A review by novelheartbeat
Perfect Lies by Kiersten White

3.0

3.5/5

While this may not have left a lasting impression on me, I really enjoyed it while I was reading it. Kiersten White’s books are always a great distraction – I have no problem getting swept up in her storytelling! However, there was one big flaw this book had in my eyes: It was forgettable.

We all orbit the brilliant, chaotic burning of [Fia's] star.

I still really liked Fia! She’s more of an antiheroine. Like I said in my review of Mind Games: She’s not really a likable person. She’s damaged, out of control, and a bit hostile. She’s done bad things and has a dark side; she’s filled with bitterness, regret, and anger. Maybe that’s why I like her! Side note: I found it interesting that Fia’s tapping was finally explained. I never gave it much thought, but now it makes sense!

The people we love are the ones with the power to destroy us.

I didn’t like James so much in this book. I understand that Keane is his father, but he kind of sympathized too much with the bad guy. There were times when I wasn’t really sure where his loyalties were, and I hate what he asked Fia to do in the end.

My biggest complaint about this book was that the timeline was a little confusing. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that both timelines were moving forward, just at different times. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t paying much attention to the date stamps in the beginning. Big mistake! Even so, it was hard sometimes to differentiate which parts happened in what order.

I do have to say that the ending was pretty awesome! It was all coming down to the climax, and both timelines merged into that one big moment. There was a sense of desperation and that made for very fast pacing!

ASSESSMENT
Plot: 3.5/5
Premise: 4/5
Writing style: 4/5
Originality: 3.5/5
Characters: 3.5/5
World-building: 3.5/5
Pace: 4.5/5
Feels: 3/5
Cover: 3.5/5