A review by intorilex
Panic by Lauren Oliver

3.0

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"But maybe you carried your demons with you everywhere, the way you carried your shadow."

This started out great, it had a wonderful premise, multi-dimensional characters and strong writing. Focusing on characters set adrift with Panic, while moving forward after high school, gave great insight into the angst of growing up. The game Panic itself , could have been more thought out. I think it quickly became a backdrop to the characters. I really wanted Ms. Oliver to explore the game concept more. Possibly because it's a contemporary book, it is more character focused than I usually like. I really like action and this did have some riveting moments where I was focused on what would happen next, but overall this wasn't engaging enough.

Unfortunately the book lagged about  half way through. After a slow read in the middle, the rest of the book seemed like it was rushing to get through the story. I didn't know that this was a series before picking up the book, but I won't be continuing with it. The writing was well done, and the characters didn't fall into any annoying tropes. The author fell short of what would have been a great first book in series, because there's too much left unanswered, and not enough information given to care how the characters progress.

I don't read a lot of Contemporary young adult novels, and wander if I am placing unfair expectations on what this book could be, because of my inexperience with the genre.  Emotionally there were moments that reached out to me, but they weren't explored in a way that lasted longer than a few pages. When I'm reading I want to connect and feel more than anything else. While reading this I wanted to hurry up and finish, instead of really immersing myself in the book. Check it out if your a fan of Lauren Oliver, but overall this was just a OK read.

 "It was so strange the way that life moved forward: the twists and the dead ends, the sudden opportunities."