Scan barcode
magyklyxdelish's review against another edition
2.0
The premise of this book was very intriguing and full of potential. However the execution left much to be desired.
My number one complaint with this book is the writing. The constant incomplete sentences were driving me insane. I’m someone who hates overly purple writing but this book made me long for it.
The second complaint was that i didn’t like a single character besides Nora and she wasn’t even a main player. I’m all for unlikeable characters if done well and intentionally. However I don’t feel like it was the author’s intention to have us hate the narrator. He started off relatable but eventually he just became so whiny and I couldn’t stand him any longer.
I agree with other reviews that said they didn’t get the appeal of David. He is supposed to have this charisma and had this gang of kids wrapped around his finger. However he felt very flat and I couldn’t buy it.
Everytime I put this book down it was a struggle to pick it back up. I was so bored. With the review I’m giving you would think I’d give it 1 star but I didn’t hate it. Hate would require a visceral reaction and I’m far to bored to hate it.
My number one complaint with this book is the writing. The constant incomplete sentences were driving me insane. I’m someone who hates overly purple writing but this book made me long for it.
The second complaint was that i didn’t like a single character besides Nora and she wasn’t even a main player. I’m all for unlikeable characters if done well and intentionally. However I don’t feel like it was the author’s intention to have us hate the narrator. He started off relatable but eventually he just became so whiny and I couldn’t stand him any longer.
I agree with other reviews that said they didn’t get the appeal of David. He is supposed to have this charisma and had this gang of kids wrapped around his finger. However he felt very flat and I couldn’t buy it.
Everytime I put this book down it was a struggle to pick it back up. I was so bored. With the review I’m giving you would think I’d give it 1 star but I didn’t hate it. Hate would require a visceral reaction and I’m far to bored to hate it.
belmottetower's review against another edition
5.0
"I don't know what to say that hasn't already been said. This kept me guessing until the very end and I enjoyed every minute of it."
So went my response straight after I finished reading this. This story is incredible, with well-drawn characters and a lingering message about our society.
So went my response straight after I finished reading this. This story is incredible, with well-drawn characters and a lingering message about our society.
dwolfreads's review against another edition
4.0
Here’s the thing: I think I read this book when I was about 16, on Wattpad. And I just never stopped thinking about it - even after I moved on past Wattpad and assumed I’d never be able to find this book again. I’m glad I did, and the story still holds up very well.
chanteld's review against another edition
2.0
I read this book on wattpad, the non-edited rough draft. The book’s premise held my attention even though I did not like any of the main characters. Unlike some other reviewers I did not like the game, was just not impressed by Eureka or its application by the participants. There is no genius in mayhem or chaos and destruction.
More on my blog: http://chanteldacosta1987.tumblr.com/post/127076917566/reading-challenge-2015-book-31-of-52-sic-by
More on my blog: http://chanteldacosta1987.tumblr.com/post/127076917566/reading-challenge-2015-book-31-of-52-sic-by
airavysara's review against another edition
5.0
Great one to start my reading challenge on 2013! It moved me, in a beautiful, quirky way.
phronk's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of those books with such an irresistible premise, that I couldn't help buying it immediately after I read the description. It's a simple idea: teens play a game in which the person tagged has to change their life in the next fifteen minutes.
The book takes that idea and runs with it, becoming a sort of Fight Club for teenagers. It works, given the struggles all young people have with identity. And the book doesn't judge the characters; even when things go wrong, it's not preaching that a break from our pre-established lots in life is necessarily a bad thing.
The writing sometimes drops pronouns in a weird, distracting way, but I got used to it. Good read.
The book takes that idea and runs with it, becoming a sort of Fight Club for teenagers. It works, given the struggles all young people have with identity. And the book doesn't judge the characters; even when things go wrong, it's not preaching that a break from our pre-established lots in life is necessarily a bad thing.
The writing sometimes drops pronouns in a weird, distracting way, but I got used to it. Good read.
dani005's review against another edition
5.0
EDIT: Second time I've read this book, and it was just as riveting, convoluted and full of as much character if not more so than last time.
***
This book has a personality to it; one that's wild though and keeps you guessing right to the end. This personality is defined by the six characters this book revolves around.
These kids weren't born with much in life. They seemed to have gotten all the short straws but they don't settle for what is expected of them, because one kid incites a notion that becomes the driving force for the next few years, He creates a game that influences the choices of these kids, to the point where each action collides with the next so that this book was almost like a domino effect except no one would know what picture would be created until the last domino falls.
The game Eureka itself is derived in the idea of just how far we'll go to change ourselves to LIVE life how we want, instead of settling for the monotony that so many other people live for. As the game unfolds though, and each change made by the kids becomes more daring and more critical in the consequences had by these choices, it starts to make you wonder just far is too far, and when is it the right time to step back and settle for the life you have now. Then of course the author brings up the idea of maybe that just defeats the purpose of living life all together; that if you shy away from making any change in your life, you will get stuck in the same rut in life, moving in the same spot so that you're only digging yourself a deeper whole for which to resent yourself in. Where is the line of being happy and confident in yourself, and striving to make the changes that will allow you to live your life.
There is also an idea of identity that is brought up in the book. The whole game was derived in order to strip away what might define us from the exterior, in order to realize who we actually are. After you take away the safety of the stereotypes that bind you, the possessions that define you, and the lifestyle that shapes who you are; who are you in the end? It's not an easy question to answer, and as these kids strip away things that so many people have such a high importance for, you start to wonder just how far is too far. This game strips people of those they love, of the things they love, of anything that is important so that when there is nothing left to hold any importance for you, what do you live for anymore? Do you get caught up in this game and live for the moment to the point that you can never stop because there is nothing left for you to go back to? The game would consume your life.
However, no matter how extreme the game got, I think there is something to be learned from it. So many people settle. They settle for the life they have because its daunting to think what might have to be sacrificed in order to get where they want to go. The material goods have bound them to the point they can't even realize their dreams and that which might free them. Change is necessary, and all too often we get hung up about things that can not last anyway. And for that I loved this book.
These kids were struggling to find a future for themselves. They had no money and little prospects for their future. They saw themselves at most, being a manager for McDonalds. They didn't want that future, but they felt defeated by the hardships that life had handed them. Every single one of these kids had a rough family life and they already knew that they had little control over this. They could not change the circumstances that they had landed in, so instead of resenting their life and seeing themselves as having little to live for in life, they invented this game to embrace the circumstances in which they were in and change them by an action that they chose to commit to within 15 minutes of being "tagged".
This story had such amazing themes of which i so easily related to because i don't want to settle for a monotonous life that so many adults have. I just don't know how or what to change to ensure that doesn't happen. But maybe its more about making a change for yourself, going for a change despite the things you have to sacrifice. I love this book for how it faces reality. However, this book was also a beautifully written fast paced book, with beautiful descriptions and character descriptions. I loved these kids and just how broken they were, because no kid is perfect. Yet, these kids strived to go after life. They wanted to fight for what they wanted and they struggled with the concepts of the game and what it might mean for their lives.
This book had its strong message intertwined beautifully within the complex situations of the book, the beautiful gritty characters and of course the beautiful descriptions that illustrated fantastic images in my minds eye. This is definitely one of my favourites and I"m still reeling from this story and trying to comprehend it; it will be a story that stays with me for a long time.
***
This book has a personality to it; one that's wild though and keeps you guessing right to the end. This personality is defined by the six characters this book revolves around.
These kids weren't born with much in life. They seemed to have gotten all the short straws but they don't settle for what is expected of them, because one kid incites a notion that becomes the driving force for the next few years, He creates a game that influences the choices of these kids, to the point where each action collides with the next so that this book was almost like a domino effect except no one would know what picture would be created until the last domino falls.
The game Eureka itself is derived in the idea of just how far we'll go to change ourselves to LIVE life how we want, instead of settling for the monotony that so many other people live for. As the game unfolds though, and each change made by the kids becomes more daring and more critical in the consequences had by these choices, it starts to make you wonder just far is too far, and when is it the right time to step back and settle for the life you have now. Then of course the author brings up the idea of maybe that just defeats the purpose of living life all together; that if you shy away from making any change in your life, you will get stuck in the same rut in life, moving in the same spot so that you're only digging yourself a deeper whole for which to resent yourself in. Where is the line of being happy and confident in yourself, and striving to make the changes that will allow you to live your life.
There is also an idea of identity that is brought up in the book. The whole game was derived in order to strip away what might define us from the exterior, in order to realize who we actually are. After you take away the safety of the stereotypes that bind you, the possessions that define you, and the lifestyle that shapes who you are; who are you in the end? It's not an easy question to answer, and as these kids strip away things that so many people have such a high importance for, you start to wonder just how far is too far. This game strips people of those they love, of the things they love, of anything that is important so that when there is nothing left to hold any importance for you, what do you live for anymore? Do you get caught up in this game and live for the moment to the point that you can never stop because there is nothing left for you to go back to? The game would consume your life.
However, no matter how extreme the game got, I think there is something to be learned from it. So many people settle. They settle for the life they have because its daunting to think what might have to be sacrificed in order to get where they want to go. The material goods have bound them to the point they can't even realize their dreams and that which might free them. Change is necessary, and all too often we get hung up about things that can not last anyway. And for that I loved this book.
These kids were struggling to find a future for themselves. They had no money and little prospects for their future. They saw themselves at most, being a manager for McDonalds. They didn't want that future, but they felt defeated by the hardships that life had handed them. Every single one of these kids had a rough family life and they already knew that they had little control over this. They could not change the circumstances that they had landed in, so instead of resenting their life and seeing themselves as having little to live for in life, they invented this game to embrace the circumstances in which they were in and change them by an action that they chose to commit to within 15 minutes of being "tagged".
