Vanished

Private #12

by Kate Brian

After the initiation ceremony of Reed's newly created secret society, Noelle has disappeared and the only clue is a mysterious note. Is Reed's behaviour the cause or is there something more sinister happening? With the kidnapper warning of worse things to come if Reed tells anyone of Noelle's abduction, Reed realises it's up to her discover who has taken Noelle and to try and rescue her… before she becomes the next target.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Boarding School

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 31, 2010

About the author

Kate Brian is the author of the SHADOWLANDS TRILOGY (SHADOWLANDS, HEREAFTER & ENDLESS), as well as the New York Times bestselling PRIVATE and PRIVILEGE series, and the wildly popular MEGAN MEADE'S GUIDE TO THE MCGOWAN BOYS. She also writes teen fiction under the name Kieran Scott.

Reviews

[Emily Gustafson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry, but after reading this book, I threw it across the room.

The beginning got me hooked. Kate Brian has knack for ending her books well with cliffhangers, and starting out the beginning of the next book with excitement. However, she also seems to have a formula for all of her books. It picks up on a cliffhanger and the first few chapters are full of confusion and intensity, then the middle fades into boring, unimportant things, before the end picks the pace back up again. Which is what this book did...except the ending SUCKED.

I was truly, honestly DISGUSTED. As I was reading the ending I had to reread it AT LEAST 10 times before it sunk in that all along Billings was a society built on a school for witches. And that Reed and Noelle were witches. I mean, it was crazy enough that the bombshell of Reed and Noelle being sisters was dropped (WAY too crazy for my taste, similar to the whole survivor crap in St.Barths) but now we learn that there withes, I mean seriously, WTF. After TWELVE FRIKKEN BOOKS, Kate Brian decides to announce that they're witches? The series started out as our heroine scholarship girl Reed trying to make her way at Easton with the bitchy Billings girls and Reed becoming the new IT girl and having all kinds of obstacles (like murder, scandal, being stuck wearing last seasons clothes) thrown at her, and now its a series about WITCHES? What kind of JOKE is that.

This book honestly just completely ruined the series for me. I feel like I wasted my time reading these books if it was gonna end like this. I plan on reading Ominous ONLY to find out how the whole thing, ends because I really loved this series. I'm definitely not reading Book of Spells, because I might just tear out my hair while reading it (if I'm not already bald from Ominous of course).

honestly, all I can say is RIP Private. This really was my favorite series, and I'm not quite sure where things spiraled out of control. Probably during and after St.Barths, because it seems that as soon as they got to St.Barths, that book and everything after slowly continued to suck.

[Ashley King · Rating 1 out of 5]

Witches.....really Kate Brian? In the next book are we going to find out that Harry Potter is her long lost brother and she suddenly transfers to Hogwarts? This is kind of like me reading a book about witches only to find out after 12 books that they're just regular girls. I'd be like WTF? I'm going to read Ominous because i'm really interested just how being a witch is going to solve anything, because if they start casting spells I'm going to be so done. I hoping they (as in Reed & Noelle) learn about their past and move on. I just don't see any good come out of it, but maybe i'll be wrong.

I figured that this series jumped the shark just because the whole St. Barths storyline was just pointless to the bigger picture. And then theres when they tore down Billings and don't get me started on the Billings Literary Society. But now seeing where this might be going, all of that doesn't sound so bad. I miss the first four books were it was about the orignial Billings girls, The Legacy and typical school problems with an occasional mysterious vibe. But i guess Kate figured she killed enough people and turned enough people into crazy murderers that there was no other way to go but down.

I believe in redemption so I will give the next book a chance. Who's to say---maybe Kate Brian is actually a genius adding this whole witch thing. (highly doubt it though) i'm just dissapointed right now because this is one of my favorite book series and i want it to end on a good note. I'm actually starting to wonder when this series is going to end.

[Tiny Pants · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's official: If the whole Survivor thing with Reed stuck on an island put this series on life support, this book absolutely pulls the plug. This one starts off okay, sure -- paranoia, shoulders coiling, designer bags, descriptions of what material everyone's winter coat is made from. You know, the usual.

