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mckinlay's review
4.0
it took me a while to get into this book but once i did, i couldn't stop. it's literally a nonstop emotional roller-coaster. i don't even know how to say more without spoiling it but omg, my head is spinning.
j_yoon's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
pixelski's review against another edition
5.0
Well... I'm a wreck. No black or white here... Just all grey space.
lurdes_oliveira's review against another edition
2.0
I can't understand why this has such high ratings and reviews. I don't know. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.
I felt like the author was trying too hard, too much angst and I didn't connected with the characters .
I didn't like how the author gave Jenna almost every psychological problem she could have! It felt excessive! Also, every adult character in Jenna's life is extremely abusive! It felt unnecessary, that Jenna had to endured such severe physical, sexual, and psychological abuse at the hands of every other adult in her life in an effort to paint Mr. Anderson in a better light, make him look like the hero of the story…
The book is supposed to be Jenna telling her story on a tape recorder but that didn't feel right! It was all over the place… It pull me out of the story every time I was reminded of that…
Also, her parents go from being very controlling to suddenly leaving her all by herself for a whole week? There're too many pot holes…
I felt like the author was trying too hard, too much angst and I didn't connected with the characters .
I didn't like how the author gave Jenna almost every psychological problem she could have! It felt excessive! Also, every adult character in Jenna's life is extremely abusive! It felt unnecessary, that Jenna had to endured such severe physical, sexual, and psychological abuse at the hands of every other adult in her life in an effort to paint Mr. Anderson in a better light, make him look like the hero of the story…
The book is supposed to be Jenna telling her story on a tape recorder but that didn't feel right! It was all over the place… It pull me out of the story every time I was reminded of that…
Also, her parents go from being very controlling to suddenly leaving her all by herself for a whole week? There're too many pot holes…
casshole3's review
5.0
Oh fuck right off!!! I need more closure than that!!!!!!! What about Mitch?! I choose to believe he is fucking alive and kicking. I don't care if you think he's dead, nope nope nope nope. Shit. My heart hurts. This is one of my favourite books but I hate it so much right now.
andreathereader's review
5.0
After reading Katie’s review of Drowning Instinct over at Blook Girl, I picked up the audio version, and I’m so glad I did.
Jenna is rescued from a near-drowning and while in the hospital, an officer gives her a tape recorder and asks her to record what happened, how she ended up in the frozen lake. So she starts at the beginning: her troubled home life, her arrival at a new school and everything that happens after. She pulls no punches and spares no details.
Jenna is a hot mess. She’s had an unfortunate upbringing which includes a fire that nearly killed her, being molested, living with a drunk mother and a super controlling father, being abandoned by her military-bound brother and self cutting. Unsurprisingly, she has some issues. She was a likable character, though. She had her moments of whining or brattiness, but she deserves some slack.
The infamous teacher, Mitch, well… I had some issues. He’s relatable and nice enough, and I understand he has his own issues, but he’s an adult. I’ve seen many reviews that say this story shows it’s not all black and white, that there are some gray areas, but I disagree. An adult is an adult is an adult. He should know better, no matter what’s going on in his life. But, let’s put that aside for now and just go with it, for the sake of this review. As a general character, I did like Mitch. He was kind and friendly and I think he truly wanted to be there for Jenna, who clearly needed someone to be on her side.
The other characters were there to be mean or bad to our 2 main characters, so we’d feel sorry for them. And they succeeded. They weren’t full characters, more like caricatures of people. But that’s okay, they served their purpose and I really just wanted to spend more time with Mitch and Jenna. Because even though I would oppose such a relationship in real life, I loved reading about it! They had some great scenes together, very sweet and romantic (if maybe a bit clinical).
Ilsa J. Bick has a way with words (not a surprise to me, having read her book Ashes), but I was still impressed with the way she weaved the story together. There was a bit of action, a lot of mystery, some romance and even witty dialogue. Several times I found myself anxious to know what happened next, and this was the only frustrating part about listening to the audio version – where I would normally skip a bit to get to the next scene, because I just couldn’t wait, I was forced to wait for the narrator to get there.
Speaking of the narrator, Kathleen McInerney did a fabulous job of bringing the story to life. At first I thought she sounded too young, but it worked and she soon became Jenna. Also, since the entire story is Jenna speaking into a microphone, there was a certain “rightness” of listening to the story, as opposed to reading it.
This is sometimes a hard story, for the subject matter, but it’s an interesting one. The writing is taut and kept me on the edge of my seat many times. And you know that bit from the book’s summary:
Keep that bit in mind.
The sum up: I love everything about this book.
Jenna is rescued from a near-drowning and while in the hospital, an officer gives her a tape recorder and asks her to record what happened, how she ended up in the frozen lake. So she starts at the beginning: her troubled home life, her arrival at a new school and everything that happens after. She pulls no punches and spares no details.
Jenna is a hot mess. She’s had an unfortunate upbringing which includes a fire that nearly killed her, being molested, living with a drunk mother and a super controlling father, being abandoned by her military-bound brother and self cutting. Unsurprisingly, she has some issues. She was a likable character, though. She had her moments of whining or brattiness, but she deserves some slack.
The infamous teacher, Mitch, well… I had some issues. He’s relatable and nice enough, and I understand he has his own issues, but he’s an adult. I’ve seen many reviews that say this story shows it’s not all black and white, that there are some gray areas, but I disagree. An adult is an adult is an adult. He should know better, no matter what’s going on in his life. But, let’s put that aside for now and just go with it, for the sake of this review. As a general character, I did like Mitch. He was kind and friendly and I think he truly wanted to be there for Jenna, who clearly needed someone to be on her side.
The other characters were there to be mean or bad to our 2 main characters, so we’d feel sorry for them. And they succeeded. They weren’t full characters, more like caricatures of people. But that’s okay, they served their purpose and I really just wanted to spend more time with Mitch and Jenna. Because even though I would oppose such a relationship in real life, I loved reading about it! They had some great scenes together, very sweet and romantic (if maybe a bit clinical).
Ilsa J. Bick has a way with words (not a surprise to me, having read her book Ashes), but I was still impressed with the way she weaved the story together. There was a bit of action, a lot of mystery, some romance and even witty dialogue. Several times I found myself anxious to know what happened next, and this was the only frustrating part about listening to the audio version – where I would normally skip a bit to get to the next scene, because I just couldn’t wait, I was forced to wait for the narrator to get there.
Speaking of the narrator, Kathleen McInerney did a fabulous job of bringing the story to life. At first I thought she sounded too young, but it worked and she soon became Jenna. Also, since the entire story is Jenna speaking into a microphone, there was a certain “rightness” of listening to the story, as opposed to reading it.
This is sometimes a hard story, for the subject matter, but it’s an interesting one. The writing is taut and kept me on the edge of my seat many times. And you know that bit from the book’s summary:
There are stories where the girl gets her prince, and they live happily ever after. (This is not one of those stories.)
Keep that bit in mind.
The sum up: I love everything about this book.
junotranscends's review
4.0
Cover: 5/5 I love, love, love this cover. It's gorgeous and it fits well with the book.
Characters: 3.5/5 It's been a few weeks since I read this, but Mr. Anderson and Jenna are still fresh in my mind, which tells me Bick did a good job with them. Jenna is, almost, an unreliable narrator. There are times where it's difficult to know if what she's saying is somehow scewed by her perception. As the story goes on and you realize she has some Issues (with a capital I), you question what's real and what isn't.
Plot: 4/5 Unique, definitely. In fact, the sub-plot with Jenna's brother caught me completely and utterly by surprise and blew me away.
Writing: 4/5 Bick has a flowing, pretty style of writing. I love it when I'm reading and come across a phrase or sentence that makes me pause and re-read because I just enjoy the way it sounds.
Overall: 4.1/5 DROWNING INSTINCT is a good thriller-esque story with edgy themes (student/teacher relationship). I loved the narration and how it was pulled off--Jenna talking into a recorder for a police officer. This was probably one of my favorite reads from 2011, just for the twists and ending and how unique is was.
Characters: 3.5/5 It's been a few weeks since I read this, but Mr. Anderson and Jenna are still fresh in my mind, which tells me Bick did a good job with them. Jenna is, almost, an unreliable narrator. There are times where it's difficult to know if what she's saying is somehow scewed by her perception. As the story goes on and you realize she has some Issues (with a capital I), you question what's real and what isn't.
Plot: 4/5 Unique, definitely. In fact, the sub-plot with Jenna's brother caught me completely and utterly by surprise and blew me away.
Writing: 4/5 Bick has a flowing, pretty style of writing. I love it when I'm reading and come across a phrase or sentence that makes me pause and re-read because I just enjoy the way it sounds.
Overall: 4.1/5 DROWNING INSTINCT is a good thriller-esque story with edgy themes (student/teacher relationship). I loved the narration and how it was pulled off--Jenna talking into a recorder for a police officer. This was probably one of my favorite reads from 2011, just for the twists and ending and how unique is was.