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2.9 AVERAGE
2.9 AVERAGE
The idea behind this book was quite interesting, but Chris Lynch did not execute it very well. The book is dull, and if I'm honest, I was quite confused in many parts. I didn't know who was speaking or what they were talking about. He seemed to be implying things, but I could not figure out what he was implying. In many parts, I wasn't sure if I was reading it correctly. I wasn't exactly sure what he meant. It was confusing and boring. I almost gave up many many MANY many times. But I always stick with a book, especially when it's short like Kill Switch.
Towards the end, Dan ends up leaving Da, and my first thought was, "You couldn't stand to leave him alone the entire book, and now you're just going to leave him in some random town with random people, especially when you know there are people looking for him and ready to 'octo-shush' him?" Plus, Jarrod went who-knows-where. The ending was just terrible, in my opinion, at least.
I would never reread this book. I would never recommend this book.
Towards the end, Dan ends up leaving Da, and my first thought was, "You couldn't stand to leave him alone the entire book, and now you're just going to leave him in some random town with random people, especially when you know there are people looking for him and ready to 'octo-shush' him?" Plus, Jarrod went who-knows-where. The ending was just terrible, in my opinion, at least.
I would never reread this book. I would never recommend this book.
Despite others' lackluster reviews, I thought it was a pretty decent YA thriller. No, it doesn't have a race-to-the-end finale; the end was actually pretty subdued, but that didn't make it BAD. In fact, I thought the premise was original, the characters lively and interesting, and the plot had some decent twists.
Daniel loves his Da, and Da seems to have a special regard for Daniel, so the summer before he leaves for college, Daniel is determined to make the most of his time with "the old man," especially seeing Da is slipping a bit more and more from what his ID bracelet calls "Memory Loss." When Da starts behaving strangely and telling wild stories about a past full of world travels and violent deeds, Daniel first thinks it's the brain disorder in action. Until Da's old "work" friends start making appearances in unexpected places, and Da is convinced it won't be long before they come to silence him for good.
On a gut instinct, the "Young man" whisks his Da away in the dark early morning hours, unsure if Da needs protection from outside threats, or from himself. Their travels take them farther from home and safety, as Daniel tries to discern what's real, and Da seems to be preparing Daniel for what's to come.
This was a quick, sometimes funny, captivating read.
Daniel loves his Da, and Da seems to have a special regard for Daniel, so the summer before he leaves for college, Daniel is determined to make the most of his time with "the old man," especially seeing Da is slipping a bit more and more from what his ID bracelet calls "Memory Loss." When Da starts behaving strangely and telling wild stories about a past full of world travels and violent deeds, Daniel first thinks it's the brain disorder in action. Until Da's old "work" friends start making appearances in unexpected places, and Da is convinced it won't be long before they come to silence him for good.
On a gut instinct, the "Young man" whisks his Da away in the dark early morning hours, unsure if Da needs protection from outside threats, or from himself. Their travels take them farther from home and safety, as Daniel tries to discern what's real, and Da seems to be preparing Daniel for what's to come.
This was a quick, sometimes funny, captivating read.
Not what I was expecting but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Truly shows what someone will do for family they love.
so my first thought is that i am very confused....the main focus of this book seems to be a relationship between grandfather and grandson but there's more than that. do we all have a kill switch? something that sends us over the edge and pushes us to do what we never thought we could?
I'm still super confused though.......
I'm still super confused though.......
Daniel has a close relationship with his grandfather who suffers from dementia. Or does he? The stories he's started to tell are a bit fantastical but there seems to be some element of truth. Was his Da a pencil pushing bureaucrat or was he a secret agent with a startling and violent past? And how alike is Daniel? Interesting premise but ultimately a head scratcher for me. I couldn't distinguish fact from fiction by the end of the story, so I don't know what really happened. Likely aimed for an older teen audience. Drug use and a gross hand in pants scene. Some violence.
This novel is a little weird. I didn't feel as if anything was resolved, or at least it wasn't clear to me exactly how it was resolved. I loved the writing, the characters, the plot. The whole dichotomy of male familial relationships was explored. But, what was the conclusion? Was it "like grandfather, like grandson?" Did the grandfather really participate in goon-like activities, and did he really groom the grandson for the same? Or was the grandson genetically pre-disposed to such a life? I couldn't decide. And, the end seemed to glorify a career has hired assassin. I also did quite understand whether the grandfather was a CIA like terrorist, or just a terrorist for hire and it didn't matter who hired him. I wanted to know that. I wanted something perhaps to justify his actions somehow, and justify Daniel seemingly embarking on the same career.
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
This book had a great premise, but really fell short on delivery. Plot was choppy and filled with holes. Hated the ending.
This book is weird and dark and doesn't feel like a YA novel as much as it feels like an adult fiction short story. I am giving it a three because I am not sure if I liked it or disliked it. It's very unsettling. It starts off so light (although not exactly light hearted) and ends so so so dark and weird. Blergh.
Very intriguing premise: what might happen to a retired spy who gets dementia and starts talking about his top secret past to anyone within earshot? In this story, the spy is Daniel's grandfather, "Da," and he and Daniel have a very close relationship. But no one in the family ever knew what Da did for a living; they all think he was a boring bureaucrat. So when he starts telling stories about people he's murdered, at first Dan thinks Da's just gone round the bend and is making stuff up. But then some scary guys start to come after Da, and Daniel decides to go on the run with his grandfather, rather than see him institutionalized or worse. A short, suspenseful book that is as much about father-son-grandfather relationships as it is about Alzheimer's and the action-suspense of the plot.