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eyreguide's review
3.0
I love Shannon Hale's writing. I've read some of her fairy tale retellings, and her contemporary works and I think she spins story and character beautifully. Somehow in this new science fiction adventure though, the characters and the story fell a little flat for me. Mostly in the beginning though - I think the story comes together much better as it moves on. But the way we are introduced to Maisie and the summer camp felt rushed and I didn't feel much of a connection with these characters. I was also a bit disappointed by the romance which wasn't as well developed. It's so strange because the plot is really great - full of action and really clever ideas and twists. I was also pleasantly surprised by how much solid scientific information explains all the technology and inventions. There were many witty one-liners and fun puns too, which made for lots of humor.
I did like the main character Maisie alot - she has a great sense of humor, especially about her disability which she never lets stop her. But she felt closed off sometimes which made it hard to really understand her as a character. And that also meant I wasn't as invested in the romance, which has it's own twists which made me very confused about who I was rooting for near the end. Wilder especially was so ambiguous, and smarmy and handsome and manipulative, and I wasn't very interested in seeing whether or not he could win Masie over. And that was a significant part of the book.
The found family with the fire team was also disappointing. The character development felt rushed and while there were times when I liked how one or the other worked in the story, I never really felt invested in them or their actions.
There was a lot to enjoy about this book however. I loved the intelligence of the story and the way poetry and Shakespeare was worked in. The plot was very clever with a lot going on, and also featuring a really great empowering resolution. And one character really stood out for me - Dragon - who was such an understated hero and a moving character. While this is a very readable book that is sometimes hard to put down, I'm not sure it will stay with me because I found the characters oddly lackluster.
(I received this book from the publisher or author for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review.)
I did like the main character Maisie alot - she has a great sense of humor, especially about her disability which she never lets stop her. But she felt closed off sometimes which made it hard to really understand her as a character. And that also meant I wasn't as invested in the romance, which has it's own twists which made me very confused about who I was rooting for near the end. Wilder especially was so ambiguous, and smarmy and handsome and manipulative, and I wasn't very interested in seeing whether or not he could win Masie over. And that was a significant part of the book.
The found family with the fire team was also disappointing. The character development felt rushed and while there were times when I liked how one or the other worked in the story, I never really felt invested in them or their actions.
There was a lot to enjoy about this book however. I loved the intelligence of the story and the way poetry and Shakespeare was worked in. The plot was very clever with a lot going on, and also featuring a really great empowering resolution. And one character really stood out for me - Dragon - who was such an understated hero and a moving character. While this is a very readable book that is sometimes hard to put down, I'm not sure it will stay with me because I found the characters oddly lackluster.
(I received this book from the publisher or author for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review.)
sammi_shabambi's review
2.0
I finished this book. But at what cost.
Truly a book I wanted to quit reading so many times but I already had committed to reading it.
Too many things happening in too short of a time that I could not keep track of.
Truly a book I wanted to quit reading so many times but I already had committed to reading it.
Too many things happening in too short of a time that I could not keep track of.
michellehenriereads's review
2.0
I liked how the main character, Maisie, was missing an arm, and it wasn’t the primary focus in the novel. I liked that she seemed like a real girl, with strengths and flaws. I thought it was a fun premise that the kids connected into an alien technology.
Once the romance started my interest in Dangerous dwindled. When Maisie’s boyfriend reached for a ...
To read the full review, and a teen's point of view, go to www.talesuntangled.wordpress.com
Once the romance started my interest in Dangerous dwindled. When Maisie’s boyfriend reached for a ...
To read the full review, and a teen's point of view, go to www.talesuntangled.wordpress.com
julie_ann_harper_1633's review
3.0
This was a bit too strange for me. It pushed the limits in areas that I'm not accustomed to. It was not a bad book but it was not something I was ready for.
ladynightwolf's review
4.0
There seem to be a lot of hater trolls jumping on this book...I thought it was splendidly original and beautifully written, and so different from anything she has previously penned. It wasn't in any way predictable--is this not something that we, as readers, request in a story? Or is it true that we have become a crowd obsessed with things proceeding only as we want them to? If you haven't read it, give it a chance. I was skeptical at first, even though she is one of my favorite authors, but you need to take the risk to reap the rewards and this had plenty.
tamfilley's review
3.0
I love Shannon Hale but did not love this book. It was interesting to a point but I think there were to many "different" things going on to make it work together...
christajls's review
1.0
This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic
I would like to consider myself a superhero fan. Comic books make up part of my weekly – if not daily – reading. And I love that we’re starting to see more superhero fiction. Which is why I jumped at the chance to read Dangerous by Shannon Hale.
