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katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
If you can unhook your most sceptical neurones and just enjoy the ride, this is great entertainment. It's almost like several books in one - there is a Twilight element of slightly overblown romantic love, there's a chase, a spy thriller, a political plot, a kidnapping, and the world's smartest dogs. Phew!
A very smart chemist, whose skills have been used in the past for some morally dubious acts (involving torture - warning, we do get some rather painful scenes) has been on the run for years from her former employers, out to get her. She is constantly on the watch, with tricks up her (literal) sleeves. When she is approached with an olive branch and asked to help these same employers who claim the world is in danger from a biological threat, the good doctor weighs up her options and agrees to interrogate their suspect, using her favoured methods.
The thing is, when she 'bumps' into him, there's a 'chemistry' between them, and it's not one she's artificially created. But he wants to kill millions...
And that is just the start of this action-packed brick of a book. It did feel rather full but I didn't feel it was bloated with storylines, they did tally well together. Juliana (who uses many names throughout the book) can be a little annoying - she's paranoid (with good reason), brittle and brusque, but she's also a great fighter, scientist and lead character.
As with Meyer's Twilight series, the love element of the book starts quite strongly but tails off into lovelorn longing after a while, leaving the other elements of the story to take over with more interesting matters. Fine with me - non-stop action, it felt like Mission Impossible and The Fugitive rolled into one.
The supporting cast were probably stronger than some of the leads, though I don't want to go into detail for fear of giving away twists. There's a chemistry between some characters that I found more realistic than that between the two leads as well.
I read this over the Christmas period, wanted to move more quickly through it actually, but it was a very entertaining read, and could make a great film or TV series. Plenty of action and both women and men will find a character to relish I think, there are some great set-pieces and climaxes.
It's not high-brow literature, but it's a great read, good fun. Twilight fans who are still teenagers might transfer over to adult novels with this nicely, there are some familiar themes of dependence and obsessive love here that will feel similar, and it feels like an action movie you'd see at the cinema.
Holds the strands and multiple aspects together well, I loved the technology and chemical plots, and the use of a very gritty and strong woman as lead.
A very smart chemist, whose skills have been used in the past for some morally dubious acts (involving torture - warning, we do get some rather painful scenes) has been on the run for years from her former employers, out to get her. She is constantly on the watch, with tricks up her (literal) sleeves. When she is approached with an olive branch and asked to help these same employers who claim the world is in danger from a biological threat, the good doctor weighs up her options and agrees to interrogate their suspect, using her favoured methods.
The thing is, when she 'bumps' into him, there's a 'chemistry' between them, and it's not one she's artificially created. But he wants to kill millions...
And that is just the start of this action-packed brick of a book. It did feel rather full but I didn't feel it was bloated with storylines, they did tally well together. Juliana (who uses many names throughout the book) can be a little annoying - she's paranoid (with good reason), brittle and brusque, but she's also a great fighter, scientist and lead character.
As with Meyer's Twilight series, the love element of the book starts quite strongly but tails off into lovelorn longing after a while, leaving the other elements of the story to take over with more interesting matters. Fine with me - non-stop action, it felt like Mission Impossible and The Fugitive rolled into one.
The supporting cast were probably stronger than some of the leads, though I don't want to go into detail for fear of giving away twists. There's a chemistry between some characters that I found more realistic than that between the two leads as well.
I read this over the Christmas period, wanted to move more quickly through it actually, but it was a very entertaining read, and could make a great film or TV series. Plenty of action and both women and men will find a character to relish I think, there are some great set-pieces and climaxes.
It's not high-brow literature, but it's a great read, good fun. Twilight fans who are still teenagers might transfer over to adult novels with this nicely, there are some familiar themes of dependence and obsessive love here that will feel similar, and it feels like an action movie you'd see at the cinema.
Holds the strands and multiple aspects together well, I loved the technology and chemical plots, and the use of a very gritty and strong woman as lead.
nattyyllie's review against another edition
5.0
The characters are wonderfully dynamic and the story wraps itself up nicely at the end. Paced in a way that keeps you on your toes and I found it hard to point to a slow or boring spot. Wonderfully portrayed female character; realistically strong. The romance seemed the slightest bit rushed, but I enjoyed how the characters interacted with each other. The ending is fantastic! I love to see a woman in such a powerful position. Amazing book.
lise_wejlby's review against another edition
2.0
Den var spændende, men jeg gik død i kærligheds- og sexscenerne, og den var for lang.
Jeg tænker, den vil være fin som film/serie. Og det er ment både positivt og negativt. Personerne er så flade, at de ikke kommer til at leve for mig, og de er for dygtige/kloge/smukke til at være realistiske.
