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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
WRITING STYLE
For whatever reason, the use of 1st person in Shooter didn't bother me at all, which is a first. I really like the use of texting and journal entries, it really supported the story.
PLOT
I love the concept and execution of the plot. School shooting can be a touchy subject, and (as someone who has never been near an active shooter) was intrigued by the stakes, and the reactions to those stakes. I'm also just a sucker for characters being afraid and allowing their walls to come down because of it.
CHARACTERS
The strongest part of Shooter is the characters. The entire cast felt like real people, with real struggles, with real reactions in a real situation.
Alice: I liked Alice a lot. Her gentle approach was necessary and her POV was probably my favourite to read.
Noah: I'm neurotypical, so I can't speak for how accurately autism is portrayed here, but from what I've experienced growing up with people with low-functioning autism, Noah is a strong character. His actions and coping mechanism's are similar to what I've seen.
Hogan: Hogan stole the show for me. I loved his development, and he came across as very genuine to me. Usually the "Jock, troubled youth" character comes up short, but Hogan isn't a trope, he's a believable character. I can't stress enough how great he is.
Izzy: I found myself relating to Izzy a lot more than I thought I would've at the beginning. We struggle with similar pressures. Her POV was well written, and very distinct.
Xander: Xander had a very interesting POV. At first, I wasn't the biggest fan, but he really grew on me. I'm glad his arc ended the way it did.
EMOTIONS
I read a lot of this book with my sister nearby, so she can attest to how many times I reacted strongly to this book. Mostly, I was shocked. There were a lot of things to be shocked about. It felt like I was in the bathroom with the characters, and learning about everything with them.
For whatever reason, the use of 1st person in Shooter didn't bother me at all, which is a first. I really like the use of texting and journal entries, it really supported the story.
PLOT
I love the concept and execution of the plot. School shooting can be a touchy subject, and (as someone who has never been near an active shooter) was intrigued by the stakes, and the reactions to those stakes. I'm also just a sucker for characters being afraid and allowing their walls to come down because of it.
CHARACTERS
The strongest part of Shooter is the characters. The entire cast felt like real people, with real struggles, with real reactions in a real situation.
Alice: I liked Alice a lot. Her gentle approach was necessary and her POV was probably my favourite to read.
Noah: I'm neurotypical, so I can't speak for how accurately autism is portrayed here, but from what I've experienced growing up with people with low-functioning autism, Noah is a strong character. His actions and coping mechanism's are similar to what I've seen.
Hogan: Hogan stole the show for me. I loved his development, and he came across as very genuine to me. Usually the "Jock, troubled youth" character comes up short, but Hogan isn't a trope, he's a believable character. I can't stress enough how great he is.
Izzy: I found myself relating to Izzy a lot more than I thought I would've at the beginning. We struggle with similar pressures. Her POV was well written, and very distinct.
Xander: Xander had a very interesting POV. At first, I wasn't the biggest fan, but he really grew on me. I'm glad his arc ended the way it did.
EMOTIONS
I read a lot of this book with my sister nearby, so she can attest to how many times I reacted strongly to this book. Mostly, I was shocked. There were a lot of things to be shocked about. It felt like I was in the bathroom with the characters, and learning about everything with them.
Damn, this one was a mixed bag.
It was well-written. And I liked all of the messages it sent: to view others complexly, that there is light and dark in everything, etc.
But, and I'm sure reading this on the anniversary of Columbine had an effect on this, I felt a little... unsure of how it treated school shootings. The drama and costumes and all of that took me out of the gritty reality of the story. It felt a bit too cinematic.
However, I really enjoyed the writing and ideas so I'll definitely look out for more from the author.
It was well-written. And I liked all of the messages it sent: to view others complexly, that there is light and dark in everything, etc.
But, and I'm sure reading this on the anniversary of Columbine had an effect on this, I felt a little... unsure of how it treated school shootings. The drama and costumes and all of that took me out of the gritty reality of the story. It felt a bit too cinematic.
However, I really enjoyed the writing and ideas so I'll definitely look out for more from the author.
Couldn't decide between 3 or 4 stars. A solid 3.5.
4.5 out of 5.
I really enjoyed this and couldn't put it down (except for when I had to go to work, but you know, those pesky bills must be paid, so.)
I enjoyed the multiple POVs and the interesting Breakfast Club theme that Pignat had going on. It's definitely an intriguing way of writing about a school lockdown. I liked how everything kind of fit together.
While I wanted to slap some of the characters for their insensitive remarks, it also rang very true that those who don't understand fear the oddities in front of them, and/or make remarks they think are perfectly okay. Plus, these are teenagers and they're literally in a place of learning. I enjoyed watching them begin to understand both themselves and each other in a situation that dissolved any definitions of social statuses.
Also, I'm super satisfied with the ending. I was worried that this would take a turn for the expected (especially with the way some of the characters thought and acted with each other.) The conclusion itself showed a lot of character growth, even if for some it was more subtle than others.
I liked Shooter overall, and my imperfect rating mainly comes from one of its greatest strengths--the multiple POVs. I found that sometimes a particular theme was being explored in certain POVs, and then it would be interrupted by one that I didn't want to read (even if it was important to the story. I'm selfish that way). Another thing was one of the characters herself. Not everyone is meant to be likable and everyone had some form of character growth. But this one particular character kind of pissed me off with how she treated others around her. I don't know what it is, she just really annoyed me and even at the end when she does something nice, I'm still hesitant on whether I like her or not.
