Customer Reviews

Privilege

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's not fair. Ever since Ariana Osgood was arrested for the murder of Thomas Pearson, her life has been nothing compared to the luxury of how it used to be. So what if the Brenda T. Trumball Correctional Facility for Women is one of the nicer places she could've been sent? Who cares if she's still allowed to wear her precious fleur-de-lis necklace because of her father's bribery? That doesn't change the fact that Ariana is still locked up for at least twenty years. But Ariana knows she can't stay at the Brenda T. much longer; she can't stand knowing that her future has been lost. And so she waits and cleverly plots her escape, because Ariana is willing to do anything to get a second chance at a life of privilege.

As a fan of Kate Brian's Private series, I knew I had to check out its new spinoff series, Privilege. What I got was unexpected, to say the least. Privilege details the life of Ariana--once she's too far gone down sociopath lane. And I don't hesitate to use such a cruel word, because that is what Ariana has become. I could hardly feel as much sympathy for Ariana's plight, as I did in the Private prequel Last Christmas, because the way she has become was so scary. But despite the psychotic characters, I found the plot to be cleverly executed with many twists and turns. Privilege isn't a bad book overall; in fact, it's a rather solid start to Private's spinoff series. However, I would say that Privilege is as good as Private either.

Devotees to the Private series will probably want to check out this mere dangerous spinoff, as will fans of other guilty pleasure series. I recommend reading the first four installments in the Private series and Last Christmas, in that order, before reading Privilege, to better understand its background.

Having read Last Christmas I was a little hesitant to read this one but decided to see if it was any better and I was glad that I did read it. It was so much better maybe because I understood Ariana a little much better. Last Christmas gave me an insight into who Ariana was so I was better prepared with this one.

With Privilege we meet Ariana in prison doing 20 to life for having murdered the love of her life. She's still in a cushy institution but planning her escape. Ariana is still the same person she was in Last Christmas. Still thinking about her designer name products and willing to kill if she has to. We also meet Kaitlyn and Briana Leigh who we love to hate until the end.

It's a real page turner and I couldn't believe that I read it in 2 days unlike Last Christmas which I constantly put down. I would recommend getting Last Christmas or even reading a few of the Private Series before picking up this one in order to better understand this new series since they are all linked.

Being a teen isn't easy. Imagine how much harder it would be if you were a spoiled teen accustomed to the freedom of wealth, and now you're locked up for murder. That's the situation Arianna is facing in PRIVILEGE, the first in the series of the same name.

Well aware of the horrible crimes she's committed, Arianna is serving her crime in the Trumbull Correctional Facility for Women while secretly planning her way out. She's made one friend, Kaitlynn, who has made the time bearable, but Arianna still misses her previous life of means - and will do anything to have it back. The novel follows her getaway, and her plan to seek revenge on those who made her life miserable.

I won't rehash more details, but Privilege is a tolerable novel. I was intrigued by Arianna's escape and the surprising twist at the very end. Yet the time it took to get there was too drawn out because I could stand the attitudes of these girls. I think young women will like the warped girl-power theme, but the violence and murder is altogether something different.

Having read Kate Brian's Private series, I think that "Privilege" is better. There are more twists & turns that I never saw coming, & we are introduced to a whole new cast of characters. Ariana Osgood, from the Private series, is the main character, & she will do anything to break out of prison & get her former life back. Well, in "Privilege" we see that she does do anything. Even though Ariana is clearly a psychopath, she does have some human moments, so it is easy to have at least some compassion for her. Some of the things she gets away with are a little far fetched, but it all adds to the over-the-top feel of the novel.

Ariana Osgood is doing 20 to life in the Brenda T. juvenile facility for killing her former boyfriend; but she doesn't planning on staying that long.

Ariana's best friend on the inside is Kaitlynn Nottingham; a young and naive girl framed for the murder of her former best friend's millionaire father.

Ariana has devised a plan using the information that Kaitlynn has unwittingly supplied to her that will set both of them free from the Brenda T. and envelope them in a life of luxury.

The plan is set in motion the night Ariana escapes and fakes her own drowning in Lake Page.

The twist and turns that follow, however, will leave Ariana wondering whose telling the truth and who isn't. And Ariana hates liars - with her there's a severe price to pay for dishonesty.

Privilege is a book that will constantly leave you guessing. And the characters are well developed so as to give you a clear picture of who they are, but not enough to make the ending easily guessable.

The only downside to this book that I found was that the deceitful acts displayed by characters that are only sixteen years of age was giving them way too much credit. Even the most street smart of adults wouldn't be able to pull off the stunts detailed in this book; but, of course, that's the joy of fiction - it doesn't have to so real.

