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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
Let me just start off by saying, I go into a book with such high hope, and some just fail to deliver. With that being said, it's not that I hated this book but it's not one of my favorites. Hey now! We're all entitled to our options aren't we? Anyway, there were parts that were good here and there, but overall wasn't a huge fan.
I have a bit of a mixed history with Lauren Oliver, but the premise of this book (when it appeared on my "available now" list on Overdrive) was too interesting to pass up. A bunch of small town teens competing in a dangerous underground game called panic for a pot big enough to get any of them out of that small town. All our MCs have their motivations for why they want the money and this sets up for a potentially thrilling tale.
So why only three stars? This book was engaging to listen to for sure. It could be a mile a minute and the narrator did a good job. The characters were fairly round for YA and once I figured out who was who and who had crushes on whom, they were enjoyable. Unfortunately this book was a little too grounded for me to suspend disbelief. The fact that the police in this SMALL TOWN hadn't figured out panic (hell, even participated in it when they were younger) was unbelievable to me. We're told of- handedly that this is the deadliest panic so far, but that doesn't seem to be true considering what snippets we get of previous panics. I'm expected to believe not a single person revealed this game to the authorities when teens are regularly injured or even killed in it? It's not a bonkers enough story for me to just ignore that aspect. The cops were around, but they were pretty useless.
Also, as this was a small town story, I wish that was more of an aspect. Sure our MCs are friends, but I didn't get that small town feeling about the other kids. It really could have been set just about anywhere and that was a real shame. I wish you got the feeling of everyone in everyone's business and everyone knowing everyone.
Overall this could be a thrilling ride with decent characters and if you're better at suspending disbelief than me it might be right up your street.
So why only three stars? This book was engaging to listen to for sure. It could be a mile a minute and the narrator did a good job. The characters were fairly round for YA and once I figured out who was who and who had crushes on whom, they were enjoyable. Unfortunately this book was a little too grounded for me to suspend disbelief. The fact that the police in this SMALL TOWN hadn't figured out panic (hell, even participated in it when they were younger) was unbelievable to me. We're told of- handedly that this is the deadliest panic so far, but that doesn't seem to be true considering what snippets we get of previous panics. I'm expected to believe not a single person revealed this game to the authorities when teens are regularly injured or even killed in it? It's not a bonkers enough story for me to just ignore that aspect. The cops were around, but they were pretty useless.
Also, as this was a small town story, I wish that was more of an aspect. Sure our MCs are friends, but I didn't get that small town feeling about the other kids. It really could have been set just about anywhere and that was a real shame. I wish you got the feeling of everyone in everyone's business and everyone knowing everyone.
Overall this could be a thrilling ride with decent characters and if you're better at suspending disbelief than me it might be right up your street.
I watched the show first and I would be FURIOUS if I had read the book first. So many changes! That aside, this is a fun concept - like Hunger Games meets The Society (iykyk).
Panic by Lauren Oliver was such a good book I read it practically from beginning to end without putting it down. And by this, I mean it was a fantastic read, even though I struggled with the subject matter.
This standalone novel is told from two points of view – that of Heather and Dodge, both recently graduated seniors who are competing in Panic. The game is open to any graduating seniors, who compete in challenges throughout the summer for the “pot,” a large sum of money that’s been collected throughout their four years of high school. The game is difficult, and often very, very dangerous.
Heather and Dodge are competing for very different reasons, but both are trying to escape their circumstances. Heather’s mother is an alcoholic, and so Heather herself is largely responsible for her little sister Lily. Dodge’s sister is handicapped, and he wants revenge. I sympathized with these realistic characters and even understood their original reasons for entering the game.
The game, however, disgusted me. Yes, I can understand why a large sum of money (in this case, $67,000) would entice teenagers to perform dangerous stunts. That doesn’t mean it isn’t stupid. The players know what they’re getting into, as they’ve been the audience for the previous games. Players have died, or been seriously injured, in the past. And yet Panic continues to be a tradition, and revered by all the students in Carp.
I thought Panic might be the way Heather and Dodge came to terms with their demons, but even after they conquered their inner conflicts, they competed until the end. In my opinion, it was frustrating when neither of them renounced the game. This was definitely my greatest problem with the novel. Otherwise, I quite enjoyed it. I liked the alternating perspectives. It was refreshing that Heather and Dodge were not each other’s love interest.
