Monday 19 May 2014

Book Review - Dangerous Girls

Dangerous Girls
Author: Abigail Haas
Standalone
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: 1st August 2013
Publishers: Simon and Schuster
No. Pages: 388
Source: Purchased
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones
Elise is dead.
And someone must pay.

Anna, her boyfriend Tate, best friend Elise and a group of close friends set off on a debaucherous Spring Break trip to Aruba. But paradise soon turns into a living nightmare when Elise is brutally murdered. Soon Anna finds herself trapped in a foreign country and fighting for her freedom. As she awaits the judge's decree, it becomes clear that everyone is questioning her innocence. To the rest of the world, Anna isn't just guilty, but dangerous. As the court case unfolds the truth is about to come out, and it's more shocking than you could ever imagine..

This book and/or review may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due its use of language, sexual content, drug and alcohol abuse and/or violence. Please bare this in mind before reading.

Last week Charnell from Reviews from a Bookworm and I decided to read Dangerous Girls together, sharing our suspicions and our thoughts all over Twitter on a book neither one of us had heard much about. I can't speak for Charnell on her experience, but I can tell you that this book blew my mind in ways I didn't know possible, made me doubt everything and everyone and had me hook, line and sinker. For a book with so little said about it, it's in danger of being pushed aside and ignored but this is not a book you should avoid, it's too good to miss.

Hass is a fantastic author whom I'd never tried before Dangerous Girls and her writing, style and prose has this addictive nature to it that brings you straight into this novel slowly, pulling you closer and closer into a plot you think you're starting to piece together, starting to make sense of and a mystery you think you're starting to solve until she ends on a complete and utter high until there's nothing you can do but find the experience fantastic and heartbreaking all at once. There's very little I can tell you about the plot without giving details away, because for once, every detail in this murder mystery is important and nothing is what it seems. A group of friends go on a holiday together, get drunk, party the night away, have sex and the rest is as you can assume; it's a teenage paradise with no problems and no worries until one of them is murdered. Anna, the narrator of Dangerous Girls, and her boyfriend are prime suspects and the island they holidayed on is convinced one of them was responsible, but what Hass managed to do so well in this novel that other authors have never managed before was create doubt among every character in this novel, from the maid to the one-night-standee, so much so, I must have spent the entire experience doubting one of the characters at some point or another. I cant convey just how alluring and beautiful this writing and plot in Dangerous Girls is, and talking about how I doubted everything and everyone and struggled to distinguish truth from the lies from everyone in this novel might not be enough to encourage you that this book is worth you time, but it's an experience you won't forget.

There were however features in the plot that I loved and appreciated that Haas included and focused on and I found these really improved the depth and emotions that ran through this mystery. The LGBT features that were mentioned in a few short pages during the novel weren't danced around or covered up at all and were treated fairly and with the same respect as others features in the novel like physical and mental health issues of both Anna's Mother and Elise herself. Elise and Anna were probably my favourite characters in this novel; Elise was portrayed in an honest, raw and emotional manner, damaged and distressed, confident yet reserved, always wearing a mask to hide her true emotions and her secrets and her relationship with Anna was realistic and raw, both taking from each other support an reassurance but also giving each other something to hold onto in a strange and twisted manner, but when Elise is murdered, Anna is left alone, suffering the backlash of a murder trail desperate to pin the murder on her, painting her in a negative light at every turn and making her freedom feel further and further away. The jumping nature of the chapters wasn't at all confusing or frustrating and I found that the style in which Haas wrote the journey of Anna's trail in Dangerous Girls really helped develop hers and Elise's characters and the other minor characters involved.

Dangerous Girls doesn't take you through the kind of judicial system you've seen on TV in Law and Order and CSI, and it doesn't value honesty or evidence. Dangerous Girls highlights that the system is flawed and that evidence can be mishandled, changed and challenged and that the only thing that matters in that court from is the show you put on to prove your plea; the best show gets the best result and very little else matters. Dangerous Girls is a book that makes you question everything you know about the people in your life and yourself, the society and world you live in and just how much the media, the prejudice and assumptions of a single person can take the simplest and most innocent of actions and manipulate them. Dangerous Girls is a murder mystery wrapped up in lies and misplaced trust, but it also takes on similarities to a real life murder case that was too wrapped up in betrayal, revenge and a confusion of the truth and it's because of this that I loved this book even more.

