It's as if Kate tried to cram character development in a thousand words and it just comes off as convoluted. Is that supposed to mean he loved her? More like he had a very unhealthy obsession with her. This is more of a pet peeve than an actual complaint, but it does seem too convenient to blame something out-of-this world for all the shit that goes down in our lives. Don't be modest, Natalie. You did all this by yourself. The only thing fate did in your case was to contribute to a very nasty coincidence that led to a very nasty end.
Buy for others
In spite of what I just said, I think you should check out this book. It is worth reading, and I think you might find it a very interesting contrast to Fallen. I'm one of those people that, once I discover an author that has a great book, I like to read what ever else they have available. I had read Fallen a while back, and looked up on Lauren's website to see if she had any other books available. I'm not a huge fan of the "popular" people, or people that do harmful things to get ahead in life - it's never been my thing.
So, I guess it was a blessing in disguise when I won a I'm one of those people that, once I discover an author that has a great book, I like to read what ever else they have available.
theranchhands.com: La traición de Natalie Hargrove (Spanish Edition) eBook: Lauren Kate: Kindle Store
I have to admit, I enjoyed the book than what I thought I would. Lauren Kate made sure that we got glimpses into Natalie's past to show why she acts the way that she does, and I think that helped to make Natalie a more real character that you could actually relate to and empathize. In the end, I still thought Natalie's actions were horrible and definitely something that could have been avoided all together. But, then again, I guess we wouldn't have had a great YA book to read if that would have happened.
Overall, the plot was good. The characters were very real, though I have to say the only one I actually liked was Mike. The writing was wonderful, as it was in Fallen and the ending was kind of expected, but I was still surprised even when I fancied the idea of the ending before I actually read it.
Lauren Kate is a wonderful author and I look forward to reading more books by her in the future. View all 5 comments. Ma una sorte crudele, alla fine, ti ha tradita. Incredibile, non posso dire altro. Aug 19, Jay G rated it liked it. Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my Youtube channel: Natalie Hargrove is the most popular girl at her highchool. She has dreamed of becoming Palmetto Princess for years and her long time boyfriend, Mike King is supposed to be crowned Prince beside her.
When Justin Balmer threatens her boyfriend's crown, Natalie decides to take matters into her own hands to ensure this doesn't happen. The book was entertaining at times, but often got on my Want to see more bookish things from me? The book was entertaining at times, but often got on my nerves. Most of the time it was just Natalie trying to get her boyfriend to 'desire her' and then whining when she didn't get her way. A lot of the story was Natalie trying to cover up that she came from the 'wrong side of the tracks' which I'm assuming was supposed to make the reader feel sorry for her and forgive her for her shitty attitude.
Just something about her really bothered me. I still really enjoyed how manipulative and conniving she was though and really wanted to see what she would do next to try to cover up what she did. The book is kind of like a terrible life time movie It's not the best, but it's entertaining so you keep watching because you really want to know what happens next.
Overall, it was entertaining, but nothing overly special. Sep 10, Alicia rated it did not like it. The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove is, in a word, awful. Literally the only redeeming feature for me was the beautiful cover - I want that dress so badly! Firstly, Natalie was utterly unlikeable by anyone's standards and gets right on your nerves from the very first page, even when you learn of her background, which I assume is supposed to make you sympathetic towards her but fails utterly in that respect. Natalie is utterly selfish, manipulative, unbelievably vain and ruthlessly ambitious, but w The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove is, in a word, awful.
Natalie is utterly selfish, manipulative, unbelievably vain and ruthlessly ambitious, but with no real motive - I get that she's supposed to be a modern-day version of the delightfully evil and twisted Lady Macbeth, but at least she had a character and personality that can be easily dissected! I'd also like to think that Kate is mocking high school and the 'Queen Bee' culture, but unfortunately I seriously doubt she is, evidenced by the chapter titles, which are laughably over-dramatic - The Valour of My Tongue, Nothing in his Life Became him Like the Leaving of it and An Absolute Trust to name but a couple.
I think Kate kept trying to be funny, but the weak attempts at humour made me like Natalie, who is the only point of view we are graced with, even less. Also, I found no point to the prologue which serves only to confuse the reader by being too vague and 'poetic' and borrow ideas from Twilight. The writing was abysmal, the dialogue clunky, the pacing exceedingly drawn out with awful characters that you honestly couldn't care less about and the high school setting of promiscuous thirteen-year-olds well, maybe a bit older, but still and events extremely unrealistic, not to mention difficult to get through and fairly confusing if you do , even with skipping pages - thank god it was such a short book!
In short, I can't recommend this 'novel' to anybody, not even my worst enemy though it would be an excellent form of torture - I really didn't like it, especially as it could have been much better, and I'm no longer looking forward to reading the Fallen series. This was a seriously twisted story. Natalie Hargrove is the most popular girl at her school and is practically a shoe-in for Palmetto Princess aka prom queen.
As she and her longtime boyfriend Mike prepare to become high school royalty, something goes terribly, terribly wrong and Natalie flounders to fix it. Natalie is a deplorable character; she's selfish to the core, but that's what drew me into the story. When something goes wrong of Natalie, she doesn't fess up and move on, she tries to fix This was a seriously twisted story. When something goes wrong of Natalie, she doesn't fess up and move on, she tries to fix an wrong with another wrong. It's like a train wreck you can't tear your eyes from. Lauren Kate indicated at the end of the novel that what happens to Natalie is fate, but I like to think of it more as karma.
I really can't give more away than that. One other thing that drew me in was that book took place in the South and the community that Natalie lives in has a right and wrong side of the tracks. I also enjoyed reading about these high-schoolers' and their social lives - the high school I went to certainly wasn't like that. Or, if it was, I obviously was never invited to those parties! This book gets four stars. It was a twisted, delicious read for my Sunday afternoon, but I would have liked to have seen Natalie's relationship with her parents fleshed out more. You can read this whole review and others at pandareads.
How did I come about to read this book? Being on Kaua'i facing 2 flights and a 3 hr. The beautiful cover of this book lured me, the story sounded ok and the fact that there was nothing else I wanted to read lead me to purchasing this book. First of all, this book is trashy - not too many swear words but so much teen sex, drug and alcohol abuse. Books like How did I come about to read this book? Books like these teach the youth of today that sleeping around is okay, and addicting behaviors are the only way to get through high school.
It's about a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, making a new life on the right side of the tracks, where she still runs from her past. Being the Queen Bee in high school makes her think she's happy until an act of revenge ruined her life. The rest of the book is her trying to cover it up. I would say is one of the worst I have ever read.
I kept reading thinking the author would be able to salvage the story, right the wrongs, you know, some redeeming quality, but nope. Jan 04, Kristie rated it it was ok. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. For me this was about a one and a half stars. I really did not like the main character Natalie or any of her friends.
While I was reading this book I felt like I was watching a bad life time movie. I didn't really like anything about this book. The characters were shallow, vein, rude, self-righteous, I could go on and on but I will stop there. I was really disappointed with the ending. For Natalie to die because Mike push For me this was about a one and a half stars. But I guess not. Dec 26, Christina rated it did not like it. I'm a big fan of Fallen and Torment but this book really left a bad taste.
Once I got about halfway through I skimmed to the end, and it ended just as badly as I thought it would. My review is split in to five sections: Each section comprises of either half or one star, except X-Factor which can utilise two whole stars. The writing was only at times juvenile, rather than scattered through the whole book.
I personally prefer first person narration and I think it worked really well, even in the last chapter. It makes me wonder why Kate switched to third person for her fail of a fallen angel series.