Then as the plot begins to unfold, you start to realize that this new story arc is nearly as god-awful as the one on St. Barts, and strangely even less interesting. Once it has really begun to be revealed, it becomes crystal clear: This series has jumped the shark.

And then, then in the final pages, something so... so... so.... Nope, there's no other word for it. Something so unbelievably stupid happens that this is it for me. This is beyond the shark.

It's been real, Private. But there is no way in hell I'm following you down this incredibly idiotic path. Not even by getting the books from the library, and certainly not by buying any more of them. I refuse to financially support this ludicrous turn of events.

This bums me out for a lot of reasons, mainly that I am now even closer to not having any series left to enjoy (thank goodness for that upcoming '20s thing from the woman who did The Luxe!). Further, I'm now going to have an incomplete collection of Private books, which bugs me 'cause I'm a completist. But I just can't abide this.

I mean yeah, half the joy of a series like this is watching the characters get tortured by having all these twisted, demented plots foisted upon them. Thing is though, those don't damage the integrity of the characters the author has created. They continue to build them up.

This, in contrast, takes characters who have become beloved (or okay, at least beliked) to readers and renders them inexplicable. I can't think of a very literary example of this at the moment, but think like at the very end of the show Roseanne how they won the lottery and did all those gimmicky episodes -- it puts a bad taste in your mouth about the entire show, even if for most of its run it was pretty good. Same deal here.

Seriously, I know it rhymes... but this series would have done better to just stick to being about bitches.

[Jynx · Rating 1 out of 5]

I remember this book has the honour of being the first book I ever threw at a wall. It was a library book too. D:

Up until this book, I was reading the books was fast as I could. My little 13 year old self was in love with this series, even though I knew it was cliché and shallow. I still gobbled them up faster than turkey on Christmas. Why? These novels were my escape. I could plunk down and forget about my troubles by imagining I was snooty rich bitch.

But this ending... No. Just. Fucking. No.

They're WITCHES?!

NOOOOOOOOONONONONONONONNONO NO.

One of the things that kept me hooked on this series was the feeling that no matter how insane everything got, it was still grounded in semi-reality. 11 books had gone that way. I wasn't expecting it.

You know why? Because it's a stupid idea. Dropping something like that, with no warning before hand? I went 11 books thinking this series was one genre, and this book completely jumped ship.

Yes, the books before were stupid. They were shallow and immature. But they were logical from book to book. You knew the books were what they were. If Kate Brian wanted a series about effing magic, she shouldn't have waited ELEVEN EFFING BOOKS TO WRITE ABOUT IT. Or, better yes, she should've, I don't know, STARTED A NEW SERIES.

I haven't picked up one of these books since. They make me mad. This author makes me mad.

This book was too "have your cake and eat it too" for me. You can't be rich girls, and witches. It's not fair. And you can't drop something like 11 books into the series. It's retarded.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Spoiler Alert: Do not read unless you’ve read the previous books in the series).

The end in of Vanished has full on annoyed me, so this review may just be on the rant side of things.

Book 12 of the Private series, starts with main character, Reed Brennan in a big mess. For those of you who have read the previous books you know that this is nothing new. She’s been smack dab in the middle of murder investigations, crazy roommates, friend problems, boy drama, left for dead on a deserted island all the while managing to keep her grades up. But this issue for Reed is bigger than the others, her best friend turned enemy turned friend (and repeat a dozen times), Noelle Lange has been kidnapped. The kidnappers have contacted Reed with the strict orders that she tells no one and completes the tasks they assign, or else Noelle dies.

So Reed finds herself completely tasks and waiting by the phone for whats next. All the while putting on a front that nothings wrong and Noelle’s just home for a family emergency. Kind of hard to do when you’re spending your days paranoid and freaking out. Not to mention heading the Billings Literacy Society. But after everything she’s been through, whose more capable than Reed to complete four tasks and save her best friend?

Now onto the rant.

The book ends with Reed finding out Noelle is her sister, that Reed’s mom had an affair with Noelle’s dad. Noelle-well their grandmother, sends the girls back to the BLS chapel where they find a spell book. Immediately upon seeing “spell book” I couldn’t help but think “REALLY!?” For an 11 book series, there’s no mentions of magic, ghouls, goblins or anything supernatural.

While the constant everybody-is-out-to-get-Reed theme is annoying, at the end of the day you could call it believable. The students at Easton are just the typical run of the mill wealthy teens in high school. The ones who go to tropical islands for Christmas vacation. So after 11 books of “normal” craziness and money spending, now Kate Brian throws in the supernatural?

It seems like an attempt to keep up with the ever popular supernatural craze going on right now. But at the end of the day it was nice to throw in this “real life” novel in between paranormal books. Seriously what’s going to happen in book 13? The boys of Ketlar are really werewolves? Thomas is a vampire back from the dead?

The supernatural throw in seems too far out of left field for this series. Maybe if the events of the first few Private books were condensed down to 1-2 books then Vanished was book 3 and supernatural references were tossed into books 1 and 2, then it would work. But no prep work was done to prepare the reader for the “oh-hey-by-the-way-you’re-all-witches” storyline.

I’d also like to point out how ridiculous the tasks were for Reed to complete. The girl has stolen a test from an academic building, proved her loyalty to all of the Billings girls multiple times and survived days on a deserted island, does she really need to shoplift a necklace or break up with her boyfriend to prove herself? Hasn’t she already done that time and time again?

Overall Vanished was a good book (with the exception of the lame tasks). The last few chapters had me flipping up to the very end, dieing to know what was going to happen to Noelle. The ending was a total let down and completely out of left field. I’m not too sure how well the ending will sit with long time Private series readers, it isn’t sitting well with me. I’ll check out book 13 and unless Kate Brian wins me over with it, I don’t see myself still reading the series.

Rating: 4/10

[Stamyr]

I regret what I am about to type right now, but it's how I feel. Scandal dissapointed me, alot. I noticed that there's no point reading if Billings isn't made because the perks made the series feel good. But since Billings is gone and Reed is trying so hard to make the Billings Literal Society, I only see that as another "Reed Drama". Reed is always looking for trouble and the BLS is just ruining everything for her: her firiendships, her education privileges and her giving personality. It's not just the whole "Here We GoAgain" feeling, there are some good things about the book. For starters, I love the fact that I got to remember Josh again, and now I love him. I forgot how he was so good and loyal to Reed and how funny he was and sweet. So yeah, im over Sawyer. And I like that I got to know Ivy, she's cool. This book has its ups and downs, most makes me mad but I'm not giving up on this series. It's just too good and I'm hooked :] Thanks Kate, keep rockin!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting, fast-paced, race against time, that (once again) has a crazy cliffhanger! I loved Upton’s cameo. I also really like Reed’s friends in Billings, like Tiffany and Astrid. I used to really like Josh, but I forgot how much he annoyed me in the later books. He was so hot and cold that it annoyed me after a while. Sawyer and Upton are much better. I can’t believe I only have 2 books and one prequel and my reread of this series will be complete!

[Nikki the Sapphired Book Dragon AKA NixieNut · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I wasn't exactly expecting the ending of this instalment, I also wasn't exactly surprised given what has happened in previous instalments. I did enjoy this instalment though and it was definitely a quick and entertaining read. I still don't particularly like Reed and she still does make bad decisions but she is starting to grow on me and I actually didn't mind her so much in this book.

Al in all a decent continuation of the series and I am looking forward to reading both the next book in the series and the prequel, book of spells, which i borrowed from the library yesterday. I give this book 3 1/2 stars

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know the scenario -- 'Private' #12: Noelle vanishes and Reed begins a quest to save her.

LOW POINTS:

I'll just come out and say it: Noelle's never been a favourite character of mine. Without giving too much away, there comes a point in this, the 12th novel, when Reed says that she and Noelle seem like equals "For the first time ever."

