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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
I generally really love Lauren Oliver's novels. Twist endings always catch me off guard. If people complain about an ending being sooo obvious, I will never pick up on it and it will blow my fucking mind. But this book was just okay.
Overall, I thought it was a fun read. The story was original and the challenges were super fucked up. I don't really understand the Hunger Games comparison... Maybe a Fear Factor/Saw mash up of crazy. All the challenges of Fear Factor, but mind-fuckery of Saw.
My biggest problem was the characters. They were a bit lackluster. I really didn't care about them. At all. Heather was okay. There isn't really much to say about her. But Nat was just the FUCKING worst. Ugh, I hated her so much!
I did like the boys. Dodge was a great character if a little revenge crazed. And Bishop was sweet and a little misguided.
Overall, I thought it was a fun read. The story was original and the challenges were super fucked up. I don't really understand the Hunger Games comparison... Maybe a Fear Factor/Saw mash up of crazy. All the challenges of Fear Factor, but mind-fuckery of Saw.
My biggest problem was the characters. They were a bit lackluster. I really didn't care about them. At all. Heather was okay. There isn't really much to say about her. But Nat was just the FUCKING worst. Ugh, I hated her so much!
I did like the boys. Dodge was a great character if a little revenge crazed. And Bishop was sweet and a little misguided.
adventurous
dark
tense
read this entire book only for ray hall to not show up 🧍♀️
First things first. The book has been compared to [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358275334s/2767052.jpg|2792775]. Panic resembles The Hunger Games in much the same way Velveeta resembles cheese. Maybe if you squint. There is a deadly game being played by teens in both books. That's pretty much it. If you're expecting another dystopic book with a heroine to answer Katniss Everdeen, you are going to be VERY disappointed.
Having gotten that out the way, on its own merits Panic is a decent YA book. Carp is a poor town, where there's no real escape from a soul-crushing life. Panic was set up as a game for recent high school graduates and, based on the fees each student pays during their time in high school, the winner gets around $50,000. It's enough to start a new life far out of Carp if someone chooses to.
The book switches between two points of view - Heather Nill and Dodge Mason. None of the characters are all that likeable. I don't think they are meant to be. They are all desperate in their own way, which adds to the stark and bleak feel to the story.
Despite the book being about the game, it doesn't actually focus on the game itself. It's not an action story. There are a few Panic challenges spread out over the summer (it's not sanctioned and the cops are looking to shut the game down if they can), but they take up only a handful of pages. This is really more of a coming-of-age type book. One of the main characters seems to learn more about life and their own abilities more than the other, but both are stronger people by the end of the summer.
Having gotten that out the way, on its own merits Panic is a decent YA book. Carp is a poor town, where there's no real escape from a soul-crushing life. Panic was set up as a game for recent high school graduates and, based on the fees each student pays during their time in high school, the winner gets around $50,000. It's enough to start a new life far out of Carp if someone chooses to.
The book switches between two points of view - Heather Nill and Dodge Mason. None of the characters are all that likeable. I don't think they are meant to be. They are all desperate in their own way, which adds to the stark and bleak feel to the story.
Despite the book being about the game, it doesn't actually focus on the game itself. It's not an action story. There are a few Panic challenges spread out over the summer (it's not sanctioned and the cops are looking to shut the game down if they can), but they take up only a handful of pages. This is really more of a coming-of-age type book. One of the main characters seems to learn more about life and their own abilities more than the other, but both are stronger people by the end of the summer.
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
I'm kind of annoyed by this book for several reasons:
1) I wanted this to be more dystopian than it is. The premise of the game could probably happen today, and is not derived from any major societal problem as typically seen in that genre.
2) I thought the author mentioned important things (issues of poverty, drug addiction, mental health) and then never delved into them, which was also frustrating.
3) These "games" are wayyyy too stupid. If the author wanted to draw attention to the things people do for money when they get desperate, just take a look around-- people do them all the time. They don't involve Russian Roulette with a gun. Come on.
Overall, a quick read, but that's because there wasn't much substance to it.
1) I wanted this to be more dystopian than it is. The premise of the game could probably happen today, and is not derived from any major societal problem as typically seen in that genre.
2) I thought the author mentioned important things (issues of poverty, drug addiction, mental health) and then never delved into them, which was also frustrating.
3) These "games" are wayyyy too stupid. If the author wanted to draw attention to the things people do for money when they get desperate, just take a look around-- people do them all the time. They don't involve Russian Roulette with a gun. Come on.
Overall, a quick read, but that's because there wasn't much substance to it.
Maybe 2.8 stars would be better?
Panic. It's Panic. A game played to face fears or be conquered by them. It's a game to end boredom, and an anticipation for all who watch.
I picked up Panic mainly because Lauren Oliver wrote it. While I was disappointed with the end of the Delirium Trilogy, I'm always looking forward to a new book by her. Funny, there was a day when I wouldn't think twice about reading more than one book/series by the same author. But sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't go back to those days. Sure, some authors pull it off. And sure, it's not like Lauren Oliver can't write, or that the ideas are terrible. It's just...in Panic there was something missing.
