(I'll say what we're all thinking: #FIERCE! Generally I don't like to judge books by their covers, but, WHOA.)
This was one of those books that had me at its premise, months before it came out. Every year, the graduating seniors in the town of Carp compete in Panic, designed to test their fears in a series of highly competitive games. What are these "games", you ask? Well, without being too spoilery, let's say they range from walking across a rotten wood plank high above ground to confronting a few hungry (or are they?) tigers. Now, why, you ask, would anyone in their right mind do anything like this? That has a lot to do with the prize: a pot over $50,000 to start a new life for themselves.
One could call this book HUNGER GAMES-lite; the setting is not in a dystopian future, and the players aren't killing one another for the prize, though the threat of death looms throughout the competition. Still, even without that the stakes were high throughout, and I enjoyed the twists and turns that some of the players took to ensure their victory.
The novel is told from two points of view: There's Heather, who comes from a broken family and serves as the unofficial guardian to younger sister, Lily; and then there's Dodge, a reserved, rough-around-the-edges sort of guy with revenge on the brain. I have to say, I enjoyed the parts of the story told from Dodge's POV better, and was kind of dismayed that we didn't get to be inside his head more often. While I liked Heather just fine, there were moments in the story (particularly in the middle and near the end) where I found myself wishing we could switch back to Dodge's POV just to get a break. The will-they/won't-they relationship she had going on with Bishop, her best friend since childhood, was a little aggravating at times. As you're reading, you'll definitely be thinking, Just get it over with already!
Side-note: You may or may not like the character of Natalie, Heather's other best friend. Fair warning. I myself didn't really care for her, but if you find yourself siding with her as you're reading, please let me know and we can happily discuss the polarizing girl that is Natalie Velez. :)
I have mixed feelings about the ending. When I first read it, I felt it was too abrupt and not what I imagined, and then minutes after I'd closed the book, I changed my mind and thought it was a nice, albeit too tidy ending. Now, after a day to reflect on it, I find myself going back to the former opinion. The novel's climax was pretty exciting, and I really thought Oliver was going to throw one of her characters through the ringer in the final paragraphs. But then--BAM--things went in a kinda bad-ass but overall abrupt direction. The "abrupt" part more so reflects the flash-forward we get in the final pages; it ties up most of the loose ends rapidly. While I respect Oliver and her approach to resolving the story--it is her story, after all--I found myself wanting a little bit more.
My favorite part of this novel had to be the writing. I've been familiar with Oliver's past work (BEFORE I FALL, The DELIRIUM trilogy) for quite some time, but this was the first novel of hers I read. Her writing is very smooth and figurative, and even if there was a lull in the story itself, the way she spun her words saved it for me. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future; her upcoming adult novel, ROOMS, sounds fantastic.
Despite my issue with the ending and a few of the supporting characters, PANIC is a quick and fun summer read--a good book to read during this time of year, since the story takes place over the summer--and I would definitely recommend it! B+
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