stefanilw's review against another edition
2.0
Very juvenile even for YAF. I am not even sure why I finished this book. Iwas very irritated with Alex the entire time and found her quite annoying.
rhysciar's review against another edition
4.5
It is so rare that a sequel can be as good as the first book, and here it is, Rivals is just as good as The Mockingbirds were, and I'm so happy for that. And for the story too. It was amazing. Not just because it pointed out a serious problem (drugs, cheating), but because it wasn't as black and white as I thought it would be. Which is more important? Your friends or the greater good? And which one would you chose? How would you react if one of your friends were accused of a serious crime?
This book is just so good in all sorts of way, I can't even explain.
So I guess I better not try, and just stop here.
Daisy Whitney is my new hero.
This book is just so good in all sorts of way, I can't even explain.
So I guess I better not try, and just stop here.
Daisy Whitney is my new hero.
datoismyname's review against another edition
2.0
I HAVE COMPLETED THIS. I HAVE REACHED THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN. But seriously, reading this book was a feat. I found myself repeatedly succumbing to sleeps comforting embrace while reading. I'm not going to say it was a bad book, because it wasn't, but I'm not going to say it was great either. In actuality I would probably give it 2.5 stars. Some people were thrilled with this book but I did not find it that special. The first book The Mockingbirds was amazing, but Daisy Whitney just did not capture the amazingness in The Rivals. It was worth a read but it took me forever to finish.
alifromkc1907's review against another edition
3.0
Read more reviews at rainbowreviews.wix.com/readingfree
When Alex is in charge of leading The Mockingbirds, she's thrown into a case with her boyfriend, which is sure to cause romance-issues, and an half-brained junior politician, Parker. But when Alex's best friend and mentee are at the center of her investigation, will she do what's right? Or will she protect her friends?
You may like this book if you like the following sub-genres:
Drug Abuse
Dating/Relationships
Vigilante Justice
Boarding School
Goodreads users gave this book a 3.71. I think it was more deserving of a 3.00.
The concept of this book was really strong. Most kids don't go to private schools; even more so, most don't go to boarding schools. So it's kind of one of those books that makes you wish you were there (if you're a high school student, anyway). But, the execution was just kind of "meh." I was really expecting a lot more of the vigilante justice to come through and less of the high school experience. When there's a case of a cheating ring, it's understandable that we'll get insight to some of the high school drama brought into the story line, but there was a lot of mumbo-jumbo about dance, and piano, and violin. It just felt kind of unnecessary - like a filler. I would've rather seen that information skimmed over, or brought into the story in a different way.
Alex's past should've been a larger part of the story line. I really would've liked the story to start with her trial - even if it only spanned the course of 10-20 pages. There was a lot of discussion about Alex's growth; but a reader doesn't want to take your word for it. We want to see it; experience it; feel it. We want to take a journey with our characters. If we wanted to just read what happened, we'd have someone else read the book and write a chapter-by-chapter summary and read that. As much as I wanted to feel the growth that Alex ventured down, I just couldn't. Her assault supposedly took place her junior year. But when the school year starts in August, we are assuming that her recovery took place over the course of maybe, 6 months at the most. We just never got a lot of that story line, and I think the author tried to do that towards the beginning of the story, but it completely dropped off.
The main component of this plot line is that Alex and the Mockinbirds are brought a case about a cheating ring with a drug called Annie (it's basically XL-Ritalin). And I thought the underground vigilante justice group was a really cool way to show teenagers (who are likely the ones reading this) that they can do the right thing; that an adult doesn't have to be the one involved in their choices. I thought the story line it self was just on-point with what kids want to read. The delivery wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible either. Majority of the language was really basic, so it was an easy read. there was enough twists-and-turns that you felt compelled to keep reading. I struggled with the idea that the dean was turning a blind eye to every single thing happened, despite being after an award. I just don't see that happening with every code-violation (despite the dean being hands-on with the teachers). But I love the idea of a crime being solved; even if it's just a high-school level crime. And that's what kept me involved in this story line. I kept deciding who was guilty, who wasn't guilty, and being proven wrong (or in a few cases, right).