And that pretty much sums up why their friendship has long felt false to me: True friends should always feel like equals.

Sure, you may have certain advantages over each other -- you're two different people, after all -- but overall, there's a sense of equality and respect. I've rarely felt that vibe of respect and equality when observing Reed and Noelle's relationship. Instead, Noelle has always come across as a snob with a nice side who's generally looked down on Reed -- prompting Reed to chastise but mostly adore her for some reason. I've never liked those interactions, but they're clearly a major focus of Ms. Brian's work -- so I'm going to hope for the best as the series wraps up.

As others have pointed out, there's a big revelation about Reed in this story, one that generally had me groaning in disbelief while reminding myself that I'm a fan of this author. Had this been written earlier in the series, I might have found it more believable. But when we "find out" this late, it feels like the writer threw it in largely out of personal fondness. In other words, it feels forced.

The quest itself was intriguing, but the ending felt a little silly.

Kate Brian is a very descriptive writer. Occasionally, however, I feel like I could do without all the details of a character's outfit, or their surroundings (especially when certain places, like the chapel, have been described before).

HIGH POINTS:

My favourite part of the 'Private' series has become the Reed/Ivy relationship. This is a fun little bond that's progressed from animosity, to a shaky truce, to an actual friendship. All the while, there's been some nice character development in Ivy as a result. She's a charming character with just the right blend of sass and maturity to keep her layered and unpredictable. She's the perfect 'partner' for Reed to match wits with in lighter moments, and rely on when things get serious. That's equality. That's friendship. And that's a bond that Kate Brian has written excellently.

'Vanished' doesn't have as many Reed/Ivy moments as the previous novel, but the ones we do get are quite nice. In realistic fashion, their relationship has its ups and downs, but the downs tend to strengthen things when all is said and done. This is the bond that I'll remember the series most for.

It was nice to see Reed and Josh together. While I've never been as into their relationship as some fans clearly are, Josh is a likeable character, and it's apparent that these two are right for each other. And like Reed's best relationships, they have occasional friction, but are bound by love and equality overall.

Finally, the quest, as mentioned, is rather intriguing to follow along with. It's interesting to get inside Reed's head as she faces and overcomes adversity, which is pretty much the hallmark of this series. If anything, when looking back on these books, I'll certainly remember that Reed's emotions were quite convincing and well-written.

[Tiffy · Rating 2 out of 5]

WARNING! MAJOR SPOILERS! But there's commentary here I want readers to read when they've finished the book.

First, I would like to say that I totally agree with everyone who was extremely disappointed/absolutely disgusted with the conclusion of Vanished. The whole "you needed to embarrass the principle and break up with your boyfriend in public to show that you and Noel are really sisters" explanation was complete bull crap! What grandma would EVER do that to her granddaughter, and what does that have to do with proving Noel and Reed are sisters? They have the same dad--it has been confirmed. Reed's mom knew it, Reed's step-dad knew it.That's all you need, as far as I am concerned.
But secondly, to anyone who is also reading the Privilege series: have you noticed that the books (both Private and Privilege) have gone in the exact same direction? Reeds "tasks" reminded me of the tasks Ariana and her friends had to do to get into their secret society...and speaking of secret societies...why are both books initiating girls in secret societies at the same time? C'mon Kate Brian! Don't make it so obvious that you're running out of ideas. I feel like both books have the same premise and it is boring me.
At least in privilege Ariana is a cold blooded killer which makes things a tad more interesting than the whole everyone is out to get Reed plot.
I think the private series should have ended after Revelations. That was a FANTASTIC book! The way Brian wrapped everything up was a shocker, but it was brilliant and genius. After that, it went down hill. Saint Barths? Don't get me started.
I also made the mistake of reading Book of Spells...now that I know how ridiculous the addition of spells and witch craft is in relation to Easton Academy, I am dreading opening up Ominous. I will try it, but I wont feel bad for throwing it away after the first 10 pages if it's crap. I hate to bash like this, but it has to be said!

