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A review by katykelly
The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer
4.0
If you can unhook your most sceptical neurones and just enjoy the ride, this is great entertainment. It's almost like several books in one - there is a Twilight element of slightly overblown romantic love, there's a chase, a spy thriller, a political plot, a kidnapping, and the world's smartest dogs. Phew!
A very smart chemist, whose skills have been used in the past for some morally dubious acts (involving torture - warning, we do get some rather painful scenes) has been on the run for years from her former employers, out to get her. She is constantly on the watch, with tricks up her (literal) sleeves. When she is approached with an olive branch and asked to help these same employers who claim the world is in danger from a biological threat, the good doctor weighs up her options and agrees to interrogate their suspect, using her favoured methods.
The thing is, when she 'bumps' into him, there's a 'chemistry' between them, and it's not one she's artificially created. But he wants to kill millions...
And that is just the start of this action-packed brick of a book. It did feel rather full but I didn't feel it was bloated with storylines, they did tally well together. Juliana (who uses many names throughout the book) can be a little annoying - she's paranoid (with good reason), brittle and brusque, but she's also a great fighter, scientist and lead character.
As with Meyer's Twilight series, the love element of the book starts quite strongly but tails off into lovelorn longing after a while, leaving the other elements of the story to take over with more interesting matters. Fine with me - non-stop action, it felt like Mission Impossible and The Fugitive rolled into one.
The supporting cast were probably stronger than some of the leads, though I don't want to go into detail for fear of giving away twists. There's a chemistry between some characters that I found more realistic than that between the two leads as well.
I read this over the Christmas period, wanted to move more quickly through it actually, but it was a very entertaining read, and could make a great film or TV series. Plenty of action and both women and men will find a character to relish I think, there are some great set-pieces and climaxes.
It's not high-brow literature, but it's a great read, good fun. Twilight fans who are still teenagers might transfer over to adult novels with this nicely, there are some familiar themes of dependence and obsessive love here that will feel similar, and it feels like an action movie you'd see at the cinema.
Holds the strands and multiple aspects together well, I loved the technology and chemical plots, and the use of a very gritty and strong woman as lead.
A very smart chemist, whose skills have been used in the past for some morally dubious acts (involving torture - warning, we do get some rather painful scenes) has been on the run for years from her former employers, out to get her. She is constantly on the watch, with tricks up her (literal) sleeves. When she is approached with an olive branch and asked to help these same employers who claim the world is in danger from a biological threat, the good doctor weighs up her options and agrees to interrogate their suspect, using her favoured methods.
The thing is, when she 'bumps' into him, there's a 'chemistry' between them, and it's not one she's artificially created. But he wants to kill millions...
And that is just the start of this action-packed brick of a book. It did feel rather full but I didn't feel it was bloated with storylines, they did tally well together. Juliana (who uses many names throughout the book) can be a little annoying - she's paranoid (with good reason), brittle and brusque, but she's also a great fighter, scientist and lead character.
As with Meyer's Twilight series, the love element of the book starts quite strongly but tails off into lovelorn longing after a while, leaving the other elements of the story to take over with more interesting matters. Fine with me - non-stop action, it felt like Mission Impossible and The Fugitive rolled into one.
The supporting cast were probably stronger than some of the leads, though I don't want to go into detail for fear of giving away twists. There's a chemistry between some characters that I found more realistic than that between the two leads as well.
I read this over the Christmas period, wanted to move more quickly through it actually, but it was a very entertaining read, and could make a great film or TV series. Plenty of action and both women and men will find a character to relish I think, there are some great set-pieces and climaxes.
It's not high-brow literature, but it's a great read, good fun. Twilight fans who are still teenagers might transfer over to adult novels with this nicely, there are some familiar themes of dependence and obsessive love here that will feel similar, and it feels like an action movie you'd see at the cinema.
Holds the strands and multiple aspects together well, I loved the technology and chemical plots, and the use of a very gritty and strong woman as lead.