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vanessa177's review against another edition
1.0
At this point, the formula that all of the books follow is way too repetitive. If I didn't already own all of the books, this is the point where I would definitely give them up. There is going to be some sort of memory of when the girls were younger and Ali was still alive. The girls will flashback to this a million times throughout the book. New information will only be revealed half of the time. There will be at least one party. Aria's story is going to involve her getting involved with an older guy. In at least one of the girls' parts, a previously established character is going to start acting really weird so that suspense can be maintained during their sections even though nothing is really happening. The last chapters will be super exciting and have a major cliffhanger, so that readers will not mind how boring the rest of the book was.
While this is a problem to some extent in all of the books, this one relies on the girls being stupid to maintain the usual pattern of the books more than any of the rest so far. For A to continue blackmailing the girls, A has become involved in more and more mundane parts of their lives. At some points, A is speculated to be a criminal genius. The only way for this to be an excusable part of the plot is if the point is supposed to be that these girls are just getting paranoid.
These books really rely on the ending, and this one just did not do it for me. The ending was half as much of the book as it usually is, and it just wasn't long enough to generate as much suspense. The only part of this book that I enjoyed in comparison to the rest of the series is that Mike is getting a slightly bigger role, and Mike is one of the only members of the supporting cast that I still really like.
While this is a problem to some extent in all of the books, this one relies on the girls being stupid to maintain the usual pattern of the books more than any of the rest so far. For A to continue blackmailing the girls, A has become involved in more and more mundane parts of their lives. At some points, A is speculated to be a criminal genius. The only way for this to be an excusable part of the plot is if the point is supposed to be that these girls are just getting paranoid.
These books really rely on the ending, and this one just did not do it for me. The ending was half as much of the book as it usually is, and it just wasn't long enough to generate as much suspense. The only part of this book that I enjoyed in comparison to the rest of the series is that Mike is getting a slightly bigger role, and Mike is one of the only members of the supporting cast that I still really like.
carlaalmagro's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
karenholmes's review against another edition
3.0
Still trying to get how the mystery works, guess I will have to read them all.
The formula starts to repeat (all the discoveries revolving around a long lost memory that all the girls revisit all through the book, sometimes overlaping from one or another book, sometimes a completely new one).
I'd love to see how this builds over and over and how much can be stretched.
The formula starts to repeat (all the discoveries revolving around a long lost memory that all the girls revisit all through the book, sometimes overlaping from one or another book, sometimes a completely new one).
I'd love to see how this builds over and over and how much can be stretched.
lelemontgomery's review against another edition
4.0
Alright,
So far this is my favourite book of this series still 10 to go but I really liked how this book was.
I think that the fact that Spencer is adopted and met her mother Olivia was something too good to be true that I missed in the last books.
Totally have to read book 7 after finishing the current books I read
So far this is my favourite book of this series still 10 to go but I really liked how this book was.
I think that the fact that Spencer is adopted and met her mother Olivia was something too good to be true that I missed in the last books.
Totally have to read book 7 after finishing the current books I read
ihateprozac's review against another edition
5.0
Hooooooooly shiiiiiiiiit. That pretty much sums it up. This is the most explosive book in the series thus far, with Jason DiLaurentis and Darren Wilden upping the creep factor by 1000% and Ali's basement-dwelling-twin finally making her way into the picture.
The author drops creepy hints about Jason and Darren in Wicked, though I wasn't sure I should trust them since Shepard is notorious for messing with her readers' heads. In fact, I'm still a little hesitant about believing it all, even though I'm getting to the tail end of the series and it's a bit late to keep playing that game. If Darren and Jason killed Alison - though is it really Alison? - I am so looking forward to the big reveal. The most plausible explanation would be that Ali's death was an accident, but Jason and Darren are so messed up that I want it to be a juicy crime of passion.
I noted in my last review that I thought Wilden had potentially killed Ali and then gone on the straight and narrow, and his actions in Killer seem to support that. However, he could have easily just joined the police force to ensure their secret stayed buried. He's definitely been trying to discredit the girls and the investigation, which would seem to confirm the latter.
But then there's the issue of the weird phone calls he's been having where he clearly doesn't want to speak to the caller. I assumed it was Jason on the other end, though if he didn't want to speak to Jason then that would mean they're not working together to cover it up. Or perhaps they are working together, but Jason has been screwing things up on his end. Or maybe Wilden is hearing from Ali's twin or even Jenna, since we've learned Jason is very unhappy with Jenna.
Then again, maybe Darren and Jason didn't murder Ali at all. Maybe Ali's "twin" killed her and Jason and Darren covered it all up for her. It supports Ian seeing two blondes in the clearing, since Jason having long hair was an afterthought only mentioned in this book. I also wonder if Ali's "twin" (I'm going to keep using quotation marks until I read the next book and get some answers!) was really the one in the mental hospital. Jason certainly seems fucked up enough to land himself in there, though it would also make sense if he were visiting someone. Hell, maybe it wasn't even Ali that was killed, maybe it was her twin!
Then there's the issue of the photo of Ali, Jenna and Naomi. The girls are pretty adamant Jenna is the one that doesn't 'belong' in the photo, though no doubts have been raised about Naomi. We know that Ali had a bad falling out with Naomi and Riley, though nobody knows the real reason why. I think it would be foolish for the author to have thrown this in without cause, so I expect that it will play a bigger role later. Naomi is bitter enough to have killed Ali, and Naomi was ~occasionally friends with Mona, so she could also be A. Mona got extremely close to Hanna, so the new A could easily be just as close. Naomi is also blonde, so Naomi is also a candidate to have been in that clearing with Ali.
I really should stop, I could theorise about this series all night!
In other news, I'm extremely creeped out by Mrs Colbert. Her being angry over Emily and Isaac having sex makes sense, but cutting Emily out of the photo is just slightly disturbing. I wonder if all the creepy dolls on the stairs had cameras in them? I don't think Mrs Colbert is remotely related to A or Ali's killer, but there's something is plain fucking weird there. I just hope it doesn't boil down to weird African voodoo :P
I have to admit that Spencer being conned by her ~biological mother was really predictable and annoying. I thought something was up almost as soon as they met, which was confirmed the moment the realtor tried to persuade Spencer to buy in blindly. I know Spencer desperately wanted it all to be true, but I thought she'd be a little smarter than that! It was predictable and a bit disappointing to be honest, and I feel like the author isn't giving her character enough credit. I'm hoping that Spencer was actually adopted though, and she finds her legitimate biological mother in the next book or so.
Something to ponder: each natural born child got roughly $2million in the grandmother's will, right? The author didn't state the exact amount, but inferred that Spencer had either $200,000 or $2million in her trust fund. I'm wondering now if the trust fund came from the grandmother, and Spencer is going to end up feeling very foolish for her behaviour. Regardless, I can't wait to see how events unfold when her parents find said trust fund emptied. ;]
I don't have much to say about the other girls in this book, other than Kate is still an evil bitch and needs to go die in a fire. Preferably the barn fire. If Hanna doesn't find a way to discredit her by the end of the 8th book I may have to hurl my computer through a wall. I admit she seems less pure evil and more superficial and catty in this book, but she definitely needs to be put in her place. I'd also love to believe that her evil plotting on the phone was something more sinister than toying with Hanna and Mike.
Overall: If Killer isn't your favourite book in the series thus far, we can no longer be friends. Just kidding. Sort of. :P In my opinion it's the most explosive in the series, with some seriously game-changing secrets. I have a love/hate relationship with how Sara Shepard jumps from theory to theory between books, and I have to say I'm going to be very annoyed if she writes off Jason and Darren and explains away the "twin" with some shitty innocent answer.
I've finished each book on the edge of my seat, dying to start the next one ASAP, and Killer is no different. In fact, I feel stronger about finishing Killer and starting Heartless than I have with any of the previous books. I can't imagine how excited I'll be to finish Heartless and start Wanted!
The author drops creepy hints about Jason and Darren in Wicked, though I wasn't sure I should trust them since Shepard is notorious for messing with her readers' heads. In fact, I'm still a little hesitant about believing it all, even though I'm getting to the tail end of the series and it's a bit late to keep playing that game. If Darren and Jason killed Alison - though is it really Alison? - I am so looking forward to the big reveal. The most plausible explanation would be that Ali's death was an accident, but Jason and Darren are so messed up that I want it to be a juicy crime of passion.
I noted in my last review that I thought Wilden had potentially killed Ali and then gone on the straight and narrow, and his actions in Killer seem to support that. However, he could have easily just joined the police force to ensure their secret stayed buried. He's definitely been trying to discredit the girls and the investigation, which would seem to confirm the latter.