[ktheland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, let's start. I hate Josh Hollis. Intimate? She was hugging a dude, you stupid asshole. How is video-chating a guy intimate? Josh Hollis is even worse than Thomas. Reed should be with Sawyer who is a nice guy and not an abusive fuck like Josh Hollis. Second, I get the whole finding out that the main popular girl is your sister (Pretty Little Liars), but if you wanted Reed to have a mind blowing revelation, make Ariana her sister. Finding out you're related to a better written serial killer is mind blowing. And the thing most people are obsessing about? Witches? I wanted to read some fun, trashy, rich girl book. If I wanted witches I would reread the Harry Potter series. I propose we make Ivy the main character? Much more entertaining. Or even Constance? 3 more books. 3 more books.

[Maddie · Rating 1 out of 5]

HOLY FUCK THIS BOOK JUST MURDERED MY SOUL. WHAT A WASTE OF MY TIME!!!!!! I groaned aloud so often, and I actually threw the book on the ground when I reached the end. What the fuck kind of book was this!? It was unbelievable. I have no idea why I put myself through this torture (and yet I'll still continue to read them). I hate all of these characters. I just have no idea how anyone can write such an infuriating series. And then they're WITCHES!? LIKE ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??? No!

[ara · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE ENDING? WHAT?

[Isabel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hace muchos años leí esta saga, me encantaba aunque Reed me caía medio mal. Cuando llegué a este libro y leí sobre el asunto de las brujas creí que algo estaba mal en la traducción o yo que sé, porque no era posible que después de una evidente serie de libros sobre adolescentes, asesinatos, fiestas y peleas de quien es más popular y todo eso, la autora pensara algo como: ay, ya me aburrí, voy a cambiarle el género a la historia.

No hubo ningún indicio en los otros 11 libros sobre algo de magia aquí, además de lo forzado de los lazos familiares con Noelle. No, no, no.
Hasta hubiese sido más creíble que Reed estuviera soñando todo el tiempo y en realidad estuviera internada en un psiquiatra.
¿Pasó por las manos de un editor esta doceava novela o a quién se le ocurrió que era buena idea algo así al llegar al libro 12?

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vanished is the 12th book in the Private series. In Vanished, Noelle is gone. She got kidnapped and Reed has no idea where she is. But she gets a small clue when somebody texts her. The text saids that Reed has to complete 4 tasks in order to get Noelle back alive. Reed Brennan goes insane, worrying about her best friend. The tasks that the anonymous person texts her, are crazy. The first task was to get an excused absent note from Noelle's grandmother who lives in Paris. The second task was to steal something and wear it around campus. The third task was to piss off the Headmaster. And the last task was to break up with Josh Hollis, the guy of her dreams, in public. It took her months for her to get him back, but it was probably the hardest task. It was hard breaking :'(
I think that this book was good in the beginning, but then the end was absolutely horrible. In the end, it turns out that Reed is Noelle's sister. And Noelle was never really kidnapped. It was their grandmother who had to put Reed through a test. I think her grandmother is a stupid old hag. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? You're making your OWN granddaughter commit a crime and almost get suspended from school. LIKE, WHAT TYPE OF GRANDMOTHER ARE YOU? Moving on, I think that the end was stupid because it was SO random. Out of no where, she ends up being Noelle's sister. Like...WHAT? It was mind boggling. I literally gasped cause it was so surprising. I would've never thought that she'd be her sister. Also, the end (the VERY end) was so stupid. They just left us hanging with Noelle and Reed finding a book called, "The Book of Spells" on the floor. Seriously..? WHAT?! The ending was just so disappointing. I think many people have to agree with me on that.

[Sarah-Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une fois la Billings Litterary Society réinstaurée, Reed et ses amies de Billings sont plus unies que jamais. Mais lors d'une réunion, Noelle est kidnappée. Croyant d'abord à une mauvaise blague, Reed reçoit de mystérieux messages textes lui disant qu'elle ne doit en aucun cas prévenir la police ou le directeur de l'Académie Easton. On lui annonce qu'elle devra relever 4 défis, sans quoi... Noelle mourra.

