Pretty Little Liars #10: Ruthless [Hardcover]

I was at my local Barnes and Noble when they opened to get my copy of Ruthless. I just finished it, and man, what a ride!

In this go around, all of the Pretty Little Liars are trying to put what happened on Spring Break in Jamaica behind them, but A knows what happened, and won't let them forget it. A is still a controlling factor in their lives.

Emily - In the past, she's been the perfect friend, perfect daughter, and perfect student. In the last book, Twisted, Emily started exploring her "wild side" and she continues to explore and and be a wild child, and is pretty much out of control. To make matters worse, she's getting taunting notes from A, and that just adds to Emily's troubles. She meets a new friend in Ruthless, and this friend has secrets of her own.

Spencer- This girl is in a slippery downward slope, and moving at a fast pace that's out of control. Someone from her past meets up with her, a person that Spencer has long forgot about, as usual, some secrets don't stay buried. In fact, sometimes, they bite you on the butt. With all of this is going on, Spencer has to prepare for a school play. It was interesting to see what is happening with her. A is there to witness all of it.

Hanna - She's helping her father get elected to public office, but started up a friendship with an unlikely person. She tried to fight the demons of her past, and A makes sure all of the demons are out and about.

Aria - Aria is a mess. Someone is after her boyfriend, someone from her past comes back and that just complicated things and A is there every step of the way, just to make this that much harder for Aria.

What I really like about this is the development of the characters. Far to many times, authors don't develop their characters, and keeps them the same. I'm pleased to say that this isn't the case with this series. In the early books, Emily, Aria, Spencer, and Hanna were pretty much innocent, and A was just torturing them and they were innocent for the most part. In the past 2 books, they're not innocent. After what happened in Jamaica, the "innocents are over", and the Pretty Little Liars get whats coming to them. It's the end of the innocents, and A is there to make sure they don't forget.

There are a lot of plot twists that will keep you hooked to the last page. I read this book in one sitting and was sorry to see it end. Stephen King once said, "Good books don't give up all of their secrets all at once." Well, he'd be happy as a clam with this series. All of the secrets aren't given up all at once, and it's still fresh and exciting.

If you buy the hardback, take off the dust jacket, and you'll find a hidden message from A to all of us.

This is such a fantastic read! The next book, Book 11, comes out on June 5th. Alls I can say is buckle up it's going to be a bumpy ride for your pretty little liars.

The all knowing A Rules!!

***UPDATE***

I just found out there will be a new installment called "Pretty Little Liars: Pretty Little Secrets! This comes out Jan 3, 2012!!! I soooo can't wait!!!

What I Liked: 1) Reading PLL is like reading a tabloid, for me. Like, you can't possibly imagine how all of these crazy things are happening, yet you can't stop reading. I love being able to indulge in something like that every once in a while. It is unapologetically unbelievable, and I love it for that. Like one of those horrible reality shows when you wonder, "are you like that in real life, or are you only acting that way because there is a camera on you?" 2) Once again, we were met with more questions than answers. That's something I like about the series, but there was something different about it in Ruthless than some of the others. In Ruthless, we were met with a definite answer about one of the issues. I thought at one point everything might be all over, but of course it can't be. It was almost as if there was a story within a story. And while the main story continues, the other one was over. 3) I liked the direction the plot is going, though there were a few times I questioned the motivations of the four girls.

What I Didn't Like: 1) It almost felt like we were reliving parts of some of the other books. That was one thing that really just bothered me. I would be reading along and think, wait, didn't this already happen, just with another character? That disappointed me some, because I've always found Miz Shephard's storylines to be unique and creative. 2) Why does every book start with, "well, I don't really hang out with my old friends anymore..." How many times are they going to have a girl break-up, only to have A tie them back together. When will they figure out they are stronger as a group? *shakes fist at make believe characters*

Overall thoughts: For fans of the Pretty Little Liars series, I think you'll be surprised to find some repetitive storylines, but pleased to find that Spencer, Aria, Hanna, and Emily are still up to their old habits. I like it best when the girls are working together to solve their issues, and I found that to be lacking in this book. Here's hoping that in the next book, our favorite little liars will bring their friendship back!

This series is like crack. No matter how bad, ridiculous or infuriating it gets, I always come back begging for more.

3 crack-addicting, bad decision making stars.

Perhaps you've never heard of Ms. Shepard's "Pretty Little Liars", or maybe you religiously watch every episode that airs on TV and have read all ten (now eleven) books multiple times and you are a die hard fan.

Me? I'm somewhere in the middle of the madness. I don't watch the show, but I have read all of the books (only once). No matter how awful they get, I always find myself going back for each new book. I've even read all of the books of her latest series.

I believe that does say something about the author herself. While I don't think many of the situations that occur with the girls are logical or realistic, Ms. Shepard does it in such a way that you can't help but feel deliciously intrigued. These books may never win an award, but there is a reason for their popularity.

One of those reasons is that Ms. Shepard is an author who keeps her readers on their toes. She always ends her novels with a plot twist and a cliff hanger. It may not be the strongest of endings, but her sales can certainly testify that they work. Another is that her characters are all incredibly relatable. I absolutely refuse to believe that there is any human being alive capable of making as many bad choices as all of these girls - but the fact that they do make these choices also makes them vulnerable. And vulnerability is reassuring.

Overall, if you enjoy a quick, beach read and are willing to not dissect these books too much and end up hating them, I would recommend them. I have every intention of reading the next book in the series. Maybe they'll become like the Anita Blake series (without all of the crazy group sex and... well, any sex, actually. This is YA.) but I believe that their sales speak for themselves. No matter how you look at it, these books are ridiculously addicting.