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Thirteen is a distinctly average young adult thriller. A mysterious group is chasing schoolboy Adam, determined to kill him before the New Year after which all of their hope will be lost. He needs to figure out why while also remaining alive. [b:It may sound familiar|7066732|January (Conspiracy 365 #1)|Gabrielle Lord|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1422243122s/7066732.jpg|7319357].
Unlike some other takes on this plot device, both the protagonists and the reasons are revealed upfront. Following on from Adam, Isaac and Jesus, the new Adam is thought to be the fourth and final imposter, born two thousand years apart, who needs to be killed to usher in a new kingdom. Adam was born at the stroke of midnight in the year 2000 and must be killed before his fourteenth birthday on January 1, 2014. The relevance of the age seems to come from the author having the idea in 2013 and making everything else fit.
Were it not for the striking cover and bright page gilt edges, I mightn’t have bothered. But let’s be fair, it does look pretty snazzy from any angle: front, back and sides.
Knowing it’s just some insane bampot after Adam, and the reasons why, remove any real sense of mystery and so the focus must simply turn to Adam avoiding death. It’s fast-moving and action-centred, with little time wasted on exposition and introspection but fundamentally it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. For the most part, it’s a predictable sequence of near-misses and lucky escapes with weeks skipped at a time when it seems the author was getting a bit fed up.
This changes in the fifth and final part of the book. With the finale looming, Hoyle saves his best until last. Some of the latter sequences are written almost cinematically, with the climaxes playing out brilliantly in your mind, and there’s enough time for the odd unexpected twist.
Adam is very much your generic normal-kid-framed-for-murder-and-on-the-run archetype who doesn’t muster much in the way of affection or interest. Even his dialogue is generic. There are a few too many references to popular youth culture in the early chapters that make it look like poor old Mr Hoyle Googled “what do kids talk about?” and shoehorned in a whole checklist. However, there is something touchingly innocent about Adam’s friendship with Megan in a coming-of-age way and that bond is something that you can and do root for.
Overall, Thirteen doesn’t deliver anything particularly new, and its predictability gets in the way of any genuine tension or suspense for the most part. But it’s equally harmless, and passes an hour or two without requiring much effort.
Unlike some other takes on this plot device, both the protagonists and the reasons are revealed upfront. Following on from Adam, Isaac and Jesus, the new Adam is thought to be the fourth and final imposter, born two thousand years apart, who needs to be killed to usher in a new kingdom. Adam was born at the stroke of midnight in the year 2000 and must be killed before his fourteenth birthday on January 1, 2014. The relevance of the age seems to come from the author having the idea in 2013 and making everything else fit.
Were it not for the striking cover and bright page gilt edges, I mightn’t have bothered. But let’s be fair, it does look pretty snazzy from any angle: front, back and sides.
Knowing it’s just some insane bampot after Adam, and the reasons why, remove any real sense of mystery and so the focus must simply turn to Adam avoiding death. It’s fast-moving and action-centred, with little time wasted on exposition and introspection but fundamentally it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. For the most part, it’s a predictable sequence of near-misses and lucky escapes with weeks skipped at a time when it seems the author was getting a bit fed up.
This changes in the fifth and final part of the book. With the finale looming, Hoyle saves his best until last. Some of the latter sequences are written almost cinematically, with the climaxes playing out brilliantly in your mind, and there’s enough time for the odd unexpected twist.
Adam is very much your generic normal-kid-framed-for-murder-and-on-the-run archetype who doesn’t muster much in the way of affection or interest. Even his dialogue is generic. There are a few too many references to popular youth culture in the early chapters that make it look like poor old Mr Hoyle Googled “what do kids talk about?” and shoehorned in a whole checklist. However, there is something touchingly innocent about Adam’s friendship with Megan in a coming-of-age way and that bond is something that you can and do root for.
Overall, Thirteen doesn’t deliver anything particularly new, and its predictability gets in the way of any genuine tension or suspense for the most part. But it’s equally harmless, and passes an hour or two without requiring much effort.
The very first thing that hit me as I started reading this book was that it was not at all ‘YA’ material, or if it is then the very young YA readers. The main character Adam and all his friends are thirteen years old or there about. A lot of the issues he deals with (asides from a crazy cult hunting him down of course) are therefore very…I want to say innocent? I found it almost cute with the way he looked at life and how he felt about bullying as well as his best friend (kind of sort of turned girlfriend) Megan aka Meg. In that sense it was very much a younger children’s book. However, on the flip side, about half way through this book becomes really rather dark and sinister, a lot more so than would be expected in a younger child’s book which is why its YA I guess. This dark, twisted side was actually my favourite half of the book, as the story really picked up and started to live up to its scary potential that was portrayed in the blurb.
