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2.5 stars

This book was everything I thought it would be. By that I mean typical. In my younger years when I first really got into reading, somewhere around middle/high school, I loved urban street fiction. At 29 years old...not so much. I say that because once you've read one you've read them all. By looking at an average rating of 4.7 stars and all the good reviews I figured The Cartel would have been the exeption. I was sadly disappointed. It was all sex, drugs, and money to the point of overkill. It seemed to lack an editor with all the typos and a couple contradictions. What really bothered me is it seemed the authors promoted unsafe sex. And the repeated use of the same words became annoying too. And the plot line was annoyingly predictable.

I will give them credit by saying it kept my interest. Something to read after I exhaust myself from the likes of Morrison, Walker, and a list of motivational/self-help books and I'm looking for something simple to read in between books. It was a pretty good book if all you are looking for in a novel is a "pretty good book". It's not thought-provoking it's not stimulating. No imagery, simile, or metaphors. No beautiful language. It's no Toni Morrison novel. All you get is big butts, thick thighs, long hair, etc. The authors seem really shallow as well. They seem colorstruck imply being mixed with dominican and black or being light-skin equates to beauty. Also, everything has to be designer. They can't just say she had on a red strapless dress with black shoes, it has to be a red Gucci dress, with black Fendi Manolos and a black Hermes bag. They can't just get in their car. No he has to put his Prada shades over his head while stepping into his black Benz. Even the mother's pajamas were designer. It's like we get it they are "hood rich". All throughout the whole entire book I felt like I was reading a designer magazine it was actually annoying.

*SPOILER ALERT FROM HERE*

I also don't think it has enough character development at the beginning to allow the reader to really care about the characters. For instance, the Dad died too quickly. The prologue was awkward considering three chapters later it picked up at the prologue which, to me, means the prologue was unnecessary. They didn't allow us to get to know the father but I think we were supposed to care about him. I didn't care when Miamor nearly died at the end because her story wasn't well developed, nor did I care when the mom died. I didn't care when anyone died. The only character who I liked was Young Carter. Actually I may have had a baby crush on him but that's another story lol. I haven't had a crush on a character since Midnight in The Coldest Winter Ever! Also, I thought it was too much killing in this story. Most of it unnecessary. And way too much sex for me. Especially considering all the sex scenes were extremely long and drawn out, yet exactly the same as the last sex scene. The authors aren't very creative. And a lot of the story line didn't make since. it was just ok. But considering Ashley and JaQuavis are so young perhaps they have time to grow in writing.