Après avoir lu Scandal, j'étais plus motivée que jamais à lire la suite des aventures de Reed. Et je n'ai pas été déçue! Kate Brian nous amène encore une fois dans une histoire un peu tordue, sans toutefois revenir complètement dans ses histoires de meurtres et de tentatives de meurtre.

Côté esthétique, on retrouve une police différente pour les messages textes reçus par Reed ce qui donne envie de tourner les pages encore plus vite lorsque cette police n'est pas utilisée sur la page en cours de lecture.

Encore une fois, Kate Brian nous montre qu'elle sait où elle s'en va : Noelle étant disparue, Reed aura 4 défis à relever. Le tome prendra ensuite fin.

La fin est toutefois surprenante, et donne vraiment envie d'entreprendre la lecture de The Book of Spells. Je m'y met sans hésiter!

Par contre, je dois dire que je commence à être lassée de cette série, qui comptera finalement 14 tomes. J'ai aimé, je la terminerai, mais j'ai hâte de passer à autre chose. Les personnages sont attachant, mais l'histoire commence à être au service de l'auteure, et non l'inverse.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge Kate Brian fan, but I think this series might be nearing its end. I mean, 12 books (with another on the way) is a pretty good run! But the plot lines are getting a bit repetitive, so it may be time to wrap the series up while it’s still intriguing and awesome.

In the last few books, Reed has been really getting on my nerves and in this one, that annoyance scale went up another tick. Reed just isn’t the lovable main character I remember from the early books. Now that she fits in and runs the A-list crowd, she’s lost the charm that made her Reed.

See the rest of the review here: http://jessicalawlor.com/2010/12/book...

[Angelia Fransisca Rusli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book.It's not that bad, but it's not as suspenseful as the previous books either.

Noelle is missing. And the kidnapper wants Reed to do ridiculous things. If she tells anyone, Noelle dies. Who might be the kidnapper? Could it be Constance, Missy or London? What about the Billings alumna? And what about Ivy? Well, Ivy and Reed are friends, but Ivy, after all, is Noelle's enemy & Reed had steal Josh away from her.

Suddenly sisters & suddenly witches? U sure about that?

[Anushka · Rating 1 out of 5]

My review of this book is similar to the one I had for its predecessor -

Okay, so we're back to the mistakes that PLL series committed. This book was just another stretched out mess which was less than satisfactory.

It was clear from the beginning that Noelle was behind everything, as she always have been. Second, that 'sister' crap is so old, its ditto to what happened in Pretty Little Liars. Kate Brian was out of mysteries so she made Noelle and Reed sisters.Ugh!"

[Merary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure anyone can agree that this is where the series jumped the shark. Not only was the mystery built out of nothing, the "twists" were tired and annoying. Based on the sudden paranormal elements, it seems that Brian was riding on a trend, but it just didn't fit and damaged the series with no chance of reparation. It is good that the series never continued after book 14, a horse needs to die sometimes after so much beating.

[Patti · Rating 1 out of 5]

All I can say is WTF?! I like the Private series but this one (because of THAT ending) was just terrible. Did it really have to end that way? I'm not sure now if I'll read the prequel.

Even though the Private series isn't, you know, anything that feeds the mind, it's still very entertaining. But this book...it just ruined the whole series for me. I'm very disappointed!

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 1 out of 5]

SPOILERS:


Loved the series until this book. I did NOT like where this series chose to go. I felt it brought down the whole series greatly.

It also looks like I am not alone in feeling that way. I love this writer but when she gets into the super natural stuff I seem to lose all interested. Great series but Vanished and the direction it went in was a b ig no for me.

