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Hard Wired
Sep. 12th, 2020 02:39 pmWhile we were on holiday last week, Dave and I listened to an audiobook together, something we haven't done before, but which made the experience a lot more fun, as we could discuss the book as we went along, rather than having to take turns and wait for the other one to finish it.
Hard Wired by Len Vlahos is a YA book about teenager Quinn, who is struggling with grief over his father's death and episodes where he blacks out during instances of high stress. He starts getting clues that all is not as it seems in his life, leading to a revelation that changes how he sees himself and the rest of the world in a big way.
I won't say what the revelation is, but I would imagine most people will know going in, as it is likely a big selling point for the book. But, if you do already know when you start reading, it takes a very long time to get there, and the opening sections are pretty mundane, teenage melodrama. If you don't know going in, you're going to be in for a very different book than you might expect...
Once it got going properly, the story was interesting, I liked some of the characters a lot (particularly the various teenage girls, who I think were written very well) and I was intrigued to find out where it was going.
There were multiple times when questions were raised by the narrative and immediately answered, which was quite amusing, but there were also quite a few instances where the 'rules' of the situation contradicted themselves or things really didn't make any sense.
It was all very adolescent, but then that was at least partially the point, so I can't criticise that.
The dramatic, all-action climax was a bit much, but the overall conclusion felt satisfying, and I would say it was an enjoyable read overall, with some interesting themes and discussion points.
Hard Wired by Len Vlahos is a YA book about teenager Quinn, who is struggling with grief over his father's death and episodes where he blacks out during instances of high stress. He starts getting clues that all is not as it seems in his life, leading to a revelation that changes how he sees himself and the rest of the world in a big way.
I won't say what the revelation is, but I would imagine most people will know going in, as it is likely a big selling point for the book. But, if you do already know when you start reading, it takes a very long time to get there, and the opening sections are pretty mundane, teenage melodrama. If you don't know going in, you're going to be in for a very different book than you might expect...
Once it got going properly, the story was interesting, I liked some of the characters a lot (particularly the various teenage girls, who I think were written very well) and I was intrigued to find out where it was going.
There were multiple times when questions were raised by the narrative and immediately answered, which was quite amusing, but there were also quite a few instances where the 'rules' of the situation contradicted themselves or things really didn't make any sense.
It was all very adolescent, but then that was at least partially the point, so I can't criticise that.
The dramatic, all-action climax was a bit much, but the overall conclusion felt satisfying, and I would say it was an enjoyable read overall, with some interesting themes and discussion points.
