Customer Reviews

Perilous (YA Suspense)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Debut author Tamara Hart Heiner has created a chilling tale about a group of girls who have to escape their kidnappers and journey across the country to get home, not knowing who they can trust. The characters in the story are all interesting with unique characteristics that makes them different from each other. The two point of view characters, Jaci and Detective Hamilton, are the perfect characters to tell the story. The reader learns little clues from both sides and makes you want to turn the page.

The fast pace and numerous twists and turns add interest to the story and will keep you on the edge of your seat, hoping that the girls will be able to make it home safely. The ending suggests that a sequel is in progress, or I hope so because I want to know what's going to happen next on the girls journey.

This book started great and I loved the beginning. I will be cautious not to give out spoilers. I gave it three stars because I was able to finish it.

The book to me was pretty draggy in parts and I did not feel that police procedures were accurate. Some of the "conspiracy" was pretty far fetched and the story lost me at that point.

I forced myself to finish it and they clearly left the end open for a sequel. I did not feel the story was accurate enough to warrant me reading a sequel.

Supposedly various police agencies were "infiltrated" by the organization that took the girls. First off that is hard to believe by itself. Secondly it would not be the job of some podunk Idaho officer to investigate all the agencies that were supposedly infiltrated. I think that is what was the hardest to believe is that they would send this officer all over the country on this investigation. Also the thing with Jaci's dad was a bit of a stretch.

The other part that was hard to believe is that all these people in the supposedly corrupt offices turned a "blind" eye to kidnapped girls that were all over the news and just pretended they had never been there and they would not be caught.

The third issue I had a problem with was the coincidence of the boys. I won't spoil it, but I thought that was far fetched as well.

If you have not read various procedural s or are not familiar with how police work it might be ok. But if you like me get hung up on details that are obviously fictitious, well you probably will not be able to suspend your belief for long.

As far as I know I don't think I've ever read anything that is considered young adult or teenage literature unless the Tom Swift and Hardy Boys series would fall into this genre. I wasn't totally sure what to expect from a genre labeled as "Young Adult", but Heiner's first published novel is pretty much what I thought I would find.

Since I guess I am a good ways past the "young adult" phase I decided that I would have to try to read Perilous through the eyes of a younger reader and imagine how they might see this novel. My impression that most teens, male and female alike, would enjoy the story and the way Tamara presents it. And for that matter so did I as an older reader.

This is an exciting action thriller that moves with intensity. Four teen-age girls witness a jewel heist at a shopping mall and are abducted by the burglary gang. They are taken from Idaho to the headquarters of the gang's ringleader, a notorious criminal known as "The Hand", who hides out in Quebec, Canada. The stakes are raised after the girls escape from the gang's hideout and attempt to make their way home on foot, not knowing whom to trust since The Hand is intent on finding them.

The story relies on some rather extreme coincidence and some illogical behavior from the characters, but that's what helps make the story more intriguing. Some readers may need to add an extra dose of willing suspension of disbelief to keep from rolling their eyes at some things in the story, but I think most younger readers will be fine with it. I was certainly willing to go along with all of it in order to enjoy the story. Tamara has skillfully presented the story so that everything happens with a natural flow and the readers are kept on the edge of their seats to see what happens next.

Perilous is mostly a road story--a journey home. Tamara does an exceptional job of depicting that journey. In fact, I pulled out my North American highway atlas to see if the places she mentions and the route her characters take were accurate. The author did her research well. I was able to follow the teens' journey and felt like I was right there with them. I was very impressed by sense of place and the descriptions of settings in the novel.

This book deals with some mature and serious themes including violence and rape. It raises some questions of moral ambiguity related to stealing, divorce, and corruption. However, all of these issues are presented discreetly and in good taste. The issues allow for some good topics of discussion and thought. Perilous is a wholesomely presented story of real life problems and is suitable for all teens.

Tamara Hart Heiner's Perilous is a book that parents should feel comfortable in allowing their teenagers to read. It's also a book that I would recommend to adult readers who like a well told story that avoids bad language and scenes that one might deem offensive. This is a fun reading diversion that deals with relevant topics.

One of the bigger issues that some may find with this book it that it leaves a lot of loose ends. Those who want their endings neat and resolved may be disappointed. This book demands a sequel or perhaps even a series. I was sad to see the book end where it did and was left wanting more. Now I'll have to wait for the next book. Don't leave us waiting too long, Tamara.

Perilous is the type of adventure book that I like to cozy up with when I want to escape from the world for a while. Fast-paced and intriguing, Perilous explores hard issues in a way that readers of all ages can enjoy.

Food to eat while reading: Pickles in a Pinch [...]

