Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Book Review: The Rivals

TITLE: The Rivals
Book 2 in the Mockingbirds series
AUTHOR: Daisy Whitney
PUBLISHED: 2012
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Contemporary, drama
PREMISE: Alex starts her role as leader of the Mockingbirds and is immediately given a difficult case involving cheating.
MY REVIEW: I read Mockingbirds about a month or so ago because I'm slow that way. I enjoyed it a lot despite the topicy-ness of it and was looking forward to the sequel. While I did enjoy this one a lot...I don't think it had the same appeal as Mockingbirds did? I'm not sure how to explain it. The quality was still there but I just wasn't as into it as the first one.
I think part of the problem is Martin. I was skeptical about him as a love interest in the first one and this book pretty much confirmed that I just don't like him as Alex's boyfriend. He's fine as a person and all but as a boyfriend I find him controlling and have issues with that. I especially hated him when he said this gem of a line: "Well don't make me act jealous!" What the hell? No one MAKES you act jealous. Girls, any boy tries this line on you, please please do not take it. I really can't believe that the author has Alex stay with him after this. That just...sends so many mixed messages to me I don't know where to begin. My only hope is that in the next book (from the way it ended I'm assuming there's a next one) Whitney addresses this problem in a more satisfying way. But I will point out bias on my part, because see I want Alex to end up with Jones.
Other then the Martin Issue this book still does what I liked about Mockingjay: talk about ethical issues to teens without talking down to them. Informing them but not telling them what to think. The twists at the end were nice and surprising and I am definitely going to read the next book if there is one.
WHO SHOULD READ: Those that read Mockingbirds, those that like topic books
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five jealous boyfriends

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