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Bel:

Cover

A girl with blonde hair blowing in her face against a black backdrop is certainly eye catching, and the title in stark white gives the impression of seriousness.

Characters

Desperate teens in a small forgotten town… I can’t help but draw parallels to the small country town I grew up in, and I hope nobody ever does anything this ridiculous up there, because it’s Stupid with a capital S.

Favourite

I’ll pick Dayna, Dodge’s sister, the only sensible-ish character in the whole book.

Least Favourite

Krista, Heather’s Mum. There are no words.

Beginning

The graduating class put money into a pool to be able to ‘play’ an annual dangerous game, dubbed ‘Panic’. Winner takes all. Heather joins to be noticed by a guy she likes, and everyone is in it to get the hell out of town.

Storyline

The games get more and more dangerous, kids die, and everything is incredibly messed up.

Ending

I was amazed I actually kept reading through to the end.

Thoughts

This book triggered such emotion in me. It brought out the mother urges in me to talk some sense into the characters, and the bad parenting just tipped me over the edge. I honest to goodness hope nobody reads this and thinks “Hey, let’s do that.”

I wish there weren’t teens out there desperate enough to do something like this to rise above destitution, but there are so, so many across the world. It makes me both angry and sad.

It is really well written and the settings and circumstances are vivid in their depiction. I’m sure this was what Lauren was aiming for when writing the book. Bullseye!

Quote

“After Bill Kelly … it’s not worth it. It’s not right.” ~ Dayna trying to talk Dodge out of competing in Panic.

 

Joelene:

Cover

A girl with blonde hair blowing in the wind against a stark, black backdrop. Gives the idea of isolation.

Characters

A group of teens struggling to get away from the only lives they know. Same goal, but different motives.

Favourite

Bishop. Probably the only one whose actions make sense. Would have liked part of it to be from his perspective.

Least Favourite

Dodge. The kid has no idea what he wants. I have no idea what he wants.

Beginning

In the impoverished town of Carp, the only hope students have of getting out and making it is a dangerous game that they pool their cash into all year.

Storyline

As the challenges get more dangerous, bonds form and fall apart. With the stakes so high, friendships fray and players are left wondering if they really know each other.

Ending

Wasn’t exactly neat…As far as I can tell this will be a stand-alone, and there were a few loose ends that didn’t sit well with me.

Thoughts

I love books that explore teens from a disadvantaged background. Panic does a great job of showing the desperation that can arise from those kinds of situations. I would have liked to see the hopelessness the parents experienced too. They wouldn’t have had any more options than the kids, but they’re only painted as another obstacle to rail against.

Quote

‘My point is, when you love someone, when you care for someone, you have to do it through the good and the bad. Not just when you’re happy and it’s easy.’

 

 

Lisa:

Cover

I’ll have to say, that I’m not too amazed with this cover. I don’t dislike or hate it. But I don’t think that it isn’t special or sticks out. It’s not really eye catching, and doesn’t give the reader any hints at the story inside. AGAIN, I’m not saying it’s horrific, but I do feel that this story deserves a better cover.

Characters

Overall, I thought the cast of characters were okay. There was one or two that I absolutely loved, and a handful that I just wanted to give a good shake.

Favorite

The two that I couldn’t get enough of were Heather, the main character, and Dodge. Heather wasn’t some crazy life risking teenager who just graduated high school. She didn’t take part in Panic just for the fun of it. She had to. She desperately needed the money to support herself and her little sister, and made the tough decision of joining.

Dodge on the other hand, had his own motives for joining, which the money wasn’t one of them. He was in it for something completely different. He has been craving for his chance to play in Panic, so when it finally came around, there was no way he wasn’t going to take it.

Least Favorite

Most of the characters I wanted to grab and shake played very small roles. I can’t remember any specific thing they did, but it was usually what they said.

One character that did bother, and that I can recall, is Heather’s best friend, Natalie. She didn’t really have much of a reason to play, but just like a lot of her fellow classmates, she decided to enter for the “fun.” But the last straw, that made me officially dislike her, was when she made deals with both Dodge and Heather; if either one of them would win, they would split the money down the middle. Obviously, Natalie didn’t think very far into it, because if she won, she would have to give half to Heather and half to Dodge…so after going through all this crazy stuff, she would get nothing…

SO FRUSTRATING!

Beginning:

Panic dives right into the action. It begins with the initiation of Panic, and introduces our main character, Heather. The beginning is where we learn about the entire idea of Panic and how it works. We also learn a little bit about our characters, but not too much.

Middle:

Through the middle section of Panic, we witness a lot of the different (AND VERY SCARY) things these teenagers have to go to, to move onto the next round–from crossing a five lane high with their eyes closed, to sneaking into a man’s house and stealing his gun. We also are introduced to the real reasons as to why Heather and Dodge decided to play in Panic and some of their life stories.

End

The one thing I was happiest about when it comes to the ending was that Natalie was exposed for the deals she made with both Heather and Dodge. I mean the deal wasn’t the smartest thing to do anyways, but come on, you’re supposed to be her best friend?

We also witness who the ultimate winner is to Panic, and all of the consequences that come along with the game–tiger’s running wild, to friendships ending, and new ones blooming.

Overall Thoughts

When I first heard of Panic, I was automatically interested. Lauren Oliver has an amazing writing style and she’s an amazing person. I’ve even had the opportunity to meet her! But as I was reading reviews and listening to peoples’ rants, a lot of them were claiming that the game was dumb and pointless–that these kids were crazy to do it.

So I went into reading Panic, feeling okay about it. I didn’t want to hold my expectations to high, but I was still pretty excited.

Now that I’ve read it, I would have to say I disagree with those reviews. I thought the games were crazy, and there would be no way that I would ever play, but I know a lot of kids who could use that huge chunk of money, for school, or even for food. I don’t think it’s that crazy that these kids would join, a lot of people have valid reasons.

Overall, I loved Panic. Heather and Dodge made the story for me. The games were mind blowing. The jackpot was worth it. And I still can’t get enough of Lauren Oliver’s writing.

 

Krista:

Cover

Black cover with blonde girl’s hair blowing across it. I don’t feel it represents the actual details of the story, simplistic but not bad.

Characters

Told from 2 POV’s: Heather and Dodge in rotating chapters, with major side characters of Nat and Bishop.

Favourite

I have to say I couldn’t pick a favorite in this book. I liked all 4 of the major players in this story and what they brought to it.

Least Favourite

Heather’s mother is the worst! I didn’t like anything about her from beginning to end.

Beginning

After being dumped by her boyfriend, Heather decides to join in the senior game of PANIC, to the shock of her friends Nat and Bishop. They didn’t think she had it in her. Dodge, on the other hand, has no fear of participating in the game and looks forward to the challenges. He’s determined even, but not for the title of winner, or the grand prize!

Storyline

In a small town like Carp, the game of Panic has become a yearly thing for graduating seniors. The challenges are composed of trials in which they must overcome their fears, and not die trying. As the challenges get harder, and contestants are ruled out, changes in their lives also change their reasons and determination for winning.

Ending

Kidnappings, explosions and….tigers?

Thoughts

I really enjoyed the majority of this story: how the characters lives changed throughout the story, which in turn changes who they are as people; how the decisions you make can change the course of your life, or how you view life. Being a senior about to graduate already brings a lot of changes to a person’s life, but including such a dangerous game in the mix really added so much more to the story. It was well written, and there was only small things that I didn’t absolutely love about it; but a great and entertaining read, something I recommend to thrill seekers, adventure lovers, and those that like a pinch of survival stories.

Quote

“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.”

 

Discussion Topics

Krista: In my opinion, this quote fits Heather’s character, “Love the moment. Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the whole. Life is a succession of such moments and to live each, is to succeed.” – Anonymous. Do you agree? What are some specific times throughout the story that Heather really focused on the big picture and didn’t just act spur of the moment?

I personally felt that the addition of the tigers to the story was out of left field and didn’t quite fit the rest of the story. Was there any part of this story that did not feel realistic to you?

Joelene: This theme seems to be running through the story: Is poverty a cycle or a choice?

 

Join us on GoodReads for the discussion!

 

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