Characters 1 Natalie was awesome. She was manipulative and conniving and ambitious and thought way, way too much of herself. I thought she was great fun to read about and I especially loved reading about her demise. Mike seemed really sweet and put together. He was painted very realistically — he was interested in sex and knew Natalie was using it as a weapon against him. I found this book much like New Girl in that respect. Feb 13, Mari Yeung rated it it was ok Shelves: The ending was the best part of this book, but it wasn't enough to make me love it.
Nat was so freaking awful and that ending when view spoiler [she dies because Mike pushes her involuntarily from the cliff hide spoiler ] left me happy and satisfied. The other characters were flat and dull. What the hell was that with hippie prophets and ghosts? I don't think Lauren Kate is for me anymore.
Apr 21, Bex rated it liked it Shelves: Natalie Hargrove wasn't always Queen bee at Palmetto high.
See a Problem?
At one point in time she was on the wrong side of the tracks in this small Southern town. When her father went away and her mom moved them over the tracks and into a new life, Natalie took control. She had everything, the perfect boyfriend, the power, and a past she tries so hard to forget. Now Natalie and her boyfriend running for Palmetto Prince and Princess and there is only one person standing in their way to the top.
At a Mardi Gras party Natalie convinces her boyfriend to help her play a prank on J. This book was so much better than I thought it was going to be. I had read only a couple reviews about it and none of them praised it too highly. Honestly though, this book was quite a read.
It reminded me a bit of the Blue Bloods series from Melissa de la Cruz, minus the vampires but still bloodthirsty. Mind you I didn't technically finish Blue Bloods, but from what I did read these seem like a similar class of people. Natalie is so driven by her need to win Palmetto Princess that she gets so wrapped up in things when they don't go according to plan.
I loved hearing about Natalie and all she overcame to get to where she was and I appreciate that she didn't turn out a necessarily "good person". The fact that she wasn't inherently good added greatly to the story and turned it away from being a sob story about how a person can never be more than they were.
The writing was a bit more flowery than it needed to be especially at the beginning of the story.
- Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: Best of the Best: Best of the Best v. 1 (Ms. Marvel (2006-2010))?
- A Conspiracy of Demons: Whisperings Paranormal Mystery Book Six.
- THE TRANSPORTATION CORPS: RESPONSIBILITIES, ORGANIZATION, AND OPERATIONS.
- No customer reviews?
- .
Lauren used a lot of descriptive words that didn't really add to the situation or to the story. Also, Tracy seemed a little bit above and beyond. I guess she was part of that good 'ole Southern mystery; the wise oracle. She didn't really seem to fit in on a high school level, though I did enjoy her, she just seemed a little out of place. I really liked the ending even though it was sudden and abit bit unresolved, but I liked finding out about JB a bit more and what had actually happened between him and Nat. So, in keeping with Macbeth I'd say it worked out quite nicely with the twist and turns, Tracy the oracle and the way the story ended.
All in all I was impressed with this story. It had the right levels of betrayal, desire, and secrets. Jan 28, Ashlie rated it liked it. I'm one of those readers that, if I really like an author, feels the need to get my hands on anything and everything they're written. When I meet Lauren for an interview tomorrow, I can't go in there without having done my homework.
Natalie was annoying, yet relatable. No, I never played a trick on someone where it got them hurt or killed, and I was never as provocative or manip I'm one of those readers that, if I really like an author, feels the need to get my hands on anything and everything they're written. No, I never played a trick on someone where it got them hurt or killed, and I was never as provocative or manipulative as she was, especially for a high schooler, but I worked hard to become more than I was born into.
Natalie didn't necessarily work hard to get where she was, it was more or less her mother's cunning that pulled her onto the right side of the tracks, but she worked hard to keep what she had gained. The truth is, everyone has ghosts, no matter where you come from or what you have or haven't been through. What Natalie made me think of is to keep your life CLEAN, that way the ghosts that sneak up on you aren't necessarily bad ones. I liked Mike, but I think his backbone needs some work. He wanted to do the right thing, and even tried to stand up against Natalie's persuasion, but in the end she made her bed.
