On top of my New Year’s Resolutions list was to read 50
books. So far, I have read only one. It’s called Panic, and was written by
Sharon M. Draper. I will try to review this book without giving away too much
of the plot. I don’t want my review to be too much of a spoiler! Be warned: I
might reveal a bit too much of the story!
Rating: «««¶¶
I was browsing the shelves of the library, and the cover of
this book caught my eye. You know the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover?”
I never follow its literal meaning. A good cover always catches my interest!
Unlike many other books, it doesn’t have a summary or description. Instead, it
says “Diamond knows not to talk to strangers. But just once couldn’t hurt.
Right?” This intrigued me, and I thought it was a brilliant way to draw in
readers. The characters in this book are high school students, in the 15-18
year old range. Most of the characters are dancers who attend a studio called
the Crystal Pointe Dance Academy.
Main characters:
Diamond: A pretty 15 year old who loves to dance. She has a
complicated relationship with her mother, and she becomes disappointed when she
doesn’t receive the lead role in a dance at her studio. She is the protagonist
in this book. She is kidnapped.
Thane- (Spoiler alert!) Diamond’s abductor. He takes
advantage of Diamond, forcing her into the pornography industry. (Don’t worry,
the book doesn’t get into details)
Layla: Layla is the best dancer in the studio, however she
is a very troubled girl. She struggles with self-confidence, and has an abusive
boyfriend. Her mother works 2 shifts, and her father is in prison, but her
father isn’t a criminal.
Donovan: Layla’s abusive boyfriend who is very dominant,
aggressive, and controlling. He treats Layla like a puppy-dog, and physically
hurts her.
Justin: He is the best male dancer and he is in love with
Layla, however she doesn’t see his affections.
Mercedes Ford: She is Diamond’s best friend.
Characters:
The characters are well developed, however it’s very
confusing. The book indicates that Diamond is the main character, however there
are so many other characters with their own plot. In the book, it tells of
Diamond’s story and Layla’s story, however both their stories don’t overlap.
They are two separate plots. I had a hard time determining who the main
protagonist was and how the two stories were correlated.
Plot:
The plot and storyline of this book is fabulous. Absolutely
fabulous. Although the plot was good, the idea of the plot was much better than the author's actual writing. The plot was well planned out, albeit the beginning was horrendous. I
apologize for being so criticizing, but the beginning just wasn’t good. At all.
It was confusing. Plus, the author is overemphasizing the teenage aspects of the
book. In the characters’ speech, they say phrases like “true that”, “trippin’”
and “yo mama [jokes]”. Teenagers do not say those phrases, and that part of the
book was not well written. However, I felt strong emotions while reading this
book, it really played with my heartstrings. This book is a good read for
teenagers 14-18. The two stories that occur is Layla finding herself and the
abduction of Diamond. (Spoiler Alert! I will be summarizing the plot!) Diamond’s
abduction was the main story. Disappointed that she didn’t get the lead role in
a dance, she was tricked by a handsome stranger, Thane, who told her that she
was a superstar and could star in his movie. He drove her to his house and
drugged her. The book does not go into detail of her terrible ordeal, however
it is implied that she was forced into pornography. She escaped Thane by
stabbing him and running away. Layla’s story is about her low self-esteem. Her
boyfriend, Donovan, hurt her physically and emotionally. He was aggressive and possessive.
He hated seeing Layla do duets with Justin. Through self-discovery, Layla
finally recognizes her worth, and breaks up with Donovan. Donovan, the lying,
lowlife that he is, sends nudes of Layla to everyone. In her shame, she
realizes how much Justin cares for her. Also, Layla’s father is finally
released from prison! Layla’s abusive boyfriend made me want to be in the book
and hurt him! The abduction of Diamond was thrilling, but unrealistic, but what
happened to her made me cringe!
Themes:
This was a very teenage-esque book. The main theme is to
never lose faith. Diamond never lost faith in escaping, and her loved ones
never lost faith. Layla had to find her faith in herself. Also, another theme
is expression of who you are. Through dance, Layla and Justin discovered themselves
and their feelings for each other, Layla loves to dance, and it is the one true
thing that she loves with a passion. Do what you love.
Conclusion:
This book may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Panic is a book
that is more on the creepy side. The beginning is not very interesting or
intriguing, but the as the plot progresses, the book gets drastically better.
This book is better suited for teens no younger than 14, due to the implication
of pornography. It might not appeal to adults. Overall, I recommend this book.
If you are interested in reading it, get past the beginning and it will be more
interesting to read.
Any books you guys recommend?
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