Book Review: MORTAL DANGER by Ann Aguirre

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Just that one line on the back of the book was enough to suck me in! I was basically already sold on this book before reading a single word about it because I know I LOVE Ms. Aguirre’s writing. Once I started reading reviews and the summary; I couldn’t wait!

Here’s the summary from Goodreads: 

 

Edie Kramer has a score to settle with the beautiful people at Blackbriar Academy. Their cruelty drove her to the brink of despair, and four months ago, she couldn't imagine being strong enough to face her senior year. But thanks to a Faustian compact with the enigmatic Kian, she has the power to make the bullies pay. She's not supposed to think about Kian once the deal is done, but devastating pain burns behind his unearthly beauty, and he's impossible to forget.

In one short summer, her entire life changes, and she sweeps through Blackbriar, prepped to take the beautiful people down from the inside. A whisper here, a look there, and suddenly... bad things are happening. It's a heady rush, seeing her tormentors get what they deserve, but things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon, the pranks and payback turns from delicious to deadly. Edie is alone in a world teeming with secrets and fiends lurking in the shadows. In this murky morass of devil's bargains, she isn't sure who—or what--she can trust. Not even her own mind..

Faust.

That’s the first thing that comes to my mind once Edie made her “deal”. Edie is literally on the edge when we meet her. She’s about to jump off a bridge when a handsome stranger stops her and takes her to a strange diner to “talk”. Kian (the beautiful stranger) offers her a bargain and she accepts. This is very much a “devil's deal” with all the strings attached and little to no knowledge about who she’s actually making said bargain with or what they can ask for in return. Is Kian the devil? (I thought so) Each “favor” comes with a price and she must use all three within the span of five years. 

The bargain Edie strikes is with a “company” that finds people in what they call Extremis (people about to snuff themselves out) and offers what seems like an amazing gift. What you discover is that it is all part of a larger “game” being played between rival factions. Intriguing? I’d say so. 

Now. Let’s talk about Kian and Edie’s relationship. Kian, who is a liaison of sorts, is assigned to watch Edie – her struggles with the High School from hell, her family and basically her entire life. He falls in love with her before they even officially meet. They have this sort of push and pull relationship that I enjoyed. He loves her but knows – because of his company ties- that he can’t be with her. He struggles to let her go and all she wants is him. 

Ultimately Edie has to make some tough choices and in the end the choice she makes could either save or destroy Kian. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mortal Danger and highly suggest it! It was new and fresh with a little bit of scary thrown in there.