I know this book was supposed to be a study of fear and our reactions to it, but I didn’t really get that from it. Though I can respect a well-written novel and intriguing plot, I can’t really support the disregard for consequences shown in the book. This aspect of Oliver’s novel, I believe, undermined the characters’ strength rather than enhanced it.
This standalone novel is told from two points of view – that of Heather and Dodge, both recently graduated seniors who are competing in Panic. The game is open to any graduating seniors, who compete in challenges throughout the summer for the “pot,” a large sum of money that’s been collected throughout their four years of high school. The game is difficult, and often very, very dangerous.
Heather and Dodge are competing for very different reasons, but both are trying to escape their circumstances. Heather’s mother is an alcoholic, and so Heather herself is largely responsible for her little sister Lily. Dodge’s sister is handicapped, and he wants revenge. I sympathized with these realistic characters and even understood their original reasons for entering the game.
The game, however, disgusted me. Yes, I can understand why a large sum of money (in this case, $67,000) would entice teenagers to perform dangerous stunts. That doesn’t mean it isn’t stupid. The players know what they’re getting into, as they’ve been the audience for the previous games. Players have died, or been seriously injured, in the past. And yet Panic continues to be a tradition, and revered by all the students in Carp.
I thought Panic might be the way Heather and Dodge came to terms with their demons, but even after they conquered their inner conflicts, they competed until the end. In my opinion, it was frustrating when neither of them renounced the game. This was definitely my greatest problem with the novel. Otherwise, I quite enjoyed it. I liked the alternating perspectives. It was refreshing that Heather and Dodge were not each other’s love interest.
I know this book was supposed to be a study of fear and our reactions to it, but I didn’t really get that from it. Though I can respect a well-written novel and intriguing plot, I can’t really support the disregard for consequences shown in the book. This aspect of Oliver’s novel, I believe, undermined the characters’ strength rather than enhanced it.
This story line had great potential.. It just didn't flesh out right. It could have used some serious drama or real fear, but I guess since it's YA, the author didn't want to go there? Instead it was all very obvious, no twists or turns... An easy read, ultimately one I won't remember the details of.
Eh. Nothing special but not horrible. I think if this had been by another author I would have thought this was pretty good but this is not worthy of Lauren Oliver! I was expecting something epic. I'm slightly disappointed.
I am a huge fan of Lauren Oliver, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Panic. After adoring Oliver’s Delirium series -- a series based on love being a disease -- I was looking forward to starting Panic, which is more a book about danger and fear.
Panic is a game based on fears, played by graduating high school seniors for the ultimate prize, a huge payoff for the winner. To continue playing in the game, you must pass the challenges that a group of judges give you. If you fail these challenges, you are out of the game for good. Heather is not the type of girl that would participate in Panic. But after being dumped by her boyfriend, she figures she has nothing to lose. Dodge has a secret, and that secret is what is going to get him through to the end of the game. Both of these players are determined to win the game, and at times they must even rely on each other. But will that be enough for either of them to win the game?
Heather was quite an interesting character. If it hadn’t been for her boyfriend breaking up with her, she probably wouldn’t have even entered the game. But once she started playing, and realized that winning would change her life for the better, she played with a vengeance. Who could blame her, really? She didn’t have the best of life, or the best of parents. She wanted better for herself. Seriously, no one can blame her for that. I found her to be a very and determined character. While she didn’t always make the best of decisions, she was still very determined, and she played to win.
Dodge had his reasons for playing the game, and they mostly revolved around revenge. His situation definitely wasn’t the best either. (While I’m thinking of it, it seems that most of the main characters in the novel didn’t have very great situations. All of these kids had some problems or another. Is that from growing up in a poor, small town?) Dodge was absolutely determined to win this game. Not for the money and prizes exactly, but so that he could claim his revenge once and for all. I thought that it was interesting that neither of these characters wanted to rely on anyone, but they each found someone to depend on, someone to help them through, for the most part.
The plot for the book was very interesting and realistic. It’s something that I could see teenagers doing in real life. I was super curious all throughout the book to see what the next challenges would be, and to see who would end up winning the game. The book was a quick read, and definitely kept me turning the pages. Some parts of the book were super intense, and the tension almost drove me crazy. It was great!
Overall; this book was definitely not what I expected, but it was a pretty exciting ride nonetheless.
I really love reading Oliver’s writing. I still need to read Before I Fall, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with in the future.
Happy Reading!
Check out this review at TheReaderBee.com!