Men der er ingen tvivl om, at forfatteren mestrer hooks og cliffhangers
Jeg tænker, den vil være fin som film/serie. Og det er ment både positivt og negativt. Personerne er så flade, at de ikke kommer til at leve for mig, og de er for dygtige/kloge/smukke til at være realistiske.
Men der er ingen tvivl om, at forfatteren mestrer hooks og cliffhangers
magikspells's review against another edition
4.0
To be honest, this wasn't a bad book. If you can trudge through the constant introspection of the main character and info dumps about traps and evasive maneuvers, then it does get better. It's by no means a mystery though. Nothing that happens is a secret. I feel like every 'plot twist' could be seen a mile away because the details that lead you to predict them aren't introduced organically. Like suddenly we start hearing about Carston's granddaughter. Gee, that will probably come up again later.
Also, this book has the same problem as Twilight, a pretty ok story if they would have had a different main character. Kevin is definitely the star of the story, he's easily the best part.
All and all, pretty good, pretty predictable.
Also, this book has the same problem as Twilight, a pretty ok story if they would have had a different main character. Kevin is definitely the star of the story, he's easily the best part.
All and all, pretty good, pretty predictable.
ganiara's review against another edition
3.0
Gaya penulisan Meyer bakal selalu jadi favorit saya. Meyer selalu berhasil menuliskan detail-detail yang jarang orang perhatikan, atau banyak orang yang memerhatikan namun tidak tahu cara menuliskannya. Buku ini membuat pembacanya tidak hanya mengenal alur cerita, tetapi juga mengenal perbedaan kecil karakter tiap tokoh. Sayangnya cerita ini terlalu bertele-tele. Temanya menjanjikan, namun tidak ditepati. Tema utamanya kurang mengena, lebih berfokus pada romansa yang datangnya mendadak, yang seharusnya menjadi tema sampingan. Intinya, karena gaya penulisan dan keunikan isi cerita dari buku inilah yang membuat saya bertahan untuk tetap membaca.
ruxiemcgouth's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.75
andrewmf's review against another edition
2.0
Cheese McGee. Unidimensional characters and not much for plot. Mostly you read about the shallow internal debate of the protagonist. Book could be half the pages and still not a lot happens.
sarap_reader's review against another edition
1.0
No. just... no. This has gone bad exactly as J.K.Rowling writing a bunch of boring "thriller" novels that don't thrill so much.
Abandoned after chapter 3.
Just. Boring.to. Death.
Abandoned after chapter 3.
Just. Boring.to. Death.
a_reader_obsessed's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
I guess it doesn't take much to entertain me. This was fast paced, playing on my paranoia to the max, as obstacle after obstacle is thrown across the MC's path. Apparently, I'm a wimp too when it comes to this sort of nail biter, and there were several twist and turns, where putting the book down was nigh impossible, despite my extreme anxiety.
Admittedly, the lure of finally being free from the target on her back, the MC somewhat (ok, a lot) naively agrees to do one last job. One can hardly blame her, having been on the run for over three years. However, by doing so, she places herself in even more danger than she could possibly imagine, uncovering secrets desperately trying to remain unknown. Many powerful players are covering their tracks, wanting all those involved to be obliterated. Of course they do.
What won points for me is the romantic angle in this story. Though I hardly read M/F anymore because many "heroines" are TSTL, I'm a sucker for romance and I want it any way I can. This did not fail me despite all the improbabilities. Though Meyer's library of works isn't huge for comparison, I do think this was well written, with a mostly plausible storyline. I was only mildly frustrated here and there with the protagonist (minus her one big mistake that needed to happen for the story to exist). Overall, I call that a win.
I guess it doesn't take much to entertain me. This was fast paced, playing on my paranoia to the max, as obstacle after obstacle is thrown across the MC's path. Apparently, I'm a wimp too when it comes to this sort of nail biter, and there were several twist and turns, where putting the book down was nigh impossible, despite my extreme anxiety.
Admittedly, the lure of finally being free from the target on her back, the MC somewhat (ok, a lot) naively agrees to do one last job. One can hardly blame her, having been on the run for over three years. However, by doing so, she places herself in even more danger than she could possibly imagine, uncovering secrets desperately trying to remain unknown. Many powerful players are covering their tracks, wanting all those involved to be obliterated. Of course they do.
What won points for me is the romantic angle in this story. Though I hardly read M/F anymore because many "heroines" are TSTL, I'm a sucker for romance and I want it any way I can. This did not fail me despite all the improbabilities. Though Meyer's library of works isn't huge for comparison, I do think this was well written, with a mostly plausible storyline. I was only mildly frustrated here and there with the protagonist (minus her one big mistake that needed to happen for the story to exist). Overall, I call that a win.
heyhay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5