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A review by heartscontent
Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas
4.0
With absolute and utmost honesty, I read this book because I’m desperately waiting on the fourth book in the Devil’s Night series and some of the lovely ladies who are waiting with me and discussing ALL POSSIBLE THEORIES about Will’s book, Nightfall, suggested that I check out Punk 57.
So of course I did. Mostly, I did it because they told me that Will Freaking Grayson would appear in this book. I started reading this book for that very reason. I wasn’t particularly expecting to enjoy Punk 57, even though I’d heard good things about it. So I was both surprised—and not, because Pen is BAE—that I was rather intrigued, moved and nose deep into Misha and Ryen’s story. There was something very different about Ryen and I think I was a lot lot lot lot more intrigued by her simply because of the kind of heroine she was. When Pen addressed it at the end, I knew that it had been a gamble. Writing a heroine who’s bad by nature is different; but writing a heroine who is aware of the bad and does not like it but doesn’t do anything about it hard.
Pen did it anyway. It wasn’t easy to like Ryen, I think perhaps because we’ve all sometimes kept our heads low when we could’ve spoken up, or we’ve all sometimes craved to fit in, to be happy the way that we see others be happy or to just be seen. We do desperate things to be heard, understood and seen.
Misha. Misha I felt a lot more pain for. He truly had suffered, he felt guilt, he’d faced demons, he struggled everyday but he did his best... except with Ryen. He was angry, lashing and punishing with her and strangely their relationship was that that, neither could do anything that would make the other hurt them.
In the end, as messed up as Pen’s characters can sometimes be, the bottom line for me is how there’s always someone out that that will love you, see you, believe in you and be there for you. And sometimes that’s enough to bring everything back into focus. Bring you back. Show them all your ugly and when they love you anyway, you become beautiful. A strange metaphorical Beauty and the Beast story maybe?
So of course I did. Mostly, I did it because they told me that Will Freaking Grayson would appear in this book. I started reading this book for that very reason. I wasn’t particularly expecting to enjoy Punk 57, even though I’d heard good things about it. So I was both surprised—and not, because Pen is BAE—that I was rather intrigued, moved and nose deep into Misha and Ryen’s story. There was something very different about Ryen and I think I was a lot lot lot lot more intrigued by her simply because of the kind of heroine she was. When Pen addressed it at the end, I knew that it had been a gamble. Writing a heroine who’s bad by nature is different; but writing a heroine who is aware of the bad and does not like it but doesn’t do anything about it hard.
Pen did it anyway. It wasn’t easy to like Ryen, I think perhaps because we’ve all sometimes kept our heads low when we could’ve spoken up, or we’ve all sometimes craved to fit in, to be happy the way that we see others be happy or to just be seen. We do desperate things to be heard, understood and seen.
Misha. Misha I felt a lot more pain for. He truly had suffered, he felt guilt, he’d faced demons, he struggled everyday but he did his best... except with Ryen. He was angry, lashing and punishing with her and strangely their relationship was that that, neither could do anything that would make the other hurt them.
In the end, as messed up as Pen’s characters can sometimes be, the bottom line for me is how there’s always someone out that that will love you, see you, believe in you and be there for you. And sometimes that’s enough to bring everything back into focus. Bring you back. Show them all your ugly and when they love you anyway, you become beautiful. A strange metaphorical Beauty and the Beast story maybe?