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Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon,
read by Merritt Hicks
Publisher: Harper Audio
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Format: Audiobook (8 hrs, 31 min)
Source: Publisher
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Thriller
Buy: Amazon | Audible | B&N | Indiebound | iTunes
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 called AMRF threatens his life in no uncertain terms.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. (Goodreads)
If you like a fast-paced, action-packed story with some mystery, or if you’re a fan of Lisbeth Salander (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), then this is the book for you!
Don’t Turn Around is a techno-thriller that quickly grabbed me, and didn’t let go. I listened to it on audiobook and kept finding excuses to keep listening. I didn’t want to stop. Noa, a girl with some seriously mad hacker skills, instantly drew me in. She’s independent, strong, and smart. She’s been failed by the system and has figured out how to live on her own, thanks to some hacking.
Noa teams up with Peter in a hacker alliance after she wakes up in a laboratory/hospital room with a cut on her chest and no memory of the last three weeks. She manages to escape and is determined to find out what happened to her, and why. Peter is having a bad week himself… he discovers that his parents are wrapped up with some shady corporation, and then he’s kicked out of their McMansion. Noa and rich-boy Peter are an unlikely pair, but brought together by their hacking abilities. Once they realize they’re being hunted, they’re forced to constantly be on the run, and off-grid.
I really enjoyed the characters in Don’t Turn Around. For the first book in a plot intense series, they were all well fleshed out and had a purpose. My only disappointment was there wasn’t much romance. Which isn’t a bad thing, except that I love a romantic sub-plot, and I think I’ve been spoiled because on the rare occasion that there’s not one in YA books, I’m usually disappointed. There is a hint of romance, and at the end there’s even a hint of a love triangle, which I’ll admit, made me cringe. Even so, I’m not completely sold on Noa and Peter as a couple, so maybe Zeke will be a more solid contender.
I loved Don’t Turn Around, but I feel indifferent to the narrator… not fantastic, but not bad. I’ve also read the prequel novella, No Escape, and appreciated the additional back-story. I’m looking forward to finding out what Michelle Gagnon has in store for us with the PERSEFoNE series!
Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Twitter: kimbacaffeinate
says:
This sounds intense, and I love that it’s a mystery and action packed. I own but still haven’t read the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series..lol
kimbacaffeinate recently posted..Invisible by Carla Buckley ~release day review
Twitter: fakesteph
says:
This sounds fun. I had seen this around and wasn’t sure if it was for me, but I might have to check it out. I’m knitting scarves for Christmas, so I always need lots of audiobooks to listen to while I work.
fakesteph recently posted..Top Ten (Tuesday) Favorite New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2012
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