Undoubtedly, my all time favourite Lauren Oliver book is [b:Before I Fall|6482837|Before I Fall|Lauren Oliver|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1361044695s/6482837.jpg|6674135]. Delirium was a good first novel of a trilogy, Pandemonium was okay, and Requiem. Well Requiem is how I feel about Panic right now. It's missing something, and it was a little bit messy. In Requiem's case, I thought it fell short. In Panic's case, I felt it was messy and difficult in maintaining my attention. I tried hard, really I did, but along with being tired all the time, Panic sent me to bed more often than not.
It's not to say I didn't like anything about this book at all. I liked the idea, I liked the concept, I liked that Oliver doesn't hold back on certain incidents. It gives it a real thriller effect and really shows you a game of fear. It makes it interesting, and Lauren Oliver if pretty clever to write it the way she did.
But that's it. I couldn't really get used to the switching POV of Heather and Dodge. I never really felt like I got to know either of them, or that I really got a satisfactory ending. It felt rushed or something. The third person writing was also surprising too, I was kinda used to Oliver's first person.
Furthermore on character-wise, I disliked Heather, she was unrelateable, Dodge was a little bit better, but I still didn't like him! Bishop may have been the only interesting character, but only just. Nat was...I didn't care for Nat. Lily was adorable as all kids are. But story-wise, even though there were hints along the way, I didn't get the feeling or resolution behind the game that I wanted. I kept asking all along, why is Panic here? I wanted to know the back story (and after seeing on GR that there were going to be more Panic stories -- turns out it was only the prequel short story about how the game began) while I was reading Panic because even if Heather had her own reasons and Dodge had his reasons for playing the game, why and how did it begin kept floating around my mind nagging at me every two seconds so that I couldn't concentrate. I suppose that's my biggest beef about Panic.
Other than that though, it doesn't mean this was a bad book. It has its good points and some may enjoy it. Perhaps I just couldn't get into this book for various reasons, even though I really wanted to, though admittedly, towards the end I got a little bit more interested, but yeah, that's it. The beginning was a little slow (characters, I couldn't feel them) and I missed Oliver's first person narration. There's just something not quite the same about her third person style. Still, give this a try if you want something mysterious and dangerous.
Panic. It's Panic. A game played to face fears or be conquered by them. It's a game to end boredom, and an anticipation for all who watch.
I picked up Panic mainly because Lauren Oliver wrote it. While I was disappointed with the end of the Delirium Trilogy, I'm always looking forward to a new book by her. Funny, there was a day when I wouldn't think twice about reading more than one book/series by the same author. But sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't go back to those days. Sure, some authors pull it off. And sure, it's not like Lauren Oliver can't write, or that the ideas are terrible. It's just...in Panic there was something missing.
Undoubtedly, my all time favourite Lauren Oliver book is [b:Before I Fall|6482837|Before I Fall|Lauren Oliver|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1361044695s/6482837.jpg|6674135]. Delirium was a good first novel of a trilogy, Pandemonium was okay, and Requiem. Well Requiem is how I feel about Panic right now. It's missing something, and it was a little bit messy. In Requiem's case, I thought it fell short. In Panic's case, I felt it was messy and difficult in maintaining my attention. I tried hard, really I did, but along with being tired all the time, Panic sent me to bed more often than not.
It's not to say I didn't like anything about this book at all. I liked the idea, I liked the concept, I liked that Oliver doesn't hold back on certain incidents. It gives it a real thriller effect and really shows you a game of fear. It makes it interesting, and Lauren Oliver if pretty clever to write it the way she did.
But that's it. I couldn't really get used to the switching POV of Heather and Dodge. I never really felt like I got to know either of them, or that I really got a satisfactory ending. It felt rushed or something. The third person writing was also surprising too, I was kinda used to Oliver's first person.
Furthermore on character-wise, I disliked Heather, she was unrelateable, Dodge was a little bit better, but I still didn't like him! Bishop may have been the only interesting character, but only just. Nat was...I didn't care for Nat. Lily was adorable as all kids are. But story-wise, even though there were hints along the way, I didn't get the feeling or resolution behind the game that I wanted. I kept asking all along, why is Panic here? I wanted to know the back story (and after seeing on GR that there were going to be more Panic stories -- turns out it was only the prequel short story about how the game began) while I was reading Panic because even if Heather had her own reasons and Dodge had his reasons for playing the game, why and how did it begin kept floating around my mind nagging at me every two seconds so that I couldn't concentrate. I suppose that's my biggest beef about Panic.
Other than that though, it doesn't mean this was a bad book. It has its good points and some may enjoy it. Perhaps I just couldn't get into this book for various reasons, even though I really wanted to, though admittedly, towards the end I got a little bit more interested, but yeah, that's it. The beginning was a little slow (characters, I couldn't feel them) and I missed Oliver's first person narration. There's just something not quite the same about her third person style. Still, give this a try if you want something mysterious and dangerous.
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
I loved this! But it's one instance where I might have liked the show better! The main premise of the story is the same, but there are a lot smaller details that are different. I think the show did a good job upping the suspense and helped develop the characters quite a bit more. I want more from this world!
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Abandonment
Moderate: Death