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punch0's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
mackle13's review
3.0
A decent sequel/conclusion(?) to [b:Malice|6364017|Malice (Malice, #1)|Chris Wooding|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348080370s/6364017.jpg|6551250], though it seemed to lose most of it's horror vibe and go for straight on action-quest story, which is cool and all, but I was hoping for more of the atmospheric stuff from the first book.
The characters didn't really develop much at all, either, and sometimes annoyed me with their myopia, especially Seth. And there was a new character added which seemed kind of weirdly put into the story. I thought she'd play a larger role, though she did end being kind of important.
Anyway -
I would definitely place this on the lower end of the YA spectrum, maybe even the high end of the MG one. Even when it was being scary it wasn't anything that kids couldn't handle. A decent story, and I'll probably read the continuation, if there ever is one. I've heard there might be, and the story, while wrapped up enough, definitely leaves room for more.
The characters didn't really develop much at all, either, and sometimes annoyed me with their myopia, especially Seth. And there was a new character added which seemed kind of weirdly put into the story. I thought she'd play a larger role, though she did end being kind of important.
Anyway -
I would definitely place this on the lower end of the YA spectrum, maybe even the high end of the MG one. Even when it was being scary it wasn't anything that kids couldn't handle. A decent story, and I'll probably read the continuation, if there ever is one. I've heard there might be, and the story, while wrapped up enough, definitely leaves room for more.
jmanchester0's review
4.0
A good ending to this 2-part story (beginning with [b:Malice|6364017|Malice (Malice, #1)|Chris Wooding|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348080370s/6364017.jpg|6551250]). Written at a younger YA-level, the story is rather creative. A decent read, especially if you're into comics.
karmakat's review
2.0
As you may remember, I dropped my rating on the first volume of this (Malice) from 4 or 4.5 to 3 because of the sudden cliff-hanger ending with no warning that it was the first of a two-book set. And then I didn't start reading this one until 6 or 7 weeks later. Sadly, that meant me getting reacquainted with the books and remembering all of the world-building that went into the first volume. Which made the first half or more of this a slow, painful slog. Leading me to a 2.5 rating. It's decent, but if you are going to read them, make sure you have both of them so you can read them back-to-back. The delay really meant I lost a lot of interest.
jennikify's review
3.0
(3.5)
I was super-excited to read this title and called dibs on it before it even made it to the shelf (just one benefit of working at the library).
Overall, I love the way this book works. The majority is text with section of comic mixed in. It's a really interesting idea and it works quite well for this story. It also picks up right where it left off in the first one. I like it when this happens. Sometimes it's hard to play catch up.
I'm sad to report that I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first one. Elements of the story were fun and interesting, and there's some real imagination behind Malice. The ending, however, fell a bit flat for me. Things do get resolved, but still there's a nagging feeling that the story ended a little prematurely. (For some reason, I thought this was supposed to be a trilogy; maybe that's why I feel a little gypped).
During the big battle, there's a line that seems really out of place. I won't reveal it because it's the big monster, but damn did it seem like I slipped into Dungeons and Dragons for a minute. Anyway, the rest of the story and dialogue fall in line with the first. Kady, Justin, and Seth were exactly as I remember them. It does get a little heavier on the romance and can get a little too saccharine for my taste, but it's not too overdone.
I am glad I read it, and I did enjoy it. I just wish there was a bit more to it. Not necessarily this novel, but perhaps the ending could have been delayed for one more. I think it would have helped the story feel complete.
I was super-excited to read this title and called dibs on it before it even made it to the shelf (just one benefit of working at the library).
Overall, I love the way this book works. The majority is text with section of comic mixed in. It's a really interesting idea and it works quite well for this story. It also picks up right where it left off in the first one. I like it when this happens. Sometimes it's hard to play catch up.
I'm sad to report that I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first one. Elements of the story were fun and interesting, and there's some real imagination behind Malice. The ending, however, fell a bit flat for me. Things do get resolved, but still there's a nagging feeling that the story ended a little prematurely. (For some reason, I thought this was supposed to be a trilogy; maybe that's why I feel a little gypped).
During the big battle, there's a line that seems really out of place. I won't reveal it because it's the big monster, but damn did it seem like I slipped into Dungeons and Dragons for a minute. Anyway, the rest of the story and dialogue fall in line with the first. Kady, Justin, and Seth were exactly as I remember them. It does get a little heavier on the romance and can get a little too saccharine for my taste, but it's not too overdone.
I am glad I read it, and I did enjoy it. I just wish there was a bit more to it. Not necessarily this novel, but perhaps the ending could have been delayed for one more. I think it would have helped the story feel complete.
thatlibrarynerd's review
5.0
Havoc picks up where Malice left off. In some ways it's similar to Malice: one character in the world of Malice while the other investigates from our world. More answers are given and the Six become more than just rumors, and we learn more about where the comic book came from. I enjoyed how Wooding handled Kady and Seth's character arcs and their feelings about Malice, but the character that really surprised me was Tall Jake. Much of the fear toward Tall Jake came from knowing only what he did without significant encounters with Tall Jake himself. As he becomes a more present character toward the end of the book, he remains frightening and in fact manages to plant some lasting doubts.
And surely I'm not the only person who felt a jolt during that scene with mim! Apt to the plotline that some of the fear and surprise would carry over into the real world.
The one thing I think should have been established in the first book: we never see someone truly find a white ticket. When Seth found the white tickets in the Deadhouse, readers had no context for knowing that was what finding a white ticket looked like, or where they were usually hidden.
