Bitch Doll - by Orfa Alarcón

My rating:

I had already read Dead Doll (another book in the series), by M.B. Brozon when I was finally able to find Bitch Doll. Of the two in the series I have read, I think I prefer Bitch Doll. Dead Doll is a fun novel, but it doesn't carry the same weight as Bitch Doll. I think that in Bitch Doll, the author treats the main themes in a much more mature way than what I saw in Dead Doll. I had also previously read Perra Brava, by Orfa Alarcón and was very impressed by her writing.

Bitch Doll focuses on the very relevant topic of bullying, both in school and online. Shanti, a student at the Secundaria 33 and the main character, discovers her talent for drawing and decides to create several comics. When she publishes some of these comic strips that make fun of her classmates on Facebook, she is forced to confront the consequences. She also has to navigate arguments with her best friend, who she has fallen in love with, and her family. This book also very clearly shows Alarcón's love of animals, an aspect that I really enjoyed, reflected in Shanti's thoughts. Even though this is a young adult book, Bitch Doll can teach all of us what it means to be friends and what family really is.

This is my fourth book for the summer reading challenge at summerreadingonline.blogspot.com and I will be using it for a book containing bullying. Also, because I read this book is Spanish, I wrote my initial Goodreads review in Spanish for practice. Feel free to check it out below if you're interested!

Ya había leído Dead Doll antes de (finalmente) encontrar Bitch Doll, y creo que de las dos prefiero Bitch Doll. Dead Doll es una novela bien divertida, pero no tiene el mismo peso que Bitch Doll. Me parece que en Bitch Doll, la autora aborda los temas principales de una manera bastante más madura de lo que vi en Dead Doll. También había leído Perra Brava, de Orfa Alarcón y su escritura me impresionó mucho.

Bitch Doll se trata de un tema muy actual, el bullying, tanto en la escuela como en las redes sociales. Shanti, una alumna de la secundaria 33 y el personaje principal, descubre su talento por dibujar y decide hacer unos cómics. Cuando publica unas tiras burlándose de sus compañeros en Facebook, tiene que enfrentar las consecuencias. Además ella maneja discusiones con su mejor amigo, de quien se ha enamorado, y con la familia. También se ve el amor que Alarcón tiene para los animales, un aspecto que me gustó mucho, reflejado en los pensamientos de Shanti.

Aunque sea una novela dirigida a los adolescentes, Bitch Doll nos puede enseñar a todos lo que siginifica ser amigos y lo que es la familia.