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onceuponthesewords's review against another edition
4.0
Please read all the trigger warnings before starting this!
I was immediately intrigued by the summary, and I absolutely devoured this book. There were a handful of graphic scenes that made me sad/angry (especially the animal abuse one, sigh). I don’t get freaked out easily, but I couldn’t read this one at night sometimes because I couldn’t stomach some of the scenes.
That being said, there was never a dull moment in this book. All of the conflicting emotions going on inside Jazz’s brain made the story interesting too.
I didn’t guess the plot twist, and that ending was WOW. Now excuse me while I go IMMEDIATELY pick up the second book.
I was immediately intrigued by the summary, and I absolutely devoured this book. There were a handful of graphic scenes that made me sad/angry (especially the animal abuse one, sigh). I don’t get freaked out easily, but I couldn’t read this one at night sometimes because I couldn’t stomach some of the scenes.
That being said, there was never a dull moment in this book. All of the conflicting emotions going on inside Jazz’s brain made the story interesting too.
I didn’t guess the plot twist, and that ending was WOW. Now excuse me while I go IMMEDIATELY pick up the second book.
ctin2's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
thebookhaze's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really good book in the way it explored a person's humanity. Who hasn't entertain thoughts of killing someone they hated at one time or another? We all have, except we also know (most of the time) that we wouldn't actually do it, that we're just venting on our frustrations.
Jasper Dent however, has to second guess himself all the time, whenever he gets mad enough to feel rage, he thinks that he must be a bad person because he's thinking of killing the other person. I felt for him, and I thought he was a very well-adjusted person despite his upbringing and all the bad things he's had to go through.
Even the manipulation that he does, which he thinks is a bad thing, is actually pretty normal. Most people do it, consciously or not, and some are just better at it than others. This book gives a very interesting glimpse into the psyche of a regular human being who's normal but worries about every little nuance of his thoughts and character, just because of his genes.
We all are mad, in our own ways, some more than others, but worrying about being mad can actually drive you mad. =)
Jasper Dent however, has to second guess himself all the time, whenever he gets mad enough to feel rage, he thinks that he must be a bad person because he's thinking of killing the other person. I felt for him, and I thought he was a very well-adjusted person despite his upbringing and all the bad things he's had to go through.
Even the manipulation that he does, which he thinks is a bad thing, is actually pretty normal. Most people do it, consciously or not, and some are just better at it than others. This book gives a very interesting glimpse into the psyche of a regular human being who's normal but worries about every little nuance of his thoughts and character, just because of his genes.
We all are mad, in our own ways, some more than others, but worrying about being mad can actually drive you mad. =)
franuary's review against another edition
4.0
The reveals in this book were way too simple to figure out, but this is an issue in most YA mysteries honestly. Why aren't YA authors giving teens a little more credit? It's kind of sad when the reader figures everything out before this supposedly awesome killer hunter. Still, I loved Jasper as a character, and I look forward to reading more in this series.
I recommend this to anyone who has seen an episode or two of The Following and loved the concept, but was annoyed by the seemingly never-ending stream of serial killer groupies. This reads like a good parts version of that show (albeit with no Kevin Bacon, sadly).
I recommend this to anyone who has seen an episode or two of The Following and loved the concept, but was annoyed by the seemingly never-ending stream of serial killer groupies. This reads like a good parts version of that show (albeit with no Kevin Bacon, sadly).
applejacksbooks's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
readingjag's review against another edition
4.0
OK, so I really liked this. However. I'm shocked that this is teen. I feel like an old lady saying this, but the violence and descriptions of serial killer behavior was really adult to me. It was Dexter-esque. And I have to wonder about younger teens reading this really realistic violence and these sexualized yearnings to murder people--does it have the potential to imprint on them in some way? I don't know if that's how it works, but it made me really uncomfortable to think about 9th graders reading this.
Still, well written, interesting main character, lots to think about, a scary killer, and I'm looking forward to the sequel.
Still, well written, interesting main character, lots to think about, a scary killer, and I'm looking forward to the sequel.
patchworkbunny's review
3.0
Jazz is the son of one of America's most notorious serial killers. His father is now in jail and he lives with his ailing grandmother and things are going OK. The when a body turns up in a nearby field, Jazz is convinced it's the work of another serial killer but the police just don't believe him. He and his haemophiliac friend, Howie, decide to take things into their own hands and start investigating themselves.
The idea that Jazz doubts whether he's a sociopath or not is an intriguing one. To have gone through what he has, he's bound to bit a bit messed up and he comes across as quite well adjusted. He worries a lot that he might be starting to take after his father and I felt that was a sign that he's actually OK. The way the book is written, there is no question of Jazz being the perpetrator of the crimes and I think that takes away some of the tension and pace.
There's always going to be a hurdle in young adult crime fiction to get teen characters taking on an investigation. For older readers, it's just not that believable. Sure, Jazz would probably have been consulted at some point, with his unique perspective into his father's crimes but the police are all too accepting of his involvement. He breaks into the morgue and turns up at the crime scenes...that would be suspicious even if he weren't the son of a serial killer. The people of the town seem far too nice to him too, in reality he would more likely be shunned, bullied or feared.
It feels a little like two books rolled into one. In my opinion, it would have been stronger if it concentrated on Jazz's psychological state but it gives equal weighting to the investigation which didn't live up to what I expect from a police procedural. The concept of nature versus nurture could have been explored a it more if they hadn't have been focused on being detectives.
I'd recommend it to young adults that also enjoy Criminal Minds and are OK with a bit of death and gore. The part where we find out what happened to Jazz's dog is the most disturbing. The way that the murders are described, they are much more like police reports, including just enough information to know what's happened but the flashback to the dog is going to stay with me for a while. And not for good reasons. I think that was the only part where it stopped feeling like a book for younger readers.
The idea that Jazz doubts whether he's a sociopath or not is an intriguing one. To have gone through what he has, he's bound to bit a bit messed up and he comes across as quite well adjusted. He worries a lot that he might be starting to take after his father and I felt that was a sign that he's actually OK. The way the book is written, there is no question of Jazz being the perpetrator of the crimes and I think that takes away some of the tension and pace.
There's always going to be a hurdle in young adult crime fiction to get teen characters taking on an investigation. For older readers, it's just not that believable. Sure, Jazz would probably have been consulted at some point, with his unique perspective into his father's crimes but the police are all too accepting of his involvement. He breaks into the morgue and turns up at the crime scenes...that would be suspicious even if he weren't the son of a serial killer. The people of the town seem far too nice to him too, in reality he would more likely be shunned, bullied or feared.
It feels a little like two books rolled into one. In my opinion, it would have been stronger if it concentrated on Jazz's psychological state but it gives equal weighting to the investigation which didn't live up to what I expect from a police procedural. The concept of nature versus nurture could have been explored a it more if they hadn't have been focused on being detectives.
I'd recommend it to young adults that also enjoy Criminal Minds and are OK with a bit of death and gore. The part where we find out what happened to Jazz's dog is the most disturbing. The way that the murders are described, they are much more like police reports, including just enough information to know what's happened but the flashback to the dog is going to stay with me for a while. And not for good reasons. I think that was the only part where it stopped feeling like a book for younger readers.
rosefitzy's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book and the characters I want to read the next one.
hallie_34's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0