The story line took an odd turn towards the end. The last 50 pages felt like a short-story that was based on the same characters, but completely separate from the rest of the novel. Once the trial has been completed, another group is started called The Watchdogs. But it's so random, it doesn't even make sense. It's just felt as if the author needed, yet another, filler. Because of this new vigilante group, members of this group inflict physical pain on a member of The Mockingbirds (also doesn't make any sense as to why physical violence is all of a sudden happening). And then finally, Alex takes payback into her own hands. The Mockingbirds are supposed to stand for justice; for what's right and fair. Not for playing pranks on other members of the school. It was just so out of place, that it felt like all the hard work the author put into teaching teenagers that there's appropriate justice that can be taken has turned into a message that it's okay to inflict some embarrassment on other students. It was just a really crappy ending.
When Alex is in charge of leading The Mockingbirds, she's thrown into a case with her boyfriend, which is sure to cause romance-issues, and an half-brained junior politician, Parker. But when Alex's best friend and mentee are at the center of her investigation, will she do what's right? Or will she protect her friends?
You may like this book if you like the following sub-genres:
Drug Abuse
Dating/Relationships
Vigilante Justice
Boarding School
Goodreads users gave this book a 3.71. I think it was more deserving of a 3.00.
The concept of this book was really strong. Most kids don't go to private schools; even more so, most don't go to boarding schools. So it's kind of one of those books that makes you wish you were there (if you're a high school student, anyway). But, the execution was just kind of "meh." I was really expecting a lot more of the vigilante justice to come through and less of the high school experience. When there's a case of a cheating ring, it's understandable that we'll get insight to some of the high school drama brought into the story line, but there was a lot of mumbo-jumbo about dance, and piano, and violin. It just felt kind of unnecessary - like a filler. I would've rather seen that information skimmed over, or brought into the story in a different way.
Alex's past should've been a larger part of the story line. I really would've liked the story to start with her trial - even if it only spanned the course of 10-20 pages. There was a lot of discussion about Alex's growth; but a reader doesn't want to take your word for it. We want to see it; experience it; feel it. We want to take a journey with our characters. If we wanted to just read what happened, we'd have someone else read the book and write a chapter-by-chapter summary and read that. As much as I wanted to feel the growth that Alex ventured down, I just couldn't. Her assault supposedly took place her junior year. But when the school year starts in August, we are assuming that her recovery took place over the course of maybe, 6 months at the most. We just never got a lot of that story line, and I think the author tried to do that towards the beginning of the story, but it completely dropped off.
The main component of this plot line is that Alex and the Mockinbirds are brought a case about a cheating ring with a drug called Annie (it's basically XL-Ritalin). And I thought the underground vigilante justice group was a really cool way to show teenagers (who are likely the ones reading this) that they can do the right thing; that an adult doesn't have to be the one involved in their choices. I thought the story line it self was just on-point with what kids want to read. The delivery wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible either. Majority of the language was really basic, so it was an easy read. there was enough twists-and-turns that you felt compelled to keep reading. I struggled with the idea that the dean was turning a blind eye to every single thing happened, despite being after an award. I just don't see that happening with every code-violation (despite the dean being hands-on with the teachers). But I love the idea of a crime being solved; even if it's just a high-school level crime. And that's what kept me involved in this story line. I kept deciding who was guilty, who wasn't guilty, and being proven wrong (or in a few cases, right).
