CW: Sister was killed in a brutal way. ( )

Very action packed and intense. I liked the mystery and romance of Gobi. ( )

I cannot understand why this made the list. I bailed out at page 58. I could not care about the characters at all. I liked the premise of the college application essay format, but that was not enough to save it for me. I gave this to six other people in my school, adults and students and NO ONE finished it. 0 stars

Pretty Deadly by Joe Schreiber is an action packed roller coaster that will keep young adults on the edges on their seats as they read about how Gobi drag Perry to New York City for reasons that he'd never expected. The weird foreign-exchange student isn't much to look at, at first, but soon the vixen shows her true colours and soon Perry learns about her mission. Gobi, seemingly, takes the term: "Paint the town red," a bit more literal than she should. The question is, can Perry be the getaway driver while she goes about killing every other guy in New York with a hit on him? Of course, it's not easy to not be Gobi's getaway driver when she's pretty much holding your family hostage ...

I quite enjoyed Pretty Deadly, mostly because it's different to what I'm used to reading and because the protagonist is male. However, it should be noted that boys will maybe enjoy the book more than girls will. That being said, Pretty Deadly is a well-written novel with an exciting plot and some cool twists that'll keep readers turning the pages. The characters might need a bit of fleshing out at times, but that's where the sequel - Pretty Lethal - should be of help, but Gobi's an intriguing girl and Perry - poor Perry - learns quite a lot from her during their unorthodox journey.

Pretty Deadly is a fun, quick read that'll stay with you for a long time. So, if you're looking for some cool books for your teenagers, this might be right up their alley. Just keep in mind that there are a few words that might not be appropriate (depending on the parents), but other than that, it's quite unique.

(review originally posted on www.killeraphrodite.com) ( )

Fast paced, action-packed, short and sweet chapters in response to college app prompts. Perfect for the short-attention spanned reader. Enough twists and unexpected turns to rivet a reluctant reader. Recommend for juniors and up or mature teenagers who won't snicker at profanity, sex, and violent scenes. ( )