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jmelynn121's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
libbytx's review against another edition
2.0
For a book about a girl in hiding, with her parents being assassins and her being on the run from some pretty dangerous people, the big ended a little too positively for me to fully be immersed in the story.
For crying out loud, Disney movies are more tragic. Bambi's mom died, Cinderella was in an abusive household, Pocahontas lost the love of her life... while the protagonist from "Pretty Fierce" may have though she lost her parents, she found them. Even though the THOUGHT she was going to lose her boyfriend, he lived.
I just think that a book like this should have had a bit more tragedy. Other than her foster parents being killed, this girl had no other tragedies.
For crying out loud, Disney movies are more tragic. Bambi's mom died, Cinderella was in an abusive household, Pocahontas lost the love of her life... while the protagonist from "Pretty Fierce" may have though she lost her parents, she found them. Even though the THOUGHT she was going to lose her boyfriend, he lived.
I just think that a book like this should have had a bit more tragedy. Other than her foster parents being killed, this girl had no other tragedies.
girlinthepages's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks so much to NetGalley and SourceBooks Fire for this review copy!
3.5 Stars
Pretty Fierce is a book with an undeniably intriguing premise, focusing on a daughter of assassins who's now trying to fit into civilian life after her parents' mysterious disappearance. I am pretty much always on board for a good spy story, so the second I read the synopsis and saw the juxtaposition of the blurb with the unabashedly pink cover, I knew this was a book that I had to read.
As the book's synopsis states, a majority of this book features Kaia and her boyfriend Oliver on the run, after being ambushed by a hit man who is no doubt after information from her past with her parents. This set the stage for an extremely action filled story with a quickly paced plot, that involved many wonderful action sequences, from car chases to fight scenes to exploring safe houses (I love safe houses, they fascinate me). Though the novel's premise and fast pace lent itself to story that often read like an action movie, it kept itself firmly rooted in YA thanks to the realistic portrayal of its two POV characters, Kaia and Oliver. I enjoyed their true-to-life actions and interactions while being on the run, from the tension and frustration they felt at times toward each other (because really, what could be a more stressful situation than running for your life?) to Oliver's stress eating mini donuts (as much as we all would like to think we'd be a hardened hero in dire situations, most of us would probably be breaking down over a bag of mini donuts, too). While I didn't always feel the bonds of romance come through throughout the course of the story, I definitely saw the strong and sweet friendship and close regard for each others well being that Oliver and Kaia had, and it's so refreshing to see strong and respectful relationships being portrayed in YA.
Without revealing any spoilers, I will say that about 2/3 of the way through the book some revelations are made regarding Kaia's parents past that I found to be super interesting, and that's the point in the story where I had to keep reading until the end. In fact, I wish this book had focused a bit more on Kaia's parents past aside from the few glimpses we received to set the stage for the final story climax, as the backstory as to why they became assassin's, especially that of Kaia's mother, and how it led to the events in the present plot of the book were so intense and therefore engaging to read about. If the author were to write a prequel novel just about Kaia's parents I would definitely read it!
Overall: Pretty Fierce was a story with an engaging and action-packed premise that reads quickly. Though I saw Oliver and Kaia as having a stronger friendship than romance, I loved their interactions and respect for each other. The book never has a lull or dull moment, and while I wish Kaia's parents past had been more explored, it was still a super interesting read. Recommended for anyone who likes spy stories and a fast paced plot!This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
3.5 Stars
Pretty Fierce is a book with an undeniably intriguing premise, focusing on a daughter of assassins who's now trying to fit into civilian life after her parents' mysterious disappearance. I am pretty much always on board for a good spy story, so the second I read the synopsis and saw the juxtaposition of the blurb with the unabashedly pink cover, I knew this was a book that I had to read.
As the book's synopsis states, a majority of this book features Kaia and her boyfriend Oliver on the run, after being ambushed by a hit man who is no doubt after information from her past with her parents. This set the stage for an extremely action filled story with a quickly paced plot, that involved many wonderful action sequences, from car chases to fight scenes to exploring safe houses (I love safe houses, they fascinate me). Though the novel's premise and fast pace lent itself to story that often read like an action movie, it kept itself firmly rooted in YA thanks to the realistic portrayal of its two POV characters, Kaia and Oliver. I enjoyed their true-to-life actions and interactions while being on the run, from the tension and frustration they felt at times toward each other (because really, what could be a more stressful situation than running for your life?) to Oliver's stress eating mini donuts (as much as we all would like to think we'd be a hardened hero in dire situations, most of us would probably be breaking down over a bag of mini donuts, too). While I didn't always feel the bonds of romance come through throughout the course of the story, I definitely saw the strong and sweet friendship and close regard for each others well being that Oliver and Kaia had, and it's so refreshing to see strong and respectful relationships being portrayed in YA.
Without revealing any spoilers, I will say that about 2/3 of the way through the book some revelations are made regarding Kaia's parents past that I found to be super interesting, and that's the point in the story where I had to keep reading until the end. In fact, I wish this book had focused a bit more on Kaia's parents past aside from the few glimpses we received to set the stage for the final story climax, as the backstory as to why they became assassin's, especially that of Kaia's mother, and how it led to the events in the present plot of the book were so intense and therefore engaging to read about. If the author were to write a prequel novel just about Kaia's parents I would definitely read it!
Overall: Pretty Fierce was a story with an engaging and action-packed premise that reads quickly. Though I saw Oliver and Kaia as having a stronger friendship than romance, I loved their interactions and respect for each other. The book never has a lull or dull moment, and while I wish Kaia's parents past had been more explored, it was still a super interesting read. Recommended for anyone who likes spy stories and a fast paced plot!This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
shemyshines98's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! It felt like I was reading a spy movie! Kaia is a very bad-ass, kick-ass girl and I love it, and her boyfriend Oliver is the perfect side-kick, even though he had to prove to Kaia that he could handle himself and that he did! Lol. Very quick read. Kaia's parents are skilled assassins until one day in Mexico everything was literally shot to hell leaving Kaia on her own. Eventually, she found them and came to find out that thankfully they were both alive! A good happy ending indeed! <3
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
2.0
Fast paced and definitely an adventure of a story. Assassins and espionage, hitmen and murder - this book seemed to have it all. But it lacked something for me. It was interesting, sure, but didn't draw me in. I even liked the characters but I didn't love them. It was light and I think would be a perfect summer or winter break read.
bookmarklit's review against another edition
4.0
Between 4 - 4.5 stars! Huuuuge fan of this. I love this author so much as it is, so perhaps I'm biased, but this was unputdownable for me. I loved that the main character and her boyfriend were together kicking ass. Lots of twists and turns throughout and I never had any predictions about what would happen next. Sometimes you just have to rate books on enjoyability and this one certainly was good for that. You definitely have to suspend your disbelief because the plot summary is already unrealistic, let alone what you actually see happen throughout the story.
zany07's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book. I chose to review it and this in no way impacts my opinion of it.
When I read the synopsis of Pretty Fierce I was quite interested. The daughter of professional assassins? Colour me intrigued. One of my favourite series by Kelley Armstrong is about a hit-woman so this novel seemed right up my alley. Kieran Scott did not disappoint.
This novel had me grabbed right from the very first chapter. Even though I’ve been struggling with a slump lately, Pretty Fierce kicked my butt into gear and I finished it in a day. I had finally found a novel to grab my interest enough to get me reading through this slump.
Pretty Fierce was action packed and thrilling right until the very end. I couldn’t put the novel down and was dying to know how it would end. It seemed that as many answers Kaia found, just as many questions popped up.
The story switches between Kaia and Oliver’s point of views in alternating chapters and I found this rather enjoyable. I’m not usually big on books that change point of views, but I found it to be really well done.
I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys action and thrillers. You won’t be disappointed with Pretty Fierce.
When I read the synopsis of Pretty Fierce I was quite interested. The daughter of professional assassins? Colour me intrigued. One of my favourite series by Kelley Armstrong is about a hit-woman so this novel seemed right up my alley. Kieran Scott did not disappoint.
This novel had me grabbed right from the very first chapter. Even though I’ve been struggling with a slump lately, Pretty Fierce kicked my butt into gear and I finished it in a day. I had finally found a novel to grab my interest enough to get me reading through this slump.
Pretty Fierce was action packed and thrilling right until the very end. I couldn’t put the novel down and was dying to know how it would end. It seemed that as many answers Kaia found, just as many questions popped up.
The story switches between Kaia and Oliver’s point of views in alternating chapters and I found this rather enjoyable. I’m not usually big on books that change point of views, but I found it to be really well done.
I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys action and thrillers. You won’t be disappointed with Pretty Fierce.
ajs526's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty Fierce was such a great read! I loved it. The story was intense and nonstop from the very beginning.The characters were both very likable and pretty kick ass! Fans of spy books like the Gallagher Academy series or others like that will enjoying reading Pretty Fierce.
diamondxgirl's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this one. Unfortunately, this is a case where being dumped straight into the action didn't work. Normally I want to jump right in but for this story to catch me, I needed to care more about the characters to have a sense of fear.
My other issue is how the cover and title does not portray the story. The main character says off the bat that she is not girly and doesn't care about dresses and all that. Definitely not the message I got from the cover!
My other issue is how the cover and title does not portray the story. The main character says off the bat that she is not girly and doesn't care about dresses and all that. Definitely not the message I got from the cover!
nataliesboooks's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars I think.
I enjoyed this for the most part, but I was ultimately unsatisfied with the ending. It was very rushed and it seemed like the villain was defeated very quickly.
For more than 60% of the book, nothing is explained. There are a bunch of people who want to kill/kidnap/harm/whatever the main character, and she has no idea why. Then all of a sudden, somewhere around the 70% mark, she finds out everything she needs to know and decides to take on the bad guy by herself. I would have liked the book more had she learned about what was going on gradually.
I also wasn't wild about the romance. It just didn't feel believable to me. I didn't really connect with either of the narrators. Oliver's thoughts in particular did not seem realistic.
There was plenty of action which I liked a lot though.
I enjoyed this for the most part, but I was ultimately unsatisfied with the ending. It was very rushed and it seemed like the villain was defeated very quickly.
For more than 60% of the book, nothing is explained. There are a bunch of people who want to kill/kidnap/harm/whatever the main character, and she has no idea why. Then all of a sudden, somewhere around the 70% mark, she finds out everything she needs to know and decides to take on the bad guy by herself. I would have liked the book more had she learned about what was going on gradually.
I also wasn't wild about the romance. It just didn't feel believable to me. I didn't really connect with either of the narrators. Oliver's thoughts in particular did not seem realistic.
There was plenty of action which I liked a lot though.