The thing about this book, about a girl who is sick of people being sexually assaulted by their peers, is that the main character was already super-capable before the book even started. And because of that, she reminded me too much of other super-capable (read: boring) heroines like Celeana Sardothian, so tough that no one in their right mind would mess with them - and therefore the boys who do are obviously not in their right mind, ie villains. Hadley already knows self-defence and hasn't been victimised herself, yet heroically and selflessly decides to take it upon herself to deliver vigilante justice to these rich white assholes who are getting away with assault on account of being rich white and male. The whole thing just felt so much like it was written for Wattpad, or it was one of those popular self-insert fics about fae or werewolves or whatever.

To top off all that, I also thought the writing wasn't particular stellar. This confused me, since I thought Kady Cross was a popular author. Then I remembered you don't have to be any good to be popular. And it's not that she was a bad writer, it's just that the word choices and the way the words were strung together didn't lend for a particularly interesting or engaging first half. It was all telling, not showing. There was no emotional connection with the character. It was all action, no reflection, no growth. Hadley as a character didn't change. She was in the exact same place mentally and emotionally in the opening pages of the book as in the closing pages.

However, there was something about this book. I just didn't hate it. The villain may have been two steps away from twirling an evil moustache, her parents were wilfully negligent and excused it by being victims of patriarchy, and the heroine was very much up on her high horse without much reflection or growth - because she was already super-powerful and super-capable, remember. A rapist lurked on every street and she just happens to pass by and save the victims.

I don't even want to talk about how important the message is, because victim shaming and victim blaming shouldn't happen in an ideal world. It's great that the girls in this novel banded together to be there for one another. Girls have to learn to defend themselves because guys are shit, and only the good guys recognise that girls shouldn't have to do this because it's the men who chooses to hurt women.

I just felt like the execution was simplistic and clumsy, especially since I've been reading less popular but better written books that deal with similar themes.

I just want to point out that it’s 2022 and I am reviewing an ARC of this book I received from Netgalley in 2016 in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. It’s been a long time coming, with other review books getting prioritised over this one, the actions of which I regret. I’m working through my old ARCs because I feel bad for never getting to them.

There's no way around it - this novel is about rape, and suicide after the justice system fails victims and survivors. Vigilante confronts these issues head-on. And probably the most devastating thing about the book is that even though it was published in 2017 and written likely a year before that...it still feels contemporary. Like it could happen now in 2019. And, worse, chances are it will continue to be timeless for years to come.

The victim-blaming. The victim-shaming. Just a few days ago, an online personality was murdered - and comments claimed that she'd done shoddy things in her life.

That is irrelevant. She did not deserve to be murdered.

It's a cruel world when vigilantes obtain more justice for victims than the legal system does. The novel addresses the classism, though it unfortunately neglects the racial aspect. The four rapists are white, as far as I could tell. Judging by her surname, Magda Torres was Latina. (And yes, the novel is quite cis-normative.)

There's a hopeful thread in the form of free self-defense classes marketed for teen girls. The bond these girls form - and that with their instructor, a police detective - is wonderful to read. How they vow to look out for one another, and anyone else who might be in danger.

On Twitter, the author said that Vigilante was the start of her "feminine rage" novels. She's continued that in the form of adult thrillers published under the name Kate Kessler - four of which I've read and can recommend, and others on my wish list.

This is a tough one for me. On the one hand I think it is brutally honest, and an incredibly important topic. A topic that should be more addressed in schools among young boys and girls. And the empowering message behind this book is brilliant and inspiring - the classes allowing girls to learn to defend themselves physically, and taking control of their own bodies and minds. On the other hand, by the end of it, I'm just not sure how I felt about it. If I start talking about it I do have so many good things to say about the book, and I can't quite work out what it is I didn't necessarily like about it - maybe I wasn't totally loving the budding romance between Hadley and Magda's brother Gabriel. It felt too...clean? Too out of place? I understand the connection they felt in their shared grief, but I maybe didn't feel like this story really needed a romance, and therefore I found it a little off-putting. However, I will say that it was nice to have a little bit of light in an otherwise very dark novel.

I also felt - though self defense is MAJORLY important, and it would be nothing but useful - that this book gave off the vibe of self defense being the only option. Obviously I doubt that was the author's intention, and it could be a character and plot choice, but I think education on the topic is important for both sides - self defense for girls and boys (as both can be victims), and respect from boys and girls (to hopefully help stop it from happening in the first place, in a perfect world).

This is my first Kady Cross book, and though I did find it immediately engaging and readable, there were just a few instances that didn't gel with me. I will say though, that I did really feel the emotions behind the characters - I felt the raw helplessness that Hadley and Gabriel felt near the start - the blend of anger, grief and confusion - it was very well written. I understood Hadley's desire and determination to do something about a system that failed her and Magda.

Overall, I think a lot of people would find this book quite confronting. It doesn't breeze over hard topics, and it doesn't skim over details. So, I'd give this a trigger warning. But I am glad to see there are books on this topic around - I think it's important for discussion.

Intense, confronting, a page-turner!

Vigilante is a story about girl power or to put it more accurately, it’s about empowering females. It’s an action-packed, easy to read and unputdownable read. The story can be quite confronting and disturbing as it involved detailed sexual assault and dealing with suicide. Our protagonist, Hadley is like any normal high school girl looking forward to senior year but when her best friend Magda committed suicide after being raped by multiple boys at a party, Hadley was distraught by the gravity of what happened. Since the legal system was unable to deliver the appropriate justice against Magda’s attackers, Hadley decided to dish out her own brand justice on each of Magda’s attackers, she began masking herself as the anonymous Pink Vigilante. Vigilante promotes self-protection and defense against sexual assault. At a deeper level, Vigilante warns of the consequences of taking justice into your own hands. The story touches upon the use of social media for bullying, illustrates the power of women when they support one another, and advocates the importance of correcting societal biases and assumptions against women. I recommend this book for those who wants to read about girl power, “victor not victim” storyline and for those who enjoys a good revenge story. It is a satisfying story as the villains definitely got what they deserved. After reading this book, I was seriously considering taking self-defence classes!

*Blog scheduled to be published on 9 May 2017.