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A review by enchantedfiction
Panic by Lauren Oliver
3.0
***3.5/5 stars***
DISCLAIMER: I decided to get Panic because I watched the show on Prime first. I was very interested in the story and that is why I got the book. This might contain a few minor spoilers for the book and the show.
Panic takes place in a small town named Carp, where everyone wants to get out. Nobody knows who started Panic, but each graduating class always looks forward to the events of the game. It's a game of strategy, facing your fears, and determination, with a bit of cunning sprinkled in. And this year's seniors have some good reasons for participating. Heather Nill, a girl lacking in self-confidence and money to be able to leave Carp after graduation decides to play when she sees her boyfriend with another girl. She feels like she has nothing to lose. Dodge Mason is playing purely for revenge. His sister was left paralyzed after playing Panic her senior year, and he thinks he can get to the finals to ensure he can avenge her. But the games are just as dangerous as they have ever been, sometimes the ones that treat you as friends are really only looking out for themselves.
So I will admit right off the bat, I actually enjoyed the show better than the book for once. The show focused on a few more of the characters and gave them a back story, which the book did not do. The book focuses on Heather and Dodge, where the show's main focus was Heather, but we also saw perspectives from multiple other characters. I clearly liked the character development of the show better, and I really liked the added element of the cops perspective trying to shut the game down. Book Heather was kind of annoying, and a bit superficial, since she decided to play Panic for the pure fact that she saw the boy she thought she loved with another girl. Show Heather decided to play Panic when her mom stole almost all the money she had been saving up to be able to get out of Carp and provide a better life for her and her sister, Lily. The games of Panic were also slightly different, and I liked that Heather's individual test in the show was with the tiger instead of being Natalie's. Though I really did like that the show's main plot points stuck to the book, and there was just more room for depth into the story with the show.
I would definitely be interested to see someone else's perspective on book vs. show that read the book first, and I fully believe that my personal views on the book were tampered because I watched the show first.
DISCLAIMER: I decided to get Panic because I watched the show on Prime first. I was very interested in the story and that is why I got the book. This might contain a few minor spoilers for the book and the show.
Panic takes place in a small town named Carp, where everyone wants to get out. Nobody knows who started Panic, but each graduating class always looks forward to the events of the game. It's a game of strategy, facing your fears, and determination, with a bit of cunning sprinkled in. And this year's seniors have some good reasons for participating. Heather Nill, a girl lacking in self-confidence and money to be able to leave Carp after graduation decides to play when she sees her boyfriend with another girl. She feels like she has nothing to lose. Dodge Mason is playing purely for revenge. His sister was left paralyzed after playing Panic her senior year, and he thinks he can get to the finals to ensure he can avenge her. But the games are just as dangerous as they have ever been, sometimes the ones that treat you as friends are really only looking out for themselves.
So I will admit right off the bat, I actually enjoyed the show better than the book for once. The show focused on a few more of the characters and gave them a back story, which the book did not do. The book focuses on Heather and Dodge, where the show's main focus was Heather, but we also saw perspectives from multiple other characters. I clearly liked the character development of the show better, and I really liked the added element of the cops perspective trying to shut the game down. Book Heather was kind of annoying, and a bit superficial, since she decided to play Panic for the pure fact that she saw the boy she thought she loved with another girl. Show Heather decided to play Panic when her mom stole almost all the money she had been saving up to be able to get out of Carp and provide a better life for her and her sister, Lily. The games of Panic were also slightly different, and I liked that Heather's individual test in the show was with the tiger instead of being Natalie's. Though I really did like that the show's main plot points stuck to the book, and there was just more room for depth into the story with the show.
I would definitely be interested to see someone else's perspective on book vs. show that read the book first, and I fully believe that my personal views on the book were tampered because I watched the show first.