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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
3.5 stars. Reading a YA thriller often feels like I'm treating myself to a literary dessert - lighter fun that I'll easily and happily consume on occasion. This was an interesting one, and Kemmerer has now well proven that she can keep my eyes glued to the page.
I do have a lot of questions about this plot, however, that I didn't find satisfyingly tied up. I wish too that the Type One Diabetes representation was more... fleshed out? I get so very EXCITED to see a T1 diabetic character (please write more!!!), but that aspect of her character felt oddly underdeveloped - i.e. were I in immediate danger the number of times Charlotte was, I'd certainly be thinking about how the nerves, adrenaline, and exercise were affecting my blood sugar.
So all in all, a bit of a bummer, this one! But I'll still forever be a Brigid Kemmerer fan :)
I do have a lot of questions about this plot, however, that I didn't find satisfyingly tied up. I wish too that the Type One Diabetes representation was more... fleshed out? I get so very EXCITED to see a T1 diabetic character (please write more!!!), but that aspect of her character felt oddly underdeveloped - i.e. were I in immediate danger the number of times Charlotte was, I'd certainly be thinking about how the nerves, adrenaline, and exercise were affecting my blood sugar.
So all in all, a bit of a bummer, this one! But I'll still forever be a Brigid Kemmerer fan :)
See my full review on my blog: The Readiculous Blog
I really like Brigid Kemmerer's writing. I think she writes angsty boys really well. I also think she writes romance pretty well. So those are two great elements of the book.
There's also a really frustrating part of the book, that everyone thinks Thomas is a murderer and they treat him like crap. There's one part where Thomas wonders why they hate him so immediately when they don't know anything about him. I'd like to know that too. Also, what about innocent until proven guilty? (okay, okay, I know that this is just the logical side of me talking. We all make snap judgments). However, it is still really frustrating that no one gives the poor guy a break. We can actually see him starting to crack as the book goes on, and it's so futilely frustrating! (So, I guess that means that Brigid Kemmerer did a really good job, because she evoked such strong feelings in me)
It is a paranormal book, and I think that's kind of Kemmerer's jam (see: the Elemental series). I saw that people were kind of thrown off by the paranormal aspect. On one side, the book is categorized in the paranormal genre. So...I don't think anyone should be surprised about that element. However, I can see what people mean. For the first 70% of the book, it reads like a very well-developed, well-paced contemporary thriller/mystery. The characters are all fairly normal. The main issue is Thomas's angst and his need to prove his innocence. Then, boom! Paranormal stuff!
Though the Paranormal elements did seem late-in-the game, they didn't necessarily seem tacked on. The book sets up the whole story for that to be the reveal. However, the tone of the book did read a bit contemporary thriller in the beginning.
Either way, I thought the book was fun and well-written. I liked the characters, I liked the romance, and I think that the end reveal was a decent twist. I do think things got tied up a bit too conveniently (though there were some open ended things. So, sequel?) All-in-all, I'd still recommend this book. Especially to fans of Kemmerer and to fans of well-written angsty boyz.
I really like Brigid Kemmerer's writing. I think she writes angsty boys really well. I also think she writes romance pretty well. So those are two great elements of the book.
There's also a really frustrating part of the book, that everyone thinks Thomas is a murderer and they treat him like crap. There's one part where Thomas wonders why they hate him so immediately when they don't know anything about him. I'd like to know that too. Also, what about innocent until proven guilty? (okay, okay, I know that this is just the logical side of me talking. We all make snap judgments). However, it is still really frustrating that no one gives the poor guy a break. We can actually see him starting to crack as the book goes on, and it's so futilely frustrating! (So, I guess that means that Brigid Kemmerer did a really good job, because she evoked such strong feelings in me)
It is a paranormal book, and I think that's kind of Kemmerer's jam (see: the Elemental series). I saw that people were kind of thrown off by the paranormal aspect. On one side, the book is categorized in the paranormal genre. So...I don't think anyone should be surprised about that element. However, I can see what people mean. For the first 70% of the book, it reads like a very well-developed, well-paced contemporary thriller/mystery. The characters are all fairly normal. The main issue is Thomas's angst and his need to prove his innocence. Then, boom! Paranormal stuff!
Though the Paranormal elements did seem late-in-the game, they didn't necessarily seem tacked on. The book sets up the whole story for that to be the reveal. However, the tone of the book did read a bit contemporary thriller in the beginning.
Either way, I thought the book was fun and well-written. I liked the characters, I liked the romance, and I think that the end reveal was a decent twist. I do think things got tied up a bit too conveniently (though there were some open ended things. So, sequel?) All-in-all, I'd still recommend this book. Especially to fans of Kemmerer and to fans of well-written angsty boyz.