Behind the Hood (Behind the Lives, #1) in Buddy Read Zone

Oct 09, 2013 Jen rated it really liked it

Shelves: dark-reads, kindle-own, october-reads

I battled with my rating on this one! The writing was good, nothing to complain about..in fact more than a few times I was impressed with how Marita A. Hansen was able to transport me to the world she had created. What I mean by that, is the fact that I was reading about these teens/young adults that lived in "the hood" and their dialogue was very authentic, and I felt part of the crew!This author, in my opinion; did a bang up job on realistically creating the lives of all these "hoodlums!" Was I battled with my rating on this one! The writing was good, nothing to complain about..in fact more than a few times I was impressed with how Marita A. Hansen was able to transport me to the world she had created. What I mean by that, is the fact that I was reading about these teens/young adults that lived in "the hood" and their dialogue was very authentic, and I felt part of the crew!This author, in my opinion; did a bang up job on realistically creating the lives of all these "hoodlums!" Was the story nothing but chaos and drama?? Most definitely it was! Having a teenager living at home, I can honestly say that this is what goes on in a lot of their lives..Now, of course, in the "Hood" it is intensified by 100%; and don't forget to add the drugs, teen pregnancy, violence, and infidelity. With all of those factors considered, you have basically been told what this book is all about! That is it in a nutshell folks! Did I enjoy it? Well, enjoy is probably the wrong word..I was entertained let's say! I use to be entertained by a Jerry Springer episode as well, and believe me..I did love watching it!! LOL This book actually reminded me a lot of a JS episode, and if there was ever a teen soap opera created; the lives of all of the characters in this book would be the top candidates!!

I wouldn't even know where to begin in sharing what the "plot" is?? All I can basically say is that the story revolves around the lives of several young adults-pretty much between the ages of 14-24 years old. There are a few characters that stick out more than the others, one of them being the evil pig Tama. He is the member of his little gang, and he is a jerk way beyond anything I have ever seen. It amazes me how he justifies his behaviour of rape, violence, and just mainly being an asshole. Yet, on the flip side to that, he is loyal to his core when it comes to his family and his bros. He has such a twisted sense of values; and deep down he is just an insecure boy who is acting tough. In the beginning of this story he ends up stabbing a girl named Maia who has a brother that will kill to protect his family. This starts a whole chain of events, that lead to Tama being on the run from the cops, as well as Maia's brother Nike. I could go on and on about all of the different characters that come into play; but truly I would just confuse you and myself!! Take my word for it, if you are interested in all sorts of drama then you definitely need to read this book!

There are characters who I loved; Mikey being one of them. And once I started reading I really had to finish the story to find out what happens to everyone. Of course at the end there was a big bomb that was dropped (not literally!!LOL) and now I just have to continue on to see what will happen in the lives of these unique individuals. ( I am actually being nice when I say unique!!)I think I need a breather though, from the chaos of it all; but I will return to the Hood, and to these people's interesting lives to catch up and see what everyone is up to. Marita A. Hansen is an author I have just discovered, and so far I have enjoyed what she has written. They are not flowery lovey dovey books; but ones that never fail to entertain and keep me on the edge of my seat.
As soon as I am in the mood for a good cluster f**k, I will be picking up the next book in this one of a kind series!! I will buckle in and hang on tight, because I just know that I will be in for one hell of a ride!!! ...more

16 likes · Like · see review

Feb 17, 2012 Alexis *Reality Bites* rated it really liked it

Shelves: family-secrets-revealed, tragedy-tragic, jealousy, unexpected-twist, his-her-pov, emotional-read, jan-feb2012, betrayal, boy_meets_girl_girl_meets_boy, alpha_male

Spoiler Free Review
4 STARS out of 5
Genre: YA-Mature
Setting: New Zealand

'I HATE TAMA. UGGGGHHHH.' My personal thoughts!

I really wish i had a slang dictonary for some of these New Zealand colloqualisms, because at times i was slightly lost but i still managed to keep up. First off this book is a hard read but i knew this goin into it. Yet still i cringed at certain places during my reading.

Behind the Hood is told in 1st person by various characters through out the book. The story evolves around e ...more

11 likes · Like · see review

Oct 05, 2013 Rosanna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, contemporary

Oh. My. God.
Insane!
Amazing.

Starting book two now.

2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 11, 2013 Estelle (E) rated it really liked it

A nerve-racking and eventful life story(ies).
The first half of the book went out in a blink and the rest was sadly predictable.
However, I enjoyed it and I found it very interesting to learn about lives in that part of the globe.

1 like · Like · see review