Monday, April 29, 2013

Review: Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike

Life After TheftLife After Theft
by Aprilynne Pike
Expected Publication: April 30th, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins
Purchase: Amazon
*I was approved for the ebook by the publisher via netgalley.

Synopsis via Goodreads:
Moving to a new high school sucks. Especially a rich-kid private school. With uniforms. But nothing is worse than finding out the first girl you meet is dead. And a klepto. 

No one can see or hear Kimberlee except Jeff, so--in hopes of bringing an end to the snarkiest haunting in history--he agrees to help her complete her "unfinished business." But when the enmity between Kimberlee and Jeff's new crush, Sera, manages to continue posthumously, Jeff wonders if he's made the right choice.

Clash meets sass in this uproarious modern-day retelling of Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel.



The story started out really fast pace, humorous, addicting, and overall interesting. I was enjoying it all the way because 1) I had no idea there was a ghost involved, and 2) I had no idea the ghost was the one dealing with "life" after theft. You see I didn't read the description prior to going into the book nor did I have any idea it was based on another book that I've never read much less heard of. *hide's face*

Let's get to it...

It's high school. So, there will be drama, which I might say was entertaining while it last. There were several things about Life After Theft that I liked, including the fact that the story's told from the POV of a guy, which is rare for me to read. But sadly, I couldn't really connect with his character. Jeff irritated me a bit, with not only his wimpy behavior but also how it seemed as if the writer was proving his masculinity in several scenes. I didn't dislike him persay, just never got into his character much. I did however, like the romance between him and Sera, though not pulling but quite acceptable. Who knew things would turn out like that? I had my suspicions but I wouldn't say it was predictable. Just a little dry. 

The one person I did like a lot was Kimberlee. No matter how bratty she was at first I found her spirit rather amusing. I related with her emotional breakdowns and the reason why she wanted to return the items she stole. I also enjoyed the developing connection throughout between her and Jeff. That was a great aspect of the story. It all seemed so interestingly different. 
Anyhoo, character wise, not a lot of them stuck with me nor did I really see their potential. But I was pleased with the ones that stood out: Kimberlee and Sera. The latter because of all the factors surrounding her.

What else? Oh, yes. The writing was good; the overall premise of the story was good. At the beginning. But then towards the middle and thus forth, it kind of fell flat. Not the writing, but the direction of the story. Does that make sense? I started losing interest in everything that really had me hooked at the opening. Scenes came off plain and not entirely necessary. The initial concept of returning the stolen items turned into an exciting project for characters I didn't exactly cared for, stuff got too unconvincingly serious and not entirely in depth, and I felt like it lost sight of Kimberlee somewhat. I know she's like the second main character, even though she's dead (But she is on the cover. Why is she on the cover?). At one point I began missing her because for some reason she didn't seem to be present that much.

But I was interested...to see how it would turn out.

In conclusion, I fell from a full on 5 star rating to just 3 because the momentum fizzled for me. It was a good book, just didn't stay on course of being as entertaining as I initially thought it was. Witty writing, dramatic teenagers, dead girl recovering from a problem. I recommend Life After Theft because it is a light read.




About the Author
Author Photo
Aprilynne Pike has been spinning faerie stories since she was a child with a hyper-active imagination. At the age of twenty she received her BA in Creative Writing from Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. When not writing, Aprilynne can usually be found at the gym; she also enjoys singing, acting, reading, and working with pregnant moms as a childbirth educator and doula. Aprilynne currently lives with her husband and three kids in Utah, and dreams of warmer climates.

Aprilynne Pike's #1 New York Times best-selling debut, WINGS, is the first of four books about a seemingly ordinary girl with a not-so-ordinary destiny. In this tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever...








37 comments:

  1. Great review! I have only read one book by Aprilynne Pike - Wings - but I really enjoyed it. I keep meaning to read the rest of the series and now I'll look out for this one too. I'm glad you enjoyed it. The involvement of the ghost sounds awesome! :) Thanks for sharing. :)

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  2. I've seen some really great reviews for this one-- sorry this one didn't really work out for you! Maybe male POVs just aren't your thing, which is totally understandable. I hate it when a story starts out FANTASTIC and you think the rest of the story is going to get better, but then it just kind of dies out. I hope this isn't the case for me when I read it. Lovely review, Shane! Thanks for being honest. :)

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    1. Thank you. I actually don't have a problem with Male POVs, its just that some of them don't come across like a guy lol

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  3. Thanks for sharing what you liked and didn't like about this book. I think this would be a fun-read, and knowing that it started out fast-paced and humorous makes me want to read it and see it for myself.

