Reviews

The Rig by Joe Ducie

readingyk's review against another edition

4.0

i loved this book. ik i didn’t give it 5 stars but it’s definitely a 4.75 bc it was that good. i love drake, irene and tristan they are all so good, i don’t know how to explain it but i love these characters. cant wait for the second one.

sophiekimber's review against another edition

2.0

I overall enjoyed reading this. I have so many mixed feelings about this book... and I don’t know if I hated it, or if I liked it. I really enjoyed the sci fi elements, but it seemed as if they almost came out of no-where. I wish that the book had explored more of the “magic” system, and had a closer look at Anderson and some of the heavily affected kids. The book finished with so many unanswered questions and so many loose ends, that even for a first book in a series, it was a bit too much. Some of the characters who worked in the Rig as prison guards were SO unrealistic in the way that they were almost inherently evil, and by comparison Drake had no anger or remorse towards them, being portrayed as inherently “good”. I really disliked how his final fate relies entirely on magical powers that weren’t well explained and came out of no-where. I liked this book for the experience of reading it: it was fun. But it isn’t very good. It could have been so much more, but I feel like it fell flat.

theartolater's review against another edition

3.0

What would you call a prison break story that's also a super soldier story that's also sort of like The Hunger Games but really more like any other dystopia going? I think The Rig tries to be that. It's a solid story about a kid, jailed multiple times for multiple questionable offenses, who uncovers a pretty crazy secret at the oil rig-style prison he's stuck on in the Arctic Ocean. The secret is more than a little bit of a game changer and really changes the tone of the story completely, but is still pretty interesting on its own.

The book is pretty straightforward in its action and dialogue, making it ripe for reluctant readers of a certain age. The twist in the very end is a strange one, but one I didn't *not* enjoy. Without being able to fully root for anyone, it creates an odd space where you feel like you're more of an observer than fully immersed or engaged, but that might be more me than the book. Overall, there are a lot of readers who might be excited for this. As an adult reader, there might not be a ton here for you, though.

valerie07's review against another edition

4.0

i loved this book. ik i didn’t give it 5 stars but it’s definitely a 4.75 bc it was that good. i love drake, irene and tristan they are all so good, i don’t know how to explain it but i love these characters. cant wait for the second one.

witchyficbindery's review against another edition

3.0

The Rig caught my attention right away based on its title and the cover. I'm married to a Merchant Marine, so I have a little familiarity with oil rigs. Then I read the description and was totally sold! I love stories about survival and escape. The idea of being stuck on an oil rig in the Arctic Ocean totally freaks me out. Not to mention the bit about things not being as they seem. All that to say I was really excited to read this book!

Right away, this book pulled me in with its descriptions of the rig and its inner workings as a prison. Joe Ducie has done a fantastic job of creating an amazing setting out of a structure that could certainly have come across as boring. I also did a lot of fact-checking with my husband and overall the setting seems to hold up. I definitely felt like I could see each level and platform of the rig! It seems like an urban explorer's dream!

The characters were mostly enjoyable. This story is about Will Drake, a guy who just happened to find himself in a bad situation that landed him in jail. But Will is great at escaping, it seems. I wish a little more had been revealed at exactly -why- Will was so skilled at escapes. His backstory didn't make him seem like anything special, so I had kind of a hard time accepting him as a character worthy of comparison to Jason Bourne. The bad guys of The Rig were probably a little more believable than Will, in my opinion, although I did have a lot of questions about their motives once the book had ended.

My major problem with The Rig was the magic element. I somehow overlooked this part of the synopsis, so it caught me off guard. That isn't the issue, though. The magical substance, Crystal-X, is mysterious from the beginning of the book until it ends. Not much is ever explained about it. The book never goes into the why's and how's of this magical mineral and it's not clear why it affects different people in different ways. I'm okay with some questions being left over at the end of a book, but I feel like nothing at all was answered in this one. More than that, though, is that I don't even feel like the magic was necessary. The Rig was shaping up to be an awesome survival/escape story before Crystal-X was introduced.

Overall, I The Rig was just okay. I loved the world and the set up of the plot. I just wish it had strayed into weird, magic territory.

//I received this book through Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review//

labraden's review against another edition

4.0

The Rig is actually an oil drilling platform that has been turned into a prison for incorrigible teens. Will Drake, who has made a career out of escaping from the most inescapable prisons in the world, has been assigned to The Rig. Almost immediately, Will runs afoul of several inmates and some of the guards as well. His cellmate, Tristan, has already been on The Rig for more than a year. Will learns early on that the electronic tracker on his wrist is going to make escape from this prison tricky; not to mention the fact that The Rig is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean and is miles away from land. However, if there is one thing that Will has learned, it is that no place is inescapable.
This book was a very interesting story reminiscent of the Lockdown series, but with a supernatural twist that shows up about half way through the book. The main characters are not unique or unusual in any way, but they are likable enough to make them people to root for. Overall, a fun adventure that can be enjoyed at any age.

grace_cr1's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

marylep's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

robynnnx's review against another edition

4.0

Quite possibly one of my favourite books ever. I liked that something was happening on every single page so it didn't get boring. The story line in itself is very unique and I've never read anything like it. Also, with the Crystal-X, that was a plot twist. I never imagined the book to be about anything like that when I started reading it. I really liked like Drake and Tristan, they contrasted each other perfectly, whereas I wasn't such a huge fan of Irene; I don't know what it was about her but I just didn't like her.

amylandranch's review against another edition

4.0

From the first page, I was sucked into the floating prison called the Rig. The main character, William Blake, finds himself here after escaping 3 previous prisons. As he settles into his new world, he finds enemies and friends. He also discovers a secret deep below the Rig. The plot moves quickly and has lots of suspense and action with a little humor sprinkled in. There is some violence and a few swears. I think boys especially will like this fast paced action book that also has some pretty cool characters.