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A review by ihateprozac
Beautiful Disaster by Kate Brian
5.0
I regret taking so long to finish this book, because I forgot how damn good this series is compared to its Private counterpart! It's awesome how a different protagonist can completely change a book. Reed is constantly at the mercy of other people, is very irrational, and the incessant murder attempts feel as if she's the only one not privy to an inside joke. Ariana is poised, calculated and usually she's the only one who is privy to the inside joke. Reed never figures out the identity of the killer until the last second, but Ariana is the killer.
Kate Brian is great at creating suspense and empathy with Ariana. I felt Ariana's rage, desperation and frustration every time Kaitlynn threatened to reveal her. After every encounter with Kaitlynn, my heart pounded as I expected police to be waiting for Ariana at Atherton Pryce Hall (APH). When Ariana wanted to shake Kaitlynn by the shoulders, I wanted to do the same to my Kindle! (As stupid as that sounds....) In the Private series I feel removed from Reed, rolling my eyes at her stupidity and inability to follow the clues. In the Privilege books I feel as if I'm one with Ariana, just chilling at the back of her mind while she works her magic.
In Beautiful Disaster, the serial killer side of Ariana takes a back seat. Despite a few murderous near-slips here and there, she puts her planning abilities to more productive use, like securing her spot in the APH hierarchy. We see the cogs whir in her mind as she weasels her way into a clique, secures her academic future and pits classmates against each other. I was fascinated by the meticulousness of her plans, and how she was so adept at people watching. Within minutes she can discern which nerves to tap, and manipulates her friends like pieces on a chessboard.
I'm really pleased with the supporting and peripheral characters Kate Brian has created here. I was initially worried that they'd be carbon copies of the Billings Girls, but they can stand on their own. I feared that Maria would be a Noelle clone, as she seems to be the leader of the clique. Fortunately she's more like Kiran, sans the alcoholism. Tahira is the closest to Noelle here, with her power trips and calculated moves. Brigit and Soomie both remind me of Taylor Bell: Brigit with her body issues and general insecurities, and Soomie with her academic ability and attention to detail.
I was also worried that Lexa would be a clone of Poppy Simon, because a) she was also fashionably late to the story, b) everyone also reassured Ariana she would love her, and c) she was also the girlfriend of Ariana's love interest. Fortunately Ariana wasn't instantly at loggerheads the way Reed was with Poppy, which was a huge relief. She's more like Ivy, after her and Reed become friends.
I also like the male characters and love interests thus far, or at least I don't want to throttle them. Palmer is like an amped up Josh Hollis with his morals and fair sportsmanship, but far less annoying. Landon vaguely reminds me of a PG Thomas Pearson and Gage.
And as much as I can't wait for the moment Kaitlynn Nottingham magically falls off a cliff, she's a fucking amazing villain. She's so evil she manages to make serial killer Ariana seem like a saint. I was so frustrated whenever she foiled Ariana's attempts at freedom, and I just about screamed over her becoming a student at APH. I can't wait to see how she torments Ariana in the next few books, but I also can't wait to see her meet her demise! I am bracing myself for severe headdesking.
I'm also really fucking excited to see this secret society business unfold. There were hints of it in the Private series that fascinated me to no end, but they were either never resolved or had shit endings *cough* magic *cough* I hope that this secret society is as nefarious as it's made out to be, and that the ties between Lexa, Tahira and Brigit are half as juicy as they seem. If it turns out to be private school kid orgies or a coven of witches, I just may cut someone :P
Overall: If you enjoyed Privilege, START READING BEAUTIFUL DISASTER RIGHT THIS SECOND. Seriously, you'll be kicking yourself if you don't. While Ariana's serial killer instincts take a backseat, we get to see the social ladder of a private school picked apart, manipulated and put back together again. We get original characters only vaguely inspired by the Billings Girls, and a mindblowingly amazing villain so evil that Ariana seems like a saint.
Kate Brian is great at creating suspense and empathy with Ariana. I felt Ariana's rage, desperation and frustration every time Kaitlynn threatened to reveal her. After every encounter with Kaitlynn, my heart pounded as I expected police to be waiting for Ariana at Atherton Pryce Hall (APH). When Ariana wanted to shake Kaitlynn by the shoulders, I wanted to do the same to my Kindle! (As stupid as that sounds....) In the Private series I feel removed from Reed, rolling my eyes at her stupidity and inability to follow the clues. In the Privilege books I feel as if I'm one with Ariana, just chilling at the back of her mind while she works her magic.
In Beautiful Disaster, the serial killer side of Ariana takes a back seat. Despite a few murderous near-slips here and there, she puts her planning abilities to more productive use, like securing her spot in the APH hierarchy. We see the cogs whir in her mind as she weasels her way into a clique, secures her academic future and pits classmates against each other. I was fascinated by the meticulousness of her plans, and how she was so adept at people watching. Within minutes she can discern which nerves to tap, and manipulates her friends like pieces on a chessboard.
I'm really pleased with the supporting and peripheral characters Kate Brian has created here. I was initially worried that they'd be carbon copies of the Billings Girls, but they can stand on their own. I feared that Maria would be a Noelle clone, as she seems to be the leader of the clique. Fortunately she's more like Kiran, sans the alcoholism. Tahira is the closest to Noelle here, with her power trips and calculated moves. Brigit and Soomie both remind me of Taylor Bell: Brigit with her body issues and general insecurities, and Soomie with her academic ability and attention to detail.
I was also worried that Lexa would be a clone of Poppy Simon, because a) she was also fashionably late to the story, b) everyone also reassured Ariana she would love her, and c) she was also the girlfriend of Ariana's love interest. Fortunately Ariana wasn't instantly at loggerheads the way Reed was with Poppy, which was a huge relief. She's more like Ivy, after her and Reed become friends.
I also like the male characters and love interests thus far, or at least I don't want to throttle them. Palmer is like an amped up Josh Hollis with his morals and fair sportsmanship, but far less annoying. Landon vaguely reminds me of a PG Thomas Pearson and Gage.
And as much as I can't wait for the moment Kaitlynn Nottingham magically falls off a cliff, she's a fucking amazing villain. She's so evil she manages to make serial killer Ariana seem like a saint. I was so frustrated whenever she foiled Ariana's attempts at freedom, and I just about screamed over her becoming a student at APH. I can't wait to see how she torments Ariana in the next few books, but I also can't wait to see her meet her demise! I am bracing myself for severe headdesking.
I'm also really fucking excited to see this secret society business unfold. There were hints of it in the Private series that fascinated me to no end, but they were either never resolved or had shit endings *cough* magic *cough* I hope that this secret society is as nefarious as it's made out to be, and that the ties between Lexa, Tahira and Brigit are half as juicy as they seem. If it turns out to be private school kid orgies or a coven of witches, I just may cut someone :P
Overall: If you enjoyed Privilege, START READING BEAUTIFUL DISASTER RIGHT THIS SECOND. Seriously, you'll be kicking yourself if you don't. While Ariana's serial killer instincts take a backseat, we get to see the social ladder of a private school picked apart, manipulated and put back together again. We get original characters only vaguely inspired by the Billings Girls, and a mindblowingly amazing villain so evil that Ariana seems like a saint.