Prey

by Lurlene McDaniel

A teacher is supposed to impart a love of learning and a thirst for knowledge. It’s a bit different with Ms. Lori Settles. All the kids are talking about how hot she is–and she is especially interested in Ryan Piccoli. When she starts giving Ryan extra attention, he’s feeling more than happy–at first. He’s used to being the class clown, but really he’s a loner. One day after school, the friendship with Lori Settles goes farther than he ever expected. She’s his teacher. She’s at least twice his age. Intimacy with a teacher is wrong, yet it feels so good in every way. Soon, Lori is making demands and Ryan begins to feel overwhelmed, but Ryan refuses to even admit anything is going on. Something immoral is going on and before too long the choices made will change lives forever.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Teen, Abuse

196 pages, Hardcover

First published February 12, 2008

About the author

Lurlene McDaniel (born c. 1948) is an author who has written over 50 young adult books. She is well known for writing about characters struggling with chronic and terminal illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes, and organ failure.


Other places to find her are...
https://www.facebook.com/lurlenemcdan...
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/aut...
http://www.youtube.com/user/LurleneMc

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Prey is a story about a female high school history teacher, Ms. Lori Settles who seduces her teenage student, Ryan Piccoli. It alternates between the point of view of three characters: Ryan, Ms. Settles, and Honey, Ryan's longtime friend who is secretly in love with him.

The book gets off to a promising start. We learn from the very beginning that Ryan is intentionally Lori's target. From the very first day of school, she knows that, "he'll be the One" (p. 15). Upon reading this, I felt a chill and was eager to continue reading. However, I felt the seduction happened way too quickly, and Ryan's situation didn't seem realistic. His father is a traveling salesman and is out of town four days of the week. A housekeeper cleans the house, but doesn't live there and hardly pays any attention to Ryan when she is there. It almost seems too easy for Lori to manipulate him and too easy for them to get together.

Writing in first person is challenging and probably one of the most difficult tasks to pull off well. Successfully writing from the first person point of view of multiple characters is extremely difficult (I'm thinking of Faulkner here, who I believe was a master at this). I applaud McDaniel for taking a risk here. I was interested in the relationship between Honey and Ryan and then Ryan and Lori, but McDaniel never really went deep enough with the characters. While Honey's character was needed to describe Ryan's friend's and family's concern about his sudden change in behavior, I often felt she was just an aside, an interrupter of sorts, especially when her chapters disrupted the flow and momentum of the novel.

In addition, at some points, McDaniel didn't seem to capture the teenage voice in a believable way. For example, at one point in novel, Ryan hears that a coach at the school has been asking Lori out. When Lori picks him up for a tryst, he confronts her. Here's how he describes his feelings to the reader, "Rain is pelting the windows, sluicing in long noisy rivers along the glass, like a knife cutting through my heart. The windows are fogged, moist from our breath and the heat of anger. Hot wetness swells behind my eyes. I'm acting like a jerk, but I can't help myself. I have to know the truth about her and Coach" (p. 76).

To me, language like this coming from a 15/16 year old seems inauthentic, while at other times, he's completely thinking like a teenage boy. McDaniel did, however, make Lori Settles seem to be the most authentic and consistent of the characters. We see what's going on in her mind, what makes her tick, and her deliberate plot to seduce him.

Oh, and let me address the white elephant in the room: how were the sexual encounters portrayed? McDaniel tastefully describes the seduction and subsequent encounters. Without going into detail, she leaves much to the imagination and doesn't get too graphic. But don't get me wrong--we are talking about a teacher having sex with a teenage boy. It's in the book, but I was never shocked or offended or thought McDaniel went too far. Given the sensitive subject matter, I'll leave it up to you to decide whether or not you think it's appropriate for your teen, and I would only recommend this for teens.

Overall, Prey was a good story on surface level, but it lacked the depth, consistency, and authenticity that would have made it a great story. McDaniel herself admits in the author's note that this is not typical of her writing, and I commend her for stepping outside of her comfort zone. I also admire her for addressing such a serious issue and hope that teenagers who read the book will be able to spot the warning signs if their friends start to behave differently and secretively.