The writing was really great in this book. Hoyle manages to put us into a thirteen year old’s mind set really well, paying attention to the smaller details that allowed us to see Adams horror and fear at the situations he was placed in and the strength he had in getting past that and being extremely brave for a kid. It was a little bit basic in some parts and I felt the descriptions could have been a little more detailed at times but on the whole it kept you reading and even depicted a little of the good old British slang!
The story is set in England, London and I felt that the writer was true to his location and didn’t just skim over the details of the setting. He describes London and weaves iconic buildings and tube stations and other elements well into the story, really giving it an authentic feel. The characters were great, both the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’. Coron was a brilliant crazy cult leader. I loved how Hoyle showed us just how whacky he was, and how he believed everything he said to be true, but at the same time put just enough emphasis on the fact that Coron was in fact crazy and hallucinating. Adam was a really likeable character, and the way he fantasised about being a hero before talking sense into himself was really cute. He was very well rounded and definitely made me feel for him. Also, the recurrence of the number 13 and its link to just about everything in this book was a great concept and added a feel of superstition to it.
Overall, this book was definitely not what I was expecting, however it was still an enjoyable read with a great plot and characters to match. It is definitely something I would recommend for a younger, male reader who enjoys books such as The Recruit by Robert Muchamore. I’ll probably have to pick this up in its beautiful paperback form for my little brother!
The writing was really great in this book. Hoyle manages to put us into a thirteen year old’s mind set really well, paying attention to the smaller details that allowed us to see Adams horror and fear at the situations he was placed in and the strength he had in getting past that and being extremely brave for a kid. It was a little bit basic in some parts and I felt the descriptions could have been a little more detailed at times but on the whole it kept you reading and even depicted a little of the good old British slang!
The story is set in England, London and I felt that the writer was true to his location and didn’t just skim over the details of the setting. He describes London and weaves iconic buildings and tube stations and other elements well into the story, really giving it an authentic feel. The characters were great, both the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’. Coron was a brilliant crazy cult leader. I loved how Hoyle showed us just how whacky he was, and how he believed everything he said to be true, but at the same time put just enough emphasis on the fact that Coron was in fact crazy and hallucinating. Adam was a really likeable character, and the way he fantasised about being a hero before talking sense into himself was really cute. He was very well rounded and definitely made me feel for him. Also, the recurrence of the number 13 and its link to just about everything in this book was a great concept and added a feel of superstition to it.
Overall, this book was definitely not what I was expecting, however it was still an enjoyable read with a great plot and characters to match. It is definitely something I would recommend for a younger, male reader who enjoys books such as The Recruit by Robert Muchamore. I’ll probably have to pick this up in its beautiful paperback form for my little brother!
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Actual rating: 3,5 stars.
It was easy and exciting, but it fell a bit short on some aspects and I felt that the characters were a bit weak. The cult aspect is very interesting.
It was easy and exciting, but it fell a bit short on some aspects and I felt that the characters were a bit weak. The cult aspect is very interesting.
I love the mystery behind this book. However, I'm not sure how I feel overall. I admit, it was a brilliant book, and I'm glad my sister bought me it as a birthday present, I just feel like it lacks something.
The ending was perfect. I love the suspense and it really does make me want to read the sequel, but I don't know. It's missing something! I did feel that some parts of the book felt like a thirteen year old boy wouldn't be able to do, but overall I really enjoyed it.
The ending was perfect. I love the suspense and it really does make me want to read the sequel, but I don't know. It's missing something! I did feel that some parts of the book felt like a thirteen year old boy wouldn't be able to do, but overall I really enjoyed it.
What was this......??
I will be honest, the writing style was a warning that it was going to be a weird book. I did finish it, which is an achievement in itself, but I spent the whole time wondering what the absolute fuck was going on.
I finished it.... and I still don't know.
Just.... Just don't.
I will be honest, the writing style was a warning that it was going to be a weird book. I did finish it, which is an achievement in itself, but I spent the whole time wondering what the absolute fuck was going on.
I finished it.... and I still don't know.
Just.... Just don't.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes