Pretty Little Liars #16: Vicious

I saw something that said this book took in "perfect Pretty Little Liars" fashion. That is so true! Such a fitting ending to a wonderful series. It's so bittersweet, since it's the last book ever, but it was so wonderful. I prefer this ending to the one from (the original end of the series) Wanted. It's incredible. You will not be disappointed. 10/10 would recommend!

The tragedy, surprise, tears, joy, anger, and suspicion rose and was obvious and fun with every word. I feel as if the characters are friends. I felt like every situation was happening to ME personally. Sara Shepard does a wonderful job of making everything close and personal and final. Still, it has an air of mystery to it.

A fitting ending to the Pretty Little Liars series.

This series went on too far entering the realm of the contrived. Ali returns from the dead too many times. The 'ending' was predictable.

More importantly, if you plan to have a trial be the basis of your plot, consult a trial lawyer before proceeding. I could barely concentrate on the story because of the legal mistakes. The DA would have been disbarred for contravening the Constitutional rights of the girls. Discovery rules would prevent surprise witnesses and any bargains made with witnesses would have to be disclosed to the defense.
The girls would have a solid appeal based on insufficient counselling the performance of their defense attorney--I kept waiting for the plot twist that he was an 'Ali Cat' and was setting his clients up. Did I say clients? Yes. He represents all the girls despite the obvious conflict of interests.

The lack of research cheapens the story. Don't bother spending your money.

I overall enjoyed the book, but the actual writing and editing style was completely terrible. For example, Hannah last name was REPEATEDLY misspelled. It's like the author would forget details about the character and would contradict herself. That was extremely frustrating and distracted me from the plot.

Ugh, so bummed on this book! This one and the last were horrible! I've been reading ALL for about 8 years now so I wad with it BEFORE she got her TV deal. She's changed a lot. She's not the same writer she was 8 years ago. She sold out when she got her TV deal and started writing books for the money. PLL should have ended after the 8th book. Anyways, this book sucked. This BETTER be the end. I won't be reading anymore because the PLL crew is done for!

I just got my book in last week & the HARDCOVER was very bent & ripped! Not happy about this at all!! I have the entire collection of PLL books and of course on the last one my book comes in looked like crap!

I bought the kindle deal for the whole series for $100 while I aS on vacation since I really enjoyed the t.v. show. I literally couldn't put the first few books down. While some things were annoying, like the over mentioning of brands and the incredible personality changed in the girls from the show, I really did enjoy reading the first eight or so while I was laying in the beach.

I started to lose interest definitely by book 11 or 12 when the situations and story lines just got more and more unbelievable..**SPOILERS ahead**

I mean come on.. a multi school wide field trip cruise to the Bahamas? At least where I'm from in New England, even the nicest schools don't offer that, aside from a very specific or specialized class for a select group of kids. I understand the plot device behind it, but it was a bit much. And the characterization seemed to get worse as the books went on, especially the final two. Spencer's mom went from relatively aloof and i different to downright cruel, Hanna had very little personality at all, and Spencer seemed to fall all over any man that paid her the slightest bit of attention. With the exception of Emily's character, I wasn't impressed.

The ending was also very anticlimactic, at least in my opinion. After 15 previous books of torture, it all ends so simply and on a few pages after Emily finds Ali. There were also a lot of loose ends that never got tied up, and dead end plots that lead nowhere. What happened Spencer's gay step brother? He's never mentioned again. The foreshadowing on Ali's weight gain honestly made me think she was pregnant with nicks baby, which would have been a great twist, but instead I'm expected to believe this incredibly vain girl gained weight as a disguise?? While on the subject of disguise, youd think with all the money nick left her she would have fixed her teeth, or perhaps gotten plastic surgery, but apparently acne and weight gain was satisfactory enough for this diabolical mastermind. She's pretty much a genius, but left it up to her mom to get her a fake ID and still dodnt realize it weeks/months later when she didn't have one?
And what about maya sobbing at Emily's funeral, even though she isn't mentioned again? And the comment about Ezra gaining weight as well.. it seemed like the author tried to billionaire certain people whose "flaws" included weight gain.

Overall I enjoyed the beginning of the series but was unimpressed with the later books especially this one. The "villains" were easy to spot from a mile off - Spencer's out of nowhere boyfriend that she trusted instantly with her deepest darkest secrets, I mean come on. My advice is to read the first half, and if you have to read the second half borrow it from a friend or the library, and accordingly adjust your expectations from the first eight books.

