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deedralapray's review
4.0
When a Shusterman came up on the audible daily deals, well, of course, I have to buy it. Neal is top notch, as far as I'm concerned, for YA dystopia. He creates these world and realities that are just mindblowing.
I've never been that interested in Full Tilt, but I just couldn't pass up this deal. As per usual, it did not disappoint. I loved this thrill ride of a book! Blake is headed to college, but he is spending his last summer making memories with his friends and little brother. The fun times come to a screeching halt when they enter an amusement park that means life or death. Fun, thrilling, quick read.
I've never been that interested in Full Tilt, but I just couldn't pass up this deal. As per usual, it did not disappoint. I loved this thrill ride of a book! Blake is headed to college, but he is spending his last summer making memories with his friends and little brother. The fun times come to a screeching halt when they enter an amusement park that means life or death. Fun, thrilling, quick read.
alewo27's review
4.0
This was my second Shusterman book. It didn't nearly compare to Unwind, but it was still a fantastic book. Both a fun, exciting read and a real personal journey for Blake, the main character. Blake goes to a carnival where the only rule is you must ride 7 rides before you leave... which happens to be easier said than done with the rides are designed to scare, confuse, and trap you. It was a very quick read and I would highly recommend it.
hastings91's review
4.0
3.65/5
I quite enjoyed this book! The writing was excellent and I found the different themes it explored to be really great as well. This is the second thing I've read by Neil Shusterman (the first was Darkness Creeping,which I also really liked), and it's cemented the fact that I really need to read more of his stuff. I absolutely adore how hauning, yet achingly strange and beautiful his writing style is! I also just love the concept of a magical amusement park where all the rides are based on a persons fears, like, that's pretty cool! I also really like the family dynamics in here. It's been a while since I've read about a sibling relationship as entertaining and interesting as that of Blake and Quinn! And the antagonist Cassandra is one of the most interesting and deliciously evil Villains I've ever had the privilege of reading about. However, I did have a few issues with it. It felt a tad anti-climatic, for one thing. And even though I found all the characters to be very interesting and well developed, I did not particularly bond with any of them. I know a lot of people feel like this book should have been longer, and I sort of agree with them. I also feel like this book could have been better if their were multiple perspectives
in it. I think that would have helped me bond more with the characters. I also think it would have given us a better understanding of how the park works. I mean, we know that a lot of the magic in the park is interpretation all, and that what each rider see's is different. I'm curious to know just HOW different.
I quite enjoyed this book! The writing was excellent and I found the different themes it explored to be really great as well. This is the second thing I've read by Neil Shusterman (the first was Darkness Creeping,which I also really liked), and it's cemented the fact that I really need to read more of his stuff. I absolutely adore how hauning, yet achingly strange and beautiful his writing style is! I also just love the concept of a magical amusement park where all the rides are based on a persons fears, like, that's pretty cool! I also really like the family dynamics in here. It's been a while since I've read about a sibling relationship as entertaining and interesting as that of Blake and Quinn! And the antagonist Cassandra is one of the most interesting and deliciously evil Villains I've ever had the privilege of reading about. However, I did have a few issues with it. It felt a tad anti-climatic, for one thing. And even though I found all the characters to be very interesting and well developed, I did not particularly bond with any of them. I know a lot of people feel like this book should have been longer, and I sort of agree with them. I also feel like this book could have been better if their were multiple perspectives
in it. I think that would have helped me bond more with the characters. I also think it would have given us a better understanding of how the park works. I mean, we know that a lot of the magic in the park is interpretation all, and that what each rider see's is different. I'm curious to know just HOW different.
banrions's review
3.0
I have a thing for circuses and carnivals, I'm not quite sure why, I've only ever been to one (rather shitty) one when I was little. But something about them fascinates me, always has. In particular, movies, books, and tv shows that revolve around them always grabs my attention. This novel revolves around a carnival, but it is not just any carnival. This carnival takes prisoners. You must have an invitation to enter, and you have to make it threw seven rides before dawn, or you are stuck there forever. The rides are not all that normal, they appear to be, but once you get on them, they are deadly, somehow drawing on the riders worst fears in the most horrible ways. The narrator for this novel is a teenager named Blake. He lives in a small town with his mother, her revolving door of boyfriends and his maniac of a little brother Quinn. Blake is the good kid. He got a scholarship to Columbia in NYC, drives safely, keeps his room neat, doesn't hurt people's feelings, thinks before he acts, etc. His little brother, is the exact opposite. After going to a carnival with his two friends, Maggie and Russ (Quinn tagging along) Quinn has an attack that seems like an overdose. While he is rushed to the hospital, all Blake can think about is the invitation to a different carnival that he received on the way home. Somehow, he knows Quinn is there. He and his friends go back to save Quinn and Blake ends up learning a hell of a lot about himself. A lot to do with an accident he was in on a school bus when he was seven.
Its a short novel, only about 200 pages, and its a quick read. The characters are believable and interesting. But what I really liked about it was how thoughtful and interesting Blake's narration was. It makes you think about fear, and survival and what can make people tick. It was an interesting read.
Its a short novel, only about 200 pages, and its a quick read. The characters are believable and interesting. But what I really liked about it was how thoughtful and interesting Blake's narration was. It makes you think about fear, and survival and what can make people tick. It was an interesting read.
ldickol's review
3.0
3.5 I enjoyed it I wish there was a bit more character development but a fun impactful read.
ljesica's review
5.0
This one was a wild ride! (pun intended)
I think I say this every time I read a Shusterman book, but the man is a genius. I really love his books. They're all so different but so brilliant.
In this book, 16 year old Blake, his two best friends, and his 13 year old brother Quinn find themselves in a haunted carnival that wants their souls. The only way to escape is to survive 7 rides before dawn. Nobody has escaped before.
This book is about confronting your fears and keeping your mind from slowing you down. I think my favorite "ride" was the hall of mirrors. Except instead of just seeing yourself fat, you see your greatest insecurities magnified. This book is written for younger readers and I think it's such an important lesson to learn. That the cruel voice in your head isn't always right or real or even close to accurate.
In the end, it's a story about loving and trusting yourself, it's a story about friendship and it's a story about family and love.
I really liked it.
I think I say this every time I read a Shusterman book, but the man is a genius. I really love his books. They're all so different but so brilliant.
In this book, 16 year old Blake, his two best friends, and his 13 year old brother Quinn find themselves in a haunted carnival that wants their souls. The only way to escape is to survive 7 rides before dawn. Nobody has escaped before.
This book is about confronting your fears and keeping your mind from slowing you down. I think my favorite "ride" was the hall of mirrors. Except instead of just seeing yourself fat, you see your greatest insecurities magnified. This book is written for younger readers and I think it's such an important lesson to learn. That the cruel voice in your head isn't always right or real or even close to accurate.
In the end, it's a story about loving and trusting yourself, it's a story about friendship and it's a story about family and love.
I really liked it.