Review : Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Don't Turn Around (PERSEFoNE Trilogy #1)

Author : Michelle Gagnon

Publisher : HarperCollins

Publication Date : August 28th 2012

Goodreads - The Book Depository

Sixteen-year-old Noa has been a victim of the system ever since her parents died. Now living off the grid and trusting no one, she uses her computer-hacking skills to stay safely anonymous and alone. But when she wakes up on a table in an empty warehouse with an IV in her arm and no memory of how she got there, Noa starts to wish she had someone on her side.

Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of a hacker alliance, Peter needs people with Noa’s talents on his team. Especially after a shady corporation threatens his life. But what Noa and Peter don’t realize is that Noa holds the key to a terrible secret, and there are those who’d stop at nothing to silence her for good.

Filled with action, suspense, and romance, this first book in a new trilogy offers readers nonstop thrills.

Personal Thoughts

You know those books that give you an adrenaline rush just by reading it ? Well, that's exactly what I expected Don't Turn Around to be when I first read its summary. Reading books like that is like watching a great action movie. Personally, I wasn't very satisfied with the outcome of Don't Turn Around, but for a debut in a series it was good.

Noa, a foster care kid, wakes up one day on hospital table with no recollection of how she landed there. Feeling that something isn't right, she attempts to escape successfully, coming to the realization that she was being kept in an empty warehouse. From there onward, Noa's life becomes almost like hell for her. Peter, a rich teenager, finds himself being attacked by strange men while going through his father's private files. As his life is being threatened, he turns to his forum for hackers and contacts the anonymous, Rain, who happens to be Noa. Soon, they realize that the people after them are the same. 

The book is told in the POVs of both Noa and Peter. While both of them were quite likable characters, they weren't exactly memorable enough to stick with me after I was done reading the book. Because of Noa's rough childhood, she knew how to fend for herself, mostly using her hacker skills. I liked that she was independent, smart and didn't behave like other teenagers her age. However, I felt like she lacked emotional depth to make her someone special. Throughout the book, she never really expressed any feelings apart from fear and panic. If she had been a little more fleshed-out, she would have definitely earned a spot on my top kick-ass heroines, because I did think she behaved in a confident and brave manner. Peter was a sweet, intelligent and kind of a confused guy who also lacked the intensity to make him stand out. I was never completely invested in neither him nor Noa. To be honest, even the villains weren't exactly the kinds that made me want to turn to the last few pages just to find out who they were. Overall, there's still a lot of improvement that's needed in the characterization department in Don't Turn Around, but since this is a trilogy, there's a lot of room for it and I'm hoping the author considers that!

If you asked me to describe Don't Turn Around, I would ,unhesitatingly, answer action-packed. The book was overflowing with action scenes and that's what really kept me reading it. From the instance Noa woke up on the surgery table, there was non-stop running and chasing. It was very exhilarating since it left me pretty much breathless. I thought the mystery surrounding the plot was quite intriguing, but I was very disappointed since nothing much really happened at the end to wrap it all up. I started the book with thousands of questions and none of them were answered. They were very basic questions like pertaining to the mysterious chasers and they could have been answered in this book itself. I find it very frustrating when a book leaves me with too many questions running through my mind. It almost makes me feel like I read the book for nothing. 

If you can handle the above issues I had, then I suggest that you give this book a shot. Although it was flawed, it did have the potential to be an exciting read. Sadly though, my expectations weren't fulfilled. 

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 3/5

Big thanks to HarperTeen for providing me with ARC of this book.