Review: The Rivals

The Rivals (Mockingbirds, book 2)
By Daisy Whitney
Expected publication February 6, 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Read my review of the first book here.

Alex is now a member of the underground justice system that keeps her elite boarding school running smoothly. But when a new case is dropped at her feet involving a suspect cheating ring, Alex begins to think she might be in over her head.

The first book is this series surprised me because it dealt really well with a sensitive and difficult topic. After finishing it, I expressed my doubts about reading the next book in the series. Unfortunately, my doubts were pretty much spot-on. As much as I enjoyed the first book, this second book fell horribly short. I basically had to slog my way through this one. The doubts I expressed about finding a compelling enough storyline to compare with the first book were proved accurate. I absolutely had no interest in reading about this suspected cheating ring. This book does still deal well with the continued repercussions of Alex's attack - she still questions herself and has flashbacks - but otherwise, even Alex as a character was not that interesting anymore. I found her slipping into cliched behavior throughout the novel (like being ridiculously oblivious to her boyfriend's jealousy) and was generally annoyed by the whole book. I don't expect to be reading any others in the series (which I imagine will continue). Please don't ignore the first book, though - I still recommend that one!