I had to write a report on this book, so now I just kinda look at it with contempt whenever I encounter it. And it stares right back. Again, this will likely not make any sense. That is because it comes from the inner workings of my mind.
A steamy Southern beauty makes one fatal mistake. Natalie Hargrove would kill to be her high school's Palmetto Princess. But her boyfriend Mike King doesn't share her dream and risks losing the honor of Palmetto Prince to Natalie's nemesis, Justin Balmer. So she convinces Mike to help play a prank on Justin. . . one that goes terribly wrong. They tie him to the front of the church after a party—when they arrive the next morning, Justin is dead. From blackmail to buried desire, dark secrets to darker deeds, Natalie unravels. She never should've messed with fate. Fate is the one thing more twisted than Natalie Hargrove.
The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove, before and after the success of Fallen, been kind of disregarded. I consider it to be Fallen's bratty little sister, who, due to be being constantly ignored over the years have pushed her so far of the edge you could build a village in the space between them. However, TBONH may have some qualities that it's older sister may not. Which is why, if it doesn't attempt to snap all of my fingers like twigs, I will attempt to assist you with your psychological problems, TBONH, because for some strange, mysterious until I choose toe reveal it reason, I enjoyed listening to your problems more than I enjoyed Fallen's problems. Now, please refrain from throwing stuff at me, as I've felt an increase in the items deflecting off of my window since I last posted something. Anyhow, review/therapy session.
In the beginning, I was starting to lose faith in humanity. And apparently so had the book - it had reverted to the standard high-school backstabbery plot, before the book had even begun. But this was quickly remedied by the much darker turn the book decided to take, in order to show case that wonderful plot it has. I favour books that decide to murder unsuspecting victims within the first hundred pages; it has a refreshingly careless feel to it (that, however, is not the case with you, book about pet snakes; everything here was executed with a flourish, just as planned). The plot's quite a twisted little beast, with a fair amount of knots in it's stomach. But be careful, as suddenly the book has turned from Fallen's obnoxious sibling into it's aged pet snake, if it slivers away from you, then you will have a hard time catching up. Tossing that extended metaphor into that snake's cage, because I suddenly remembered I was supposed to be giving therapy, not trying to make people's brain melt out of their ears due to confusion. It has a good plot and rattles along at a good pace.
However, the plot and it's tag-along pace is not the best part of this book. Why, pet snake/younger sibling book, you look surprised. No, the best part of this book was Natalie's narrative. Within a few sentences, I had a complete grasp of Natalie's character, could fill a dictionary with the amount of smart remarks that had been pushed about and was gripped enough to not notice if a wild boar was giving birth right beside me. (It wasn't, but it would have been interesting if it was, though.) .) It tied the book together perfectly, and had the narrative been even slightly different, I doubt I would've enjoyed the book considerably less. Oh dear. Now the book is holding me at gun point. Please calm down.
The narrative isn't the only book strong point, no, so please, please, please, remove that gun from my head. You don't need to shoot me, book/pet snake, you have a wonderful setting, which, like quite a few other things contained within its pages, could become clichéd had it not been in this book. Now that I think of it, a high school for the elite (and the wealthy surrounding area - Palmetto) does sound very clichéd, even when the cleaning staff clean the floor with lies and the energy is generated by the ever running rumour mill. I can hear you groaning; I'd ask you to stop, for that lethal weapon edges closer to my head every groan you make. Less clichés, however, was the un-air-conditioned redneck haunt; the trailer park of Cawdor, which the plot decided was full of cock roaches and decided to neglect until the latter half of the book. I'd pity it, if it didn't smell so much. Anyhow, what I enjoyed most about the setting was the contrast between them, the rivalry between the rich and the poor and how the societies were slowly flowing into each other. The two peoples all came from the same place really, deep down, and that place has made them rotten.
