Panic By Lauren Oliver

This review has definitely been a long time coming I can tell you that, but I have finally finished reading 'Panic' by Lauren Oliver. To be honest I don't think there could be a better time for me to finish this book as it is set in the summer and it is now the summer holidays (at least for us all in the UK).

Obviously, as this book is about teenagers in the summer it does include some of the typical things you would expect like finding love and friendship, But Oliver does also make the novel gritty by using the backstory of her main characters to show the desperation and need to survive. Though the plot is based centrally around a game albeit a very dangerous game that can kill you to the main characters it is anything but a game. It is their way out.This gritty backstory and the setting of diners and caravans only serves to make the excitement of the games various challenges. The more you know about the characters as you go on the more the thrill of the novel and the fear for the characters themselves are also increased.

The action sequences in this book are really cleverly done with a real focus on the emotions of the characters rather than the event itself. Personally, I found that this really made it all the more dramatic. The action definitely increases as you near the end of the novel and by the time you reach the last challenge you really do feel like you are sitting on the edge of your seat or dangling over the same cliff that they jumped off at the beginning.

But the most noticable thing about this book is not the action sequences but rather how Oliver has arraned the structure of the novel. By using specific dates instead of traditional chapters the book almost shows key snapshots of the characters as the game progresses. Obviously, this does mean that sometimes time is lost but by doing this Oliver is able to place more emphasis on the action so I would not say that any time is missed. This also works in Oliver's favor as she uses a duel point of view in each of the sections. Thereby each day seems to be divided between the characters and you can pretty much track what each of the main characters is doing without needing the extra time that has been edited out.



The ending is another key strength of this book as it really wraps up all the threads of the plot. In such a short book this is really n achievement as the ending leaves you by no means unsatisfied and you can really see the effort Oliver took inarrangingg the plot by how well everything comes together at the end.



This will be a great summer read for anyone who's feeling like they need a bit of a thrill now schools over. It could even be a great holiday read as the book is very compact and it gives you all the excitement without forcing you to commit to multiple books.
Happy Reading, and to any of you lovely people travelling or escaping to the sun, safe travells,
Muireann x