[Readaholic Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is different than Lurlene McDaniel's typical books. And while no one has a terminal illness, it does touch upon a serious issue: grooming. Teacher Lori Settles decides she wants Student Ryan almost from the moment she meets him and Student Ryan decides he wants Teacher Lori Settles from the moment he meets her. I guess you're supposed to ask yourself: who preyed upon who but either way, the teacher was in the wrong and in the end, she gets in trouble. But not as much trouble as she should have.

It's told from three different point-of-views: Student Ryan's, Teacher Lori Settles' and Honey's. Who's Honey? Honey is Ryan's childhood friend who has a crush on him and who reports the relationship.

I find it interesting that Lurlene McDaniel chose to use a female teacher and a male student. I guess it makes it different but there is sexual abuse from her father also uses as an excuse for her actions (which gets her a reduced sentence). I got the feeling that Ms. McDaniel was trying to make Teacher Lori likable or get sympathy for her and I'm not crazy about that. A predator is a predator!

Overall, it's a good book that deals with a taboo subject.

[Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was interested in this book because as a child I was a big Lurlene McDaniel fan and this was something outside of her usual stories, so I decided to give it a go. As much as I hate to sound rude, I have to admit, I wish I didn't.

The teacher-student issue is something that isn't often mentioned and not something that people particularly like hearing about. I do admire that Lurlene went out of what she usually writes to talk about something more serious and something not commonly talked about.

But the characters! Oh my, the characters. They all bothered me. The book switches between three points of views, Ryan (the main character), Lori (the teacher) and Honey (Ryan's best friend who is hopelessly in love with him). Man, where do I start! Lori hates that men her age look at her like she's a piece of meat to pounce on which was her reason for liking Ryan, because he was innocent but isn't the way she's looking at Ryan the same way men are looking at her? I didn't like her because most of the things she said didn't make sense, because she was possessive over Ryan and she would act like a child to get her way. I mean, seriously? Ryan was one of those characters I wanted to smack every three pages. The way his attitude changed and how he thought he was so much better than everyone else for keeping this secret was just ridiculous. And Honey, she was just obsessed with Ryan. Completely utterly stalkerly obsessed with him.

The plot consisted of Lori's sick thoughts, Ryan's attitude and Honey's next big stalker plan. We never find out really why Lori is the way she is, or why Ryan's really attracted to her besides her body... but at least at some point Honey stops stalking him.

While I do admire that Lurlene did talk about this subject and it was apparent that she researched this subject closely, I still ended up hating the characters. I wish there had been more there between all the characters.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

”I’m a recovering victim to my teachers, a hero in the eyes of guys at my school, bad-boy attractive to girls who want to try me out.”

Totally outside Lurlene McDaniel’s normal range of writing and theme, and it kind of fell flat. It read more like a Lifetime movie than a teen novel, and the characters were too cliched. The topic wasn’t delved into as much as I would have hoped and the ramifications were non-existent.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some books take uncomfortable issues and handle them really well. This one didn't.

The first half was just some annoying, mildly sexist little smartass lusting after his teacher's hot body, his not-conventionally-attractive female best friend whining and pining after him and hating on prettier girls, and the hot teacher being creepy and gross as she plotted to fuck her underage student.

I'll admit this right here: I DO like teacher/student dynamics, but I don't actually want them to get together in a modern-day setting like this one. Or if they do, for them to do like Meiko and Namura did in Marmalade Boy and wait till the student's graduated and legal. There are other gray areas, but Ryan and Lori's relationship was disturbing on so many levels. She's possessive, clingy, she's fucked other students and made him believe he was special, she buys his love with expensive presents (meaning she must be secretly rich because teacher's salaries aren't known for being generous).

I was hating on Honey a bit for whining about Ryan and her slut-shaming deal, but honestly I was rooting for her in the end because it's clear she did it out of legit concern for her friend's well-being and because what Lori was doing was WRONG. The book didn't even treat her like she was Just Jealous, either, which I give Lurlene credit for.

Two big deal subjects come up that are basically afterthoughts: Ryan's mom killed herself when he was two, and Lori was raped by her dad and her mom didn't stop it. These are barely hinted at in the story and dumped in as exposition-y bits near the end. Also, Ryan and Lori get back together. Now, if Lurlene was going for a dysfunctional, fucked up relationship dynamic that'd be one thing but she claims to have written the book in response to the double standard about it being okay for female teachers to fuck male students if they're super hot. That...doesn't line up with what's presented.

