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A review by paperprivateer
Seasick by Kristin Cast, Pintip Dunn
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I’ve read a lot of high stakes YA thrillers this summer, and this was the one that kept my interest the best. Although maybe that’s because all of the ones I read weren’t that good.
The pacing of the plot was good overall, keeping things interesting without slowing things down too much, even as backstories are revealed. The entries from the gossip website add intrigue, and there’s enough action to keep my interest.
However, some of the murders required a lot of suspension of disbelief, and the way the characters jump into a relationship as soon as a pretty hurtful situation was cleared up is a little unrealistic.
My biggest problem with it is the lack of realistic responses to what’s going on. All of these people are getting murdered left and right, and yet the main characters are pretty chill about it and trying to sort out their love lives. There are a few moments where the characters panic, but overall nobody seems to care about what’s happening. They don’t even seem that freaked out by the fact that if more people keep dying, they might be the next to go. Even when the killer is revealed, the main characters basically go, “huh, interesting,” and get to business of stopping them instead of having a realistic, emotional response to the betrayal and strong emotions they should experience. Especially at the end, the remaining characters are seemingly just fine, having a great time and not at all emotionally traumatized by the things they saw and had to survive. I get that characters can’t cry and scream the entire time because things have to happen, but some reaction is important! These characters must have been on some medication that made them numb to the entire world around them.
The killer’s motivations don’t completely make sense either, and I’m not sure how some of what they did was even possible. I didn’t understand why any character was doing anything, and the reason the best friends stopped being friends was ridiculous.
Seasick is melodramatic and unnecessarily angsty, and the number of murders and the characters border on absurd. But I still have to admit that I thought it was a quick, fun read when I wasn’t thinking about it. Seasick has a lot of problems, but if you’re looking for a campy YA thriller, this could be a good choice.
The pacing of the plot was good overall, keeping things interesting without slowing things down too much, even as backstories are revealed. The entries from the gossip website add intrigue, and there’s enough action to keep my interest.
However, some of the murders required a lot of suspension of disbelief, and the way the characters jump into a relationship as soon as a pretty hurtful situation was cleared up is a little unrealistic.
My biggest problem with it is the lack of realistic responses to what’s going on. All of these people are getting murdered left and right, and yet the main characters are pretty chill about it and trying to sort out their love lives. There are a few moments where the characters panic, but overall nobody seems to care about what’s happening. They don’t even seem that freaked out by the fact that if more people keep dying, they might be the next to go. Even when the killer is revealed, the main characters basically go, “huh, interesting,” and get to business of stopping them instead of having a realistic, emotional response to the betrayal and strong emotions they should experience. Especially at the end, the remaining characters are seemingly just fine, having a great time and not at all emotionally traumatized by the things they saw and had to survive. I get that characters can’t cry and scream the entire time because things have to happen, but some reaction is important! These characters must have been on some medication that made them numb to the entire world around them.
The killer’s motivations don’t completely make sense either, and I’m not sure how some of what they did was even possible. I didn’t understand why any character was doing anything, and the reason the best friends stopped being friends was ridiculous.
Seasick is melodramatic and unnecessarily angsty, and the number of murders and the characters border on absurd. But I still have to admit that I thought it was a quick, fun read when I wasn’t thinking about it. Seasick has a lot of problems, but if you’re looking for a campy YA thriller, this could be a good choice.