From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes an extraordinary novel of fear, friendship, courage, and hope that Kirkus Reviews says "will have readers up until the wee hours," School Library Journal raves is "fast-paced and captivating," and E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars, calls "a thrill a minute."
Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a poor town of twelve thousand 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. 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.
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
Panic
By Lauren
I was so excited to get an eARC of Panic; Lauren Oliver is by far one of my favorite authors and after Requiem being my most anticipated book of 2013, I was itching to get wrapped up in another one of her stories.My first impression of Panic was surprise honestly. I have no idea why I thought this, but I was shocked that this was a contemporary! For some reason I thought it was another dystopian so I was actually pleasantly surprised to find out it was a contemporary!Panic is a game that seniors play the summer after they graduate. It’s risky, scary and basically all about what it says … Panic. The story is told in dual point of views, Heather’s and Dodge’s. They are both competing in Panic and both for very different reasons.I had a very, very hard time with these characters. It took me a long time to warm up to Heather, I didn’t find her unlikable exactly but I found her bland and boring. I eventually did start to like her and her relationship with her younger sister was endearing and lovely. Her decision-making was completely askew although I supposed that could be accounted for her terrible home life. Dodge, I didn’t like, and I didn’t ever end up liking him. He was completely warped. Because he was so messed up, even when he did somewhat nice things, I couldn’t warm up to him at all. Natalie, Heather’s best friend was selfish and Bishop, her other best friend was probably the most likeable character of all. He wasn’t a favorite of mine, and I will most likely forget I liked him in the future but while I was reading I did enjoy him. I think one of the most difficult things about these characters is that they all had an incredibly poor moral compass. Every single one of them had such poor judgement, the decisions and situations they were in unbelievable. I won’t go into detail because a lot of it had to do with Panic but honestly, I found it extremely hard to believe that you would put yourself into some of these life threatening situations for money.The story itself however drew me in immediately. I can’t even pinpoint what it was other than pure curiosity to see how the story would end. I was entirely into this story until the very last page, the game Panic, while absolutely ridiculous was also equally thrilling. On of my main dislikes about the book though was the predictability. I could see where the story was going before it got there, and only the final few pages had me unsure of what would happen.Another aspect that turned me off from loving this book, and this is upon reflection the following days, is the memorability. Unfortunatly for me Panic, and the thrill that I felt when reading it, especially in the last few chapters… went away. It is almost forgettable. I actually could not remember if there were two POV’s or three POV’s, I had to go back to my Kindle to doublecheck! When I finished Panic, I knew this was going to be one that I would have to mull over before writing my review or rating it and ultimately, after my excitement died down, I didn’t love it as much as I expected to. I find this is a trend for Lauren Oliver books with me: I get so entirely swept up with her writing, her prose and her stories that when I finish, it’s like I’m mixed up. I thought I hated Delirium when I finished it, then after a bit of reflection, I realized I was in LOVE with it… that’s how strong the emotion was. Before I Fall, I finished and was an emotional wreck but thought I loved it… and then days later I found a lot of things I didn’t love. Now obviously this practice didn’t go entirely in Panic’s favor however it does attest to Oliver’s writing. She’s a beautiful writer and her stories are captivating when your reading them.Despite my issues with Panic, it was a really good story. It was thrilling when it needed to be, had an interesting and unique concept and had me clinging onto the story until the very last word.