Ryan's also a sociopathic slut, by the way. At the end he uses his experience with Lori as a means of fucking other girls, and he mentions specifically zeroing in on ones lacking confidence. So being fucked and used by his teacher turned him into a creeper, and we're still supposed to be rooting for him. If the story just had him living his life normally to prove he's not just a poor little victim that'd be one thing, but he still acts like there was nothing wrong with what happened. Him wanting her and enjoying the sex doesn't negate Lori's crime. (Oh, and she got off with a slap on the wrist because 16 is the legal age in Georgia and once Ryan turned 16 what she did to him was no longer illegal. Not sure if this is actually a thing in Georgia or the book didn't actually want to condemn Lori even though Lurlene claimed what she did was wrong.)

This book tried to be so many things and ended up being a mess.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Bestselling author Lurlene McDaniel has taken a turn from her normally heartbreaking inspirational novels to write something completely different with PREY. This time around, she tackles a once taboo subject head-on -- that of the skewed relationship between a female teacher and her young male student.

Ryan Piccoli is a typical teen. He's fifteen, a freshman in high school, has a close knit group of friends that include Joel and Honey, and a fairly average student. Although his mother died when he was still a toddler, he has a father that, although gone most of the time as part of his job, still tries to connect with him as much as he can. Things are going pretty well; he's hoping for a car for Christmas for his sixteenth birthday, he's both excited and anxious to be starting high school, he's wondering if he'll get a girlfriend. And then the unthinkable happens: he meets Miss Lori Settles, the knew World History teacher.

Miss Settles is an immediate hit at McAllister High School, at least with the male population (you'd probably get a different response from the females). She's young, she's gorgeous, she seems to understand teenagers, and she has the most important attribute that any normal male can ask for -- she's got a body to die for, and she dresses for school each day in a way that will show it to its best advantage. Suddenly, every guy in the building, from students to faculty, wants to find a way to spend time with Miss Settles.

Only Ryan gets to spend time with her in a way that no one else would ever expect. What starts off innocently enough as a request to help his teacher move furniture soon evolves into trips to a coffee shop late at night. And when those trips then turn into visits at her apartment, Ryan figures it's only right, since they obviously are in love with each other. What follows is a sexual affair that, although high in intensity, might end up burning them both in the end.

Ms. McDaniel has written a real page-turner with PREY. Once you start reading, you'll not want to stop until the last word is read. This is a book that has no clear-cut answers and, actually, has no clear sense of who has done right and who has done wrong. Pick up a copy -- you'll be glad you did.

[Arielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, the things that bothered me:
-Underground Atlanta is not a super-fun place for teenagers with a day off school to hang out, Lurlene.
-High school freshmen typically do not have drivers' licenses. Unless they've been held back.
-They also do not need to take the SATs.
-Or apply for college.
-And aside from these minor quibbles (although, really?), I was frustrated by an author's note (the second in the book!) that gave the impression that only female teachers are predators, and only to male students. I mean, really? There's never been a male teacher who took advantage of his position? OK. I'll forget that I read an article last week.
This was not the typical Lurlene fare, as she notes at the beginning. There are no diseases, no amputations, no transplants and no horrific car crashes. But you know what? She did this very well. For what it is, I mean. This is not, nor will it ever be, literature. But by the standards I have for Lurlene, she knocked it out of the park.
You have to go into it with a suspension of disbelief, of course. Ryan's mother is gone; his dad travels, leaving Ryan to essentially raise himself. There are some "reveals" as the book goes on -- particularly toward the end -- that are a little heavy-handed, to say the least. And the ultimate conclusion doesn't do enough of what it wants to do in exploring the psyche of Ryan, in particular.
But the story is largely streamlined, and sticks to the thread of Ryan's seduction by his teacher. The multiple POVs actually work, for the most part.
Could it have done a better job of showing the impact on Ryan, his friends and the school after their relationship (inevitably) comes to light? Of course. Lurlene isn't interested in consequences so much as titillation. The story is rushed, the characters could use more fleshing out, the issue is still the most important thing. But on the whole, she does it a whole lot better than I expected her to.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by Lurlene McDaniel. I always read her books when I was younger and when I read the description for Prey I knew that I had to pick up this book and give Lurlene McDaniel another try now that I am older. And her books are still as good as I remember.
The book starts off with Ryan, he has good friends, does okay in school, and is a well rounded kid. He is good friends with a girl named Honey, and Honey has a crush on him, but Ryan only sees her as a friend. Nothing more. Then comes Lori, aka Ms. Settles. She is the sexy high-heel wearing new history teacher and every guy has the hots for her. But Ms. Settles only has eyes for one. Ryan. And Ryan wants her too.
The book does get a little steamy in some places, but nothing bad for older teens to read. I actually find myself feeling kind of sorry for Ms. Settles towards the middle of the book because you can tell that she has something seriously wrong with her. She gets up at 3 AM to clean the kitchen floor and doesn't sleep. And obviously their is something wrong with her if she wants to sleep with her student.
Ryan also really likes Lori. All through the book I was wondering if he had a thing for his teacher because his mom had died when he was young and he was looking for a mother figure. Or if he found her irresistible like the rest of the guys in the school did and just wanted to be with her.
I know that I was very shocked at the end of the book and the outcome of it. Not your typical ending and what you would think would happen. But it made for a good read and I think that it fit the book. If you look at the news now and all of the cases that are going on with students and teachers, the outcome of the book sounds just like one of them.
This was a great read!

