lot of secrets on them and used them to manipulate them, one day she goes missing and the girls go their separate ways until Book 1 when the mysterious A starts to dish on what she knows, the funny thing is that only Ali was supposed to know those things.

Flawless follows pretty much the same pattern as the first book, with A threatening the girls with their secrets and the girls trying to figure out who is it, not sure in whom they should trust. I can't say much on the plot and such because well, it's a mystery! but I will say that both A and the girls are getting angrier and it seems that with each book we are taking down one candidate for A (In the first book A was believed to be Ali who is later found dead).

I won't say who is it in this book but it still makes for a pretty interesting read.

Grade:





P. S. I must point out that PLL is not a series you can read out of order, because things progress from one book to the next.