Skip to main content

Panic by Lauren Oliver (Review #93)

"Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a poor town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is ever higher. She'd never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game; he's sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he's not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them - and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most."

Review:
When I started this book, I was confused on what the world was like. Was this a world similar to the one in The Hunger Games? I couldn't tell. It wasn't until I got the the first round of Panic that I realized this was a right-of-passage for the seniors of this town. Moreover, this could in fact be an event that actually occurs in real life. If you had asked me before this book if I was afraid of anything, I'd tell you something deep, like abandonment or something. Now, my answer is vastly different. I imagined myself going through the challenges, and if I was in Panic, I'd be scared shitless (pardon my french). As for the characters, I immediately hated Dodge. He seemed shady from the beginning and I simply couldn't warm up to him. Heather on the other hand, was impulsive and a risk-taker, and I loved her from page 1. I thought this wonderful girl was going to fall for Dodge (ew, no), when suddenly the blooming romance between her and Bishop appeared. I instantly loved the idea. Additionally, her best friend and Dodge's love interest, Natalie, was such a SNAKE! I really thought I felt for their friendship when Nat and Heather promised to split the winnings together, but then she went behind Heather's back and made the same deal with Dodge. He, too, was oblivious to her devious plans. Honestly, I feel sorry for Dodge at this point; he was getting played! As the story progressed I loved it even more, and as each chapter passed, my perceived notions were spinning on their heads. The hairs on my arms began to rise. The surprises never ended and I loved the book more and more with each passing hour! And as I reached the end, my faith in Heather's resilience proved itself and the tiger metaphor really had me at the end. All in all, Panic certainly lived up to its name.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (Review #20)

"Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. It can. She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed. There is. She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. She's wrong." Review: This is a book you simply have to read. It's probably a part of my top ten favorite books list. Mara is this girl who just lost her friends and boyfriend in a terrible, but also peculiar, accident and now people who tick her off - and who she's attracted to (cough-cough-Noah-cough-cough) - are in her powerful line of fire... It's a tantalizing tale that will have you (for a lack of a better cliche) gripping the edge of your seat!!

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen (Review #34)

"Ever since her parents' divorce, Auden has been unable to sleep. She's built a routine that gets her through each night; but when the opportunity comes for her to spend her summer at the beach with her father and his new family, she jumps at the chance to break out of her rut. Life at the beach proves more challenging than Auden expects. In addition to trying to figure out how she fits in to her father's new life, she also has to navigate the girls at work with their gossip and friendship and crushes. And then there's Eli, a fellow insomniac who becomes her nocturnal tour guide. With an endless supply of long summer nights between them, almost anything can happen...." Review: I was a Sarah Dessen - virgin. This was my first time reading her work and it was inexhaustibly fantastic. I couldn't put it down. literally I stayed up all night reading this novel, maybe just how Dessen wanted me to. that is why I'm writing this at such an ungodly hour. Wh...

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian (Review #29)

"Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister. Kate is tired of the rumors, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person - her ex-best friend - and she's ready to make her pay. Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him. Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they've each had a taste." Review: This book was FAN-TAS-TIC!! I am not for the petty popular girl books, and this is definitely not one of those books. The revenge you wish you got on the person who double-crossed you is finally let loose in one of the best and most inventive ways, and the ending left me jaw-dropped. This is a book everyone should have on their shelf.