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

McMillian High School has a new history teacher, and she causes quite a stir. Lori Settles is young, smart, and sexy. Sporting skin-tight clothing and stiletto heels, she quickly becomes the center of attention for every male in the school. However, she sets her sights on her fifteen-year-old student, Ryan Piccoli. She makes plans to have him-mind, body, and soul. She's developed her plan and executed it perfectly, only she didn't expect someone to find out...

This novel deals with the taboo subject of teachers having affairs with their students. It addresses very real issues of "consensual" sex and when someone is considered a predator. It's a very intersting read, and I would have no problem placing it on my shelves, but I can't see myself using it for class discussion. To me, it's more for personal reading than intiating class dicussions. Really great read, though.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for a YA class last year and this was my review:

Summary:
A teacher engages in a relationship with a high school student.

Reaction:
I chose this book because it was by an author that I read a lot as a child. I always enjoyed her books but gave them up because they were so short. This book is quite different from her normal type of books about kids with different illnesses. This book is about a woman teacher that seduces a boy in her class. I think she did a good job addressing the subject. She didn’t go into detail about the affair but rather the impact it had on the boy. She also explains the emotional and physiological problems the woman has in order to do this. I would recommend this book but I doubt a boy would read it and it would be most beneficial to him.

[Susan Bazzett-Griffith · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was...icky. And written at too low a reading level for anyone who should even be reading about the topic of an adult sexual predator grooming and seducing a teenaged boy. I was a huge reader of McDaniel's books when I was about 9. This book shouldn't be read by children, as the constancy of sexual deviance is just too much, even if it isn't particularly graphic. While the tone of the book shows how much the predatory teacher is in the wrong and shows the disruption to the life of a teen boy bound by secrecy to cover-up his own abuse, the inclusion of Ms. Settles point of view throughout the book and the eagerness of Ryan to be her "prey" makes the moral points of the story a little too above the heads of most immature readers. I don't think the topic was covered with enough delicacy or nuance or....frankly written well enough to pull off successfully here. One star. This is a book I'd actively discourage others from reading, and that's something I rarely do.

[Isabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

well, i have read Boy Toy, Seventeen, Tampa, and this... i liked ... this book in the final raises a question by the MC who is the prey and the predator... i like this theme, in some way i try to figure, understand this kind of forbidden relation.

