Review: Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre

Publish Date: August 5, 2014
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Synopsis: Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Edie Kramer has a score to settle with the beautiful people at Blackbriar Academy. Their cruelty drove her to the brink of despair, and four months ago, she couldn’t imagine being strong enough to face her senior year. But thanks to a Faustian compact with the enigmatic Kian, she has the power to make the bullies pay. She’s not supposed to think about Kian once the deal is done, but devastating pain burns behind his unearthly beauty, making him impossible to forget. 

In one short summer, her entire life changes, and she sweeps through Blackbriar, prepped to take the beautiful people down from the inside. A whisper here, a look there, and suddenly . . . bad things are happening. It’s a head rush, seeing her tormentors get what they deserve, but things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon, the pranks and payback turn from delicious to deadly. Edie is alone in a world teeming with secrets and fiends lurking in the shadows. In this murky morass of devil’s bargains, she isn’t sure who—or what—she can trust. Not even her own mind . . .(from netgalley)

Review: This was my first Ann Aguirre book. I have the Enclave series on my shelf but haven't gotten into them yet. So I had no gauge for her writing style. That being said, this book was just "eh" for me. We start off by meeting Edie in her worst moment- just before taking her own life. But wait, what's that now? A hot guy coming to save her? And he's mysterious? And promising her a better life in exchange for something he cannot yet tell her? What a cliche...and what is an even BIGGER cliche is that they...omg wait for it....fall in love!

I had a big problem with the general theme of this book. Edie was living a rough high school life, being bullied all the time and at the end of her rope. So what does Kian do? He turns her beautiful and she infiltrates the bullies so she can get back at them. The big problem I have- he turned her beautiful. What kind of message does this send?! That she wouldn't have been able to stand up for herself or have any self confidence if she wasn't pretty? Seeing that this is a young adult novel, people reading this book are going to be around Edie's age. As the protagonist, I found her to be a weak and dependent female.

While I wasn't a huge fan of this book, it will not deter me from reading Ann Aguirre again in the future. 

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.