Book Review - Panic

Panic

Author: Lauren Oliver 

Standalone

Genres: Contemporary, Adventure | Young Adult
Release Date: 4th March 2014
Publishers: Harper Collins

No. Pages: 408

Source: Review Copy - Harper Collins

Rating: 

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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've been a fan of Lauren Oliver for a few years now, first with Before I Fall and then with Delirium series and when I heard about Panic I was pretty excited. Sure the cover though beautiful doesn't give much away, sure its suppose to be a dystopian book but there's absolutely nothing futuristic about it, but it was still a good book. I heard one person compare it to The Hunger Games , I'm not exactly sure why they think thank as its nothing like it, if anything it reminds me strongly of The Scorpio Races which seen as I loved that book (and massively wish it was a series) it is nothing but a good thing.

The book is set from two peoples point of views, Heather a strong minded girl who's had a hard life with a great group of friends and Dodge, a loner with a hard life of his own. Both have their own reason's for entering Panic, both desperate to win to make a better life for their sisters. Heather is a very timid girl at first, but with the help of Panic and determination she really comes out of her shell and we see that she isn't as scared as we and she thinks. Dodge is a stranger character, at first he comes across as shy from his obviously lack of social interaction, but then when we get further into the book it becomes apparent that his intentions might not be as innocent as we once thought.

We also have two other sub characters who are just as important. Natalie and Bishop, Heather's best friends. Natalie is also in Panic, for nothing other than the money. she seems pretty hell bent on being famous and escaping Carp. Bishop is always there for Heather, and is pretty much one of my favourite characters. All of them, no matter how big or small, together or a mess are brilliant. The thing I love about Lauren Oliver is that she puts so much effort into building up her characters from the ones who are just in it for a chapter to the main ones.

The more the story goes on, the harder the game gets. Sometimes through it my heart was in my throat or I was very on edge, sometimes it dragged (very little) but I loved the development of the characters and the relationships, I love how for the most of it I never knew what was going to happen. 

I loved the originality of the idea. I really just liked the book in general. It had its ups and downs, like every book, but overall it was a really good book and I'm glad I read it :)

“She knew that this day, this feeling, couldn't last forever. Everything passed; that was partly why it was so beautiful. Things would get difficult again. But that was okay too.
The bravery was in moving forward, no matter what.”