I think Xander, one of the POVs, was one of the better characters in this book. While every character had a surprising depth to them, he was the one that was literally a puzzle for everyone to solve. He was the hardest one to read and it is in his developing story that the reader truly comes to understand who Xander is. Plus, he writes really good poetry.
This was a great read and I really need to sleep. Also, it was interesting to learn how close to my city this story is set in. That's two books this month set in Canada. I'm on a roll.
Happy reading!
I really enjoyed this and couldn't put it down (except for when I had to go to work, but you know, those pesky bills must be paid, so.)
I enjoyed the multiple POVs and the interesting Breakfast Club theme that Pignat had going on. It's definitely an intriguing way of writing about a school lockdown. I liked how everything kind of fit together.
While I wanted to slap some of the characters for their insensitive remarks, it also rang very true that those who don't understand fear the oddities in front of them, and/or make remarks they think are perfectly okay. Plus, these are teenagers and they're literally in a place of learning. I enjoyed watching them begin to understand both themselves and each other in a situation that dissolved any definitions of social statuses.
Also, I'm super satisfied with the ending. I was worried that this would take a turn for the expected (especially with the way some of the characters thought and acted with each other.) The conclusion itself showed a lot of character growth, even if for some it was more subtle than others.
I liked Shooter overall, and my imperfect rating mainly comes from one of its greatest strengths--the multiple POVs. I found that sometimes a particular theme was being explored in certain POVs, and then it would be interrupted by one that I didn't want to read (even if it was important to the story. I'm selfish that way). Another thing was one of the characters herself. Not everyone is meant to be likable and everyone had some form of character growth. But this one particular character kind of pissed me off with how she treated others around her. I don't know what it is, she just really annoyed me and even at the end when she does something nice, I'm still hesitant on whether I like her or not.
I think Xander, one of the POVs, was one of the better characters in this book. While every character had a surprising depth to them, he was the one that was literally a puzzle for everyone to solve. He was the hardest one to read and it is in his developing story that the reader truly comes to understand who Xander is. Plus, he writes really good poetry.
This was a great read and I really need to sleep. Also, it was interesting to learn how close to my city this story is set in. That's two books this month set in Canada. I'm on a roll.
Happy reading!
I wasn’t going to review Shooter, because it’s incredibly hard to put into words how much this book made me feel. There were times when I felt like I had nothing to say, too. Because what can you say? How can you enjoy a book like this? Not to mention everyone will likely react differently to this book, because it’s one of those that always provokes a response. What I will say is that this is an incredible read. From the very start I was hooked, and even though I didn’t have a clue where it was going, I was willing to go with it, wherever. It also terrified me, because I could feel the panic and fear running through Alice, Hogan and Isabelle. Not so much Noah and Xander, who both seemed to struggle socially, especially with Noah being autistic.
The writing in this book is incredible – how Caroline Pignat weaves the story is outstanding. I could always tell whose turn it was to narrate, and I liked that Isabelle’s included texts, Xander’s was mostly homework assignments and Noah’s didn’t really make sense, but it did make sense as to what was going on in his head, if that even makes sense. To offer five view points was so intriguing, and I think it helped my enjoyment of the book that, despite everything, despite the fact these five people were virtual strangers (except Alice and Noah who were siblings) they had each other. They weren’t alone, in the bathroom. And the way they all spoke so freely was so refreshing, because who’s going to judge you when you all might die any second? I feel like we really got to see into all of their minds. Alice and Hogan intrigued me the most, although I found Xander’s honesty (or lack of filter) refreshing and I changed my mind multiple times about Isabelle.
This was a genuine book that properly effected me. I’m lucky enough to live in a country that doesn’t have many shootings and hasn’t, to my knowledge, ever had a school shooting. I cannot imagine the terror of going through that, and Caroline Pignat really brought that through on the page. She created amazing, likeable characters and combined them with a plot that had me on the edge of my seat throughout.
The writing in this book is incredible – how Caroline Pignat weaves the story is outstanding. I could always tell whose turn it was to narrate, and I liked that Isabelle’s included texts, Xander’s was mostly homework assignments and Noah’s didn’t really make sense, but it did make sense as to what was going on in his head, if that even makes sense. To offer five view points was so intriguing, and I think it helped my enjoyment of the book that, despite everything, despite the fact these five people were virtual strangers (except Alice and Noah who were siblings) they had each other. They weren’t alone, in the bathroom. And the way they all spoke so freely was so refreshing, because who’s going to judge you when you all might die any second? I feel like we really got to see into all of their minds. Alice and Hogan intrigued me the most, although I found Xander’s honesty (or lack of filter) refreshing and I changed my mind multiple times about Isabelle.
This was a genuine book that properly effected me. I’m lucky enough to live in a country that doesn’t have many shootings and hasn’t, to my knowledge, ever had a school shooting. I cannot imagine the terror of going through that, and Caroline Pignat really brought that through on the page. She created amazing, likeable characters and combined them with a plot that had me on the edge of my seat throughout.
Strong read, great points of view, short chapters carry the story forward well
Liked the characters and their points of view
Compelling and compassionate
Liked the characters and their points of view
Compelling and compassionate