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A review by sk24
Don't Look Now by Michelle Gagnon
3.0
I found Don't Look Now to be pretty disappointing, overall. I really enjoyed Don't Turn Around and was, therefore, really looking forward to this book. But, all I got was a disappointing sequel that definitely suffered from "middle book syndrome".
The story felt like it went in a completely different direction than the first book. It also had a very different tone. Don't Turn Around was non-stop action that kept me captivated and not wanting to put it down, whereas this one was much of a slower-pace. I wouldn't say this book was boring, but it just had a very different tone than the first book and I wasn't prepared for that.
Now, after completing the book, I feel like the plot didn't progress at all from the first book. It feels as if we are basically where we were at the end of first book, with a couple more kids saved and a couple more people dead. But, not much has changed from where the first book left off. Middle book syndrome!
I had some issues with some aspects throughout the story. I thought that some things seemed kind of unrealistic at times. For example, Peter goes to break into someone's home and purchases a key to let him in easily. He purchases a master key that opens "any and all dead bolts, regardless of brand." Umm...okay...if that actually existed, it kind of defeats the purpose of keys and locks in the first place. Talk about making it easy for Peter to break in!
I thought that all of the characters seemed different in Don't Look Now than they were in Don't Turn Around. I don't mean that they grew as characters and have changed that way...I mean that they are just different. They almost seem like completely different characters in some ways. And I didn't find them to be as likeable either. In the first book, Noa was all independent and badass and tough. And now she's like a typical teenager with boy problems and everything. She's totally lost her edge! She also didn't do any hacking in this book...at all! She just threw all her hacking skills to the wind in order to lead this renegade squad of teens. What?? This book is supposed to be a teen spin on The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. What happened to her hacking?? That's who Noa is! Suffice it to say, Noa is COMPLETELY different in this book.
Don't Look Now wasn't a bad book. It was just very disappointing, especially after liking Don't Turn Around so much. The characters weren't as good and neither was the story. Not cool.
The story felt like it went in a completely different direction than the first book. It also had a very different tone. Don't Turn Around was non-stop action that kept me captivated and not wanting to put it down, whereas this one was much of a slower-pace. I wouldn't say this book was boring, but it just had a very different tone than the first book and I wasn't prepared for that.
Now, after completing the book, I feel like the plot didn't progress at all from the first book. It feels as if we are basically where we were at the end of first book, with a couple more kids saved and a couple more people dead. But, not much has changed from where the first book left off. Middle book syndrome!
I had some issues with some aspects throughout the story. I thought that some things seemed kind of unrealistic at times. For example, Peter goes to break into someone's home and purchases a key to let him in easily. He purchases a master key that opens "any and all dead bolts, regardless of brand." Umm...okay...if that actually existed, it kind of defeats the purpose of keys and locks in the first place. Talk about making it easy for Peter to break in!
I thought that all of the characters seemed different in Don't Look Now than they were in Don't Turn Around. I don't mean that they grew as characters and have changed that way...I mean that they are just different. They almost seem like completely different characters in some ways. And I didn't find them to be as likeable either. In the first book, Noa was all independent and badass and tough. And now she's like a typical teenager with boy problems and everything. She's totally lost her edge! She also didn't do any hacking in this book...at all! She just threw all her hacking skills to the wind in order to lead this renegade squad of teens. What?? This book is supposed to be a teen spin on The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. What happened to her hacking?? That's who Noa is! Suffice it to say, Noa is COMPLETELY different in this book.
Don't Look Now wasn't a bad book. It was just very disappointing, especially after liking Don't Turn Around so much. The characters weren't as good and neither was the story. Not cool.