The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl's struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone--especially yourself--you fight for it.



I was SO thrilled to finally have a copy, especially after reading so many fab reviews. In fact, it was on my highest priority wishlist since early buzz.


The Mockingbirds has a lot of components that appeal to me like mad: boarding school, mysterious society, fierce vigilante justice with a traumatised but strong and sympathetic main character (for that emotional impact).

First off ~ the first chapter is intriguing. The prose utterly appealing ~ kind of sparse and sharp and a little bit ache-y. I liked that. I really liked that.

I also loved all the little references to ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and I adored the music stuff ~ the Mozart, the piano playing and the passion for classical music. It was really well-expressed and very cool. 


There's no doubt it is an issue book and a thought-provoking read which many discussions could stem from.

However, as the book progressed, I found myself not caring much due to not being able to connect to the characters. I don’t know what it was about Alex that just made not feel anything, really, about her plight. Because I think date rape is horrific (as anyone would). Yet she was so distanced from me, I couldn’t feel her emotions. Oddly, I didn’t feel compelled by her story. 

The supporting characters all seemed interchangeable with each other ~ none of them rose above just being characters in a book. They felt a little flat and one dimensional. The love interest had no real spark ~ he seemed created to be the perfect match for what Alex was going through. There was a lack of romantic tension and chemistry between them, although I could see why he was the perfect personality and temperament to support  Alex during the book

Because I didn’t connect to the characters, I wasn’t whisked into the story and it made it harder for me to suspend my disbelief regarding the set-up of the novel. For this kind of premise ~ I really need to be engaged and rooting for the main character which unfortunately didn’t happen for me. Little things regarding the plot snuck in and bugged me and I really didn't get some of the choices characters made. (I won't go into here b/c of spoilers).

I am obviously in the minority here. There’s mostly high ratings at goodreads and glowing reviews around the blogosphere ~ yet reading through a lot of them it seems some people are all pumped up about the importance of this book in addressing date rape. It makes me wonder if people liked the book due to the powerful message or if they genuinely had a brilliant time reading it, you know? 


This is what I thought The Mockingbirds would be: a powerful, heart-felt, intriguing and emotional read. I think for many people it may be ~ it is beautifully written and the pacing is done well. I dont know why I felt so bored and distanced apart from some books work for some people and don't for others.

I did like the idea and kudos to the author for tackling such an intense and relevant subject. The prose was well written (perhaps a similar vibe to Courtney Summers) so I’d still consider reading Daisy Whitney’s future books* ~ I guess I’m just disappointed I didn’t connect more to this title. Unfortunately, I found myself... kinda bored while reading this :/


However, if this premise still interests you, you should give it a go ~ you might connect with it much more than I did. My main lack of interest came from not really caring for the characters and therefore not caring about the predicament they were in. The actual book is well written :)


* although she is working on a sequel to this title, so I prob won't be checking that one out...


For a similar opinion: 
Books Love Affair
Wondrous Reads
A Readers Ramblings


For a different Opinion: 
Holes in My Brain
Steph Su Reads
The Tales Compendium


The Mockingbirds @ goodreads


And a HUGE thanks to the coolest Jess for giving me this copy :D (even though I didn't love it, haha)