Tori's Review: Panic by Lauren Oliver

Panic by Lauren Oliver
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Rating: ♚♚♚½
Pages: 408
Published by HarperCollins on March 4, 2014
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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.

I expected a lot from this book. I didn't get exactly what I was hoping for, but I wasn't disappointed either. The pace was decent, and the plot was sort of thrilling. The characters were typical, but I connected with them a bit as in they made decisions that seemed realistic and matched their personalities. In a way, the characters made the plot predictable, but not too terribly so. The world-building, in all, was pretty good, and I wasn't left hanging.

This book had been raved about a lot, therefore I was expecting something spectacular. Sadly, Panic is pretty average. The pace wasn't fast paced, but it wasn't slow either. A bit slow at first, but after the first 50-60 pages, it picks up more. I read it in a single night, because I had to know what was going to happen to Heather and Dodge next. It was a page turner for sure!

Dodge was dodgy to me. Really. I like an unreliable narrator though, so I sort of liked Dodge. The one thing that really got to me about him was that he was obsessed with Nat, Heather's (the main character's) best friend. It was cute at first, but after so long I got irritated with him and his infatuation. The same thing goes for Heather and her obsession/infatuation with her ex-boyfriend Matt. There was this line at the beginning of the novel that I felt was extremely true.

There's just something about her.

Something about her. Which meant: Nothing about you.

I felt like that is how a lot of girls feel after a guy uses the line, "It's not you; it's me." Not the same line, but still. Same meaning. Trying to pin the blame on themselves or some imaginary force that doesn't exist. Heather just seems so dead set on being with Matt. It's sort of sickening, and it got annoying. Plus, the players' motives for participating in Panic didn't really fly with me. Their backgrounds/histories were a bit shady, which ultimately made them shady as characters.

The one character I liked through and through was Biship. His motives were a bit predictable and cheesy, but in the end I liked him a lot more than the other characters. I originally thought I'd like Dodge, but I ended up not liking him as much. I liked Bishop more than Dodge.

On the world-building side of the story, it was good. There was a page or two in the beginning that explained the background of the city Carp. Usually, this wouldn't work since it would be considered a form of info-dumping, but since the book is written in third person (she, he, they), I think it worked out a lot better than if it was in first person (I, me, we).

Panic was nothing like I expected. I thought it was going to be more action-y and adventurous, but it ended up being thrilling and suspenseful, maybe even a bit mysterious. I'd recommend it to people who have liked Oliver's previous works since the writing is still really good as well as people that are just interested in the synopsis in general. I don't think you'll be too disappointed with Panic if you're already interested in reading it. I think I'll leave this review with my favorite quote.

"That's the thing about trust. You don't know [if you can trust me]."

Tori's Review: Unforgotten (Unremembered #2) by Jessica Brody

Unforgotten by Jessica Brody
Series: Unremembered #2
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance
Rating: ♚♚♚½
Pages: 416
Published by Farrar, Struas and Giroux on February 25, 2014
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Some memories are better left forgotten...

After a daring escape from the scientists at Diotech who created her, Seraphina believes she is finally safe from the horrors of her past. But new threats await Sera and her boyfriend, Zen, at every turn as Zen falls prey to a mysterious illness and Sera’s extraordinary abilities make it more and more difficult to stay hidden. Meanwhile, Diotech has developed a dangerous new weapon designed to apprehend her. A weapon that even Sera will be powerless to stop. Her only hope of saving Zen’s life and defeating the company that made her is a secret buried deep within her mind. A secret that Diotech will kill to protect. And it won’t stay forgotten for long.

Packed with mystery, suspense, and romance, this riveting second installment of Jessica Brody’s Unremembered trilogy delivers more heart-pounding action as loyalties are tested, love becomes a weapon, and no one’s memories are safe.

NOTE: I received this book from this publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A continuation of Unremembered by Jessica Brody, Unforgotten picks up several months after the end of Unremembered. The first thing that really irritated me about Unforgotten was the pace. I honestly would've liked this book so much more if the beginning went faster. I understand that the book needed to start somewhere, and, yes, action did happen in the beginning, but I just really wasn't feeling it. I wish it was a bit more interesting. Although after Sera was accused of witchcraft, the book definitely got better.

Kaelen, a new character, was by far my favorite other than Cody. I can't really say anything about Zen, because he was barely in the book. In my review of Unremembered, I said that I wanted to see more of Zen and Sera to decide whether or not I liked them together. I was a bit bummed out that I didn't get to see them grow as a couple, because I really wasn't feeling them as a couple in Unremembered.

Because of me not feeling them as a couple, it was easier for me to latch onto Kaelen. On one hand, he's a horrible love interest that doesn't go with Sera at all, but when you really think about it, he's the best fit for Sera. They're the same. They're both created by Diotech. They're both supposed to be emotionless. They're perfect for each other. To me, Zen was a set of training wheels for Sera in the sense that he prepared her to really connect with someone that understood her more—Kaelen.

Like I said, other than Kaelen, Cody was my other favorite character. I don't think it's a spoiler saying that he was in the book. I mean, there's no other way that I can talk about this book without saying a few things that aren't in the summary. Cody is all grown up in this book, and he's still the same old Cody. I'm really glad that Brody was able to maintain Cody's voice even thirty years into the future.

The world-building aspect of Unforgotten is pretty good. I wasn't as confused in this book as I was in Unremembered, which is good. More science is added to the plot, and I feel like Brody explained it well.

The ending was alright. Just alright. Most of my rating is coming from the very beginning and the very ending. I'm not saying the ending was bad; I'm just saying that part of it was predictable. And infuriating. I suppose the infuriating part is okay, but it just sort of ruined the entire book for me. I realize that there's going to be another book, which I'm anticipating greatly! I need to see how the rest of this series pans out...

This book was good, and I liked it. The was beginning was slow. The ending was a bit predictable, and it made me groan, because of I saw it coming. I loved Cody, and Kaelen is my favorite between him and Zen. I just don't see Zen and Sera as a couple, so if they're the end game, I hope Brody justifies their connection in the third book. The science is easy to understand yet still complex and interesting. In all, this is well worth the read! I'm wondering if it's a trilogy or if it has more books than just three. (Everything's a series these days.)

Lindsay's Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Series: If I Stay #1

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Rating: ★★★½
Pages: 201

Published by Dutton Juvenile on April 6th, 2010

Date Finished: July 30th, 2013
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On a day that started like any other,Mia had everything: a loving family, a gorgeous, admiring boyfriend, and a bright future full of music and full of choices. In an instant, almost all of that is taken from her. Caught between life and death, between a happy past and an unknowable future, Mia spends one critical day contemplating the only decision she has left. It is the most important decision she'll ever make.
Simultaneously tragic and hopeful, this is a romantic, riveting, and ultimately uplifting story about memory, music, living, dying, loving.

Tori's Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Series: Shatter Me #1
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance
Rating: ★★★½
Pages: 338Published by Harper on November 15, 2011
Date Finished: July 21, 2013
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Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.
The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.
Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.