Mike should have talked her into telling the truth instead of her talking him into shifting the blame. My biggest annoyance with this book is how grown up this book was for a high school setting. I felt that maybe a college background would have been more appropriate. Seriously, I don't remember that much sex and promiscuity going on when I was in high school, and Lauren is older than me.
However, it's her world to write as she wishes, and I still enjoyed the story. It served it's purpose: There were times when I couldn't put it down because I wanted to know what would happen next, and there were a few pages that I wanted to skip those weren't often though. I was also bummed that there was a lot of what I felt was inappropriate language, again, it was something I felt that was more fitting for college kids than high schoolers. Darla's power shift-attempt towards the end was interesting, so was Kate Richards.
What a butt-head Kate. I would have really liked a longer epilogue, I still have so many questions about what happened, but maybe I can get answers from Lauren tomorrow: Jul 01, Andrea Mevill rated it it was amazing Shelves: I've heard so many bad things about this book. But I loved it. I read something like "When the book back to the past in the final chapter is like wanting to make you feel sad for Nat and understand her" I didn't see it like that.
I love the last chapter because it doesn't make me feel sad about anything, it just make me see farther, make me see how much stuff can be behind the scene of every single story. I didn't see or expected a Nat cruel and all bad girl, I could see a lost little girl who g I've heard so many bad things about this book. I didn't see or expected a Nat cruel and all bad girl, I could see a lost little girl who grow up and take all her insecurities, problems, and daemons with her. I just saw the little girl so scared because of her father, the girl who grow up and then she's so scared of her own mistakes, she's feeling lost, she's feeling without love, she's feeling tired and all the characters make her be herself as a child come alive the teenage girl with so much blame for a girl with a life past like that, sometimes you don't need an awful past, you just need the need of something you can never get and that hurts you more than what you can SEE.
I loved this book, I liked Mike too because he wasn't weak, he was hurt for the family never wanted him enough so he found a girl who loved him, who needed him so he will do anything to keep her with him, to try and make her happy. I don't know hot to really express how many feels I had when I was reading this book, but it was incredible. Jul 05, Kelly rated it did not like it. I don't even know where I should begin. My Aunt got this book after she had read Fallen, another book by Lauren Kate. She wasn't really a fan of Fallen but decided to give this book a chance as it was completely different and a one-off book, not a series.
I don't think I liked anything about this book apart from finishing the last page and closing the book forever. If you have a strong dislike for the main character then you'll have a hard time enjoying the book; I couldn't sta Oh god.. If you have a strong dislike for the main character then you'll have a hard time enjoying the book; I couldn't stand Natalie, she is the worst possible character.
She was so in love with herself and obsessed with being popular, I really can't stand people like that. The only thing worse than Natalie was the ending, I couldn't believe the ending. It was pathetic and weak. Some could say why didn't I just put this book down for good and not finish? Because I actually really hate doing that and my Aunt wanted me to read the book before she did; she didn't bother reading after I told her what happened.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone as the ending is so bad that it makes you want to turn into the Hulk and smash everything. The last 3 chapters were alright. Shame about the rest. Jul 17, Henri Neto rated it really liked it. Entretanto, algo me impeliu a dar uma segunda chance para a autora Mesmo que, no momento em que fiz a solicit Arrebatado. E, neste exato momento, estou muito feliz por ter sido iluminado pelo impulso naquele instante. A garota mais popular de Palmetto, obcecada com a coroa de Princesa da Escola, dissimulada de forma profissional e com uma atitude repugnante.
E foi justamente por este motivo que fiquei completamente apaixonado por esta leitura!
- Travels to the Sixth Dimension: A Journey Through Hyper-Space (The Voyager Series Book 1).
- .
- American Issues: Every American Has An opinion.
- Une robe pour Versailles (Historique t. 1444) (French Edition).
- The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate;
Pois, por mais que o estilo de Lauren Kate tenha mudado bastate! Que ela pode fazer mais! I picked this book up as I was eager to sample Lauren Kate's writing but didn't want to dive into Fallen. The story centres around Natalie Hargrove and her need to be crowned Palmetto Princess- the whole story takes place in such a relatively short time for so much to happen.
