Vicious

Vicious is the last book in the Pretty Little Liars series. I must say the ending felt a bit anti-climatic after all the drama, heart ache, problems, schemes, and flat out evilness Ali pulled on the girls.

Hanna has never gotten what she wanted, acceptance from her father, a thin body, friends who care and understand her so when she finally has it all it hurts all the more when she loses it. Ali set her up brilliant to get everything she wanted then lose it.

Spencer was living her dream life being the best in her class at everything as she competed within her family to surpass her sister Melissa. Finally being accepted into Princeton and having a crush on a super smart guy Spencer is thrilled to be on the same level as her sister. At least until Ali gets into her life, determined to pull the rug right out from under Spencer Ali takes the competition to a new level and forces Spencer to try to keep up.

Aria cannot believe that she is a famous artist whom everyone wishes to display in their residence. Overwhelmed Aria just wants a quiet life with Noel but Ali won't leave the two love birds alone. Determined to ruin the most precious things in Aria's life Ali works at demeaning everything in Aria's life.

Emily struggled to come out to her family and being accepted by them was a dream come true until Ali decided to make it a nightmare. Having fallen head over heels for another young lady Emily is devastated when the girl is murdered. Unhinged by the loss of her love Emily plays a dangerous game with Ali in an attempt to protect everyone she loves.

In a way I cannot believe the series is complete, some things still feel a bit unfinished. Plus the ending with what happened to all the girls feels a bit of a let down. I wanted an explosive ending and I do not feel like I got that. One of the things I like about Sara's writing is I feel like I know the girls personally, despite having five main girls they were all different and all had clear personalities with flaws and strong development. I am glad I read The Lying Game before Pretty Little Liars otherwise I would have been disappointed by the twin similarities in both series. At this time I want to switch up genres but I do plan on reading more of Sara Shepard's work in the future.

Ali's Pretty Little Lies

Ali's Pretty Little Lies is .5 of the Pretty Little Liar's Series and I was excited to get into Ali's head.

Ali has always been a mystery since the whole start of the story was about how she went missing and it destroyed her best friends. I have wondered about her moves and her thoughts the entire time I read the series and I also wondered how someone could be so heartless. I finally understand, fear, Ali was terrified of anything in her life being out of her control so she worked hard to keep everyone in her power. I was impressed with how carefully thought out Ali's character was and am finally geared up to read the conclusion to the series.

Toxic

Toxic is the fifteenth book in the Pretty Little Liars series. I am not going to agree with the mass of people complaining Pretty Little Liars did not end on the fourteenth book. I am glad the series is continuing and I am having a lot of fun reading about the girls woes.

Spencer is determined to make something good from the way Ali tried to ruin her life, focusing her efforts on an anti-bullying blog Spencer becomes thrilled to learn her blog is helping people. Feeling like she is finally making a difference in people's live Spencer is on top of the world well at least until a cyber bully becomes real for her.

Aria is devastated that her and Noel did not work out, wanting to move on she devotes herself to her art work. Beyond shocked when a millionaire suddenly becomes interested in her art Aria cannot keep up with the hype of being famous in the art world. When a handsome art blogger starts showing her interest she thinks he will be the answer to her broken heart.

Hannah is beyond eager to put all the nastiest Ali caused in her life behind her and when she is offered a small role in a movie about the Pretty Little Liars she cannot believe her luck. Throwing herself into the part Hannah soaks up all the praise and is beyond thrilled to realize she is good at acting.

Emily is finishing up her degree with summer school and dreaming of her true love Jordan who is currently in a prison. Glad that the Ali danger is behind them all Emily just wants to focus on a normal life and hopefully get her scholarship for swimming back.

Little do the girls know that Ali is still out there and still plotting ways to ruin their lives forever. I had intended to start right away on Vicious but I realized I missed the prequel novel. Once I finish Ali's Pretty Little Lies I will move onto Vicious. I am eager to see how the series is wrapped up.

Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook

Lost Boy is not my usual type of book, I do not like blood or horror in stories however my friend begged me to read it so I gave it a try. I wish it had been a little less gory.