And by that, I mean that was not a single kind character in this book, with any kind of positive ideals. It appears that the book has gone off the deep end. Um, excuse me while I relocate to where it can't find me. That said, just because there was nothing particularly like-able about the main characters, doesn't mean that they were cardboard cut outs with functioning legs and working tongues. No, Natalie was exactly the opposite; she had bucket loads of personality, was completely despicable, and sometimes her legs stopped working due to fear! If she were a hiker, then she would be at the top of Mount Everest. But she would be alone, as she's already sacrificed her companions in order to reach the top. She was incredibly mean (my example here is how the book keeps attempting to kill me - and how she attempted to ruin a guys life, which resulted in a serious crime, was openly spiteful ... the list could encompass Long Island.), twice as driven (she was very enthusiastic to cover said serious crime up, and this book really does want to murder me.), and probably wasn't intended to be halfway like-able. If that what was the author's desire, then it certainly made a nice pie. Yet, she was a deeply layered character; her development, or leap off the deep end if you prefer to describe it that way, was very compelling. Now, while I pretty much accused her of being the bitchiest character since the word bitchy was invented by one of my less creative predecessors, she had a very good reason for that. Although, I did have a hard time hating her with all of my heart. The frosty barrier she puts up is prevent the collateral damage garnered from a crappy childhood leaking out and causing irrational and unexpected storms across the world. That's not to say that she isn't just naturally horrible. No, her superiority complex may have been a recent additions, but that attitude has always been there, festering, rearing it's head when a situation struck.
There's really only two more character significant enough to mention, as the others feel fault to the cardboard disease I mentioned and since only the rich and spotlighted can afford the cure of character development, they stayed like that. In fact, character development (or lack thereof) was this books most prominent fault. Oh dear, I can hear the book and it's psychotic weapons again. They must be nearby. Side characters to scramble over the few shallow traits they had between them, before their names and faces blended into each other. Anyhow. I first thought that Mike, Natalie's beloved boyfriend, was one of these characters. He's not the kind of character who really stands out on a page, not anything particularly interesting about him. Weak-willed and cowardly, he allows Natalie to walk all over him while he makes dull, amiable conversations with the side characters, pretending he had nothing to do with Natalie's crime, and ultimately running from the consequences. As the book went on, he got more like-able, while Natalie got less like-able. He started to develop a spine towards the end of the book, but the other characters were too busy walking over him to notice. Now, that other important character. Oh yes, Justin. He was probably the most amusing character, and given the opportunity to flourish, he would've been the most interesting. And then he died. Which was sad, but that is the very reason he is important. Either way, he amused me, and showed promise even when he was unaware of the fact that his days were numbered. That is all.
There were relationships in this book, but all were pretty standard for the genre, and that leaves the complete lack of trust in some characters, and the utter reliance on trust between other characters as my sole subject. But that speaks for itself, and since back stabbing between the characters is pretty much enforced, I'm instead going to rattle on about something that only just occurred to me. This apparently angered our book, as it's currently roaring. I never knew snakes could roar. Anyhow, it was only after I had finished this book that I realised that it was a modern retelling of Macbeth. I did not know this until after I had finished the book, and at least two people had informed me of the fact. There's a few liberties taken with plot, here and there, but otherwise was pretty faithful. I hesitate to call it an adaption, though, as I totally didn't notice anything other than the few similarities that the book throws around, such as the chapter titles and such. The books stands up perfectly on it's own.
Well. It appears that the book itself has found me, judging from the sounds of the chain saw I hear now. Overall, I found this book to be most enjoyable. A good mystery for those in the story, a good psychological session for those on the outside of the pages. Gripping, fast-paced, nicely-narrated, I recommend that you pick this up. The bouncy, springy characters put a new spin on a tired, over-rotated concept. And if that's not enough to convince you, then you are truly cruel. This book may kill me, and your reading of it could save me yet. It's worth it, I promise you, I say as crawl into a drain pipe. I enjoyed it, and I hope you can too.