Natalie sees it as the defining moment of her transformation from Cawdor trailer park to Palmetto Queen Bee. Her boyfriend Mike King doesn't take it as seriously and it is paramount that they be crowned together as the alte I picked this book up as I was eager to sample Lauren Kate's writing but didn't want to dive into Fallen. Her boyfriend Mike King doesn't take it as seriously and it is paramount that they be crowned together as the alternative prince is J. B, Natalie's long time rival. This one desire sparks off an unfortunate chain of events for Natalie. I loved how the first chapter really set up the social hierarchy and importance of the Palmetto Court in the eyes of the students and to a certain extent their families, it made some of the decisions and small things make sense.
I actually found Natalie likable. Behind her shallow greed and single-mindedness, I could see a girl thrown off course by one harmless prank who was just desperate to keep the life she fought so hard for. The prank they play on J. B would have been seen as a meaningless joke if not for a tragic secret. I felt for Natalie as she seemed to have few real friends to turn to and Mike turned out to be rather weak willed.
I did feel her back story could have afforded at least another chapter to show how she'd got to where she was. For example, Natalie's father makes a comeback in her life but this is never really dealt with which frustrated me. The supporting cast of characters are very well fleshed out and complex. He claimed he wanted to come forward after the prank but it didn't take much for Natalie to persuade him and then he just didn't commit to the cover up like she did.
A lot of side characters did seem to be there solely for plot movement or to add pressure etc and flitted in and out of importance. Natalie's potential stepsister seemed quite meek and submissive then suddenly grown a backbone which seemed rather out of character. The ending felt a bit abrupt to me. The explanation of Natalie and J. B's rivalry was very subtly hinted at throughout the book and then thrown in at the end. I feel it could have been brought up earlier or been more obvious as it made Natalie's actions towards J.
B much less vindictive and bitchy. However, the sudden ending was very effective. It tied up loose ends but left you wondering about small side plots such as how J. B really felt about Natalie, what happened to Baxter and how the investigation went. However once I knew it was hard not to see connections and pick out little links to the Play. I loved the portrayal of the Witches as New Age juniors who were just going through a rebellious hippy phase.
I liked the fact that Natalie was clearly the more ambitious one so she saw the apparitions, made the decisions, consulted the 'witches' and was the stronger person rather than Mike Macbeth. However, I found Natalie to be a much more sympathetic character than either Macbeth or Lady Macbeth. I enjoyed that the 'wrong side of the tracks' where Natalie came from was named Cawdor and that Mike's surname was King, these little links were cleverly slotted in and didn't detach from the plot.
Thinking about it now I can think of so many character parallels and connections that I didn't pick up straight up that I almost want to reread both Macbeth and Natalie. This book engaged me from start to finish with a fast paced plot, well developed and complex characters and a very clever setting. I am so glad I brought it because I will definitely be picking it up again and again!
Jul 12, Jennifer Wardrip rated it liked it Shelves: And Natalie Hargrove will do anything she has to do to make sure this happens. When Natalie finds that Mike is at major risk of losing the battle for the crown to the one person Natalie hates, Justin Balmer, we find out just what she will do to make sure that her dreams come true. But what's the cost of fame within the high school setting? September 14, Sold by: Not Enabled Screen Reader: Enabled Amazon Best Sellers Rank: Share your thoughts with other customers.
Write a customer review. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway. Set up a giveaway. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Learn more about Amazon Prime. Get fast, free shipping with Amazon Prime.
Product details
Get to Know Us. English Choose a language for shopping. Amazon Music Stream millions of songs. Amazon Advertising Find, attract, and engage customers. Amazon Drive Cloud storage from Amazon. Alexa Actionable Analytics for the Web. AmazonGlobal Ship Orders Internationally. Amazon Inspire Digital Educational Resources.