A spinoff of the Private (Private, Book 1)series, and a follow up to Last Christmas: The Private Prequel. Read all in order for most enjoyment.

Wow this girl, Ariana Osgood, is a real psycho. It's clear pretty quickly that she has been put in a prison for the criminally insane for a reason. To call her a sociopath would be accurate, but she also has some other issues including OCD and narcissism. This is definitely not a heroine that most girls would likely root for even as they anticipate what Ariana's next move is going to be. She's not quite as smart as she thinks she is, however, nor as astute. As she covets material things and money, she unthinkingly makes one mistake after another in her quest to achieve her lifelong dreams.

The novel is fast paced and a bit predictable but teen readers will likely be glued to the pages as they race along reading what this very bad girl is going to do next

Ariana Osgood, the infamous killer of Thomas Pearson of the Private Series is back in her own spin-off. Ariana has been spending the past two years at the Brenda T. Trumbull Correctional Facility For Women dealing with an uncaring psychologist who hates her for some reason. Her only comfort is her best friend and only in prison Kaitlynn Nottingham, who tells Ariana her own story of being framed by her best friend Briana Leigh for Briana Leigh's father's murder in Texas. She finally has her escape planned out and dated and finally does it on Fourth of July. Her plan is to go to Briana Leigh Covington, the girl who set Kaitlynn up and steal the millions she inherited from her father then break up Kaitlynn and escape to Australia. Ariana's plan comes with obstacles of course and by the end she has a new course of action.
The first book in this series wasn't the best but however it is off to a good start. Plus the other two books get much better. My only problem is that how can Ariana just dye her hair, put contacts in her eyes then viola, she looks like a totally different person that no one recognize? That's really not possible but it's okay because I guess if someone did recognize her it wouldn't be much of a series. I'm kind of wondering how this one will end, though. That alone will keep anyone glued into the series.

Grade: B-

Ariana Osgood is obviously a girl that has had everything handed to her for her entire life. There have never been any consequences to any of her actions, because Daddy just buys them off. The necklace is a perfect example. She truly believes she did nothing wrong to land her in this mental hospital. Everything is everyone elses fault. Her victims "had it coming" or "they forced her to do it". In the end she finds yet another person to blame for her actions because, as she put it "she misread the person and their intentions". Rather than just take her punishment, she finds a way out. Breaking into people's houses and complaining about the selection of clothing you have to choose from to steal, is another example of how highly she thinks of herself. When someone opens their home to her and access to everything that's theirs, all she does is complain about how it's not to her standards. Now what I found interesting was, rather than try to blend in with society and live a normal life, she decides that's not good enough, so she finds a way to pick up where she left off two years ago, and get her privileged lifestyle she's always had. But how long can she keep this up? I really liked this book because it keeps you guessing. Things aren't as they appear. I can't wait to read Beautiful Disaster.

REVIEW of Privilege by Kate Brian
By Anna R. Haze

When I read a book I look to see something that will help me better understand myself or my friends. Privilege by Kate Brown was provided to me for a review by the wonderful Simon Pulse Teen division for Simon & Schuster. I learned nothing about myself or friends but I certainly learned that I could escape into a masterfully told exciting novel. Kate is a marvelous story teller. Without being too weird this book reminded me of some of the great French masterpieces by Victor Hugo and Alexander Dumas. Not by the prose but by the intricate storytelling that defies the expected.
I never want to tell anything about a plot or give even a hint as to what to expect. Suffice it to say Ariana is not your typical girl and she should not be messed with if you value life and living. She is quick to make decisions but when she is wrong they cannot be corrected. She is conniving and ingenious and while not to be emulated she is certainly interesting.
I admit I am hooked and will order the second book In this series when it is released.

When I ordered this, I fully expected to dislike it. I am reviewing new books for a library in a new high school, and I have read some books recently that have made me cringe. I was surprised, to say the least, when I found that I enjoyed this book.

The story has been rehashed by a number of reviewers, so I will stick with the writing and subject matter. The author's writing is crisp and clean and the subject matter was appropriate for the age group intended. There is certainly male/female attraction, but nothing overt happens. There is drinking and partying in the story, but most teens have been exposed to this by this age. There were sufficient twists and turns to keep the readers attention and the plot was not as predictable as it might have been.

Overall, this is a great book for the intended age group. I believe it would be well received by average middle school and lower high school level readers. Higher level readers will not be particularly interested, but it wasn't written with that group in mind.