If you haven't heard much about this book and it's plot, there's a reason for that; this book needs to be experienced. You need to grow attached to the characters and fall into the premise. You need to hate some characters and love others and you need to experience the reveal first hand and experience the ordeal and repercussions of Anna's trial. You need to find yourself a copy of this novel and read it in one sitting and you need to fall in love with everything about it. I for one am going to be looking out for more of Haas work in the future.

17 comments:

  1. I found your blog thanks to Reviews from a Bookworm, your header is adorable!

    I've herd such good things about this book, and I purposefully not reading too many details so that I can enjoy the mystery!

    Mands @ The Bookish Manicurist

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    1. Charnell is a star! Thank you so much Mands! :)
      As long as you avoid the big spoiler filled reviews I think the mystery can be kept alive, it's definitely worth a read for sure!

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    2. p.s now following you via Bloglovin' :)

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  2. Great review! I finished this book about 2 weeks ago and the ending blew my mind, it was so good. I plan to look out for more of the author's books too, can't wait to see what else she'll offer! My review of this is up tomorrow.

    Under The Mountain

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    1. It was just so enjoyable, I read it in one night! Utterly fantastic and more people need to read it! I'll look out for yours :)

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  3. I haven't heard of this one before, adding it to my TBR list!

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    1. I can't recommend it more, it's fantastic!

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  4. I've seen this one around. It looks soooo good!! I'm happy to see you enjoyed it!! :)

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    1. It really is Lisa, I so recommend it! :)

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  5. Haha so weird that we were reading his at the same time, right? Especially for a book that's been out for a while, and yes I really enjoyed this one and I AM hard to please when it comes to this genre lol. Mostly bc I have read SOOOOO many murder mysteries. But anyways I'm glad you liked it too and I love how it really made you doubt every character, even when I had sort of guessed who really did it I kept going back and forth in my decision. I also loved how much depth it was given with the LGBT vibe and the toxic relationship the 2 girls had. I just found it so compelling and twisted. Great review, hun!

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    1. I know, it was both fantastic and freaky but I'm so glad I got to see your opinion near enough after I wrote my own! I'm getting into my mysteries lately, so I'm definitely going to be looking at what you've enjoyed in the past to find my next ones. Thank you! :)

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  6. Amazing review Amanda! You said everything that I wanted to say but you actually managed to articulate it, I just sort of gushed nonsensically xD I'm also happy someone came to visit you through the blogger love post, I didn't think anyone would take part lol! Even if she's the only one I am happy :)

    This book was amazing in so many ways. It had me doubting everyone and I never knew what was going to be revealed next. I thought the thriller aspect was brilliant and it was just a lot of fun. I loved how LGBT was handled in this. If you loved this book then I think I would definitely recommend the book Far From You by Tess Sharpe, it's just as intense. The big reveal isn't as mind blowing but the rest of the book is beautifully written and draws you in!

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    1. Thanks hunny! I loved that yours was so feeling induced! It was honest and fantastic! :)
      I've liked the look of Far From You but haven't gotten hold of a copy yet, but I am hoping to soon, I read your review and loved it!

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  7. Whoa, this cover looks totally different than the US one. I have heard nothing but good things about this one. Have you hear of The Secrets of Lily Graves? I just read that one and it was another great murder mystery book with a lovable and quirky MC.

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    1. I love this cover so much more than the others out there, it's so dark and links with some of the story really well, the shattered glass is very important! I've seen that one around but never really taken notice, it looked quite contemporary and I wasn't sure, but I'll have to check it out and look at your review Nereyda, so thank you! :)

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  8. I really love mysteries, and I love characters that are written-well. This book sounds pretty heavy though, so I might need something light after it. Still, I'm intrigued and I will definitely keep my eyes open for this one. :D

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    1. It is quite a heavy book, when you finish it, you need a bit of time to recover from the ending, but it's a book that definitely stays with you, so I hope you get to read it and love it! :)

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