Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
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:
Yes
Inspired by real events, this gripping story follows new bus driver Jessa and the children of Bus 315, including Sage and her sister, who are kidnapped and trapped in a shipping container buried deep underground. Haunted by her inability to protect her own daughter years earlier, Jessa is determined not to fail this time. As the captors promise release once a ransom is paid, fear mounts in the dark, airless space, and both Jessa and Sage begin to doubt they'll survive long enough. With time and oxygen running out, they must outwit their kidnappers before it's too late.
This book had reached four points of view by page 40, and I was crossing my fingers at that point that there would not be any more to keep track of. Thankfully, it stopped at four. That said, the perspectives were well chosen for the story: the bus driver, the eldest child Sage, a parent, and one of the kidnappers.
I particularly liked how Sage’s perspective was written.
Sometimes children’s voices do not come across convincingly, but Sage, who is twelve, felt authentic. She is confident and aware, though perhaps does not have the most advanced vocabulary, which made her voice feel natural. I often find children’s points of view in thrillers unconvincing, so it was refreshing to see this done well.
The plot begins almost straight away and builds a strong sense of tension, which is mostly maintained. However, I felt that a lot of the middle section was killing time, waiting for something to happen. When it switched between Jessa the bus driver and Sage, the narrative often did so without much of a time gap, which meant we were sometimes just reading the same events from two perspectives. This did not always add much to the story.
The ending felt rushed after a slower middle section, and it wrapped up too quickly. Perspectives that could have added more to the conclusion were skipped over, and I was left waiting for a twist that never came. As a result, the ending fell a little flat.
Overall, I thought the writing and the premise were strong. This was my first book by Noelle Ihli, and I would happily read another.
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes