Review: The Rules

The Rules
Author: Stacey Kade

Publication Date: April 23rd 2013        
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
 

1. Never trust anyone.

2. Remember they are always searching.

3. Don’t get involved.

4. Keep your head down.

5. Don’t fall in love.

Five simple rules. Ariane Tucker has followed them since the night she escaped from the genetics lab where she was created, the result of combining human and extraterrestrial DNA. Ariane’s survival—and that of her adoptive father—depends on her ability to blend in among the full-blooded humans in a small Wisconsin town, to hide in plain sight at her high school from those who seek to recover their lost (and expensive) “project.”

But when a cruel prank at school goes awry, it puts her in the path of Zane Bradshaw, the police chief’s son and someone who sees too much. Someone who really sees her. After years of trying to be invisible, Ariane finds the attention frightening—and utterly intoxicating. Suddenly, nothing is simple anymore, especially not the rules.

Dear Hannah Montana, where did this book go?

Disappointment, disappointment, disappointment.

It was so promising, it really was..

I thought I'd be getting this kickass thing, but it wasn't. It so wasn't. There wasn't much to actually work with to be honest, because the high school drama is so important and generic that it spans over three quarters of the book. It's like you have this contemporary drama with friends, bitches, high school dribble and then, and afterthought, oh, let's add a paranormal element by making the main character an alien hybrid.

Are you kidding me?

I feel absolutely cheated.

The hybrid in question, Ariane, was one of the most boring characters I've come across. Her voice was robotic, and detached, I mean, I know she's a human/alien hybrid and she's been contained for years of her life, but it just didn't work for me and I couldn't connect. With it being written in the first person, in the perspective of both Ariane and Zane, connection is a huge thing, especially when there's nothing else to distract you when in third person. It ruined it for me, completely.

I really did like our other prospective from Zane though, I preferred his perspective than Arianes, which is really weird for me, since I usually hate reading most YA male perspectives, they always sound cheesy, but it wasn't. It was nice to see that he also wasn't one of Rachel's little henchmen, he wasn't happy to go along with things, that the book wasn't going to be one of those 10 things I hate about you type. Yes, he wasn't perfect by any means, but perfect characters annoy the hell out of me. He sounded real, he "felt" real. He just needed to grow some balls.

 

Now, I pretty much hated the rest of the characters. Like, all of them. There wasn't a nice pick between the bunch of rotten apples. Not even the boring- but nice- and obligatory best friend.

Oh, Jenna. You poor insecure thing, with a heart of gold and Mary Sue shoes, you just wanted to fit in, you kind soul you. Taking on weird Ariane and she has the audacity to be nice when she's taking everything you've wanted? Life has been hard on you, hasn't it? Poor thing. Let me give you the upmost respect. Ha, yeah right. Ugh, I didn't even hate Rachel as much as I hated this little-. Yes, Rachel's a bitch,  but Rachel's an open bitch, it's not a surprise, it doesn't hurt as much when she stabs you in the back, than let's say, a friend. Even 'friend' is a far stretch. I know I've probably said this before, that I couldn't dislike a character more from previous, or that a certain character was the most whiny character in the universe, but my friends, Jenna takes the freaking wedding cake, the first, second, and third layer. She was a user, a waster, she was only friends with Ariane because she thought she was below her, therefore better than her so she could be "EVERYONE LOOK AT ME. HOW NICE AM I TO TAKE IN A STRAY FREAK? LOVE ME, DAMMIT, LOVE ME."

She whined about everything, e.v.er.y.t.h.i.n.g, she'd probably whine about my use of full dots. But, let's be relative. She whined about not being popular, she whined about Ariane, she whined about her being the reason she wasn't in Rachel's oh so secret circle, she practically blamed her when Rachel came at her with all she had, when she humiliated her then she'd cry like a baby and still wanted to be Rachel's friend.

You know I only finished this just to complain about her, right? I think it was even kind of worth it.

There was some great elements though, like when it was focused on the alien side of things, like the original side of Ariane, and the descriptions that is not little green men. Or superhot otherworldly. The bad elements, apart from the characters? The little revenge plot. Now, I'm the first in line for a good revenge plot, it's something you all want to do but never do. You think it up and see it play out and then discard it because it usually does it's trick.

Planning a revenge task by asking a guy to take out the 'nobody' and then dumping her in this humiliating experience, is, in the least, a little lacking. And unoriginal. And not even humiliating in the slightest.

For me, this one was missing a huge chunk of plot, relied too much on mean girls than what it should have been and was ultimately slow mess.

 Rating: 2.5/5