My Rating: Somewhere between 3 and 3.5 hearts
Thoughts on the Novel: With an emphasis on revenge, Premeditated by Josin L.
McQuein promised to be an entertaining read, an aspect it delivered upon.
However, it would have gotten a higher rating from me had I been able to
support the protagonist’s actions.
Although I admired Dinah’s loyalty and
commitment to exact revenge, she was just so oblivious to reality and made
little effort to see past her assumptions! I saw the twist coming from a mile
away, and so rather than wanting Brooks to get what he deserved, I spent most
of the book feeling sorry for him.
The synopsis also makes it seem like Dinah has
a brilliant scheme in mind, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead,
she pretty much plays dress up and tries not to develop a connection with Brooks
while her best friends – one of whom is conveniently an amazing hacker – come
up with devious ways to ruin Brooks’ life.
Despite all the focus on getting revenge for
Dinah's younger cousin, Claire, I didn’t think I got to know Claire very well
because the way that Dinah portrays her is very idealized. It would have been
nice to get a more layered depiction of Claire, perhaps through some
flashbacks.
Another change that I would have liked would
have been for the ending to be more realistic. There’s just no way that a
parent would offer a lawyer for someone who deliberately set out to destroy
their child’s life or for a person to fall for someone that had done their best
to make them wish they were dead!
Premeditated was released
in October 2013 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers.
Comments About the
Cover: I love how the glass has cracked but not shattered, letting you only
glimpse some of the girl’s features so that you’re not exactly sure who’s
coming for you or when she’ll put the final nail in the coffin.
