Panic by Lauren Oliver

Panic by Lauren Oliver
Series: No
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: March 4th 2014
Source: Edelweiss [Publisher]

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.

I started Panic back at the start of February, but I got into a slump because of the family stuff I had going on. But when I picked it up again right at the end of February, I was kicking myself for putting it down and not picking it up again for so long! Lauren Oliver became one of my favourite authors after I read the Delirium trilogy so I was obviously really looking forward to this one.

When I first started Panic, I was slightly confused. I had actually been thinking this was a dystopian, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out it was a contemporary. Panic is set in a small town where graduating seniors take part in Panic - a game where you have to be brave and tough and you could end up walking away with a lot of money or not walking away at all. It's told from two different POV's: Heather & Dodge, but Nat and Bishop are also main parts of this book.

Even though Heather wasn't one of my favourite characters, I still really enjoyed getting to hear from her. Heather has a tough family life. Her mother is an alcoholic and a junkie, so Heather is left to take care of her little sister. She enters Panic on a whim after her boyfriend broke up with her, but later on, she realises the real reason behind why she entered. Heather was an interesting character, but she did piss me off sometimes. She was a determined character, but didn't always make the right choices.

Dodge was basically playing for revenge. His sister had played Panic when she was in her senior year and had gotten seriously injured and was left in a wheelchair. Dodge wants revenge for what happened to her. Dodge didn't have the best family life either, in fact, he always seemed to be trying to escape from it. But Dodge was a likeable character and I did find myself rooting for him (but I was hoping he'd give up on the whole revenge thing). 

Nat and Bishop were actually my two favourite characters. Nat comes across as superficial and weak, but as the book progresses, you actually start to see a different side to Nat. She's tough, strong and determined and I really loved her. Bishop was such a sweetheart. He was always looking out for Nat and Heather, and even if he did do the wrong thing sometimes, I still really loved him. He's protective of his friends and would do anything to take care of them.

The storyline of Panic was extremely interesting. I did find it a bit slow sometimes, but it did quickly pick back up every time there was another round of Panic, so it definitely kept me interested. I loved all of the round of Panic and most of the time my heart was pounding because some of the test were terrifying and shocking. I honestly had no idea how this book was going to end. I did kind of guess some of the twist that were in the book, but that didn't ruin the experience for me at all.

Overall, I'd say that Panic is a fantastic contemporary. While it's not as good as her Delirium trilogy, I still really loved Panic. It was full of suspense and had me on the edge of my seat wondering what the next challenge was going to be. It was definitely an interesting read.