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Books of Amber

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Book Review: Siri, Who Am I? by Sam Tschida

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Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

14/08/2013      6 Comments

Don’t Turn Around by Michelle GagnonDon't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon
Series: PERSEFoNE #1
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Bought
Add it: Goodreads
Rating: three-stars

Sixteen-year-old Noa has been a victim of the system ever since her parents died. Now living off the grid and trusting no one, she uses her hacking skills to stay anonymous and alone. But when she wakes up on a table in a warehouse with an IV in her arm and no memory of how she got there, Noa starts to wish she had someone on her side.

Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of a hacker alliance, Peter needs people with Noaโ€™s talents on his team. Especially after a shady corporation threatens his life in no uncertain terms. But what Noa and Peter donโ€™t realize is that Noa holds the key to a terrible secret, and there are those whoโ€™d stop at nothing to silence her for good.

When Noa Torson woke up, the first thing she noticed was that her feet were cold.
—

I’ve had Don’t Turn Around for just under a year now, and I probably wouldn’t have picked it up if I wasn’t writing a recap for Recaptains. I don’t know, it just never really appealed to me to the extent of having to pick it up RIGHT NOW. Some books do that to me, you know? It turns out that my intuition (that I never knew I had, mind you) was completely on target with this book. It’s okay, it’s good, it’s average. Nothing in particular stands out to me, but I did enjoy it.

The book is told from a couple of points of view, the most prominent being those of Noa and Peter. Out of the two, Noa is definitely my favourite. Peter was very bland, and to be honest I don’t care about what happens to him. He could walk off the face of the Earth and I wouldn’t notice. For a supposedly smart computer hacker, Peter did a lot of stupid things. He wasn’t appealing in the slightest.

Noa is everything a great female protagonist should be: intelligent, quick-witted, interesting. I really enjoyed gradually learning about her backstory, and how she came to look after herself. There is a good chunk of information on what Noa’s life was like growing up, which Gagnon covered really well. The only negative – and I don’t think it even counts as a negative – for Noa is that she was missing that spark that would have made me adore her. She’s forgettable, and she’s already moulding in with the rest of the “just good” YA characters for me.

There is a lot of action in this short book, which worked well with the feel and the pacing of the novel. There were only a couple of slow moments, which I didn’t really mind because it was realistic for the characters to have a few hours to cool down until they were back to being chased by crazy people again.

I was also grateful for the lack of romance. I was expecting instalove between Noa and Peter, I must admit. And while there was something there between them (although some people might try to tell you otherwise), it was hardly even relevant. It didn’t annoy me, and to be honest I completely ignored it. Since Peter is so dull, it was easy to do so.

Don’t Turn Around didn’t seem very mysterious to me. While the characters were running around chasing their own tails, I was ten steps ahead of them and frowning at the pages. I thought it was pretty obvious what the bad guys were up to, and what their whole mission was. I was hoping to be shocked. Alas.

Can I just point out that Noa has a Guardian Angel kind of person? BECAUSE SHE DOES AND IT WAS AWESOME AND I HAVE A SHIP. It took me a good 80% of the novel to actually get to that point, but once she met the person who had been looking out for her the entire time, I was gone. And said person isn’t even my type. What is going on.

The ending of Don’t Turn Around was my favourite part. I loved the pacing, and I loved meeting the mysterious protector (hello, new ship!) and the very last scene gave me chills. If it wasn’t for that ending, I doubt I’d be picking up the sequel to this book. But the ending did happen, and it was great, so I’m actually really looking forward to Don’t Look Now. I wish I could say it was for more reasons than my ship and Noa’s badassery, but that would be lying to you and I don’t do that.

Nicole @ The Quiet Concert: 4 out of 5
Christina @ A Reader of Fictions: 3.5 out of 5

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christina says

    14/08/2013 at 1:17 pm

    Bahaha, Peter was definitely boring. What a snore. Do I like Noa or my girlfriend? Doesn’t matter, Peter, but you should lock one down, since you’re lucky to be getting any at all.

    Noa, however, is totally badass, minus her attraction to Peter. She does lack the spark, though, I agree. But yes the romancey stuff was minimal, which was cool.

    Love the mental image of you frowning at the pages. I also picture you shaking your head and asking them why they’re “so bloody stupid.”

    Why do I not remember this guardian angel person? Also, LOL at you and your ships.

    Reply
    • Amber (Books of Amber) says

      18/08/2013 at 11:08 am

      Hahahaha! He should definitely count his blessings, because I’m pretty sure no one else would be interested.

      That’s exactly what I was asking! You’ve got this British stuff DOWN.

      I don’t knowwwww, why don’t you remember?! *cries* I don’t just have ships, I have an armada.

      Reply
  2. yaescapefromreality says

    14/08/2013 at 2:19 pm

    I felt the same way you did about this book. It was good, average, okay. I’m not sure if I’m going to be reading the next one, maybe I’ll wait for you to read it and review it and then decide? ๐Ÿ™‚ Great review! ~Pam

    Reply
    • Amber (Books of Amber) says

      18/08/2013 at 11:08 am

      Haha, sounds good to me! I’ll be sure to report back with my OTP feelings XD

      Reply
  3. rose.ann.castro says

    15/08/2013 at 3:47 pm

    Just finished reading the book and really enjoyed it! I can’t wait until the next book!

    Ann@Blogging-Profits-Unleashed

    Reply
    • Amber (Books of Amber) says

      18/08/2013 at 11:09 am

      So glad you liked it! I’m currently putting off doing a recap of it because I just can’t be bothered.

      Reply

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My name is Amber, I'm 27 years old, and I've been a book blogger, reviewer, and Tuber for ten years. When I'm not reading, I love gaming, exercising, cinema trips, hiking, and exploring.

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