Jamie knows he is Peter's favorite playmate and thrives on that fact. He loves and worships Peter, at least until Peter starts bringing children who are not a good match to the island. Stepping up to be their older brother Jamie struggles to keep everyone safe while making sure they get to have fun.

Peter just wants to play non stop and have as much fun as possible. Uncaring about the consequences of anything Peter has no problem putting any of the boy's lives in danger. Even when Jamie confronts him about keeping everyone safe Peter just laughs it off.

It was interesting to see Peter Pan told from another point of view. Jamie certainly did not come off as a villain or some crazy person who just wanted to kill Peter for no reason like many other versions I have read. The plot was solid and strong while remaining entertaining the entire time. I do not recommend Lost Boy if you have a blood or gore phobia. My one wish was having more detail about the island and the creatures on it. All in all I am glad I read Lost Boy even though it was outside my comfort level.

One of us is Lying

One of us is Lying called to me with the interesting cover and even more interesting synopsis. I must say that figuring out a mystery is not my forte, rarely do I figure out the answer before the author reveals it and I think that is one reason I was so disappointed in One of us is Lying.

Five children and one teacher in a room, one child ends up dead. Four students are suspects and all of them have a motive.

Bronwyn the perfect student who would never dream of breaking a rule is horrified to find herself in dentition. She is even more horrified when her classmate Simon dies right in front of her face.

Addy is the girl everyone wants to be, pretty with a perfect boyfriend. Annoyed at being in detention she is not really caring what happens around her until Simon dies in front of her. 

Nate is the town bad boy, with a record for dealing drugs he is the obvious suspect. Not caring about how his life is spiraling out of control Nate seems like the ideal person to have done Simon in.

Cooper is the all America athlete, with his future set on a baseball scholarship Cooper does not really want for anything it would seem.

All four students are very different but all four of them stand to lose big if Simon's gossip blog had posted for that day. 

I had started One of us is Lying then ran out of time to finish reading it. I checked it out yesterday and finished up the last couple of chapters last night. I just was not impressed with the ending, I did not feel like it fit the story and it was a huge let down for me.

Deadly

I really do not know how I am getting so far behind on book posts. It dose not feel like I am reading for pleasure anymore. Deadly is the fourteenth book in the Pretty Little Liars series. The whole story was fast paced and captivating I could not wait to turn the page.

Everything changed in Deadly, the girls decided to go to the police for help and protection but their plan backfires on them when A starts sharing their dirty little secrets with the world. Going from being protected to prosecuted the girls have no clue how to act or who to trust for help.

Informed that a plea of insanity is their best option the girls fight to figure out how to get out of the mess without making things worse, after all A always seems to be one step ahead of them.

I am so eager for Toxic to arrive at the library. I want to know how things will go down. A is a master at playing the game and I am eager to see if any of the girls will ever end up one step ahead of A.

Pretty Little Secrets

Pretty Little Secrets is the fourth and a half book in the Pretty Little Liars series. Since the library here does not have book fifteen I was looking for something to fill my time while waiting for the library to borrow Toxic from another library for me.

Each girl has a bonus story written about them. Hanna cannot wait to celebrate Hanukkah with her father and is horrified to learn that her father wants to celebrate Christmas instead. Desperate to enjoy the holidays Hanna joins a fitness boot camp and immediately falls head over heels for the hot coach.

Emily just wants a break but when her mother's prized baby Jesus goes missing her mom signs her up to play Santa to spy on the girls who are thought to be responsible for the theft. Not wanting to play Santa or spy on anyone Emily grudgingly goes along with the plan.

Aria cannot handle the thought of her father's mistress ruining their family traditions. Ditching her family she heads home to be all alone for the holiday. Fearing someone is prowling outside the house she panics as she comes face to face with an old boyfriend from Iceland. Excited to see a familiar face she invites him to spend the holiday with her.

For some reason I am drawing a total blank on what Spencer's short story was about. It must have not left an impact on me in any way.

I am still eager to read Toxic.