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  4. I know that this isn't going to be much of a comment, but I fully agree with everything that you had to say about this book!

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  5. It's been so interesting reading other reviews. Some people disliked Kimberlee and liked Jeff, but I agreed with you. I do like male POVs, but I just loved Kim's snarkiness.

    You can find me here: Jen @ YA Romantics

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  6. I haven't read the blurb either so ghosts? I had no idea. This sounds like a potential good read but high school. No please. I can't take that drama any more even though it's entertaining. Too bad you couldn't connect with the narrator. All in all sounds like something interesting. Great review :)

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  7. Sorry this didn't work for you. It's always hard when you just don't connect with the characters. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

    Jenea @ Books Live Forever

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  8. It was very witty. Sorry you didn't like as much as you wanted.
    Brandi @ Blkosiner’s Book Blog

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    1. Yea, it was definitely witty just got drawn out in some chapters. Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. Thanks for the review Shane. It is really helpful. I've been really curious about this book.

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  10. This sounds like a fun read, but probably not something I would pick up. Great review. I'm glad that you were able to enjoy it, even with not being able to really connect with the characters.

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    1. Yea, I sometimes like a story without liking the main but that doesn't stop me from reading :) Thank you.

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  11. I totally agree I enjoyed the first quarter but then the book started falling flat for me as well. I think it would have been more entertaining if there had been more side plots but it felt like the only thing going on was her returning the items. Great review!

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    1. Thank you. Glad I'm not crazy and that there are others who noticed the same thing :)

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  12. So sad that the momentum fizzles out. I really hate it when a book starts out with such potential, but then starts to slow down. I never know if I should continue to see if it gets good again, or if I should just put it aside and move on.

    Jennifer
    YA Sisterhood

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    1. I like to try and finish a book once i start reading it, especially one like Life After Death that isn't too dreadful.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  13. Aww it's a shame this fell flat in the middle, I hate when that happens! Still it seems like an enjoyable enough read, and I think the premise is really cool. I think I'd eventually grow to like Kimberlee too. I'm definitely intrigued enough to pick this one up! Wonderful review :-)

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  14. The story sounds good, but like it really lost steam. I'm glad you ended up liking it though.
    Great review, Shane!

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  15. I've heard that, that the book really loses its momentum. Thanks for the honest review!

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  16. Hate it when a book fizzles out. It sounds interesting though. Great review.

    Teresa @ Readers Live A Thousand Lives

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  17. Oh man, sorry to hear the momentum fizzles out. That's a huge bummed when reading a book that you were really enjoying. Thanks for the honest review!

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    1. Thank you. Hopefully this doesn't stop you from giving it a try.

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  18. Great review, Shane! I'm happy you still liked this one, even if you started to lose interest after a while and Jeff's character seemed forced. I liked this one a little more than you did, but when I was rereading my review for the first time the other day when it went up I felt like I didn't really like it that much >.< But I agree Kimberlee was really amusing even if she was bratty :)

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    1. Yea, I really thought I'd love it because i was so into it at start but i don't know, the writer lost me for a sec i guess. Thanks for agreeing about Kimberlee :)

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  19. I'm going to hold off on reading this review because I'm reading it shortly. I'm a little nervous seeing the 3 stars, though.

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    1. Oh no :) please don't read this then, even though I have no spoilers I don't want to influence your mood going into the book.

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  20. Thanks for your honest review Shane! I don't think this would be a book that I would enjoy. However, I read this authors Wings Series and Loved it! Have you read it? Anyway, I really enjoyed reading your review, excellent job!!!

    Lindy@ A Bookish Escape

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  21. This is one that I am definitely planning on reading. Kind of disappointing that it fell a little flat for you towards the end, so I'll still read it, but won't purchase. Thanks for the review!

    Tressa @ Tressa's Wishful Endings

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