Take a photo of a barcode or cover
kimberlyfaye_reads 's review for:
Panic
by Lauren Oliver
Find this review and more at kimberlyfaye reads.
A fan of each and every one of Lauren Oliver's books to date, I was really excited to get my hands on Panic early. The blurb sounded really interesting. Danger! Intrigue! Romance! Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong, it was entertaining, but something was just missing.
Panic is a game born out of the boredom of small-town teenagers. It is not a dystopian novel and there are no supernatural elements about it, despite how people are shelving it on Goodreads. It's a straight-up contemporary novel with a bit of mystery, a bit of action and a bit of romance. Sadly, I didn't find myself caring that much about any of it. I found it difficult to connect with the characters. The tasks they were to complete often seemed just plain stupid and dangerous, so I didn't even find myself on the edge of my seat that much. These kids chose to do this. No one forced them. They weren't trying to survive. They were playing a game. This is why I had a difficult time caring about what happened to them as a result of it. The friendships were confusing and I didn't really feel the chemistry between Heather and Dodge.
The book gets bonus points and a 3-star rating because it was incredibly well-written. No, the ideas didn't really work for me and the characters weren't ones I could sympathize with, but the writing was good and the intrigue was there if you could bring yourself to connect with the characters. The characters were well-developed and complex, just not particularly likable to me. There were some twists and turns in the book, but I didn't find them all that unpredictable. I guessed the major twist before it was revealed.
Not Lauren's best book in my opinion, but it wasn't a total waste of time either. A younger crowd would likely be able to relate to the characters and appreciate it more than I did.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
A fan of each and every one of Lauren Oliver's books to date, I was really excited to get my hands on Panic early. The blurb sounded really interesting. Danger! Intrigue! Romance! Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong, it was entertaining, but something was just missing.
Panic is a game born out of the boredom of small-town teenagers. It is not a dystopian novel and there are no supernatural elements about it, despite how people are shelving it on Goodreads. It's a straight-up contemporary novel with a bit of mystery, a bit of action and a bit of romance. Sadly, I didn't find myself caring that much about any of it. I found it difficult to connect with the characters. The tasks they were to complete often seemed just plain stupid and dangerous, so I didn't even find myself on the edge of my seat that much. These kids chose to do this. No one forced them. They weren't trying to survive. They were playing a game. This is why I had a difficult time caring about what happened to them as a result of it. The friendships were confusing and I didn't really feel the chemistry between Heather and Dodge.
The book gets bonus points and a 3-star rating because it was incredibly well-written. No, the ideas didn't really work for me and the characters weren't ones I could sympathize with, but the writing was good and the intrigue was there if you could bring yourself to connect with the characters. The characters were well-developed and complex, just not particularly likable to me. There were some twists and turns in the book, but I didn't find them all that unpredictable. I guessed the major twist before it was revealed.
Not Lauren's best book in my opinion, but it wasn't a total waste of time either. A younger crowd would likely be able to relate to the characters and appreciate it more than I did.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.