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romantasy_reader's review
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
mapelti's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I was going to say this was just a fun twisty read and give a lower score but it hooked me so much I bought the sequels bc I had to know who the kidnapper was. This is maybe more a testament to my mania and the lack of online spoilers for a not very popular book from 2016 than a ringing endorsement of the book. But still.
alexagarbiel's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
stephxsu's review
2.0
I was hoping, when I picked this book up, that it would defy my expectations. With a synopsis that sounded like it had been lifted directly from a rejected Pretty Little Liars installment, I’ll admit that my expectations weren’t high. And while I did finish the book (which says something, I suppose, considering how I’m not afraid to DNF a book that I don’t have a chance of loving), I kind of wish that, well, I hadn’t.
Throughout the whole book, I kept on shaking my head and saying to myself, “What’s wrong with this, Steph? The writing is decent—it fulfills the basic requirements of a YA blockbuster—and yet, despite the fact that I am reading it, I have an utter lack of investment in the characters and their fates.” What, exactly, did TRUTH OR DARE lack that kept it only mediocre?
And then I realized: it was lacking a heart. There is no non-superficial reason for caring about the characters. Superficiality in fiction differs from superficiality in real life. In real life, superficiality refers to physical, tangible things like appearances or dress or money. In fiction, it refers to the lack of spark that makes the characters never read like anything more than a couple of puppets. And it doesn’t matter how many oh-so-sad tragedies you want to pile on a character—Tenley’s father, Sydney’s past, Caitlin’s kidnapping, Caitlin’s panic attacks, Caitlin’s everything—the fact is that the author did not succeed in making her characters come alive with personality quirks and turns of phrase and all those things that make a person unique. It doesn’t take a really jaded reader to notice this.
(Side note: TRUTH OR DARE is a product of Paper Lantern Lit, a company that essentially develops elaborate plots and then hires new authors to write the stories. I didn’t learn this until after I had already finished the book. The correlation between PLL-style books and—in my opinion—their general lack of heart has yet to be scientifically examined.)
Despite the lack of heart and my lack of investment in the characters, I still kept on reading, drawn by the idea that all would be revealed, and several hours’ worth of my time would be justified. That was before I got to the thoroughly unrewarding ending, which, compared to the tight plotting of the rest of the book, was sloppy, a slap-dash anti-climax put together as a weak payoff before the mystery continues painfully on to a Book Two. What the hell?! Is it too much to ask for some sort of payoff, some sort of conclusion, after trudging through 400 pages of drivel tailor-made for the nonthinking YA reader? There is no clearer sign that this was a concept created for purely financial reasons than such a cop-out ending that basically demands that if you wanted to be invested in the story, you had better be in it for the long haul. Too bad that wasn’t made clear earlier in the story for the rest of us who have no interest in making that sort of an investment in a forgettable teen mystery series.
Oh, I have no doubt that this book will find its audience. It’s just the sort of mediocre copycat drivel that drives the market nowadays.
Throughout the whole book, I kept on shaking my head and saying to myself, “What’s wrong with this, Steph? The writing is decent—it fulfills the basic requirements of a YA blockbuster—and yet, despite the fact that I am reading it, I have an utter lack of investment in the characters and their fates.” What, exactly, did TRUTH OR DARE lack that kept it only mediocre?
And then I realized: it was lacking a heart. There is no non-superficial reason for caring about the characters. Superficiality in fiction differs from superficiality in real life. In real life, superficiality refers to physical, tangible things like appearances or dress or money. In fiction, it refers to the lack of spark that makes the characters never read like anything more than a couple of puppets. And it doesn’t matter how many oh-so-sad tragedies you want to pile on a character—Tenley’s father, Sydney’s past, Caitlin’s kidnapping, Caitlin’s panic attacks, Caitlin’s everything—the fact is that the author did not succeed in making her characters come alive with personality quirks and turns of phrase and all those things that make a person unique. It doesn’t take a really jaded reader to notice this.
(Side note: TRUTH OR DARE is a product of Paper Lantern Lit, a company that essentially develops elaborate plots and then hires new authors to write the stories. I didn’t learn this until after I had already finished the book. The correlation between PLL-style books and—in my opinion—their general lack of heart has yet to be scientifically examined.)
Despite the lack of heart and my lack of investment in the characters, I still kept on reading, drawn by the idea that all would be revealed, and several hours’ worth of my time would be justified. That was before I got to the thoroughly unrewarding ending, which, compared to the tight plotting of the rest of the book, was sloppy, a slap-dash anti-climax put together as a weak payoff before the mystery continues painfully on to a Book Two. What the hell?! Is it too much to ask for some sort of payoff, some sort of conclusion, after trudging through 400 pages of drivel tailor-made for the nonthinking YA reader? There is no clearer sign that this was a concept created for purely financial reasons than such a cop-out ending that basically demands that if you wanted to be invested in the story, you had better be in it for the long haul. Too bad that wasn’t made clear earlier in the story for the rest of us who have no interest in making that sort of an investment in a forgettable teen mystery series.
Oh, I have no doubt that this book will find its audience. It’s just the sort of mediocre copycat drivel that drives the market nowadays.
postitsandpens's review against another edition
I tried to push through at least half of this book before DNFing but just found myself completely ignoring it and doing anything and everything other than read it. I didn't like any of the three POVs, and realized via reviews that the overall mystery of who is sending the dares doesn't get solved until book three of this series and y'all, I just don't care enough to struggle through it. So I gave up at about 35% and am moving on to something else.
shelvesofsecrets's review
3.0
Truth or Dare sounded like a fast-paced, YA mystery. It's not the type of book I usually read and I was excited to branch out and see what I'd been missing. Unfortunately, Truth or Dare didn't quite do it for me. My major gripe was with the characters, but there were a few other things as well.