Thanks to Random House for sending me a copy.
★★★★
A steamy Southern beauty makes one fatal mistake. Natalie Hargrove would kill to be her high school's Palmetto Princess. But her boyfriend Mike King doesn't share her dream and risks losing the honor of Palmetto Prince to Natalie's nemesis, Justin Balmer. So she convinces Mike to help play a prank on Justin. . . one that goes terribly wrong. They tie him to the front of the church after a party—when they arrive the next morning, Justin is dead. From blackmail to buried desire, dark secrets to darker deeds, Natalie unravels. She never should've messed with fate. Fate is the one thing more twisted than Natalie Hargrove.
The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove, before and after the success of Fallen, been kind of disregarded. I consider it to be Fallen's bratty little sister, who, due to be being constantly ignored over the years have pushed her so far of the edge you could build a village in the space between them. However, TBONH may have some qualities that it's older sister may not. Which is why, if it doesn't attempt to snap all of my fingers like twigs, I will attempt to assist you with your psychological problems, TBONH, because for some strange, mysterious until I choose toe reveal it reason, I enjoyed listening to your problems more than I enjoyed Fallen's problems. Now, please refrain from throwing stuff at me, as I've felt an increase in the items deflecting off of my window since I last posted something. Anyhow, review/therapy session.
In the beginning, I was starting to lose faith in humanity. And apparently so had the book - it had reverted to the standard high-school backstabbery plot, before the book had even begun. But this was quickly remedied by the much darker turn the book decided to take, in order to show case that wonderful plot it has. I favour books that decide to murder unsuspecting victims within the first hundred pages; it has a refreshingly careless feel to it (that, however, is not the case with you, book about pet snakes; everything here was executed with a flourish, just as planned). The plot's quite a twisted little beast, with a fair amount of knots in it's stomach. But be careful, as suddenly the book has turned from Fallen's obnoxious sibling into it's aged pet snake, if it slivers away from you, then you will have a hard time catching up. Tossing that extended metaphor into that snake's cage, because I suddenly remembered I was supposed to be giving therapy, not trying to make people's brain melt out of their ears due to confusion. It has a good plot and rattles along at a good pace.
However, the plot and it's tag-along pace is not the best part of this book. Why, pet snake/younger sibling book, you look surprised. No, the best part of this book was Natalie's narrative. Within a few sentences, I had a complete grasp of Natalie's character, could fill a dictionary with the amount of smart remarks that had been pushed about and was gripped enough to not notice if a wild boar was giving birth right beside me. (It wasn't, but it would have been interesting if it was, though.) .) It tied the book together perfectly, and had the narrative been even slightly different, I doubt I would've enjoyed the book considerably less. Oh dear. Now the book is holding me at gun point. Please calm down.
The narrative isn't the only book strong point, no, so please, please, please, remove that gun from my head. You don't need to shoot me, book/pet snake, you have a wonderful setting, which, like quite a few other things contained within its pages, could become clichéd had it not been in this book. Now that I think of it, a high school for the elite (and the wealthy surrounding area - Palmetto) does sound very clichéd, even when the cleaning staff clean the floor with lies and the energy is generated by the ever running rumour mill. I can hear you groaning; I'd ask you to stop, for that lethal weapon edges closer to my head every groan you make. Less clichés, however, was the un-air-conditioned redneck haunt; the trailer park of Cawdor, which the plot decided was full of cock roaches and decided to neglect until the latter half of the book. I'd pity it, if it didn't smell so much. Anyhow, what I enjoyed most about the setting was the contrast between them, the rivalry between the rich and the poor and how the societies were slowly flowing into each other. The two peoples all came from the same place really, deep down, and that place has made them rotten.