The story line took an odd turn towards the end. The last 50 pages felt like a short-story that was based on the same characters, but completely separate from the rest of the novel. Once the trial has been completed, another group is started called The Watchdogs. But it's so random, it doesn't even make sense. It's just felt as if the author needed, yet another, filler. Because of this new vigilante group, members of this group inflict physical pain on a member of The Mockingbirds (also doesn't make any sense as to why physical violence is all of a sudden happening). And then finally, Alex takes payback into her own hands. The Mockingbirds are supposed to stand for justice; for what's right and fair. Not for playing pranks on other members of the school. It was just so out of place, that it felt like all the hard work the author put into teaching teenagers that there's appropriate justice that can be taken has turned into a message that it's okay to inflict some embarrassment on other students. It was just a really crappy ending.
froydis's review against another edition
4.0
I'm sure glad I didn't have to go to a school like Themis! This was a good follow-up to "The Mockingbirds." I think Alex's character grows more in this book, and she exhibits some questionable teen-age behavior. The ending is satisfying and hopeful.
pikasqueaks's review against another edition
4.0
Alex is one of those characters it's impossible to dislike. She has a good heart, a good head, and she's trying to do the right thing. It's obvious from that start that she doesn't know how to handle her new role as the head of The Mockingbirds, and people take advantage of that left and right.
What I liked the most about her, however, was the fact that everything that happened in The Mockingbirds wasn't erased. It still mattered. Alex was still recovering, rebuilding, and working towards breaking through her rape. Add that to the fact that the details of the event were known throughout the school because of the case, and it's understandable why her hesitations as a leader got in her own way.
Daisy Whitney does a remarkable job of building things up. If there's one thing that stands out about her writing, it's that the smallest conflicts in the book (which aren't so small, you find in the end) create so much tension and frustration that you almost can't believe it was something that insignificant. It's not just with the bad kind of tension either, though. The sexual tension in this book is nicely done. Alex and Martin are working on balancing who they were, who they are, and who they want to be, and you can feel it in their scenes together. There is one scene, with Alex playing at the piano and Martin behind her, and the beautiful tension that builds between them, that I still haven't gotten out of my mind.
The idea of a prescription drug ring might not capture your interest at first, if that's not something you're into. Like most of my favorite young adult books, that's not even the beginning. You find out that there are some shady goings-on at the school (as usual), and at one point, I can guarantee that your stomach will drop, just as Alex's does. It might happen again and again, depending on how quickly you pick up the subtext and clues.
Daisy Whitney writes with a strength and power that has been overlooked. The voice is strong, her descriptions are spot-on, and her characters are real. They are angry, they are frustrated, they are confused and disoriented, they are teenagers. But make no mistake, they are not stupid. They are smart and powerful. These are not your bubblegum chewing, grunting airheads from the movies.
What I liked the most about her, however, was the fact that everything that happened in The Mockingbirds wasn't erased. It still mattered. Alex was still recovering, rebuilding, and working towards breaking through her rape. Add that to the fact that the details of the event were known throughout the school because of the case, and it's understandable why her hesitations as a leader got in her own way.
Daisy Whitney does a remarkable job of building things up. If there's one thing that stands out about her writing, it's that the smallest conflicts in the book (which aren't so small, you find in the end) create so much tension and frustration that you almost can't believe it was something that insignificant. It's not just with the bad kind of tension either, though. The sexual tension in this book is nicely done. Alex and Martin are working on balancing who they were, who they are, and who they want to be, and you can feel it in their scenes together. There is one scene, with Alex playing at the piano and Martin behind her, and the beautiful tension that builds between them, that I still haven't gotten out of my mind.
The idea of a prescription drug ring might not capture your interest at first, if that's not something you're into. Like most of my favorite young adult books, that's not even the beginning. You find out that there are some shady goings-on at the school (as usual), and at one point, I can guarantee that your stomach will drop, just as Alex's does. It might happen again and again, depending on how quickly you pick up the subtext and clues.
Daisy Whitney writes with a strength and power that has been overlooked. The voice is strong, her descriptions are spot-on, and her characters are real. They are angry, they are frustrated, they are confused and disoriented, they are teenagers. But make no mistake, they are not stupid. They are smart and powerful. These are not your bubblegum chewing, grunting airheads from the movies.
emjrasmussen's review against another edition
Welcome back to Themis Academy, a prestigious boarding school for exceptional teenagers. Here, you will be greeted with open arms, but this school is not as perfect as it may superficially seem. Even the rich, talented, and intelligent—especially the rich, talented, and intelligent—break the rules, and when the staff does not care, students must take action once again. In The Rivals, a set of justice-seeking students returns stronger than ever, ready to right the wrongs that the administration ignores.
