Ninja Girl, from Cookie O’Gorman

Good day, lovelies! Welcome to my review for Ninja Girl, from Cookie O’Gorman! In case you’re recognizing the author’s name, you may have heard of Adorkable – a title that also awaits me on my KindleApp, haha! I received my copy from YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review and the time is upon us. Thank you so much, guys!! Let’s go =D

Seventeen-year-old Snow-Soon Lee kicks ass–literally. She teaches at her family-owned martial arts gym, The Academy, and cares more about training to be the next Bruce Lee than hooking up. In fact, Snow’s never even been kissed. But when Girls Night rolls around, Snow decides to prove to her friends (and herself) that she’s not just some boring tomboy. Impulsively, she kisses a hot stranger and even manages to escape his two security guards.

One stolen kiss…

Ash Stryker’s senior year sucks. His politician father pulled him out of Chariot High, separating him from his championship-winning soccer team. Now he’s stuck at a prissy private school with no friends, no team and no chance of being scouted. On top of that, thanks to the death threats his dad’s received, Ash has a security tail aka professional babysitters. When the mystery girl from the movies shows up at his school, rappelling from the rafters, Ash knows one thing: he won’t let her get away again.

One interesting job proposition…

After a seemingly random attack, Ash’s mother surprises everyone. She hires Snow to be Ash’s personal bodyguard until after the election. But can Snow’s kick-ass skills hold up against the rising threats to Ash’s family? More importantly, can Ash convince his ninja girl to screw ethics and kiss him again?

Me after finishing this book:

Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader =)

Ninja Girl was funny, entertaining and daring at the gender roles swap, but it worked out so well and naturally that we can’t even imagine it any other way. I was thankfully surprised that both main characters were likeable and that, while Ash sounded just like your typical not-as-bad-boy-as-he-thinks-he-is, Snow is a true boss. She has the personality, the sass, the everything that makes a heroin both human and perfect at the same time. Honestly, this book just didn’t make it to the big stars because of one single line that I am freaking tired of reading and that I wished it was turned illegal:

“I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding”

Anyway. Narrative, as you must have realized was first person styled (16^th book in less than a month, congrats to me. I want to die a little) with switching points of view between Snow and Ash. I liked them well enough, but again this is an “it’s me, not you” problem. Can someone seriously to God explain to me the appeal of first person narratives? I’m seriously curious and hunting for good reasons here PLEASE, HELP ME SEE THE LIGHT?!!!

The plot was interesting and had a hint of “omg what comes next now?!” that I highly appreciated. Again, as it happens with most contemporary romances, no big mysteries to solve, just pieces to put together into a main picture. Risking to sound the most cheesy panda of the blogosphere, love and teenage are mysteries on themselves, right? LMAO

Well, I also already complimented and gushed about Snow and meh-ed about Ash, so I’ll just talk about how I liked O’Gorman’s choice of protagonists. I love when really different people get caught up in a romance – the differences spice the relationship for life ;D

This cover is so cute! Definitely the first thing that attracted me towards this title and I don’t regret being fished like that at all, haha! I like the models, the elements and the position of everything – the cover is very similar to Adorkable’ in style matters, but not blatantly marked, which also wins points with me – so I’m in love with this book as a whole.

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Overall, if you like YA, contemporary romance and girls kicking some serious ass, you totally should read Ninja Girl! ❤

Thank you so much for reading this review! Also, thanks so much to YA Bound Book Tours for my review copy =D Bellow, you’ll find more info on the book and the author, an excerpt, plus a giveaway!

Ninja Girl

by Cookie O’Gorman

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Release Date: March 30^th, 3017

Ninja Girl is available in ebook format!

Amazon

“You’re kidding me, right?” Snow gestured to where Sadie was sitting in the bleachers. She had her camera out, ready to record. “Tall, beautiful, skin the color of cream. She’s basically a curvy dead ringer for Taylor Swift. Or hadn’t you noticed?”

“Sadie’s like my little sister,” I shrugged. “I could never see her that way. Plus, she’s annoying as hell. Definitely not my type.”

“Yeah, right,” she said. “And what might that be?”

“I like smart girls who can kick my ass.”

The bright flush on her cheeks told me she got my meaning. Loud and clear.

I grinned. “Know anyone like that, Snow?”

Instead of answering, she said, “Want to help me with something?”

“Anything,” I said.

She nodded and called the rest of the self-defense kids over. “Alright, guys, today I’m going to teach you how to take an assailant down. This is an important lesson. In case you can’t get away, you should know how to inflict the most damage. Ash has volunteered to be my assistant for this class.” Turning to me, she said, “Ready?”

“Sure,” I said. “What do I need to do?”

“Nothing.” There was an odd gleam in her eyes. “Just keep getting back up.”

“Okay.” She shook her head, a slow smile forming on her lips. “What?” I asked.

“It’s a good thing you like girls who can kick your ass,” she replied.

And then I was flying through the air.

After about the tenth flip, I lost track of how many times my back hit the mat. Sadie laughed the whole time, recording as Snow proceeded to smack me around. The hour seemed to drag on forever. But by the end of it, even though my body was sore, and I felt like shit, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Class dismissed,” Snow said, staring down at me, hands on hips. Her face glowed with perspiration, a line between her brows. “And what are you so happy about?”

“Thought you said you weren’t jealous,” I said back.

“I’m not,” she said, but we both knew she was lying. The way she growled and stomped off just made it that much more obvious.

And that meant I still had a shot. My smile widened.

Cookie O’Gorman writes YA romance to give readers a taste of happily-ever-after. Small towns, quirky characters, and the awkward yet beautiful moments in life make up her books. Cookie also has a soft spot for nerds and ninjas. Her debut novel ADORKABLE is out now!

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With love,