I can honestly say I didn't like a single one of the characters. Well, I almost like Callum and Tim, but they were such a minor character that they remained fairly one dimensional. Tenley was a shallow, selfish bitch. Caitlin just did as she was told and had no backbone or original thoughts. Sydney was the kind of girl who chooses to be an outcast and wears her loner-ness as a kind of badge of honour, which ended up getting on my nerves. And let's not forget Guinness, the biggest douche ever. The fact that not one, but two of these girls were totally interested in his spoiled ass-hat made me like them even less.
The fact that I didn't really care about any of the characters made this one a bit flat for me. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if the characters had been more likeable.
The other complaint I had was with a lack of clues for a large part of the book. One of my favourite part of mystery books is trying to guess whodunnit. While I did manage to correctly guess the culprit about 75% of the way through the book, I wished there had been more clues dropped. It seemed like anytime one of the characters thought they knew who could be the villian, it was based on some past even the reader didn't know about until the character explains it right after they make the accusation. That makes it really hard to guess!
Overall, Truth or Dare is still a fun, fast-paced, somewhat creepy read, but the characters were a disappointment to me. If you're a fan of Pretty Little Liars, you should give this one a try. If you're a fan of characters you can really connect with, maybe take a pass.
I can honestly say I didn't like a single one of the characters. Well, I almost like Callum and Tim, but they were such a minor character that they remained fairly one dimensional. Tenley was a shallow, selfish bitch. Caitlin just did as she was told and had no backbone or original thoughts. Sydney was the kind of girl who chooses to be an outcast and wears her loner-ness as a kind of badge of honour, which ended up getting on my nerves. And let's not forget Guinness, the biggest douche ever. The fact that not one, but two of these girls were totally interested in his spoiled ass-hat made me like them even less.
The fact that I didn't really care about any of the characters made this one a bit flat for me. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if the characters had been more likeable.
The other complaint I had was with a lack of clues for a large part of the book. One of my favourite part of mystery books is trying to guess whodunnit. While I did manage to correctly guess the culprit about 75% of the way through the book, I wished there had been more clues dropped. It seemed like anytime one of the characters thought they knew who could be the villian, it was based on some past even the reader didn't know about until the character explains it right after they make the accusation. That makes it really hard to guess!
Overall, Truth or Dare is still a fun, fast-paced, somewhat creepy read, but the characters were a disappointment to me. If you're a fan of Pretty Little Liars, you should give this one a try. If you're a fan of characters you can really connect with, maybe take a pass.
josemosle's review
5.0
Great, great book, but I can't help but feel it's "inspired" in Pretty Little Liars...
trisha_thomas's review
4.0
I'm torn on this one.
On one hand, I loved it. The twists and adventures of each new note and each new dare. I loved the three POV of Sydney, Tenley & Caitlin. Not only did we get to know each of them through their own POV, we got to see their secrets and their friendships, their struggles and their missteps through the eyes of their friends.
I also loved the supporting cast: Emerson, Calum, Guiness...and many others. They were equally fun to see how they interacted with each girl and their own twists on things.
But my struggles are equally holding me back from loving all of this. First, I called who did it very very early on. There were quite a few things that revealed them and that left me wondering why the other girls didn't see the clues either.
and.....this was pretty similar to Pretty Little Liars - one of my all time favorite series. I like the twist at the end - it was gutsy and made me love the author for making that choice.
but to read another book.....I don't know...I'll have to see the reviews to book 2 before I make that leap.
On one hand, I loved it. The twists and adventures of each new note and each new dare. I loved the three POV of Sydney, Tenley & Caitlin. Not only did we get to know each of them through their own POV, we got to see their secrets and their friendships, their struggles and their missteps through the eyes of their friends.
I also loved the supporting cast: Emerson, Calum, Guiness...and many others. They were equally fun to see how they interacted with each girl and their own twists on things.
But my struggles are equally holding me back from loving all of this. First, I called who did it very very early on. There were quite a few things that revealed them and that left me wondering why the other girls didn't see the clues either.
and.....this was pretty similar to Pretty Little Liars - one of my all time favorite series. I like the twist at the end - it was gutsy and made me love the author for making that choice.
but to read another book.....I don't know...I'll have to see the reviews to book 2 before I make that leap.
justasmidge's review
2.0
This felt like a knock-off of Pretty Little Liars/Burn For Burn. While I liked both those books, I just couldn't get into this one. It did start off well, and I was intrigued till about mid-way into the book. After that it just got boring and I wanted it to end. The pacing was terrible, and the ending was just so typical that it left me unsatisfied and disappointed. If it weren't for the cliche ending and the fact that it was way too long, I think this book could of been redeemable. Another issue I had with this book was the constant physical descriptions of Emerson. Every single page she was on, the author had to drag out a long description about how beautiful-gorgeous-breathtaking Emerson was and the amazing way she can wear a dress or a pair of shorts. There was barely any description for the main 3, yet Emerson was described every scene she was in. I just thought it was kind of odd.
With that said, I did love the cover art of the book, and I did enjoy the three alternate character views. It was cool to have three different takes on what was going on in the story.
With that said, I did love the cover art of the book, and I did enjoy the three alternate character views. It was cool to have three different takes on what was going on in the story.
kricketa's review
3.0
basically a re-working of "pretty little liars"... but it was well-written and really fun to read. i'll probably pick up the next one in the trilogy (although i'm not really sure why this had to be a trilogy.)