But then there's the issue of the weird phone calls he's been having where he clearly doesn't want to speak to the caller. I assumed it was Jason on the other end, though if he didn't want to speak to Jason then that would mean they're not working together to cover it up. Or perhaps they are working together, but Jason has been screwing things up on his end. Or maybe Wilden is hearing from Ali's twin or even Jenna, since we've learned Jason is very unhappy with Jenna.
Then again, maybe Darren and Jason didn't murder Ali at all. Maybe Ali's "twin" killed her and Jason and Darren covered it all up for her. It supports Ian seeing two blondes in the clearing, since Jason having long hair was an afterthought only mentioned in this book. I also wonder if Ali's "twin" (I'm going to keep using quotation marks until I read the next book and get some answers!) was really the one in the mental hospital. Jason certainly seems fucked up enough to land himself in there, though it would also make sense if he were visiting someone. Hell, maybe it wasn't even Ali that was killed, maybe it was her twin!
Then there's the issue of the photo of Ali, Jenna and Naomi. The girls are pretty adamant Jenna is the one that doesn't 'belong' in the photo, though no doubts have been raised about Naomi. We know that Ali had a bad falling out with Naomi and Riley, though nobody knows the real reason why. I think it would be foolish for the author to have thrown this in without cause, so I expect that it will play a bigger role later. Naomi is bitter enough to have killed Ali, and Naomi was ~occasionally friends with Mona, so she could also be A. Mona got extremely close to Hanna, so the new A could easily be just as close. Naomi is also blonde, so Naomi is also a candidate to have been in that clearing with Ali.
I really should stop, I could theorise about this series all night!
In other news, I'm extremely creeped out by Mrs Colbert. Her being angry over Emily and Isaac having sex makes sense, but cutting Emily out of the photo is just slightly disturbing. I wonder if all the creepy dolls on the stairs had cameras in them? I don't think Mrs Colbert is remotely related to A or Ali's killer, but there's something is plain fucking weird there. I just hope it doesn't boil down to weird African voodoo :P
I have to admit that Spencer being conned by her ~biological mother was really predictable and annoying. I thought something was up almost as soon as they met, which was confirmed the moment the realtor tried to persuade Spencer to buy in blindly. I know Spencer desperately wanted it all to be true, but I thought she'd be a little smarter than that! It was predictable and a bit disappointing to be honest, and I feel like the author isn't giving her character enough credit. I'm hoping that Spencer was actually adopted though, and she finds her legitimate biological mother in the next book or so.
Something to ponder: each natural born child got roughly $2million in the grandmother's will, right? The author didn't state the exact amount, but inferred that Spencer had either $200,000 or $2million in her trust fund. I'm wondering now if the trust fund came from the grandmother, and Spencer is going to end up feeling very foolish for her behaviour. Regardless, I can't wait to see how events unfold when her parents find said trust fund emptied. ;]
I don't have much to say about the other girls in this book, other than Kate is still an evil bitch and needs to go die in a fire. Preferably the barn fire. If Hanna doesn't find a way to discredit her by the end of the 8th book I may have to hurl my computer through a wall. I admit she seems less pure evil and more superficial and catty in this book, but she definitely needs to be put in her place. I'd also love to believe that her evil plotting on the phone was something more sinister than toying with Hanna and Mike.
Overall: If Killer isn't your favourite book in the series thus far, we can no longer be friends. Just kidding. Sort of. :P In my opinion it's the most explosive in the series, with some seriously game-changing secrets. I have a love/hate relationship with how Sara Shepard jumps from theory to theory between books, and I have to say I'm going to be very annoyed if she writes off Jason and Darren and explains away the "twin" with some shitty innocent answer.
I've finished each book on the edge of my seat, dying to start the next one ASAP, and Killer is no different. In fact, I feel stronger about finishing Killer and starting Heartless than I have with any of the previous books. I can't imagine how excited I'll be to finish Heartless and start Wanted!
lovemydolphins's review against another edition
5.0
One more good PLL book. I'll admit that this one seemed to have a bit of filler, but I still greatly enjoyed it. This one focuses a bit more on romances than other non-romance storylines, but it shouldn't matter. Well, I don't know what else to say. Read it!
anikarajan's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lucyphilpott's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sharonsm_28's review
4.0
I found Killer to be better than Wicked. There were more secrets to be revealed and a new -A in town. This series is an interesting one! I can't wait to continue with the series! I finished books 5 & 6 on the same day! Yay! Usually PLL books take me a day because of the suspense and secrets that I can't put it down. For these two books, I had to get into them! I give this one a 4.25/5.