The best thing about this book and its companion novel is the concept of the Mockingbirds and the passion behind what they do. The success-driven administration at Alex's school does nothing to punish students' transgressions, which makes me furious for the protagonist and her peers. While a sense of constant irritation implanted itself inside my brain during the first book, it grew even stronger as I turned the pages of a sequel in which Alex is part of the Mockingbirds, dealing firsthand with the adults' passiveness. My swelling anger alone allowed The Rivals to outdo The Mockingbirds, but another aspect vaulted this book even higher in my favor.
The Rivals also features a crime that is more confusing and complicated than the one its predecessor explores. In the previous book, the author establishes the identities of both the criminal and the victim right away, and the novel zooms in on the trial and how it affects Alex. In Whitney’s second novel, however, the team must find a perpetrator using limited clues. Readers will appreciate the excitement and anticipation this alteration adds to the plot as well as the way solving a mystery and being forced to suspect everyone strains the main character's relationships with her friends. Just as her quest for answers touches every part of Alex's life, it permeates the entire book, turning The Rivals into an addictive page-turner.
Still, even with so much change, some of the emotions that made The Mockingbirds so wonderful carry over to this book. Alex's reeling shock and stark sense of exposure have only begun to heal, and the rapid fire of events that now drives her life does not prevent her from paying attention to the way people notice her and the things they say about her. Because of this emotional consistency, I can assure those who loved experiencing the main character's journey in The Mockingbirds that Whitney places no damper on the feelings in The Rivals.
Justice, romance, friendship, and redemption all play out collaterally in this companion novel that seamlessly weaves brand-new elements with those readers will remember from its predecessor. Part courtroom drama, part mystery, part self-creation, and part issue-illuminating exposé, The Rivals is a unique novel that is not to be missed.
This review originally appeared at www.foreverliterary.blogspot.com.
The best thing about this book and its companion novel is the concept of the Mockingbirds and the passion behind what they do. The success-driven administration at Alex's school does nothing to punish students' transgressions, which makes me furious for the protagonist and her peers. While a sense of constant irritation implanted itself inside my brain during the first book, it grew even stronger as I turned the pages of a sequel in which Alex is part of the Mockingbirds, dealing firsthand with the adults' passiveness. My swelling anger alone allowed The Rivals to outdo The Mockingbirds, but another aspect vaulted this book even higher in my favor.
The Rivals also features a crime that is more confusing and complicated than the one its predecessor explores. In the previous book, the author establishes the identities of both the criminal and the victim right away, and the novel zooms in on the trial and how it affects Alex. In Whitney’s second novel, however, the team must find a perpetrator using limited clues. Readers will appreciate the excitement and anticipation this alteration adds to the plot as well as the way solving a mystery and being forced to suspect everyone strains the main character's relationships with her friends. Just as her quest for answers touches every part of Alex's life, it permeates the entire book, turning The Rivals into an addictive page-turner.
Still, even with so much change, some of the emotions that made The Mockingbirds so wonderful carry over to this book. Alex's reeling shock and stark sense of exposure have only begun to heal, and the rapid fire of events that now drives her life does not prevent her from paying attention to the way people notice her and the things they say about her. Because of this emotional consistency, I can assure those who loved experiencing the main character's journey in The Mockingbirds that Whitney places no damper on the feelings in The Rivals.
Justice, romance, friendship, and redemption all play out collaterally in this companion novel that seamlessly weaves brand-new elements with those readers will remember from its predecessor. Part courtroom drama, part mystery, part self-creation, and part issue-illuminating exposé, The Rivals is a unique novel that is not to be missed.
This review originally appeared at www.foreverliterary.blogspot.com.