I was initially pulled in by the fast pace of the book. The story starts right away and it is non-stop action the whole time. From Maisie’s arrival at space camp, to the space elevator, to the alien tokens and beyond, you’ll feel like you’re reading Dangerous at a run. I also loved all the science. I always wanted to go to space camp as a kid, so I felt like I was getting to live vicariously through Maisie and her friends. Hale doesn’t skimp on the details, she gives you the full experience. And even after they leave space camp the crazy inventions and technology keep coming. I felt a bit like a kid in a futuristic candy store.
One more thing that you may not know about Maisie “Danger” Brown – she only has one arm. You don’t see a lot of characters with disabilities in YA so it’s great to see some diversity added to the landscape. I appreciated that Hale didn’t portray Maisie as someone less capable because of her disability. She keeps hoping and fighting for her dream. I only wish Hale had kept it for a little bit longer. At a certain point of the story she gains a robotic arm that is so advanced you often forget she was even missing an arm in the first place. There was an opportunity here that Hale didn’t quite grasp.
There were a few other problems I had as the story moved forward as well. The romance felt topsy turvy. Maisie is torn between two guys – her long time best friend (Luther) who she seemed to forget about most of the time, and the new, cool guy (Wilder) she meets at space camp. Her feelings seemed to change in a snap leaving me reeling and confused. I was also not a fan of how Wilder treated her – he would run hot and cold and would often talk to down her because he was the “leader” of their group. I think the whole book would have been better as a straight action story with no romance at all.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this review I am a big comic book fan. And while you think that would be an advantage, I think it ultimately worked against my enjoyment of Dangerous. Everything felt a little too familiar – like the Fantastic Four rolled together with the X-Men. As with every genre there are certain tropes and archetypes and you get tired of seeing them all the time. Dangerous embodied quite of few of these so it might be better for people not so steeped in the Marvel Universe.
Dangerous is a fun book that is not without it’s problems. It’s very different from the kind of books I’m used to to seeing from Shannon Hale and ultimately it fell short of my expectations. However, if you like science fiction but aren’t such an avid superhero fan you may have better luck.
I would like to consider myself a superhero fan. Comic books make up part of my weekly – if not daily – reading. And I love that we’re starting to see more superhero fiction. Which is why I jumped at the chance to read Dangerous by Shannon Hale.
I was initially pulled in by the fast pace of the book. The story starts right away and it is non-stop action the whole time. From Maisie’s arrival at space camp, to the space elevator, to the alien tokens and beyond, you’ll feel like you’re reading Dangerous at a run. I also loved all the science. I always wanted to go to space camp as a kid, so I felt like I was getting to live vicariously through Maisie and her friends. Hale doesn’t skimp on the details, she gives you the full experience. And even after they leave space camp the crazy inventions and technology keep coming. I felt a bit like a kid in a futuristic candy store.
One more thing that you may not know about Maisie “Danger” Brown – she only has one arm. You don’t see a lot of characters with disabilities in YA so it’s great to see some diversity added to the landscape. I appreciated that Hale didn’t portray Maisie as someone less capable because of her disability. She keeps hoping and fighting for her dream. I only wish Hale had kept it for a little bit longer. At a certain point of the story she gains a robotic arm that is so advanced you often forget she was even missing an arm in the first place. There was an opportunity here that Hale didn’t quite grasp.
There were a few other problems I had as the story moved forward as well. The romance felt topsy turvy. Maisie is torn between two guys – her long time best friend (Luther) who she seemed to forget about most of the time, and the new, cool guy (Wilder) she meets at space camp. Her feelings seemed to change in a snap leaving me reeling and confused. I was also not a fan of how Wilder treated her – he would run hot and cold and would often talk to down her because he was the “leader” of their group. I think the whole book would have been better as a straight action story with no romance at all.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this review I am a big comic book fan. And while you think that would be an advantage, I think it ultimately worked against my enjoyment of Dangerous. Everything felt a little too familiar – like the Fantastic Four rolled together with the X-Men. As with every genre there are certain tropes and archetypes and you get tired of seeing them all the time. Dangerous embodied quite of few of these so it might be better for people not so steeped in the Marvel Universe.
Dangerous is a fun book that is not without it’s problems. It’s very different from the kind of books I’m used to to seeing from Shannon Hale and ultimately it fell short of my expectations. However, if you like science fiction but aren’t such an avid superhero fan you may have better luck.
evelikesbooks's review
3.0
I want to give this 3.5 stars. It was very readable, but it felt like everything was moving too fast. I wanted more character development; I had a hard time caring what happened to them. I also thought it would have made a better comic book. Still, I really appreciated a novel with a disabled protagonist, where all the characters weren't white and where white wasn't the default.
jolierice99's review
5.0
Absolutely ADORE this book, read it for the first time when I was like 12 and it's the only book I've willingly reread, because it's that good. 10/10, 100%, amazing, spectacular, one of my all time faves.
tessacan's review
5.0
I loved this book. I couldn't put it down! This is a fantastic book. Shannon Hale is one of my favorite authors, and she didn't disappoint me with Dangerous.