I wasn't sure what to make of Pretty Twisted by Gina Blaxhill when it arrived. I hadn't heard of the book before and came to the story pretty free of information about it. I must say that I was slightly wary of this book before I started. Because as the reader we're not aware of just how twisted this book gets, I think I had built up in my mind a very horrible situation and all of that worry and build-up made me feel slightly heavy when it came to approaching this book.
Surprisingly though, Pretty Twisted by Gina Blaxill is a very quick and readable book. Despite some of the more serious issues, it didn't feel heavy to me when I was reading it. The story is told from two different viewpoints. The first from Jonathan, a 16 year old boy who is trying to adjust to life in a new school environment without the security blanket of his girlfriend, Freya, who has gone off to school in London.
We also see the story from Ros's perspective, a 14 year old girl, who begins chatting to Jonathan over the Internet. The two begin talking about life and music and Ros develops feelings for Jonathan and lies quite a bit about her age and appearance in order to impress him. Jonathan and Ros meet up rather unexpectedly, after Jonathan's girlfriend, Freya, goes missing.
I don't know. While the story is interesting, I just didn't find myself warming up to either main character. I did enjoy the many twists along the way in terms of what happened between Jonathan and Freya, as well as the mystery that surrounds Freya's disappearance, and I liked discovering the secrets that Ros in particular has been concealing. But I think if I'd had more of an emotional connection to either main character I would have cared more about what happened to the three of them.
I was afraid that this book would be all about the dangers and risks that are involved in meeting people online, but thankfully the author does allow us a more balanced view as some good has come out of it as well. As I met my husband online, as well as one of our closest friends, I'm quite keen on books that show the other side as well.
Fantastic review! This sounds an interesting read.
ReplyDeleteOoh this sounds pretty interesting.
ReplyDeleteZoe - Thank you! And it is :)
ReplyDeleteJenni - It is pretty interesting!
I like that this has a more balanced view of the internet - I have to admit I tend to skip over most books about internet safety etc. etc. because so many are about the same thing. It's a shame about the characters, but the story definitely does sound interesting. Great review!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great review. Sounds like a really interesting read. Thank you x
ReplyDeleteLiz - It is a really interesting story and it does get rather twisted in there :)
ReplyDeleteSusan - Thank you, it is a pretty interesting story!
i really enjoyed this one especially as it was set in norfolk!
ReplyDeleteits a shame you didnt like this one too much cos its been on my wishlist for ever!
ReplyDeleteI will still check it out but Im glad it was still really interesting and not all doom and gloom!
Kirsty - Was it? I hadn't even noticed, but I think I'd definitely enjoy a book more if it was set in a location I was familiar with!
ReplyDeleteRaimy - I didn't connect with the characters, but I didn't not enjoy it, if that makes sense!