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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
I thought this would be another kidnapping novel where the victims escape and nothing really happens. I read this because my sister highly recommended this author to me and you know what? I loved it! If you, like me, have read enough kidnapping novels to turn you off from them forever then I recommend that you make an exception for this one!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is my second book by this author and will be my last. I just don’t gel with her writing style. I highly doubt kids in the 60’s never used contractions. The final conversation between the kidnappers felt so wrong because of it. Story wasn’t great, characters didn’t really have much to them.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this a million years ago while sick with a fever. I think half of what I remember about this book was influenced by the fever and perhaps not actually in the book.
dark
mysterious
I have a soft spot for this sort of teen thriller. When I was a kid, I used to daydream about what I would do if I were kidnapped, or in a natural disaster, or some other dangerous and dramatic situation where I got to go around rescuing people, making daring escapes, etc. Books like this are perfect fodder for that sort of fantasy, so if course I devoured them, and I'll still grab one occasionally when I want something exciting and intellectually light.
This was a fairly middle-of-the-road example of the genre - it wasn't amazing, but neither was it terrible. The action and suspense were solid, but the characters were pretty flat and the plot resolutions were a little pat. It also seemed pretty weird that it didn't ring any alarm bells for one single kid when the "substitute bus driver" didn't have any idea of his route?! Chalk it up to it being written in the early 80s, so I guess maybe things were laxer then, but even so...
This was a fairly middle-of-the-road example of the genre - it wasn't amazing, but neither was it terrible. The action and suspense were solid, but the characters were pretty flat and the plot resolutions were a little pat. It also seemed pretty weird that it didn't ring any alarm bells for one single kid when the "substitute bus driver" didn't have any idea of his route?! Chalk it up to it being written in the early 80s, so I guess maybe things were laxer then, but even so...
I first read Ransom (and every other Lois Duncan book I could get my hands on) when I was in middle school, and I have been interested to reread it to see if I still liked it as much as I did back then. I know that's a huge gamble, given how many things we overlook as kids, but I'm so happy that I found it just as enjoyable this time around.
I love that so many of the characters, particularly the girls, have more layers and development than you typically see in most young adult novels. I found the depth that was accomplished for the characters to be fantastic considering this is quite a short book. It's not necessarily the scariest, creepiest, etc. book you'll ever read, and I remember liking other books by Lois Duncan better, but it's a solid book. I wouldn't recommend it for young kids.
The biggest flaw for me is that dialogue isn't always natural (high schoolers using "whom" instead of "who" in casual conversation...). Aside from that, a few of the situations are little bit less than believable, but they aren't distracting or so unbelievable that they border on absurd.
From what I understand, there's a new version of this book that added cell phones and other technology to make it "more relatable" to modern teens, but I'd recommend reading the 1966 version. Teenagers aren't stupid and can understand that cell phones didn't always exist.
Adult me rates it a 3 overall, but my inner middle schooler wants to give it a 5 for nostalgia and enjoyment. So I'm going with the average of those - 4 stars!
I love that so many of the characters, particularly the girls, have more layers and development than you typically see in most young adult novels. I found the depth that was accomplished for the characters to be fantastic considering this is quite a short book. It's not necessarily the scariest, creepiest, etc. book you'll ever read, and I remember liking other books by Lois Duncan better, but it's a solid book. I wouldn't recommend it for young kids.
The biggest flaw for me is that dialogue isn't always natural (high schoolers using "whom" instead of "who" in casual conversation...). Aside from that, a few of the situations are little bit less than believable, but they aren't distracting or so unbelievable that they border on absurd.
From what I understand, there's a new version of this book that added cell phones and other technology to make it "more relatable" to modern teens, but I'd recommend reading the 1966 version. Teenagers aren't stupid and can understand that cell phones didn't always exist.
Adult me rates it a 3 overall, but my inner middle schooler wants to give it a 5 for nostalgia and enjoyment. So I'm going with the average of those - 4 stars!
This was the very first Lois Duncan book I read when I was in middle school and I was hooked on her books after that! She is an amazing writer and this book was also amazing!
Not one of my favorites from Duncan. Still, the way of human nature and the way a person's true colors can show in a situation of grave danger and desperate survival is on point. It actually left me a little rattled because it hit such a nerve. Aside from that, the book came across as bland.
Full Review:
https://thescarletreaderreviews.wordpress.com/2020/06/14/a-mad-bad-twisted-world-ransom-a-book-review/
Full Review:
https://thescarletreaderreviews.wordpress.com/2020/06/14/a-mad-bad-twisted-world-ransom-a-book-review/
I loved it! It was intense. But not as....suspensful as her other books. The ending was so obvious and predictable. But it was cool anyways.