Today is a sad moment, I have officially read the last EVER Pretty Little Liars book written by Sara Shepard. If their is one series in which I have enjoyed each and every book, It is the Pretty Little Liars series. Over the books we have read and seen each character grow, have family/relationship problems and somehow always end up in trouble as "A" hooks onto their lives and airs their dirty laundry for the world to know. I remember reading the first book and thinking this is pretty good and then reading at that stage the first four books , then it grew to eight and then eventually sixteen - who would have thought that the author could come up with new and exciting storylines for the four girls , but she did it and I loved every single page of this series in all sixteen of her books - though technically seventeen if you count Pretty Little Secrets. In this last book, the girls are heading on trial for the Murder of Alison DiLaurentis and it's not looking good for them all as the evidence is definitely not in their favour. The girls know though in their hearts that Alison is still alive and now in order to clear their names and finally be rid of Ali forever, they band together to of course uncover the truth- but things are never easy and simple with the girls and they definitely don't do things halfway either. The girls set off to Cape May to find Ali, but tragedy strikes when one of the PLL doesn't return home - this causes a funeral and the girls to go on home-detention, ankle bracelets and all. The night before Aria escapes to Europe and decides on one last trip to be free of "A" and be in a country where no-one knows her , Spencer meets an ex-con who can help her get a new identity but will she be able to leave everything behind when she meets back up with Wren and Melissa and Darren Wilden gives two pieces of news - she's having a baby and they are getting married and Hanna - not wanting to leave Mike behind , the two of them decide to tie the knot before their happiness is ripped apart by the verdict. This leaves Emily - tragedy surfaces around Emily is most of the book but as you get to the second to last chapter - you will discover the "real truth" about what happened and readers are left wondering what the girls will do now when the final verdict is read ?
An awesome but sad conclusion to a great series and I am looking forward to reading her new series "The Perfectionists".

The cover:
As always, I’m always mesmerized by the series’ covers and this one is no exception. This is Aria on the cover by the way.

The storyline:
Wow! Where do I even begin? The storyline is the best storyline I've read since Wanted and Ali's Pretty Little Lies. Well structured and well written. It has so many sad moments, confusing moments and many thrilling ones. Most of the time I had no idea what was really going on. With no further due, here's the summary of what happens in this final book.

Summary :
The story begins with the Liars getting ready for their trial of the murder of Alison DiLaurentis.
Spencer is totally depressed. She doesn't want to look for Ali anymore because she's convinced that she'd trick them again and she'll win again. Instead, she's doing homework on prison so that she can survive in it for the rest of her life. When she decides to escape all this and start all over again, she realizes that there are things that are at stake, especially when someone from her past surfaces back.

Aria is scared to death, she doesn’t know what to do and she knows she can’t live in jail at all for a crime she didn’t commit. So she decides to leave everything behind and disappear, only to have someone follow her. But will her escape last for long with her being paranoid and looking behind her back every 5 seconds?!

Hanna can’t think anymore, and the only thing she wants to do is sped more time with her family, boyfriend and friends while she can. Until she decides to get married. With all the difficulties she’s been through and still going through, she deserves to be happy even if it’s for one day.

As for Emily, it’s been obvious in the previous book that she’s been dealing with so much since Jordan’s death, and blaming Ali for everything, but everything changes when she becomes too vulnerable and takes crazy to a whole new level. Will her decision be the best or the worst for the Liars?

And to not forget about the villain in the series, “A” or Alison, the book starts with her living her happy ending, winning over the Liars and sending them to jail once and for all. But will her happiness continue? Since she forgot, she just became a Pretty Little Liar too leaving trails behind…

What I loved:
- The writing of Sara has amazingly gotten better in this book. I just flew through it.
- Intrigue, mystery and thrilling twists. I couldn’t even guess what’s going on and who was doing what, I wasn’t even sure if it was going to be a happy ending.
- The characters are all amazing (leaving Alison a side of course and overlooking Emily’s crazy behavior and Aria’s paranoia…). Especially the Liars, they have such a bond and such an amazing friendship, just wow.
- The chapters are finally not long. They’re short and sweet. Easy to go through and to remember.
- The story is clean, new, fresh and goes straight to the point. No more nonsense storylines and details.
- The ending. Those last 5 chapters are my favorite chapters in all the book. I actually cried a little.

What I disliked:
- Hmm, can I dislike the fact that this is the last book? I’m sad it’s over and I’m also sad that it took the writer to get to the final book to finally write a descent sequel.
There’s nothing to complain about here.

Favorite quotes:
If you want a happy ending,
that depends, of course,
on where you stop your story.
—ORSON WELLES --- Epigraph.

He shifted in front of her. When Hanna opened her eyes again, she realized he was down on one knee, staring into her eyes. “Marry me, Hanna Marin,” he said urgently. “Marry me today.”
“Ha,” Hanna said, reaching for a Kleenex and blotting her eyes.
Mike removed the yellow rubber lacrosse bracelet from his wrist and held it out to her. “I don’t have a ring, but take this,” he said. “I mean it. Let’s get married. Like, tomorrow.”
Hanna blinked. “You’re serious?”
“Of course I am.”
She wiped her nose. “Like, with a ceremony and everything? And with a document, to make it legal? Can it be legal? Are we old enough?”
Mike frowned. “I think so. And yes, I want it to be totally legal. I want you, Hanna. And I want you to know that I’m always going to want you, no matter what.” --- 11. You Should Put a Lacrosse Bracelet on It.

Soon enough, said a voice in her head as she envisioned Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna. Soon enough, I’m coming to get you all. --- 36. Behind Closed Doors.

Conclusion:
I can’t believe this is the end. 16 books, 2 companion novels, 8 years and I read them in 1year and a half. I’m going to miss those book, and this series is definitely one of my favorite series of all times, having the perfect ending and the perfect heroines and villain.

If you came this far, and read up to this book, it’s out of the question to not read Vicious. You have to, you’ll have the perfect conclusion to the series and the perfect story to feed your PLL craving.

Good bye Pretty Little Liars, and thank you Sara Shepard for an awesome journey and for writing an awesome series, I can’t wait to read more by you (I’m planning to start The Lying Game soon ;) ).

Warning--Spoilers:
I never read these books until the ABC Family TV show. My friends and I are much older than the target audience, yet we are all addicted to both the TV show and books (and will share the books with each other). My job is exhausting, and I just want to read escapist, no-brainer fiction despite once upon a time having been an English literature major. These books are escapist fiction at its best. I am also obsessed with a theme that Sara Shepard harps on: to be framed thoroughly for something that you didn't do. That is one of the main reasons that I love Poirot and Miss Marple mysteries----only the cleverest of sleuths can acquit the guilty-as-sin-looking accused. These girls have to rely on themselves to clear themselves of a murder charge; their own attorney seems unconvinced of their innocence. The girls go to drastic extremes to avoid life in prison----Emily the swimmer appears to have drowned, Spencer contemplates buying a new identity from an unscrupulous ex-prisoner, and Aria escapes to Europe before the police get a chance to put an ankle monitor on her; only Hanna seems resigned to the life of an inmate if found guilty, yet consoles herself by planning her and Mike's pre-prison wedding.

Can these pretty liars outwit Alison DiLaurentis? She has stacked the evidence against them and has managed to recruit "Ali cats" to do her murderous dirty work. Alison's ominous vanilla scent taunts the "liars," and they know that she is just as much alive as they are.

My only criticism of this book is that Alison's capture seemed very anti-climatic. That someone as resourceful and cunning as Alison DiLaurentis could be caught so easily when she attempts to scale a fence seems out of character and contrived. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that this disturbed young woman is finally brought to justice, yet her skills in scheming and setting someone up border on the supernatural. Even when she is in maximum security prison, she seems undeterred and plots revenge on the liars.