[Trista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryan Piccoli is your average high-school male. He's smart, good-looking and a class clown. He spends most of his free time hanging out with his two best friends, Honey and Joel. But he's also mostly a loner. His mother is out of his life and his father travels a lot for work, leaving Ryan home alone most days. Then Lori Settles, the new history teacher, enters his life. Sexy, high heel-wearing, cleavage-showing Ms. Settles is the talk of the school and has males of both the student and faculty population wanting to spend more time with her. But Ms. Settles has eyes for Ryan only. After Lori invites Ryan over to help her move furniture, their relationship quickly escalates into a sexual affair. The relationship with Lori is affecting Ryan, and his friends and father can tell something is up. As the relationship continues and Ryan becomes overwhelmed, Ryan tries to regain part of his old life. When things start to spiral out of control, both Ryan and Lori must deal with the consequences of their decisions.

Like "Boy Toy" by Barry Lyga, this book looks at the sensitive topic of a sexual relationship between a female teacher and a male student. Unlike "Boy Toy", I found that the seduction of Ryan by Lori happened extremely quickly, whereas "Boy Toy" led up to it slowly. "Prey" was a quickly paced book from start to finish and I found that it could have used another 100 pages to fully develop the storyline and characters with adequate histories and motives. However, given the low number of pages, I found that McDaniel did a good job of creating an exciting story that would grab hold of the reader's attention. I liked how McDaniel explored the non-ideal family life of Ryan's mother being gone and his father being away on business so much. It makes me wonder if the relationship with Lori would have even happened had there been someone to keep tabs on Ryan's whereabouts. I also liked how the sexual content was not very graphic and was more "off screen". I was surprised by the ending, but I thought it fit the rest of the story. Overall I really enjoyed this story and would recommend it to older teens looking to tackle a quick read on a sensitive subject. Readers are cautioned there is sexual content.

[melhara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Prey started off like a bad porn. Behold:

Super sexy new history teacher, Ms. Lori Settles, enters the classroom.
Good looking freshman, Ryan Piccoli, makes a witty/funny comment.
The impressed and smitten teacher decides that "he'll be the one". So she plots an elaborate scheme to gain his trust and make him hers.

Despite the clichéd beginning, Prey does a great job at exploring the forbidden student/teacher relationship. It touches upon the psychological reasoning and repercussions of a teacher who takes advantage of an innocent student.

Although I found the romance disturbing (as it should be), it seemed rushed at times. I also did not appreciate the brief ending, where Lurlene McDaniel felt the need to provide an analysis of why the characters behaved the way they did - it all seemed obvious enough to me. I'll just leave it at that.

[L. A. Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was unexpected…

I picked this novel up by chance after reading the synopsis on some random blog but I did not expect to like it as much as I did. The story is very well researched and Ryan’s character in particular is very fleshed out. I felt sorry for Ryan. Even in the end, you still feel like he is very confused. He’s a very likable yet sympathetic character in my eyes that gets roped into something that’s way over his head. I feel like Lori was not as sympathetic, which I think the author tried to do. I wish she was a little less calculated to make her character a little more believable but I still really thought the story had a lot of nuance and depth. I wasn’t really expecting the ending. Ryan almost loses a lot of the sympathy you have for him with the final chapter but I get the aim that it’s supposed to paint the portrait of how confused he is, symbolizing the mindset of many boys who go through similar trauma. Overall, I thought this was really well done. I had no idea this book was going to be this good.

[Chelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very short book but it was really stange how it made me feel/think psychologically. It's about a student/teacher relationship, with the perspective rotating between the two involved. The book is really well written and feels very real-- the strange part is not the relationship, but my own opinions on it. When I'm reading from the perspective of Lori Settles (the teacher), it is obvious that this is not the first time she has 'preyed' on highschool students for their sexual innocence and naivety; the whole affair is disgusting and disturbing; however, when Ryan (the student)is narrating, the relationship appears almost safe and healthy. HE is in control, and I can honestly say that, many a time, I found myself rooting for them to be together, until I was abrubtly forced into Lori's mind (and the truth of the situation) yet again. It made it easier to understand what goes on in the minds of those involved in affairs like these; I thought it was a good insight.

[bjneary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lurlene McDaniel certainly takes a departure from her other books with this slim,yet taut morsel about a young teen, Ryan, who catches the eye of a youg, sexy,new social studies teacher in his high school. Each chapter is told from one of the main character's point of view. Ryan, Lori, and Honey all tell this story of a forbidden relationship between a teacher and a young teen. The teacher Lori Settles has unreasolved issues, Ryan has has no mother and a father who travels constantly (he is alone alot) and the only one who is a normal is Honey. A great read for reluctant readers, it takes a new look at a sexual predator and prey---different from Boy Toy by Barry Lyga and so much shorter, but well worth the lessons we all can learn about dysfunction.

[Sharon Mariampillai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 2.5

This was an okay read. I just think it was not the book for me. For me, the story dragged, and that made me lose interest in what was happening. I thought the story had promise in the beginning, but then it just got confusing. Therefore, I thought the story was pretty dull.

The characters were okay. I do not think I was able to make a connection with the main characters through most of the story, so I think that made me a bit annoyed. However, I think the major problem I had with this book was the ending. The ending was so abrupt and I did not like that. Overall, a decent read.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could tell right away that it wasn't a typical book for Lurlene McDaniel. This one is about a young teacher, Ms. Settles, who starts up a relationship with one of her 15 year old students. Hm. And it is told from the point of view of the boy, Ryan, the girl who likes him, Honey, and the teacher. Interesting story, but the teacher wierded me out because I could tell right away from her points of view that she was 'scouting' for someone. I really did enjoy seeing what would happen. Although it is a short read, I would recommend this for 14 years and older according to some vage content.

[Mary Bronson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book is different from what Lurlene McDaniel usually writes, but it was very good read. I loved the plot and the characters. It is very raw and it touches on a subject that is true in real life.

[Lamaya booklit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and each time I find something new about the characters. the drama and emotions just fly off the page just so that it really makes you stop and think about the people around you and how we miss the little things I recommend this book to any one and everyone.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trashingly awesome. Lurlene McDaniel is my guilty pleasure. I'm way too old to still be reading her books, but I just can't help myself.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. Very real, as I read it, I felt as if it could almost be a non-fiction work. The world of teacher's affairs with their students...wow.

[Chez · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Which of us is the predator and which the prey?"

[Zev · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this when it first came out fifteen years ago. I was big into teacher-student romances for a few years, and wrote some stories I was really proud of. This was one of the ones I read. I had no idea who Lurlene McDaniel was and certainly just how far out of her normal wheelhouse this was. She writes three-star, skimmable books about sick teenagers who die and how sad their surviving friends and family are, with the story weighted towards the sad people but not the dying person. These premises are excellent and I like them a lot. My favorite book is a YA coming-of-age sick lit tragedy, even. I'm not knocking the genre at all. Her writing isn't for me, that's all. She's a prolific writer and has been doing this for decades, and I congratulate her on her success.
So coming back to this and seeing her name was weird. Definitely raised my eyebrows but also tipped me off to what kind of writing it would be. I plugged her name into the ebook system, in the mood for three-star books about dying teenagers. And saw this among the usual offerings. I read it to see if I still hate teacher-student romances, as I have for a decade or so. The older I got, the creepier it got. It's still creepy. I am kink-shaming, here, and I understand that.

This book was clearly based off of predator Mary Kay Laternau. I suspected it and then Seattle popped up in a conversation and I knew. For books like these...this would have been deliberate. This may have been a mishmash of different teacher-student sexual assaults IRL, shoved into this book. The teacher gets plenty of chapters dedicated to her POV. Psychotic asshat. I kept skipping her chapters and then I had to skim back over them because something plot-relevant showed up! BOO! I'm -glad- I consider McDaniel's writing three-star. If it had been five-star, I wouldn't have been able to finish this book. I felt like puking anyway. Didn't, but I felt like it. I took some extra medication, even, is how unsettling this book is to me as an adult. The victim's best friend gets chapters. I have no idea why. Her characterization was ninety percent "I love Ryan! RyanRyanRyan woe is me! I do not want to damage our friendship!" and ten percent, "Oh, I um, play basketball and also have an autistic brother but he's just kinda there and I'm not going to talk about either of these things and what they mean to me because Ryan." I got it the first time, you--sigh.

The descriptions of autism are outdated. The brother is pinned down in the book a few times, twice on the page and once off. I have no idea why he was even in the book. He added nothing to plot or characterization. Not that there was much to begin with. Ryan gets the most characterization by far. No one in this is particularly sympathetic, but if I had to pick, he would be the closest. I am so sorry that a psychotic asshat got ahold of him. She was a slobbering pervert indeed, and also--controlling. Her controlling and manipulative nature was weaved solidly into the book, and for a tiny moment I wondered how many clues i'd originally missed. I hate to say it, but I would not normally credit McDaniel with being able to write that because romance and horror are so different. Cell phones are repeatedly mentioned but it's evident that it's the cell phones of the 2000s being mentioned; not the ones people use today. This, back then, was to indicate wealth and class. It was an interesting way to do so.

I remembered the ending. The epilogue. The walking through the misty graveyard. I remember the beautiful imagery and back then, I had considered the ending haunting. Now it just gave me chills of disgust. McDaniel introduces the book and provides a postscript, both indicating in each that she disapproves of student-teacher relationships and she indicates the power dynamics. I think she was ahead of her time in that. I don't remember this being discussed the way she did in those author notes, in public back then. Now, it is, and rightfully so.
I don't know how to describe my feelings in conclusion. I mean, it was nice to revisit something i liked as a teenager with the understanding i would likely hate it as an adult. I went in fully understanding this would disgust me and possibly have me upset. I chose to read this, and chose to read it all the way through. I don't plan to read it again and don't foresee myself recommending it.

Gonna peruse McDaniel's normal offerings, though, on my ebook device. Nice, safe, return to sad teenage stuff.

[Kain · Rating 3 out of 5]

What is the purpose of a teacher? It’s to give children a love for learning and a thirst for knowledge, right? Well in the book Prey by Lurlene McDaniel. I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars. The book I will be talking about is Prey by Lurlene McDaniel. This is a book that I enjoyed.
At the beginning of the book it starts off really superb. It tells us about Ryan Piccoli, who’s an average freshman. He’s a class clown, good looking, and smart. Ryan didn't really have a lot of friends he was an outcast. He only had two good friends Honey and Joel. Ryan stays home a lot by himself because his mom is not in his life anymore and his dad is always traveling for work. When Ryan comes to school he finds out there's a new history teacher Ms. Settles. She is the talk of the school she
is an attractive person. She wears clothes that show off a little too much for a school teacher.
With this book comes a lot of wonderful things that will make you keep reading this book. It gives a lot of good details about the characters it's like you can imagine them in your head. This book always keeps on on your toes throwing you in all different directions. I liked it because it could actually happens in real life. This book wasn't awkward to read it was easy to pick up and start reading. I thought there was good lesson in this book that people can't protect what happens to them in life and you have to be ready for whatever hits you. Even though this book has a lot of great stuff in it there are also bad things in it. This book drags on it doesn't get to the end there is always something new that pops up. In this book there are parts that don’t need to be in there. When they go to the coffee shop that doesn't have to be in there because all they do is talk. There are a lot of weird that happens, just having a relationship with your teacher grosses me out. It was an awkward book to read because if you think about it you are doing things with a person that you will see everyday. It's just weird to think that someone would want to do that with a teacher and a teacher would allow it.
In conclusion this book there are somethings that are really superb things in this book. There are also some bad things. The author should have added more details so she wouldn't have to keep dragging the book on. There are also scenes that don't need to be in there. She needs to keep on track with the book and made sure she didn't add anything that didn't need to be in there. Most think that this book is awkward, and it is for the most part, but once you get into the book, it will make more sense, and will cause you to understand the character better.

[Kadence · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got "Prey" for free from my school library. I saw the spine and thought it would a horror book. Then I saw the the cover and thought, "Oh boy. It's a SPICY horror book." I couldn't have been farther from the truth. It's not horror, but it sure is terrifying...

This book is a short fast-paced read. It's goal is to teach about the double standards between male and female teachers and their students. It was supposed to spread awareness about the growing issue of Female teachers molesting their male students. That's what it was SUPPOSED to teach about, however the last of chapter the story ruins the lesson that was supposed to be taught.

Here were my initial thoughts while reading:

50 pages in, and the teacher's (Lori's) POV disturbs me. I'm scared for what is to come, the writing is bad, but I'm sure a good story lies beneath.

100 pages in. This book is disturbing and explicit. It makes me extremely uncomfortable but I will preservere. The dialog makes me extremely uncomfortable. I feel sick...

