Words on Panic by Lauren Oliver

A seriously extreme game of Dare
Jan 13, 2015
2 min read

Every summer in the tiny, dingy town of Carp, New York, the graduating senior high school students play the most famous - or infamous - game the little town has to offer.

They play Panic.

Nobody knows who started it, or when it began. Panic is the chance to make a name for yourself, to prove yourself, and to do something that will be talked about for years after you leave. Panic is for the fearless, for those who can take anything, and for the survivors. But above all, Panic is a chance to escape Carp. The prize? Around $ 50,000 to do whatever you want with. In Carp, it's a lot of money, especially for a young adult about to face the world.

The game itself is a series of the most insane, crazy, dangerous challenges imaginable created to, as the name says, inspire panic in it's players. Two unnamed judges pick who will win and who's out.

Heather Nill never though she'd end up playng Panic. It was too dangerous, too risky. But never the less, she finds herself entering, and then it's too late to back out - no matter what her best friend, Bishop, may warn her about. Dodge, on the other hand, knew he was going to enter. His sister played and lost - badly. Now it's his turn, and he wants revenge.

Now, as a rule, anything by Lauren Oliver is going to rock. But this was amazing. I would be strongly opposed to doing any of the challenges that go on in the book, and they were terrifying. There were so many times I found myself holding my breath as someone preormed a challenge, and you never really knew who was going to win or loose.

The characters developed well throughout the story, andI liked seeing how their motives and reasons for playing changed as things happened in their personal lives and they found out how far they were really willing to go in the game. Heather's love for her sister is heartwarming, as is Dodge's devotion to his sister. Parts of the story were sad when we learned what the chracters were willing to do to reach their goals and dreams, such as when we learned what Natalie, was doing in order for her to become a model.

I liked Heather and Dodge's dual POVs for the story. They were done well, making sure you learned a lot about both characters without taking away from the plot. Carp in a realistic and interesting world, and the characters' personalities really hit home. 5/5 stars! A big must read, for sure!