Pretty Fierce

by Kieran Scott

Overview

Her past isn't all that she's hiding…

Kaia has been on the run her whole life. The daughter of professional assassins, she knows danger—and she'll do anything to survive. After her parents vanished during a job gone bad, Kaia's spent the last year in hiding, trying to blend in as an ordinary teenager, and there's no one who makes her feel more normal, more special, than her boyfriend, Oliver.

But when she's jumped by a hit man and Oliver catches her fighting back, Kaia's secret is exposed. In a split-second decision, she flees her small town, taking Oliver with her. With hit men stalking their every move, can Kaia and Oliver protect each other long enough to uncover the mysteries of her past?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492637981
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	04/04/2017
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Kieran Scott is the author of several acclaimed young adult novels, including the Non-Blonde Cheerleader Trilogy, the He's So / She's So Trilogy, the True Love trilogy, and Geek Magnet. She also wrote the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Private and Privilege series under the pen name Kate Brian. Kieran lives with her husband and their two sons in New Jersey. You can follow her on twitter @kieranscott, instagram @kieransscott or visit her website at www.kieranscott.net

Editorial Reviews

"The story [is] engrossing and difficult to set down. Also notable is the equality of the sexes, in terms of risks taken and grit required, a valuable lesson for all readers to consider." — School Library Connection

"a pulse-pounding climax" — The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"a fast-paced page-turner that combines elements of a thriller with romance." — School Library Journal

"A fun, fast read." — Manhattan Book Review

"Scott delivers a zippy narrative that downplays romance. The result is a story with all the driving suspense of a spy thriller. She divides the narrative between Kaia and Oliver in alternating first-person chapters, creating interesting, well-rounded characters." — Kirkus Reviews

"fast-paced, Jason Bourne-esque story" — Booklist

From the Publisher

02/01/2017
Gr 8 Up—Kaia has spent the past year trying to live as a normal teenager. Even the people closest to her don't know anything about her past, which is anything but normal: she is the daughter of professional hit men. When a job goes wrong and her parents are nowhere to be found, Kaia goes into hiding, trying to pass as an average high schooler. Fellow student Oliver is a great distraction, and together they share ordinary teen experiences until the day that Kaia is attacked by her parents' enemies and Oliver witnesses the whole thing. Now Kaia's secret is out, and she must take Oliver with her on the run as she escapes. Though Kaia's particular experiences will be foreign to almost all teens—having assassins as parents, attempting to take down a drug cartel—the struggles she faces with her identity and relationships with her parents and with her boyfriend feel universally real and relevant. Told in alternating viewpoints, with well-integrated flashbacks to Kaia's previous life, Scott's novel is a fast-paced page-turner that combines elements of a thriller with romance. VERDICT This title leads readers on an exciting journey to uncover the truth of the protagonist's past. Recommended for general purchase.—Caitlin Wilson, Brooklyn Public Library

School Library Journal

2017-02-01
Kaia is the daughter of professional assassins whose final job went bad and killed them both. Now, however, Kaia has some reason to believe that her mother might be alive, and she sets out with her boyfriend, Oliver, to find out.Fortunately, Kaia's parents trained her in some of their methods, and Kaia knows where their safe houses are. After a mysterious man attacks her, asking the whereabouts of her mother, Kaia decides that she must find her. With Oliver, who has learned to survive an abusive foster father, she makes her way to the first safe house, where they find abundant cash, weapons, and a convenient, unremarkable car. However, it seems they're being tracked—and attacked—as they travel. Narrowly winning fights and continuing to evade their pursuers, they finally and surprisingly meet with Kaia's uncle, who knows exactly what has happened to Kaia's mother and where she is. Despite the extreme danger, the trio travels there in an attempt to find her. Of course, it may be that Kaia herself doesn't know the whole truth. Scott delivers a zippy narrative that downplays romance. The result is a story with all the driving suspense of a spy thriller. She divides the narrative between Kaia and Oliver in alternating first-person chapters, creating interesting, well-rounded characters. Oliver appears to be white, while Kaia is of at least half-Mexican heritage. A page-turner. (Thriller. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews