Review: Panic

 Fight Club Panic
Author: Lauren Oliver

Publication Date: March 4th 2014

~A copy was provided by HarperCollins via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review~

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 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, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. 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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club.  

The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Club!  

Third rule of Fight- 

Sorry, wrong book. 

But, that's the idea. You know about Panic, you enter Panic, you do not talk about Panic. Kind of alá Cry Wolf. 

 I don't know what I didn't like about it, probably a combination of things- but I didn't like it. It sounds good, the covers pretty, but it took me three quarters of the way in to actually feel like it had finally picked up. And it shouldn't have taken that long. Maybe it's me-and if it is, sorry Panic, you're just not for me. 

It's written in dual points between Heather and Dodge, and it's also written in third person. You could say that's what made me feel detached from the characters, but it's not. I've read dual third persons before. The  thing with Panic is the lack of personalities and connection. There was none. It's kind of like shouting over a brick wall because there's a block that's not letting you in. They were there, but most of them- apart from Dodge, were totally bland, and is it mean if I say they're stupid? Oh, I kind of just did? Okay. 

Take Heather for instance, she gets dumped by her boyfriend and jumps off a cliff, which is the initiation of Panic. I want to shake this girl so freaking hard. Yeah, later on she realises she didn't just jump because of him, there's other circumstances involved, but she solely believe at that time, that because Matt didn't want her, she'd just go jump off a cliff, when she didn't even want to, or be involved with Panic.  

And then towards the end she realises SHE DIDN'T EVEN LIKE HIM. I-just go away. 

That being said, throughout it she complains she's scared, it's like it's got this hold on everyone's necks that I just didn't get. If you wanted to leave so bad, then just don't do your trial. Simples. It could've been a really intense, dare book about facing your fears, and although because of Panic, the characters did, it's just isn't Panic that made them stupid, it was themselves. 

Then there's the best friend whose name I can't remember although I only finished it last night, she was worse than Heather. I mean, I know people get put in that situation a lot, especially in the career she wanted, but she was warned. She was warned, but oh no, she just goes along with it. And does it. Why would you do that? It's characters like this that make the word victim obsolete.  

Dodge was a more interesting character, and the only one who seemed to have his voice come through, though his motivation behind playing is as obvious as a shovel hitting you in the face, but it's a good reason. I would've liked it to have focused more on this point, and though it did in certain parts, nothing actually happened. it could've livened the book up a little and turned into a great revenge plot, but it fell flat on its face.  

Panic is a deathly game about facing your fears, but the lost connection to the characters ruined what could've been something great.

Rating: 2/5