150 pages in. Lori is becoming more controlling. She is becoming more sloppy and things are coming to light. Ryan's (The main character's) friend, Honey, is starting to piece things together, but hasn't fully put everything together.

Finished. Honey exposes everything and Ryan and Lori are separated. Lori's disturbing history is revealed. The final chapter is set 2 years in the future. We get to see where Ryan is now. He has gotten therapy and it bothers me that he still believes he isn't a victim. In the end he meets up with Lori again posing the question who was the predator and who was the prey? Though Ryan was clearly a victim he still romantizes his molester even after two years of therapy.

This story had a lot of potential to talk about a important and overlooked social issue, but it did not do it's job. Poor writing, nonsensical dialog, and lack of character ruin what could have been a good informative read. Lori and Ryan's relationship managed to make me extremely uncomfortable, but it's resolution did not leave the right message the book was trying the convey.

[Damien B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prey Book Review
Prey is a very interesting book as it does not catch your attention and when you read a bit about the book you get an awkward feeling as a relationship between a teacher and student is uncommon and peculiar. But if you can skip pass that and read it, you’ll find that it catches your attention quickly as the character’s are very well developed, and the plot is very nice as you see how Ryan and Honey develop throughout the story and that's why it deserves a 4 out of 5.
A second strength that shined out bright was that we see and feel for the three main characters whose views are seen throughout the book. Ryan an above average freshman who is seen as “hot” to many characters especially the other two characters Honey, Ryans best friend and Lori Settles a thirty year old History Teacher that comes from Chicago and becomes Ryan’s secret lover.
With all that is good, there are some weaknesses. Lurlene McDaniel struggled with developing Lori as she just was clingy. She never lived a life outside of Ryan and it just made things awkward as it isn't enough to just read it. If you ever watched the Nickelodeon show Hey Arnold! and you remember (spoiler) when Helga confessed her love for Arnold, it makes you feel the way you did then watching it, as most people just felt awkward and confused.
All in all, this deserved its rating of a 4 out of 5 stars like I said if you can get past just the sheer awkwardness, then you will enjoy this but I believe this book isn't for everyone as it doesn't go into terrible much detail about things but it still is explicit.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

It pains me to rate a book by Lurlene McDaniel so low because she was a favorite author when I was young, but I didn't enjoy this. I knew going in that it's not her usual style, and she admits as much in a note to the reader at the beginning of the book. But still...

The language is a problem throughout. A teenage boy does not use the word sluicing ("Rain is pelting the windows, sluicing in long noisy rivers along the glass..."), and I don't know any adults who do either. Which is totally fine if this book were written in third person, but it's not. There are three POV characters and each one is written in first person, which gives the author the responsibility to make each voice unique (yes) and believable (no).

I also felt that the ending was rushed and huge chunks of story that were glossed over or skipped entirely. This book comes in at under 200 pages - McDaniel could have easily added more to the story to fill in some details. I was hoping that after the affair was revealed and the police got involved, the book would show at least a few more scenes, like Ryan with a therapist, and maybe parts of the trial where Ryan and Ms. Settles were questioned on the witness stand. Instead things were mentioned in passing, and then suddenly fast-forwarded three years to when Ryan turned 18 and headed to yet another clandestine meeting with Ms. Settles.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this book by Lurlene McDaniel, it was enlightening to say that there is a lesson to be learned here. Sometimes predators are prey to others before becoming a predator themselves. I found myself completely hating Lori's character, for one because she messed with a 15 year old boy being a 30 year old woman, she is supposed to be a support system for Ryan. Instead she sets her eyes on him from the first day she meets him. Later in the book you understand why she was attracted to Ryan, as truths start to unfold. There were so many situations in the book which I found myself hating and did not want to continue reading, but I learned a huge lesson from reading this. Sometimes it isn't because people are in love necessarily, sometimes there is a traumatic past that shaped them to be the way they are. As Ryan was shaped because of his involvement with his teacher. In the end, it shaped him the same ways Lori was shaped.
Great read overall, it isn't a kinky book, if many are thinking about that, but there is sex with a minor and it that makes you uncomfortable to read I would not recommend this for you, I personally loved analyzing the psychological part of this book. I give this book 4.5 stars overall.