Post by Charlynn on May 16, 2012 17:44:11 GMT -5
Pretty Little Secrets: A Pretty Little Liars Collection by Sara Shepard
Pretty Little Secrets was more than just a little disappointment. Taking place during the winter break between the end of Mona's reign of terror and the beginning of Alison's, the book shows Hanna battling her body image issues yet again, Emily is desperate to replace Ali's friendship in her life, Aria puts herself in a vulnerable and dangerous position in her quest to feel needed and loved, and Spencer, true to form, competes with Melissa for the affections of a guy in order to mask the pain of not having the affection of her family. The Liars' motivations are true to form, the trouble they find themselves in because of their emotional pitfalls on par with everything else seen in the series, but there are two differences, and these differences are exactly what separates Pretty Little Secrets from the rest of the series... and not in a good way.
Whereas all the previous books had the girls interacting together, Pretty Little Secrets consisted of four contained storylines. Without picking favorites, this blending seen in previous works is necessary to balance out the characters' flaws and make the Liars less frustrating. It also lends the series a sense of camaraderie, especially because the readers can feel as though they are a part of this close knit group of friends. Without it, this book seemed more shallow. Secondly, there were no consequences to their secrets, their lies. The issues were resolved, and, though Alison was aware of them, it's far-fetched to believe that she would never have exploited those secrets, only the personality traits which caused them. This lent the book a lack of credibility. Plus, it did not feel as though it was written during the time frame in which it was set. What would have improved this was if the novel had been told from Alison as A's point of view. Not only would this have provided insight into a very influential character's motivations, but it also could have explained Alison's non-action, perhaps even humanizing her somewhat. After all, it's not like her identity needed to be protected in this work; her duplicity had long since been revealed in previous books.
Two out of Five Stars
Pretty Little Secrets was more than just a little disappointment. Taking place during the winter break between the end of Mona's reign of terror and the beginning of Alison's, the book shows Hanna battling her body image issues yet again, Emily is desperate to replace Ali's friendship in her life, Aria puts herself in a vulnerable and dangerous position in her quest to feel needed and loved, and Spencer, true to form, competes with Melissa for the affections of a guy in order to mask the pain of not having the affection of her family. The Liars' motivations are true to form, the trouble they find themselves in because of their emotional pitfalls on par with everything else seen in the series, but there are two differences, and these differences are exactly what separates Pretty Little Secrets from the rest of the series... and not in a good way.
Whereas all the previous books had the girls interacting together, Pretty Little Secrets consisted of four contained storylines. Without picking favorites, this blending seen in previous works is necessary to balance out the characters' flaws and make the Liars less frustrating. It also lends the series a sense of camaraderie, especially because the readers can feel as though they are a part of this close knit group of friends. Without it, this book seemed more shallow. Secondly, there were no consequences to their secrets, their lies. The issues were resolved, and, though Alison was aware of them, it's far-fetched to believe that she would never have exploited those secrets, only the personality traits which caused them. This lent the book a lack of credibility. Plus, it did not feel as though it was written during the time frame in which it was set. What would have improved this was if the novel had been told from Alison as A's point of view. Not only would this have provided insight into a very influential character's motivations, but it also could have explained Alison's non-action, perhaps even humanizing her somewhat. After all, it's not like her identity needed to be protected in this work; her duplicity had long since been revealed in previous books.
Two out of Five Stars