Monday 3 March 2014

REVIEW: Panic

Panic by Lauren Oliver

Author Information: Website| Goodreads 
Publisher: Harpercollins
Buy the Book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon
Summary (from Goodreads):
Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 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 even 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.
Lauren Oliver never ceases to amaze me.
Every book she publishes is very peculiar and subjective in terms of the depth of the plot. I have very mixed emotions about this book and I'm having a hard time writing a review about this because I can't seem to contemplate whether I adore or despise the book. Maybe even both! But I'm not so sure.
What I didn't like in Panic:
1. I am not that much of a fan of covers with actual human faces on it. I could've liked the cover but the fact that a book by Lauren Oliver has the same concepts of covers from her past novels (Delirium series and Before I Fall) is really annoying since she's done it before. Try something new in the cover, perhaps?
2. The narration is another issue in this book. While reading this book, I realized that a lot of characters are significant. But the narration are point of views of two of the significant characters. If most of the characters are significant, Oliver should have had the book in a third person point of view.
3.  Vague endings really leave me hanging. This book is a stand-alone and if you don't want your readers to let you publish a sequel to this book, then the author must give a clear ending, not a vague and confusing one.
What I liked in Panic:
1. This book is definitely unique. The plot mixed and clashed a lot of genres without messing it up.
2. Damn thrilling! I really thought this was another Hunger Games cliche. But I was wrong. An absolute page turner!
3. If you read the book, you could clearly see that the plot was intelligently written. You'll be having a hard time classifying this book in a single genre because every genre is possible for this book!
4. The writing is perfect. Whenever Lauren Oliver writes, the words that come out are like poetry. Everything fits so perfectly that you forget the plot and focus on the writing.


 COVER RATING:

 PLOT AND STORY FLOW RATING:


2 comments:

  1. I'm not such a big fan of Lauren Oliver. I loved Delirium, but hated how she ended the series! :( I do hope this one is better? Great review, Ira! :)

    -Kimi at Geeky Chiquitas

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  2. This book is nice but it didn't stand out for me :)

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