'Twisted' Continues The Pretty Little Liars Thrill | Review of ‘Twisted’ (PLL, #9)

Cynthia Ayala ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

All’s well that ends well.  That would be true for most, but for these, four girls, nothing will end well.  Threatened twice, stalked twice and their lives nearly taken when Alison DiLaurentis threatened them and blamed them for her institution.  But Ali’s dead now…or is she?  During their Spring Break in Jamaica, these four pretty little liars let their fear get the better of them and did something unforgivable.  One twisted secret after another continue to build on top of one another, and someone knows their secrets.  Every. Last.  One.
Twisted is the ninth book in the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard.  Published on July 5, 2011 by HarperTeen, the novel continues to combine the young adult genre with mystery, thriller and coming of age to keep the story fresh and captivating. Another great addition to the Pretty Little Liars series that has hooked in so many readers.  This latest installment starts out with such a light air to it.  This causes the reader to constantly wonder what’s going to happen to cause these girls’ lives to take a turn.  Readers are anticipating the moment when the shoe is going to drop.  And boy, does it drop…repeatedly.
When the novel takes its ten month shift, readers are left to wonder what could have happened within these months to pull apart the girls.  Almost a year since the events of the last novel and it’s obvious to any reader that something happened to pull apart these four girls who were as close as could be.  So the novel really keeps the reader hooked, as bit by bit, the vacation in Jamaica is revealed.
Sara Shepard really has done an amazing job at keeping readers hooked.  It’s essentially the same plot line per story arc, but with each new secret and every little lie, there is something fresh in the story.  What’s more, as the events begin to build upon one another, there is a lot of character growth between the characters.  These characters are incredibly different than they were in the first book, and to see them become so unhinged just when their lives become perfect, takes the reader on a journey.  Not once does the novel seem repetitive as it launches into another sequence of events that revolve around a dead girl and an unknown stalker.  There is something there in the novel – the edge and the mystery – that keeps readers coming back for more.
However, what really makes this novel shine compared to the previous novels is the use of color, the detail that Sara puts in when she puts together a scene.  There is enough there to paint the scene, but it’s not overly detailed, taking away from the readers imagination.  It’s like a coloring book.  All the lines are there, but it’s up to the reader to fill it in however they see fit.  This highlights how far Shepard has come in her writing.