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cnorbury's review against another edition
3.0
My first foray into Kava's work. She writes in a smooth, clean, professional style and her characters are memorable although a few might lean toward stereotypes (e.g.--the manipulative alpha girl in the high school, her football jock boyfriend, the small-town LEOs reluctantly cooperating with the federal agent (Maggie O'Dell).
The plot was fresh and timely for the time period in which it was written (2011). It suffered from a lack of depth, which means it could have been longer and done more with character development and description. But compared to boringly long, under edited novels by national bestselling authors in this day and age, lean and sparse is more of a compliment.
Thanks to short chapters and constant tension and suspense building, the pages flew by. It could be easily read in one or two long sittings.
The plot was fresh and timely for the time period in which it was written (2011). It suffered from a lack of depth, which means it could have been longer and done more with character development and description. But compared to boringly long, under edited novels by national bestselling authors in this day and age, lean and sparse is more of a compliment.
Thanks to short chapters and constant tension and suspense building, the pages flew by. It could be easily read in one or two long sittings.
yourgotogoat's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
drew5287's review
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookworm_enni's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked this one in the Maggie O'Dell series but it felt a little like it ended in the middle of the story. The end was very sudden and left a lot open. But the story itself kept me turning pages and I really liked Lucy. I think I mixed up the order of the books and read this one before the previous in the series but it didn't seem to matter that much. Guess I'll catch up and read that one next. I would give it 3.5 stars if I could.
jonetta's review
3.0
Maggie O'Dell takes a side trip from her conference in Denver to Nebraska where she's looking into some strange cattle deaths. Unfortunately, she stumbles into something much bigger and more sinister. Meanwhile, Benjamin Platte is called to assist the CDC's head of special responses when two schools are suddenly in the midst of a deadly outbreak.
As usual, the story begins with two puzzling but interesting cases that feel as if they will converge at some point but don't. Unfortunately, it's also afflicted again with a disappointing end where loose ties are left dangling. I find that frustrating and a tiresome approach to continue using. And, the author's politics seem to permeate each story: government is bad, private enterprise is always the white knight.
Even though the story moved at a really fast pace, it's not enough to overcome these unsatisfying conclusions. And yet, again, not any real profiling going on and Maggie's in another life threatening situation. Yawn.
As usual, the story begins with two puzzling but interesting cases that feel as if they will converge at some point but don't. Unfortunately, it's also afflicted again with a disappointing end where loose ties are left dangling. I find that frustrating and a tiresome approach to continue using. And, the author's politics seem to permeate each story: government is bad, private enterprise is always the white knight.
Even though the story moved at a really fast pace, it's not enough to overcome these unsatisfying conclusions. And yet, again, not any real profiling going on and Maggie's in another life threatening situation. Yawn.
thekindredreader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
[4 Stars] The Maggie O’Dell books keep getting better and better in my opinion, and this one was a solid read. Maggie’s shown some growth since the first book and now she feels like a fully fleshed-out yet flawed character. Overall the plot of this book was fast-paced, and I liked the dual storylines between Maggie and Platt. Ready to read some more books in the series!
elvang's review against another edition
3.0
I've got mixed feelings about this novel. On one hand, Kava weaves a pretty complex tale of teen parties gone very wrong in Nebraska..is it aliens or government cover up? Maggie O'Dell is sent there to find out. Meanwhile, food poisoning in a school keeps Benjamin Platt on the east coast trying to determine how a mutating bacteria got into the school food supply. Government coverup or my personal theory, vegan nation's first attempt to take over the world.
My beef ( heehee) with this book was that these two plot lines don't come together or even overlap. There was plenty of threads to pull on the Nebraska tale and lots of tension, action and intrigue. If anything, it ended too quickly. The whole food poisoning storyline seemed boring and unnecessary in contrast.
Oh well. I'll just go toss out all my hamburger and keep watching the skies for a possible alien invasion now.
My beef ( heehee) with this book was that these two plot lines don't come together or even overlap. There was plenty of threads to pull on the Nebraska tale and lots of tension, action and intrigue. If anything, it ended too quickly. The whole food poisoning storyline seemed boring and unnecessary in contrast.
Oh well. I'll just go toss out all my hamburger and keep watching the skies for a possible alien invasion now.
zwaantina's review against another edition
3.0
Leuk boek. Als je eenmaal aan het lezen bent, is het lastig om te stoppen. Wel een beetje voorspelbaar wat een klein minpuntje is.