After reading Cookie O'Gorman's Adorkable last month, I couldn't wait to read her next novel, Ninja Girl.
Except I had to.
Adorkable and Ninja Girl are both part of Kindle Unlimited, and Kindle owners can choose one KU book per month to read for free. Adorkable was my September pick, so I had to wait until October 1st to check out Ninja Girl.
Trust me, I checked it out as soon as I could 🙂
Seventeen-year-old Snow-Soon Lee teaches at her family-owned martial arts gym, The Academy, and cares more about training to be the next Bruce Lee than hooking up. In fact, Snow's never even been kissed. But when Girls Night rolls around, Snow decides to prove to her friends (and herself) that she's not just some boring tomboy. Impulsively, she kisses a hot stranger and even manages to escape his two security guards.
One stolen kiss…
Ash Stryker's senior year stinks. His politician father pulled him out of Chariot High, separating him from his championship-winning soccer team. Now he's stuck at a prissy private school with no friends, no team and no chance of being scouted. On top of that, thanks to the death threats his dad's received, Ash has a security tail aka professional babysitters. When the mystery girl from the movies shows up at his school, rappelling from the rafters, Ash knows one thing: he won't let her get away again.
One interesting job proposition…
After a seemingly random attack, Ash's mother surprises everyone. She hires Snow to be Ash's personal bodyguard until after the election. But can Snow's skills hold up against the rising threats to Ash's family? More importantly, can Ash convince his ninja girl to forget ethics and kiss him again?
Opposites attract in this YA romance where a smooth talker meets his match in the tough girl who (literally) sweeps him off his feet. Moral of the story:
Sometimes even bad boys need a bodyguard.
I have to admit, after loving Adorkable, I'm feeling let down by Ninja Girl. Honestly, it feels like every aspect of the plot besides the love story was only half thought out. Mean girls who hate Snow? They feel like a big deal, then just fade out a quarter of the way through the novel. Snow goes back to high school to protect Ash? Seems like it could be a goldmine, yet after the first day, it's hardly mentioned. The bad guys? SOOOOO obvious. I just didn't feel like anything was clearly drawn out—it was all just kind of filler to get us from Point A (Snow and Ash meet) to Point B (Snow and Ash get together).
I will say that O'Gorman knows how to write romance. I loved Snow and Ash together, and their "meet cute" was unexpected and adorable. But the rest of the novel—and characters—fell flat. 2-1/2 stars.
Note: There's quite a bit of swearing in the novel (no "f-bombs," but just about everything else) and a couple misuses of Jesus' name. Definitely PG-13 territory.
Buy the book.
Read my review of O'Gorman's Adorkable (4 stars).
Cookie O'Gorman writes YA romance to give readers a taste of happily-ever-after. Small towns, quirky characters, and the awkward yet beautiful moments in life make up her books. Cookie also has a soft spot for nerds and ninjas. Her debut novel ADORKABLE is out now! Her second book NINJA GIRL was released March 30,2017!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I borrowed this book and chose to review it. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
I enjoyed reading your review, and thank you for the note you added at the end. While we don't necessarily censor what our tween daughters read, we do like to steer them in the direction of clean and wholesome romance, which usually includes no swearing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for saying that, Shondra! I try to include a content note at the end of any review of a book that isn't Christian fiction or that contains content that isn't the norm for Christian fiction, just because it's what I would want to know in order to make an informed choice. I'm glad it's helped you :-)
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