This story had such amazing themes of which i so easily related to because i don't want to settle for a monotonous life that so many adults have. I just don't know how or what to change to ensure that doesn't happen. But maybe its more about making a change for yourself, going for a change despite the things you have to sacrifice. I love this book for how it faces reality. However, this book was also a beautifully written fast paced book, with beautiful descriptions and character descriptions. I loved these kids and just how broken they were, because no kid is perfect. Yet, these kids strived to go after life. They wanted to fight for what they wanted and they struggled with the concepts of the game and what it might mean for their lives.
This book had its strong message intertwined beautifully within the complex situations of the book, the beautiful gritty characters and of course the beautiful descriptions that illustrated fantastic images in my minds eye. This is definitely one of my favourites and I"m still reeling from this story and trying to comprehend it; it will be a story that stays with me for a long time.
scottishvix's review against another edition
3.0
"[sic]: "thus"; in full: sic erat scriptum, "thus was it written"
If you had 15 minutes to change your life what would you do? That is the question posed by [sic]. The book tells the story of five young people who are lead by their friend David to play this game. One person is "it" amd when that person tags you, you have 15 minutes to do something that will change your life. Then you are "it". Somehow, this game has lead to David's death.
[sic] takes the form of a first person narrative. Jacob, one of David's followers, sits in a room at a police station with his therapist. He was on the scene at David's death and is either a suspect or a witness. The book alternates between Jacob discussing the game and David with the therapist, and his memories of the past. Trying to show how and why David died.
All five members of David's cult are damaged in their own way. Bullied, neglected, abandoned, and physically or sexually abused, their one connection, other than the game, is the trailer park they grew up in. And the changes they make to their lives are not usually for the good. Some of their choices include theft, assault, framing others for crime, and arson. The game means the players must change constantly, hold nothing as stable. They cannot form relationships outside the group, they cannot "own" anything. They have no fixed identity. The author spends the whole book showing the damage this game caused.
So why does it end by insisting the game must go on. Change always happens anyway so why not control the change. The game only went bad because the players were bad. One of the group "didn't get it" and played "wrong". Another was too jealous. Jacob couldn't let go of the ties he formed with others. It just didn't ring true after all the bad that had happened.
And David is supposed to be a cult leader. He is described as charismatic and charming, impossible to resist. But also narsasistic, cruel, manipulative, and with no sense of right or wrong. Jacob is constantly worrying that what they are doing is wrong or will hurt someone, but he goes along with David anyway. We keep being told that this is because David is irresistible, but it seems more like Jacob is simply apathetic. He knows right from wrong, but going along with his friend is easier, and keeps the pressure of the others off him. Certainly it takes a cataclysmic event for him to stand up and say "no", but then he is hounded and tormented for taking a stand. Scott Kelly never managed to convince me of David's magnetism - I never saw what all these people were supposed to have seen. I never understood why this group would follow him into such extreme acts.
The book was well written (though Kelly does like his similes) and it certainly caught my interest. Final verdict: though-provoking, but flawed.
If you had 15 minutes to change your life what would you do? That is the question posed by [sic]. The book tells the story of five young people who are lead by their friend David to play this game. One person is "it" amd when that person tags you, you have 15 minutes to do something that will change your life. Then you are "it". Somehow, this game has lead to David's death.
[sic] takes the form of a first person narrative. Jacob, one of David's followers, sits in a room at a police station with his therapist. He was on the scene at David's death and is either a suspect or a witness. The book alternates between Jacob discussing the game and David with the therapist, and his memories of the past. Trying to show how and why David died.
All five members of David's cult are damaged in their own way. Bullied, neglected, abandoned, and physically or sexually abused, their one connection, other than the game, is the trailer park they grew up in. And the changes they make to their lives are not usually for the good. Some of their choices include theft, assault, framing others for crime, and arson. The game means the players must change constantly, hold nothing as stable. They cannot form relationships outside the group, they cannot "own" anything. They have no fixed identity. The author spends the whole book showing the damage this game caused.
So why does it end by insisting the game must go on. Change always happens anyway so why not control the change. The game only went bad because the players were bad. One of the group "didn't get it" and played "wrong". Another was too jealous. Jacob couldn't let go of the ties he formed with others. It just didn't ring true after all the bad that had happened.
And David is supposed to be a cult leader. He is described as charismatic and charming, impossible to resist. But also narsasistic, cruel, manipulative, and with no sense of right or wrong. Jacob is constantly worrying that what they are doing is wrong or will hurt someone, but he goes along with David anyway. We keep being told that this is because David is irresistible, but it seems more like Jacob is simply apathetic. He knows right from wrong, but going along with his friend is easier, and keeps the pressure of the others off him. Certainly it takes a cataclysmic event for him to stand up and say "no", but then he is hounded and tormented for taking a stand. Scott Kelly never managed to convince me of David's magnetism - I never saw what all these people were supposed to have seen. I never understood why this group would follow him into such extreme acts.
The book was well written (though Kelly does like his similes) and it certainly caught my interest. Final verdict: though-provoking, but flawed.
kyuropii's review against another edition
3.0
I remember reading this on Wattpad some few years back. The characters are flawed but robust, not caricatures angling with sprinkled teenage angst just to justify characterization; however are still off-putting.