And surely I'm not the only person who felt a jolt during that scene with mim! Apt to the plotline that some of the fear and surprise would carry over into the real world.
punkrocknreticence's review
3.0
3.5 stars
I was never big on the Horror/Fantasy genre, not even as a child — with the exception of Chris Wooding's [b:Malice|6364017|Malice (Malice, #1)|Chris Wooding|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348080370l/6364017._SY75_.jpg|6551250]. I absolutely ate up that book, a terrifying story built around the urban legend of a world that exists inside a comic book, and spent a considerable part of my early teens trying to get my hands on Havoc and put my curiosity about how the story ends to rest. To my frustration and utter disappointment, I could not locate a copy anywhere — until now. Somehow, revisiting the world of Malice at 22 was even more exciting than ever before, and I was surprised to know that a middle-grade duology could still give me the creeps.
Havoc proved to be a fitting conclusion to what Malice, started, the story of a horrid world within a comic book that children started disappearing into — just call on Tall Jake, and he'll take you there. It was fast-paced and packed with action, and the comic-book sections seem to have improved as well (although not tremendously). I was pleased to see a more diverse cast of characters with more realistic levels of fear and gusto, and loved the way Wooding progresses with the worldbuilding, dystopia, and lore of Malice.
Wooding's insights about the dangers and power of belief and the perversions of modern society were excellent, too, and strengthened the allure of this book on a whole. Indeed, both the comic and the urban legend around it continued to exist because of schadenfreude and our attraction to seeing bad or humiliating things happen to other people, be it on reality TV or elsewhere. It is also interesting how the various dynamics of belief and disbelief between kids and their peers as well as kids and adults were what kept people from considering Malice as real, or as a real threat. Havoc is both inventive and insightful beyond what's expected of a book for children, and I found the bittersweet ending, especially with regards to Grendel, rather beautiful.
However, Havoc was quite disappointing in terms of the development of its two main characters, Kady and Seth. Despite the bits of gendering that existed in the first book, I loved how Kady was a strong female character from the very beginning. That wasn't so much the case in Havoc, and Kady seemed to retreat into more 'feminine' passivity here whereas male characters literally took over from her in some cases. I felt that both protagonists were less fleshed-out in this book, and even downright annoying in some places — especially Seth with a new-fangled hero complex. I also found the vague romantic arc between the two a rather unnecessary, tiring, and pointless reverting to conventional tropes, and disliked it as much as I liked the depth and comic relief Justin ended up offering. Despite the tightly wound plot, I was disappointed that character of Heather does not make an appearance after the first few pages of the first book — this was certainly a disappointing loose-end left loose.
Still, it was exciting and rewarding to have finally gotten rid of Tall Jake's specter, and I liked the unexpected, real-life lesson this book offered: go after the system that keeps the evil alive, and not its individual actors.
I was never big on the Horror/Fantasy genre, not even as a child — with the exception of Chris Wooding's [b:Malice|6364017|Malice (Malice, #1)|Chris Wooding|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348080370l/6364017._SY75_.jpg|6551250]. I absolutely ate up that book, a terrifying story built around the urban legend of a world that exists inside a comic book, and spent a considerable part of my early teens trying to get my hands on Havoc and put my curiosity about how the story ends to rest. To my frustration and utter disappointment, I could not locate a copy anywhere — until now. Somehow, revisiting the world of Malice at 22 was even more exciting than ever before, and I was surprised to know that a middle-grade duology could still give me the creeps.
Havoc proved to be a fitting conclusion to what Malice, started, the story of a horrid world within a comic book that children started disappearing into — just call on Tall Jake, and he'll take you there. It was fast-paced and packed with action, and the comic-book sections seem to have improved as well (although not tremendously). I was pleased to see a more diverse cast of characters with more realistic levels of fear and gusto, and loved the way Wooding progresses with the worldbuilding, dystopia, and lore of Malice.
Wooding's insights about the dangers and power of belief and the perversions of modern society were excellent, too, and strengthened the allure of this book on a whole. Indeed, both the comic and the urban legend around it continued to exist because of schadenfreude and our attraction to seeing bad or humiliating things happen to other people, be it on reality TV or elsewhere. It is also interesting how the various dynamics of belief and disbelief between kids and their peers as well as kids and adults were what kept people from considering Malice as real, or as a real threat. Havoc is both inventive and insightful beyond what's expected of a book for children, and I found the bittersweet ending, especially with regards to Grendel, rather beautiful.
However, Havoc was quite disappointing in terms of the development of its two main characters, Kady and Seth. Despite the bits of gendering that existed in the first book, I loved how Kady was a strong female character from the very beginning. That wasn't so much the case in Havoc, and Kady seemed to retreat into more 'feminine' passivity here whereas male characters literally took over from her in some cases. I felt that both protagonists were less fleshed-out in this book, and even downright annoying in some places — especially Seth with a new-fangled hero complex. I also found the vague romantic arc between the two a rather unnecessary, tiring, and pointless reverting to conventional tropes, and disliked it as much as I liked the depth and comic relief Justin ended up offering. Despite the tightly wound plot, I was disappointed that character of Heather does not make an appearance after the first few pages of the first book — this was certainly a disappointing loose-end left loose.
Still, it was exciting and rewarding to have finally gotten rid of Tall Jake's specter, and I liked the unexpected, real-life lesson this book offered: go after the system that keeps the evil alive, and not its individual actors.
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