The last book of the Pretty Little Liars series, Vicious, ended the mysterious trial between best friends and who they thought was their other best friend Alison, when in reality Courtney, Alison's sister who was locked away in a mental hospital, managed to convince everyone she was Alison so the real Alison ended up back at Radley Mental Hospital. The last book follows back to when "Alison" first went missing in the summer a few years back and the the real Alison entered back into Rosewood, PA. Hanna, Aria, Emily, and Spencer's were all on trial for the murder of Alison when things take a turn for the worse. The girls go to New Jersey to find out more information on Alison and where's she's hiding, because they're convinced she's still alive and out to get them. While in New Jersey Emily commits suicide, or so they think. The girls return to Rosewood where a funeral is held for Emily. When it starts to seem like things can't get worse, Aria flees to Europe. Moving from country to country and ends up meeting with her former boyfriend, Noel. Hanna gets engaged to Aria's brother and Spencer's trying to figure out how to cope with her sisters pregnancy announcement while dating her sisters ex-boyfriend. In the end, Aria and Noel are caught and they return to America in time for the trial where their future is decided. Amongst all of this there's a turn of events that will change the girls lives.
Overall, the book ended in the best way possible. I was a little skeptical before reading because I had to wait for the book to be released and didn't know if I would still be interested. I was pleased to find out I jumped right back into the excitement of the mystery and the investment made into the characters after the years spent reading this sequel. There was a standard set with this being the last book and it was definitely met. Sara Shepard definitely ended this sequel with a bang and didn't disappoint the audience. The suspense was at a new level and I often found myself having a hard time putting the book down because I just needed to know what was going to happen. To be honest, I was extremely sad with this being the last book of a series I've been reading for five years now but I wouldn't have wanted it to end differently. The reader was definitely able to see the characters grow even more in this book and they're friendship grow closer throughout the different journey of the false trial. The novel exceeded what I expected and I couldn't have been happier.
The readers will appreciate that the characters are still the same people from the very first novel but have matured and experience things normal high school students would ever go through. The book is filled with a lot of seriousness and mystery but the author still is able to incorporate the humor that's always been there to lighten the mood. Readers will be content with the ending and how events play out to get to the ending. Events are brought back from previous books in the series and it's as if it's a full circle to where they are now.

The Pretty Little Liars are back to take care of business. Revenge? No. Legal business in a courtroom where they are being tried for the murder of Chief Liar Alison DiLaurentis. For those of you who have not read the previous installments in the series, this book will bring you up to speed.

Dramatis Personae:

Aria Montgomery: my favorite Liar. She is a talented artist and spent several years in Iceland shortly after the death of Alison DiLaurentis. Mike is her younger brother. He is two years her junior.

Emily Fields: a pro-swimmer. She is also bisexual and has an on-again, off-again relationship with her family. They did not accept her sexuality until halfway into the series and never quite got over her thinking of giving up swimming. They also don't appear to have forgiven her for keeping a major event in her life a secret.

Spencer Hastings: the grind. A gifted student, Spencer has finally secured a good relationship with her older sister Melissa and mean younger stepsister, Amelia, 15. Her stepbrother Zach is not even mentioned in this book. Spencer also has an on-again, off-again relationship with her Ice Queen mother, as she rightfully calls her.

Hanna Marin: the Liar who has really pulled herself up by her bootstraps. She also has a stepsister who has been nothing but a thorn in her side until this book. Kate, the stepsister who is Hanna's age actually comes through for her in this book. Hanna's father is a jackass who chose his second wife and stepdaughter as well as his political campaign over Hanna. I just loved it when Hanna told him he was NOT invited to her wedding! I thought it served him right.

Noel Kahn, Aria's current boyfriend. He meets up with her when she leaves the country.

Mike Montgomery: Aria's brother and soon to be husband of Hanna, if all goes well.

Seth Rubens, the Liars' lawyer. He is not overly encouraging about the outcome of the case and suggests that the Liars might want to cop a plea.

Alison DiLaurentis, half of a set of mentally ill twins who terrorize the Liars. Courtney, the twin who was killed by Alison early in the series is one of a string of casualties throughout the series. Alison is out there somewhere. She is now presumed dead. Is she? And if so, did the Liars have anything to do with it? What about the casualties in this book? Are Alison's groupies, the Ali Cats responsible for any of the dangers that await the Liars?

This book has a lot of plot twists and turns that you didn't see coming. Right after the trial before the verdict is in, the Liars take a trip to New Jersey to follow up on an Alison lead. From there, the plot thickens. Emily disappears; Aria escapes to Europe; Hanna plans her wedding, which will make her a sister-in-law to Aria, one of her fellow Liars and Spencer is branded the Black Sheep of her family. Questions pop up: where is the missing Liar? As for Hanna, the bride-to-be, will she and Aria's brother Mike finally get married? And will Emily be found and Spencer clear her name? Who are the Ali Cats and what is their part, if any in the danger that surrounds the Liars?

The courtroom scenes are tense and taut and readers avidly follow the trial to see what the outcome will be. The Liars know that they have been framed and feel that Alison is somehow behind their latest predicament. Their escape efforts prove futile; in the end they know that the danger won't end until they wrap things up with Alison wherever she may be or even if she is alive or dead. They don't know.

