This is W.A.R. begins with a victim who can no longer speak for herself, and whose murder blossoms into a call-to-arms. Enter four very different girls, four very different motives to avenge Willa Ames-Rowan, and only one rule to start: Destroy James Gregory and his family at any cost. Willa's initials spell the secret rallying cry that spurs the foursome to pool their considerable resources and deliver their particular brand of vigilante justice. Innocence is lost, battles are won—and the pursuit of the truth ultimately threatens to destroy them all.
This book was an impulse pick - Soho Teen have been putting out some awesome titles this year and I just knew that I wanted to read this one, even though I had not heard anything about it. It was definitely a good book and is worth picking up if you enjoy contemporary books with a mystery aspect. I would kind of compare it to The Lying Game.
What I liked about this book is that it starts with the mystery. From page one we want to know who Willa was, and who killed her which is why I was hooked from the start. However, as the novel progresses we learn that each of the characters is hiding their own secrets and it becomes more than just a mystery book. Some of the characters were likable - I loved the brash and honest Lina and Sloane, the 'genius' Asian trying to live up to her families expectations. Madge took a lot longer to warm to though and I'm still not sure whether I liked her and Rose was a little weedy and weak to start with, though she grows throughout the book to something more. I loved how this book dealt with the way people pretend to be somebody they are not, it was a well written moral that a lot of people will relate to.
Something was missing though, which stopped this book from being amazing. Maybe it's that the plot wasn't completely fleshed out - sure, the plot unravels at a good pace and it all makes sense, but these four teenage girls came up with the most childish revenge plots and it seemed pretty stupid to me. I would have liked some more action and some more creepiness, I love getting an uncomfortable suspicious feeling when reading mystery books and I just didn't really get that with This is W.A.R.
Overall, This is W.A.R. was a good read with fantastic character development and a great moral. The book gripped me straight away but some issues with juvenile plot points stop this book from being great.
What I liked about this book is that it starts with the mystery. From page one we want to know who Willa was, and who killed her which is why I was hooked from the start. However, as the novel progresses we learn that each of the characters is hiding their own secrets and it becomes more than just a mystery book. Some of the characters were likable - I loved the brash and honest Lina and Sloane, the 'genius' Asian trying to live up to her families expectations. Madge took a lot longer to warm to though and I'm still not sure whether I liked her and Rose was a little weedy and weak to start with, though she grows throughout the book to something more. I loved how this book dealt with the way people pretend to be somebody they are not, it was a well written moral that a lot of people will relate to.
Something was missing though, which stopped this book from being amazing. Maybe it's that the plot wasn't completely fleshed out - sure, the plot unravels at a good pace and it all makes sense, but these four teenage girls came up with the most childish revenge plots and it seemed pretty stupid to me. I would have liked some more action and some more creepiness, I love getting an uncomfortable suspicious feeling when reading mystery books and I just didn't really get that with This is W.A.R.
Overall, This is W.A.R. was a good read with fantastic character development and a great moral. The book gripped me straight away but some issues with juvenile plot points stop this book from being great.
Book released 2nd July 2013 by Soho Teen
Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review (Edelweiss)
I've been hearing a ton of negative reviews for this book and I was disappointed because it does sound fantastic. While you did have some issues with it (I am not a fan of characters that aren't as fleshed out as they should), I am glad you enjoyed it in the end.
ReplyDeletegreat review,
- Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf