Panic by Sharon M. Draper

Anthenium Books
March 12, 2013

SYNOPSIS

Diamond knows not to get into the car with a stranger. 

But what if the stranger is well-dressed and handsome? On his way to meet his wife and daughter? And casting a movie that very night--a movie in need of a star dancer? What then?

Then Diamond might make the wrong decision.

It's a nightmare come true: Diamond Landers has been kidnapped. She was at the mall with a friend, alone for only a few brief minutes--and now she's being held captive, forced to endure horrors beyond what she never could have dreamed, while her family and friends experience their own torments and wait desperately for any bit of news.

From New York Times bestselling author Sharon Draper, this is a riveting exploration of power: how quickly we can lose it--and how we can take it back.

REVIEW

Overall, I give Panic a solid 3 out of 5 stars. The middle of the range rating is mostly because of three things, but I really want to talk about all the VERY positive things about the book first. The good far outweighs the not so good (because I don't want to say bad since it was just... bothersome) in this book.

The premise of the novel is interesting and very timely. The novel explores a lot of realistic issues teens face in our society. I won't go into details, but the relationships and situations in this story are highly realistic and relate-able. The characters are three-dimensional and could be the kid next door or your best friend from high school. For the most part, the characters are very physically and racially neutral (although the dialogue does give some of this away), so it's easy for the reader to see that these situations apply to anyone. While the themes and events in the story are serious, they aren't described in graphic detail, which is good for individuals who are sensitive to issues such as abuse. I also loved that the story was told from multiple perspectives, showing how the victim and the people left behind are affected by these kinds of events.

As for the not so good, I found the dialogue kind of cheesy. This was actually my second attempt at reading the novel as the first time I just couldn't get past how cheesy it was. It kind of felt like an adult trying to be hip. The plot and the emotion more than makes up for this, and this feeling goes away after the first three or four chapters. Speaking of, it also took me about five chapters (which are really short by the way) to get really invested in it. But when I did, I finished it in a day. The last thing was that a small part of it was slightly unbelievable. I suppose that's why it took me so long to get really invested in the story.

Overall, Panic is brutally honest, heart-breakingly realistic and amazingly raw. 

**SPOILER WARNING**

DISCLAIMER: Please be wary of this book because it is highly triggering for individuals who have suffered from physical abuse and sexual assault.