review: The Rivals by Daisy Whitney

The Rivals by Daisy Whitney
February 6, 2012
Little, Brown BFYR
Young Adult | Contemporary
The Mockingbirds #2
Pages: 352
Source/Format: Publisher/Hardcover
Rating: ★★★
Author's Website | Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound


This is a sequel, but I don't spoil the first book nor the second book. You can read my review of the first book here.


When Alex Patrick was assaulted by another student last year, her elite boarding school wouldn't do anything about it. This year Alex is head of the Mockingbirds, a secret society of students who police and protect the student body. While she desperately wants to live up to the legacy that's been given to her, she's now dealing with a case unlike any the Mockingbirds have seen before.

It isn't rape. It isn't bullying. It isn't hate speech. A far-reaching prescription drug ring has sprung up, and students are using the drugs to cheat. But how do you try a case with no obvious victim? Especially when the facts don't add up, and each new clue drives a wedge between Alex and the people she loves most: her friends, her boyfriend, and her fellow Mockingbirds.

As Alex unravels the layers of deceit within the school, the administration, and even the student body the Mockingbirds protect, her struggle to navigate the murky waters of vigilante justice may reveal more about herself than she ever expected.

REVIEW:

The Rivals by Daisy Whitney is the sequel to The Mockingbirds, and as such, we know Alex is going to be dealing with the underground justice seeking group, the Mockingbirds. I was so curious to see where the sequel would go, because I did really enjoy The Mockingbirds, but let me tell you: I did not enjoy this one as much as the first one.

For me, there’s nothing really SPECIAL about The Rivals. Again, like The Mockingbirds, I was hooked by the first chapter, but it just… unraveled for me from then on. It was just so HARD for me to get behind the whole cheating scandal; how is that even possible? Does Anderin really make those without ADHD focus? Or what? Color me confused.

ALSO, there’s no victim to blame here, yet they go to trial and guys, it’s just weird. I DO love the idea of an underground justice system and when they go to trail, and I liked how it ended, but like I said, it was weird for me.

What I did like was Alex is still dealing with the aftermath of being raped. Every time she and Martin touch or kiss or something, she gets flashes of that night; it’s nice to know that the problem I had with The Mockingbirds is rocky in The Rivals, making it not a problem for me. It was a nice touch to The Rivals. But what did annoy me was Martin’s jealousness. Dude, please. I know it happens (I get so jealous sometimes) but it was NOT the conflict I wanted to read in this book.

The ending—while the climax and resolution was fine, the actual last scene was my hugest problem with the book. It felt like it was setting up for a third book, something I would definitely read, but don’t think is actually going to happen.

As for the characters, Alex is a good protag. I didn’t really have any problems with her, aside from her not always talking to Martin, especially when it came to the jealously notes. I wish she had talked to him about it, because once they DID talk about it, everything was a lot better between them.

While I did like this book while reading it, it didn’t really leave an impression on me. I wish I thought this book was magical, like most people who read it did. I half-wonder if it was because of my mood when I read this book that I feel this way about The Rivals. Perhaps? Most likely.

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