[JumbleofJargon · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know how you can usually figure out the major plot twist in these books a few chapters ahead or if you're really good, after the first couple of pages? Not this time. The after the obvious part of the ending happened, the last 20-40 pages came out of no where! Buckle your seat belts.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Say WHAT?!?!?! Surprise, surprise. I'm loving this series. It's like a tv show that would drive me insane waiting for the next episode to air!!!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last book ended with Noelle being abducted. Reed gets texts anonymously with instructions on what she needs to do in order to find Noelle again. Another good suspenseful mystery. She is not allowed to tell anyone or go to the police. Reed can't take what is going on anymore so she goes to Josh. Josh keeps telling Reed she should go to the police. In the end when Reed finds Noelle, she finds out it was all a test. Reed gets so understandably upset she decides to go home to her family in PA. One morning, Noelle and her grandmother show up and explain that why what Reed went through was a test. It was a test because they wanted to tell Reed she's sisters with Noelle and they share the same father. It was also a test because their grandmother wanted them to carry on the tradition of finding the Book of Spells and forming a coven of witches. There was a part of the book I felt was not realistic. The part where the supposed undercover cops arrested Reed and took her to an abandoned house. The way she was questioned and arrested was not realistic.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

*bangs head repeatedly on desk*

This is why I remember this series as being absolutely ridiculous. The second half of the series just goes further and further off the rails.
Okay. Look, if it was Noelle setting these ridiculous kidnapper tasks I could probably buy it. I mean, they're the kind of juvenile, attention-seeking, life-ruining kinds of things she has a reputation for. I have a much harder time believing that a mature woman would somehow think that risking being arrested for shoplifting, nearly getting kicked out of school, and publicly humiliating an innocent bystander could somehow "prove" Reed's stamina and worth?!?!?! Like what?! And then they have to go get the book immediately, but she made Reed wait literally days and days and days in between tasks and even once the tasks were complete?!?! Nothing about this book made any sense at all.

[Olivia · Rating 1 out of 5]

*tyra banks voice* “it is so bad i want to give you a zero. but that's not possible. so i give you a one”

I skimmed this book and feel like it was a waste of time. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ORIGINAL PLOT of the series?!?

Also it took me this long to realize that Noelle Lange has carried this entire series bc a book with her gone bc of abduction was practically unbearably. Reed is so stupid. The whole sister plot?!? The whole complete these tasks to get your friend back plot?! The random Segway from the prequal about the previous ladies being witches?!? What is going on here?!? What was Kate Brian thinking!?

The only enjoyable part was the brief moment when I thought there’d be a chance with d bag hottie Upton Giles after the public breakup with Josh. I’m ready to finish this series and I have very low hopes for the last two books.

[HeyItsMorgane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encore un tome aussi bien que le précédent, je me suis dépêché d'enchaîner ce tome 12 après le cliffhanger du tome 11 et je n'ai pas été déçu.

Tous les tomes qui se passent à Easton j’adore, l’ambiance très PPL avec de mystérieux sms que reçoit Reed, sa paranoïa, sa relation avec ses amis et Josh, la grosse révélation sur Reed et Noëlle tous est vraiment bien… A part la dernière ligne qui est le plus gros “ What The Hell Did I Just Read “ que j’ai jamais lu.

Vraiment tout était niquel et j'ai adoré retrouver l’ambiance des premier tome et enfin retrouver la Reed que je connais mais cette fin n’à absolument aucun sens et à aucun moment dans les 12 tomes ont nous à laisser des indices. J’admet que je suis quand même curieuse de lire les 2 derniers tomes pour voir comment ça se termine, j'espère juste pas quelque chose de fou.

[Alexa Alfaro]

Up until now I am really enjoying the book, it has a hook to it, as well as it being very suspenseful so it makes want to keep reading it to know what it going to happen. The characters are, Reed, the main character, Josh, reeds boyfriend, and Noelle, Reeds best friend. In this pat of the book what is happening is that Noelle got kidnapped, so Reed and Josh are looking for clues and coming up with anyone who could have done it. I don't really identify with any of the characters, their motivation is to find Noelle and who kidnapped her.

[Pravina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, that was definitely not the ending I was expecting. I just feel like the stories are repetitive and on top of that, with an ending like that, just goes to show that Kate Brian has officially ran out of ideas. I’m so done with this series. Tbh, I was actually thinking of buying the Prequel as well as the Spin Off but nope, not even going to think about it.

Rating: 2/10