A review by micah_s
Pretty Little Liars Box Set: Books 1 to 4 by Sara Shepard

3.0

"Never trust a pretty girl with an ugly secret."

Note- this review is more about the series as the whole, instead of these specific books. No spoilers, though!

I'm not quite sure what to say about this series. I mean, I love it and each book is a nice, quick read that has me at the edge of my seat many times. But then, I feel as if this series has gone on for a tad too long, and there's no characters in here that are all that likeable. And yet... When I've spent some time away from this series, I find myself desperate to read the new installments.

The thing about this series is that each books focuses on all this evidence that seems to convince the reader (and the main characters) that the 'bad guy' is a specific person, but then at the end you get an explanation for it all. So then, if you know another book is coming out - or is already out - after the one you're currently reading, you know it's not going to be the person that seems guilty throughout the book, which can get tiring when you read multiple Pretty Little Liar books in a row. (This was also an issue in the Lying Game series by the same author). Also, as I said before, there aren't really any characters in here that are likeable or relatable.

However... I still kind of really like this series. It does suspense well and even if I don't care much about these four heroines, I still find myself curious as to what's going to happen and how these events will affect them. And even though I got tired of how long it kept going, once I spent some time away I found myself wanting to dive right back into the world of Aria, Spencer, Emily, Hanna, and, of course, A.

The TV series is, in my opinion, quite a bit better. I love it more than I ever did the book series. The characters are more likable and they changed the plot a bit, which usually would annoy me, but in Pretty Little Liars the changes they made were good and meant there were some surprises even for someone who's read the books. It also connects the whole series better (as a TV show) than having a separate A every few books or whatever.

So, I don't know, I guess I'd say go ahead and try this series to see whether or not you like it. Personally, I like to read a couple books and take a break before I read more to keep my interest. Then again, maybe that's just me.