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful.Exciting story, but ridiculously unbelievable premise -- and a dangerous message for teens
By kacunnin
Lauren Oliver's PANIC is a gripping YA thriller about a crazy summer contest among high school seniors in the little town of Carp, New York. Supposedly this contest - called "Panic" - has been going on in Carp for decades. All through their senior year, Carp students must pay a dollar a day into the pot, which will later be used to pay the two secret judges and the eventual contest winner. Anyone who objects to shelling out the cash is subjected to intimidation, threats, and physical abuse. Any senior can play, and the competitions are dangerous and life-threatening. People get hurt playing Panic. And they die.The story itself focuses on two Panic contestants, Heather Nill and Dodge Mason. Heather wasn't planning to play Panic, but when her boyfriend breaks up with her, she figures she has nothing to lose. Dodge says he wants the prize money (over $60,000), but he has other reasons more complex and devious. Oliver's novel follows the course of the contest as Heather and Dodge, along with their friends Nat Velez and Bishop Marks, try to survive an increasingly terrifying series of stunts that could very well cost them their lives.For PANIC to work, the reader must be able to suspend disbelieve, and that's not easy. This isn't some post-apocalyptic world where teenagers routinely challenge each other to the death. This isn't HUNGER GAMES! This is plain old ordinary small-town New York, where a bunch of recent high school grads are willing to risk everything for the chance at a wad of cash. This contest has supposedly been going on for a very long time, which is in itself difficult to believe. Carp's high school seniors are strong-armed into paying a daily tribute to finance Panic, but no one at the school seems to know anything about it. How is that possible? How can class after class of seniors be brow-beaten into paying up without teachers, administrators, and parents ever finding out? And what about the police? People routinely end up in the hospital because of Panic, and some even die! Here, the Carp police do raid one of the competitions, and people are questioned, but nothing comes of it. It's as if the police are in on it, too - which would have made more sense. If this competition actually goes on every summer - and has gone on every summer for years and years - then there's no way it could be kept secret. And there's no way the adults in the town of Carp would have let it continue.Additionally, there's something disturbing about how this novel ends. Some reviewers have called it a "happy ending," and in some ways it is. The four primary characters find romance, at least. But none of them seems to understand that the stupid game they are playing is horribly wrong! There is an uncomfortable sense, at the end of PANIC, that the winner of this thing actually does win something. And that's a dangerous message for teenagers. At least in HUNGER GAMES it's clear that no one ever really wins.On one level, PANIC is more realistic than many YA novels these days. Heather and Dodge have very difficult lives, with family situations that are challenging and difficult to deal with. Heather's mother is a drunk with little regard for either Heather or her twelve-year-old sister Lily. And Dodge's older sister was paralyzed in an earlier Panic competition, leaving both of them angry, bitter, and vengeful. Had PANIC better addressed the dangers of revenge, or if it had made some sort of a comment about the insanity of crazy teenage behavior, it would have been more successful. But it does neither. Whatever happens to Heather, Dodge, and their friends, there's little doubt Panic will continue to obsess the teenagers in Carp, New York. The game will go on. And that's genuinely scary.There's no doubt PANIC is an exciting read. But it's not a good novel for teens. By the final page I was asking myself what Oliver's point really was. Is it worth risking your life - and the lives of your friends - for money? Even with a good reason it isn't. Heather, especially, has a real and understandable need for money, but getting it this way is just wrong. And any game that results in pain, suffering, and death can't be a good idea. Somewhere in all the teenage angst that part gets lost. And that's too bad.
25 of 31 people found the following review helpful.
Wonderful YA Read
By Farrah
Thrilling, unpredictable, and full of secrets, Panic was a fantastic YA read. I really enjoyed reading this fantastic book. Absolutely wonderful!Panic was a game that came about from a group of bored teenagers. And, from there, it became a dangerous tradition that resulted in injuries and deaths. Every summer, the recent high school graduates complete in a series of challenges. Over the 4 years of high school, every student would contribute money to create the winning prize amount. The seniors would go through dangerous tasks, each eliminating more and more players, until the winner was chosen to win the money. All the while, two anonymous judges set the challenges and chose the winners. The whole situation that Lauren Oliver created was flawless. I could imagine that sort of thing happening in a small town full of bored teenagers. It was flawlessly built into a thrilling game that had me on the edge of my seat.The story is told through the main characters, Heather and Dodge, in alternating perspectives, so I'll focus on the narrators first.Heather was a tough chick. She didn't have the best situation at home and she wanted to win the money so that she could take care of her sister and get her away from her neglectful mother. She was strong, determined, and extremely dedicated to caring for her loved ones. I really liked her. She was definitely a worthy heroine.Dodge was a little sketchy at first. He wanted to win Panic as a means for revenge and he was quite ruthless about it at first. But, then his priorities shifted and it no longer became about winning, but about making sure he and his friends survived the games. I liked him. He was sweet and loyal to those he cared about. And he proved himself as a worthy character with what he did at the end. I thought he was great.The other two important characters were Bishop and Nat, Heather's friends. There were two separate romantic relationships: one between Bishop and Heather, and one between Dodge and Nat.Bishop was so sweet. I totally adored him. He was dedicated to protecting his loved ones and that meant he would do anything to protect Heather. He wasn't all sunshine, though, he had a dark side and quite a few secrets that I never saw coming. But, that only made me like him more. I thought he was wonderful.Nat, on the other hand, got on my nerves. She was mean. She lied, manipulated, insulted, and was somehow forgiven for it every time. I'm not sure why Dodge even liked her after the way she played him. She had her good moments, but I still didn't like her.The romance was very light. The story was really focused on the games, but the little bit of romance that did appear was sweet.The plot was well paced. I was kept interested the entire way through, though there were some parts that dragged a little. What I really love about Lauren Oliver's books is her ability to write so lyrically. Her writing itself was just gorgeous. The story was thrilling and the scenes of the challenges had me on the edge of my seat. I really enjoyed the story and I thought the ending was lovely.Panic was a wonderful YA read. It was thrilling, unpredictable, and full of surprises. I really enjoyed reading this fantastic book. Lovers of YA, this is a book you'll want to check out.*I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
