Book Review: The Mockingbirds - Daisy Whitney

THE MOCKINGBIRDS:

Published: January 2, 2012 (first published November 2, 2010)

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Format: Paperback

Page Count: 339 pages

Source: Amazon.com

Some schools have honor codes. Others have handbooks. Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds. 

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way -- the Themis way. So when Alex Patrick is date-raped during her junior year, she has two options: Stay silent and hope someone helps, or enlist the aid of the Mockingbirds -- a secret society of students dedicating to righting the wrongs of the student body.

In this account of a teenage girl's search for her voice and the courage to use it, Daisy Whitney reminds readers that standing up for someone, especially yourself, is worth the fight.

"I had high hopes for The Mockingbirds, but I was let down in the end due to poor character development."

The Mockingbirds was a book that I was really hoping to like. Unfortunately, I didn't get my way.

Themis Academy is home to a large student body that is expected to behave in a respectful way. But after a concert, Alex Patrick finds herself in a student's room by the name of Carson. Apparently, they had a "fun" night together. But, Alex vaguely remembers what happens. She thens finds out she could have been forced and not had an option or say to give herself to Carson like she did. So, she turns to the Mockingbirds, a secret organization dedicated to bringing innocent students to justice, and bringing guilty students to their knees. 

The Mockingbirds was very unique and very original, and I absolutely loved the ending. But the only problem I had with the book was a MAJOR one that I just couldn't shrug off.

First, the writing style. Fantastic. I loved hearing Daisy Whitney express her imagination through description. Although the characters did bug me for the majority of the book (read the next step for more details), they're voices were sometimes good, but Whitney's descriptions of objects or places were a lot (and I mean a lot) better! Daisy Whitney did a great job with the writing part of The Mockingbirds.

Secondly, the characters. Ugh. I didn't connect with Alex any. I tried so hard, but I found her annoying and very demanding sometimes. I'm not sure why, but I didn't like reading about Alex at all. My favorite character was Martin. He was kind and friendly, and what's even better -- he's on the Mockingbirds! But whenever the characters spoke, I never connected with it or, to be honest, even liked it. 

Then, we have the Mockingbirds. The Mockingbirds were the best part of the book! I loved the idea of a group hidden away in secrecy in a huge academy that bring people to justice. I hate bullying, so to see bullies and horrible people getting what they deserve (what goes around comes back around), it makes me smile. That was the absolute best part of this book. 

Before I wrap this all up, can we talk about the cover change? I'm glad I didn't own this in hardcover, because if I was getting the sequel The Rivals, they wouldn't match! That is my biggest pet peeve EVER. I love my books so much, I want them to match! Publishers and photography teams, can we please just stop this nonsense?

Finally, the novel itself. While The Mockingbirds had some very excellent points, I just can't look the other way about the characters. I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately, it was a disappointment. 

My Rating: