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Panic by Lauren Oliver

Brief synopsis (no spoilers)
The recent High School graduates of a tiny, rural town compete for a cash prize that is enough to build a life outside the town. The game centers around mastery of fear. Any graduate can enter, but only one will win.

Category
Fiction, maybe YA

Why I chose this book
Sounded interesting from library summary

My personal opinion (the review)
The plot line is really good. The premise hooked me right away. Yeah, the characters are a bit flat, but they're also teenagers, so it might just be my "get off my lawn" perspective. But in general, the book is excellent. Also, the tigers were awesome!
I'd like to ask the author a question: Why, oh why, was the use of foul language so necessary? If it weren't for the dozen or so f-bombs sprinkled throughout the book (just a couple in the first half, then getting progressively worse), this would have been my favorite book of the summer. It could have been awesome, but I cannot recommend it, and it goes into a growing pile of "oh, well" books that I'll never recommend or read again.

Warnings
Language: sparse at first, then more frequent. Definitely too much
Violence: featured, but not graphic
"Adult" situations: referenced, but nothing graphic
Death: yes, but not a major character

Movie rating equivalent
R, for language alone

Protagonist description
Heather is an awkward almost-adult, with all of the complexities and insecurities of a normal teenager. But she overcomes fear, for the most part.

Point of view of story
Third, changing perspective

Book length
Medium

Story flow
Excellent, progress marked with a date

Grammar and spelling issues
None

Character connection (no spoilers)
I'd like to know a bit more about Bishop and his background

Comments

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