The main character and point of view in Perilous, by Tamara Hart Heiner, is Jacinta Rivera. Heiner successfully alternates the point of view between Jaci and Detective Carl Hamilton, the man who has been given the task of finding Jaci when she is kidnapped by thieves from the local mall. I appreciate knowing both points of view. Somehow it makes me fell smart-knowing information that the character I am reading about hasn't found out yet.

Jaci is Hispanic and I got very interested when I entered her home and interacted with her family. I love that her heritage and background are portrayed here. By the end of the book I was disappointing that her heritage did not come up again or play a role in the story. It would have been neat to see Jaci use her knowledge of her ancestry or ethnicity to her advantage--pushing the story forward and helping her out of the situation.

Detective Carl is a nice contrast to the teen storyline and I love his choice of brain food-pickles. I enjoyed his internal dialogue and his relationship with his wife. The only thing lacking in Carl's storyline is a dynamic change from beginning to end. I did not see how following Jaci's case changed him as a person.

I enjoyed the banter between the girls at the mall before the kidnapping occurs. I could have read a few more chapters of Jaci's life before the capture and felt surprised when the event happened so soon in the story.

There are quite a few teenage females to keep track of in the story and they all started to blend together for me. Because of what happens to Sara, I was able to separate her from the others in the middle of the book. Again, I am disappointed in the lack of change that I saw in the girls. I wanted to get into Jaci's head and really see how the events affected and changed her by the end of the story.

The twin boys, Neal and Ricky, add another layer to the story and introduce a bit of romance. Because Neal is introduced first, I became quite attached to him and I saw Ricky as immature and irresponsible. Later in the story I found it confusing when Jaci began to vacillate in her interest between the two boys.

Some of the scenes felt contrived to me, such as Jaci's rescue at the river. And yet other scenes that might have felt artificial (including their ultimate rescue in the end) made me want to believe in miracles.

The ending felt abrupt and I didn't get a sense of completion. There is a sequel coming out to Perilous and I realize that there needs to be a few loose ends, but I still wanted that missing catharsis.

I am impressed with the way Heiner is able to write a story about harsh topics that face teens today, such as murder and rape, but in a way that any parent would want them presented to their teen. The events that happen in the book are dealt with, but not played out in detail or dwelt upon in a way that would make a reader uncomfortable.

I read Perilous when I was supposed to be doing other things. I thought I'd crack it open and give it a shot. The story completely sucked me in. In fact, just last night I recommended it to my author group to read.

I read the book in one day! It was really face paced. A great page turner. I'm an adult but I think this would also appeal to teenagers. The main characters were teenage girls, who were realistic and girls could relate too. Yet they were also interesting to an adult reader (me). There is also another point of view in the story, a detective, which makes this more than a teenage book. It's neat to have a point of view from both age perspectives. Of course this book isn't absolutely perfect, but it is the author's very first book, and for it to be such a quick read is really saying something. Also, since there is supposed to be a sequel, I figure it can only get better. That's the way I feel about most sequel's - lots of unanswered questions and more character development is left to be desired, but she has several more books to do this in. I thought it ended just right - I felt like the most pressing part of the plot had come to a close, with another huge "What's coming next?" I can't wait to read the sequel. Get this book if you like a thrill. And yet it does not have explicit violence, profanity or sex scenes. It's realistic without being something that you would feel uncomfortable having your kids read. Get this book for your daughter if you want something fun for her to read too.

It was definetley a good book. The characters are distinct and believable. The twins add a nice touch to the plot and i would reccomend thus book for sure. The end seems lacking, as if there will be a sequel and i hope there will be.

This was a great book. I would recommend it for a teen or an adult. Kept me interested from the first page!I am anxiously waiting for the sequel.

I am a HUGE Noir Fiction fan. And this read is one of the best, and most surprising take on it I've handled in years. Gripping and action packed, using the most unlikely characters this gives some of the greats a run for their money. Plucky, young ad highly likable characters end up in the fight for their lives, using resourcefulness and steely pragmatism on a cross-country adventure. They face bad guys, good guys, loneliness, natural disasters, and basic survival needs to come out on top and stronger than ever. I couldn't put it down! If you like thrilling, highly plausible nefarious plots with more twists and turns than the proverbial roller-coaster I seriously advise you to give this book a lift. It'll grab you from the first page, and shake you like a rag doll.

I finished this book in less than 24 hours. I couldn't put it down. An electrifying thriller and adventure story, Heiner's debut book is full of unexpected plot twists and has solid ending that easily leads into a sequel. The teen characters are genuine and the issues they face are sobering, but Heiner balances the story well. At times I had to stretch my imagination a bit, but I was more than willing to do so in order to find out where there characters will go next. I would recommend this book and I look forward to reading the sequel.