Review: Panic by Lauren Oliver

Title: Panic

Author: Lauren Oliver

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publishing Date: March 4th, 2013

Read: January 23rd, 2023

Pages: 408

Audio Length: 8 Hours 11 Minutes

Genre: YA Contemporary thriller

TW: Violence

Series: Standalone

Source: Audio

What it's about:

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.

What I thought:

This is only my second book read from Lauren Oliver, I thought I had read more but apparently not. This one was very different than Before I Fall. I thought this was going to be more of a thriller and less of a contemporary. And I guess that's kind of my fault. 

Cover:

I really like this cover, it might not fit the book well, but I like it in general.

Story:

I haven't read too many books like this, so I think it is a unique story. The only thing is I wish it was more thriller and less drama. 

Pace: 

Mm, it's okay. It was kind of slow at parts. I almost DNF'd it because I was bored, but then something kind of intense would happen. And then it would go back to being boring, almost DNF, then something kind of intense.

Writing: 

There was quite a few characters and a lot to follow in this book. The writing was okay, nothing spectacular. It wasn't bad wasn't good. It was kind of just meh, and that's really what I feel is that it was just meh.

Characters: 

I felt nothing for any of the characters. I feel like there wasn't anything that made us really know or love them.  

 

World building: 

I don't know, it's okay I guess.

Ending: 

Oh gosh this review is all over the place. I don't remember the ending. 

Narrator:

The narrator was good.  

Overall:

I was expecting something different, ad I felt super bored. 

A little Snippet:

“She knew, now, that there was always light—beyond the dark, and the fear, out of the depths; there was sun to reach for, and air and space and freedom.

There was always a way up, and out, and no need to be afraid.”

― Lauren Oliver, Panic

Possible books of likeness:

Author's info:

Website

Lauren Oliver is the cofounder of media and content development company Glasstown Entertainment, where she serves as the president of production. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of the YA novels Replica, Vanishing Girls, Panic, and the Delirium trilogy: Delirium, Pandemonium, and Requiem, which have been translated into more than thirty languages. The film rights to both Replica and Lauren's bestselling first novel, Before I Fall, were acquired by AwesomenessTV; Before I Fall is now a major motion picture and opened in theaters March of 2017. The sequel to Replica, titled Ringer, is her most recent novel and was released October 3rd, 2017.

Her novels for middle grade readers include The Spindlers, Liesl & Po, and the Curiosity House series, co-written with H. C. Chester. She has written one novel for adults, Rooms.

A graduate of the University of Chicago and NYU's MFA program, Lauren Oliver divides her time between New York, Connecticut, and a variety of airport lounges. You can visit her online at www.laurenoliverbooks.com.

Other books I've read by this author: