Reviews

The Secret Runners of New York by Matthew Reilly

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shaylee_anne's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

willowmae's review

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Just couldn’t get into it
A lot of I’m not the like the other girls and petty drama that just felt stupid and annoying

This book is honestly amazing. It is a YA novel- NOT a teen novel. You do not want to buy this novel for people under 12 because, in places, there is quite a fair bit of violence which even as a 20 year old made me feel slightly uncomfortable- which is great writing from Reilly, because it really is a special kind of YA novel. The teenagers feel like teenagers, something many writers seem unable to do. I love dystopian and apocalypse novels but this is an amazing twist on a genre that can often be done badly. Skye was a really loveable character, as was Red, Bo and Jenny. Everything about the twists and turns of this novel is something you don't see in YA novels often enough. Its adult writing for YA which just doesn't happen. I cannot rate this novel highly enough. The cover is amazing and eye catching, it's worth a read. If there was to be any criticism, it would be that I would have wanted to learn more about the tunnel, the symbols and the other gems- but it's understandable that Reilly didn't put this in because it would have ruined the fast pacing that occurs the last 1/4 of the book. All opinions in this review are my own opinion but I would like to thank Hot Key Books for an advanced copy of this novel.

alongreader's review

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4.0

This is a fantastic read. I read it in one go, I really wanted to find out what would happen. It's time travel that makes sense, which is rare in stories that try to explain things. He very effectively conveys the creepiness of an abandonded New York.

(The pedant in me is forced to point out that the girls can't be using gasoline in the twenty two years ahead future; gas is absolutely worhtless after, at the very best, five years.)

I did have a problem with the characters, though; with two exceptions, the rich kids were all horrible, sociopathic or stupid. I'm not sayng rich people can't have those problems, anyone can, but everyone in the group? Without anyone outside it seeming to know, apart from the professionals - who don't seem to be doing much about it? One of the exceptions outright stated it was because they were rich, so it comes off as more of a rant against rich people than anything else.

But the story itself was amazing, and really cleverly done. I'd definitely read more from this author or in this series if there were any. And I hope there are, because he left some threads dangling!

Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.

"What do you mean, freaky?" Red asked.

Bo said, "What I mean is, it's still New York up there: the same Central Park, all the same buildings, but it's all been trashed and abandoned. The windows on all the skyscrapers are smashed; that Swedish Cottage has fallen apart. No power, no lights and no people-or at least, no-one besides our friend in the hoodie. It's like...anotherNew York...not ours. A parallel New York of some kind."

Red blinked. "A kind of parallel New York?"

At that moment, Misty stepped up to him, grabbed his left arm and with one quick movement, drew a single vertical mark on his inner wrist with a black permanent marker.

"Welcome to the club, Red. You just became a member of The Secret Runners of New York."

crumb92's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-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? No

3.5

mariaareads's review

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4.0

I really enjoyed this book. Was hooked from start to finish! My dad had always suggested I read a Matthew Reilly book but I could never find one that interested me but this “YA” inspired book was just what I needed to venture into his books

leavesnpages's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a nice, quick read full of action. The concept was very creative and not like anything I have read before. Matthew Reilly did a good job of painting a picture of rich kid drama and the rich lives of New York. It's seriously a whole other world. Definitely more of a young adult fiction novel, but if you're into a bit of time-travel, apocalyptic vibes then you will probably enjoy it.
Note that there are some trigger warnings for mental health, self harm and racism.

connorfrankss's review against another edition

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3.0

(3.5) If it hadn't been for the first 1/4 of this book, it would have been a solid 4 stars. The book began so slow, it was boring and I didn't think I was going to like it. But, as the story developed it picked up pace and was an amazing story.
I like the use of time travel in this book and the fact that the global apocalypse wasn't zombies but was a gama cloud, I thought this was unique as most apocalyptic books are cliche with zombies. Also, the writing was good and the gruesome, violent descriptions while disturbing in places added to the story.
The only fault I can say about it is that some of the characters weren't as developed as they could have been and there were a few minor plotholes eg. the carving in the tunnel. While these weren't necessary I think they could have added to the story.
Overall, I really enjoyed it and am interested in reading other books by Reilly.