And by that, I mean that was not a single kind character in this book, with any kind of positive ideals. It appears that the book has gone off the deep end. Um, excuse me while I relocate to where it can't find me. That said, just because there was nothing particularly like-able about the main characters, doesn't mean that they were cardboard cut outs with functioning legs and working tongues. No, Natalie was exactly the opposite; she had bucket loads of personality, was completely despicable, and sometimes her legs stopped working due to fear! If she were a hiker, then she would be at the top of Mount Everest. But she would be alone, as she's already sacrificed her companions in order to reach the top. She was incredibly mean (my example here is how the book keeps attempting to kill me - and how she attempted to ruin a guys life, which resulted in a serious crime, was openly spiteful ... the list could encompass Long Island.), twice as driven (she was very enthusiastic to cover said serious crime up, and this book really does want to murder me.), and probably wasn't intended to be halfway like-able. If that what was the author's desire, then it certainly made a nice pie. Yet, she was a deeply layered character; her development, or leap off the deep end if you prefer to describe it that way, was very compelling. Now, while I pretty much accused her of being the bitchiest character since the word bitchy was invented by one of my less creative predecessors, she had a very good reason for that. Although, I did have a hard time hating her with all of my heart. The frosty barrier she puts up is prevent the collateral damage garnered from a crappy childhood leaking out and causing irrational and unexpected storms across the world. That's not to say that she isn't just naturally horrible. No, her superiority complex may have been a recent additions, but that attitude has always been there, festering, rearing it's head when a situation struck.
There's really only two more character significant enough to mention, as the others feel fault to the cardboard disease I mentioned and since only the rich and spotlighted can afford the cure of character development, they stayed like that. In fact, character development (or lack thereof) was this books most prominent fault. Oh dear, I can hear the book and it's psychotic weapons again. They must be nearby. Side characters to scramble over the few shallow traits they had between them, before their names and faces blended into each other. Anyhow. I first thought that Mike, Natalie's beloved boyfriend, was one of these characters. He's not the kind of character who really stands out on a page, not anything particularly interesting about him. Weak-willed and cowardly, he allows Natalie to walk all over him while he makes dull, amiable conversations with the side characters, pretending he had nothing to do with Natalie's crime, and ultimately running from the consequences. As the book went on, he got more like-able, while Natalie got less like-able. He started to develop a spine towards the end of the book, but the other characters were too busy walking over him to notice. Now, that other important character. Oh yes, Justin. He was probably the most amusing character, and given the opportunity to flourish, he would've been the most interesting. And then he died. Which was sad, but that is the very reason he is important. Either way, he amused me, and showed promise even when he was unaware of the fact that his days were numbered. That is all.
There were relationships in this book, but all were pretty standard for the genre, and that leaves the complete lack of trust in some characters, and the utter reliance on trust between other characters as my sole subject. But that speaks for itself, and since back stabbing between the characters is pretty much enforced, I'm instead going to rattle on about something that only just occurred to me. This apparently angered our book, as it's currently roaring. I never knew snakes could roar. Anyhow, it was only after I had finished this book that I realised that it was a modern retelling of Macbeth. I did not know this until after I had finished the book, and at least two people had informed me of the fact. There's a few liberties taken with plot, here and there, but otherwise was pretty faithful. I hesitate to call it an adaption, though, as I totally didn't notice anything other than the few similarities that the book throws around, such as the chapter titles and such. The books stands up perfectly on it's own.
Well. It appears that the book itself has found me, judging from the sounds of the chain saw I hear now. Overall, I found this book to be most enjoyable. A good mystery for those in the story, a good psychological session for those on the outside of the pages. Gripping, fast-paced, nicely-narrated, I recommend that you pick this up. The bouncy, springy characters put a new spin on a tired, over-rotated concept. And if that's not enough to convince you, then you are truly cruel. This book may kill me, and your reading of it could save me yet. It's worth it, I promise you, I say as crawl into a drain pipe. I enjoyed it, and I hope you can too.
Thanks to Random House for sending me a copy.
★★★★
0 comments:
Post a Comment