Help comes in unusual forms. Spencer hooks up with Wren Kim, by now a doctor and no longer committed to Melissa. (Early in the series Melissa was dating Wren until Spencer bird dogged him.) She too tries to escape literally by hook or by crook. Aria escapes the country; Hanna plans to get married before the verdict so that win or lose she will at least have the most talked about wedding in Rosewood and Emily has just plain escaped. Hang on to your hats and glasses, folks because you are in for the literary ride through Rosewood of your life!

This was a satisfying final entry. I'm quite glad it's done, because I'm in the camp that felt it should have finished after the 8th book. I think most who stuck around this far would agree.

What made this acceptable? Well, the girls didn't act stupid and provide any insane theories this time around, so it felt like they truly had matured. That's really all I needed from this series by this point, since my expectations had lowered bit by bit since "Wanted". It almost felt surreal for some parts of PLL's final arcs.

There were no more theories that people were "A" that didn't fit cohesively. No insane plots where Ali was somehow omnipresent. No more random Ali sightings that just didn't seem plausible given the context. No more insanity that had this series verging on farcical. All good points.

Given my lowered expectations, well, I felt it was wrapped up in a decent fashion. I liked how the girls acted this time around, seeming rational enough to read without scoffing.

I really liked how Emily was handled this time around, especially her story summation. She felt like she grew the most. All of them did, but she felt the most well rounded.

I don't know if Shepard could have handled the final chapter better given how she ran this series through the mud, but at least it ended in a way that didn't leave me disappointed. Trust me, that's saying a lot. 7.5/10

SPOILERS AHEAD!

I couldn't put it down! Read the book in 2 hours...

Storylines were fantastic, and the fact that Ali is still trying to find a way to kill the girls even after she gets convicted was chilling but genius.

Synopsis:

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD
The girls after being told the chances of being found not guilty in Ali's murder trial is slim, go to Cape May following a possible lead. Unfortunately nothing turns up, and Emily ends up committing suicide in Cape May. The girls are now placed on house arrest, and Aria who can't handle all of it, runs away to Iceland with Noel. The girls end up being found guilty, and Aria plus Noel are caught, and returned to the US. But with a couple magical twists of fate Emily finds Ali. Not only are the girls cleared of murder, and return to their once happy lives. Hanna gets married to Mike, Aria and Noel move in together, Emily goes to California, and Spencer gets back together with Wren.

I am gonna miss this series. After 16 books, the series is over. This really liked this series and stuck through it for around 4 years. I like how Sara Shepard ended the series. I love Hannah and Mike together they are so cute and even though they are a little to young to be married, i love that this was his way to show her that even if she went to prison he would wait for her

Omg i can not believe the story is over! But it was the besttttt!!!! After all of the books I read, it's over! So bitter sweet :-/ but this will always be one of my most favorite book series, I am so pleased with the ending of the Pretty Little Liars.

A fantastic ending to a gripping series! All the drama that has kept the series going and a resolution that to numerous twists and turns before arriving. Shepard couldn't have formulated a better ending for all of the pll fans.

Finally! The end is here! I received the very first PLL book as an Advanced Copy at a book fair in June 2006, and have followed the series religiously since then. I have to admit that some of the more recent installments started to fill like aimless filler published simply to drag out the series. In "Vicious" Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily attempt to track down Ali one last time, which has disastrous results for one Pretty Little Liar in particular. Aria and Hanna both contemplate their relationships and how they'll survive possible prison time. Spencer examines her last ditch options to avoid jail altogether. The girls go to trial; all the time wondering if A is still out there. To say more would give away Spoilers; grab a copy and see how the series finale unfolds!

The book is AMAZING. I was able to read it ONLY for 2 days, because it was so interesting. It is well written and the story is almost breathtaking. The ending of the PLL series is a MUSTHAVE. I was fascinated that the main action has developed in such amazing way. But i'm also sad because this is the ending of the series.

Read it!! I was hooked on the TV series for awhile so I tried the books. Dont tell my husband I spent 180$! But 100% worth it. This series is elusive and sexy and funny and so much more! Definitely reccomend!

In my opinion, this should not be the last book. Sarah should do one last about Ali. how and why she becamed so evil until her ending in vicious.. Am not a fan of the saying , "some people are just born evil." This book was predictable but i read it because i had to do a closure after finishing all of the series.
CAREFUL SPOLERS AHEAD!!!!
The best part of this novel was their "too short" stay in prison. More actions/dramas would not be that bad.