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quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
”You shot him. You totally just shot that guy back there. I think I’m gonna throw up.”
One ordinary guy.
One female assassin.
Five targets by daybreak.
When Gobi lands in Perry’s life, she rips it apart like a bombshell.
Fasten your seatbelts for a quirky, rapid-fire joyride through the streets of New York … This is the most entertaining thriller you’ll read this year.
17 year-old Perry’s life has been mapped out for him by his father. Persuaded to give up his place on the swim team to focus on his studies, he’s currently on the waiting list for Columbia University. A reference from a senior partner at his father’s law firm and a good personal essay should get him in.
But everything changes on the night of his senior prom.
For the last 9 months his family have been hosting a Lithuanian exchange student called Gobi who’s a little … odd. Plain and eccentric, she decides that she wants to go to the prom and although Perry’s band has a gig planned for that night in New York, Perry’s father insists that he go as Gobi’s date.
However Gobi’s been keeping secrets of her own and Perry soon finds himself on a rollercoaster ride through New York with a kick-ass assassin who’s got five targets to kill before dawn …
Joe Schreiber’s YA thriller crosses COLLATERAL with KILL BILL for an adrenalin-fuelled, rollercoaster read.
Perry is a believable narrator, both in his reactions to the initially strange and then clearly psychotic Gobi and in his relationship with his father. His journey involves confronting the expectations placed on him by his demanding father and in working out what he actually wants to do. I enjoyed the way his relationship with Gobi develops and even when it strays into romance, I still found myself believing in it because Gobi is a fascinating character, driven by revenge but meticulous in her planning. I could even overlook the obvious age difference between them. There is an element of the superhero to Gobi, which at times does stretch credibility (particularly a scene where she turns the tables on a torturer) and my main criticism is that the book doesn’t really dwell on the consequences of the violence that’s deployed.
The plot itself doesn’t stand up to close scrutiny, but the pace at which it unfolds means that this isn’t really a problem. My main criticism is that the identity of the fifth target is telegraphed early on and I would have liked that target to have been given stronger reasons for their actions. Still there’s a fine black humour to the story and a set-up for a sequel, which I will definitely be checking out.
The Verdict:
Joel Schreiber’s YA thriller is a mix of COLLATERAL and KILL BILL and although the plot doesn’t hold much water if you think about it, the execution (no pun intended) is adrenalin-fuelled, has a believable teen main character and all in all makes for a rollercoaster read. It ends with a set-up for a sequel, which I will definitely be checking out.
One female assassin.
Five targets by daybreak.
When Gobi lands in Perry’s life, she rips it apart like a bombshell.
Fasten your seatbelts for a quirky, rapid-fire joyride through the streets of New York … This is the most entertaining thriller you’ll read this year.
17 year-old Perry’s life has been mapped out for him by his father. Persuaded to give up his place on the swim team to focus on his studies, he’s currently on the waiting list for Columbia University. A reference from a senior partner at his father’s law firm and a good personal essay should get him in.
But everything changes on the night of his senior prom.
For the last 9 months his family have been hosting a Lithuanian exchange student called Gobi who’s a little … odd. Plain and eccentric, she decides that she wants to go to the prom and although Perry’s band has a gig planned for that night in New York, Perry’s father insists that he go as Gobi’s date.
However Gobi’s been keeping secrets of her own and Perry soon finds himself on a rollercoaster ride through New York with a kick-ass assassin who’s got five targets to kill before dawn …
Joe Schreiber’s YA thriller crosses COLLATERAL with KILL BILL for an adrenalin-fuelled, rollercoaster read.
Perry is a believable narrator, both in his reactions to the initially strange and then clearly psychotic Gobi and in his relationship with his father. His journey involves confronting the expectations placed on him by his demanding father and in working out what he actually wants to do. I enjoyed the way his relationship with Gobi develops and even when it strays into romance, I still found myself believing in it because Gobi is a fascinating character, driven by revenge but meticulous in her planning. I could even overlook the obvious age difference between them. There is an element of the superhero to Gobi, which at times does stretch credibility (particularly a scene where she turns the tables on a torturer) and my main criticism is that the book doesn’t really dwell on the consequences of the violence that’s deployed.
The plot itself doesn’t stand up to close scrutiny, but the pace at which it unfolds means that this isn’t really a problem. My main criticism is that the identity of the fifth target is telegraphed early on and I would have liked that target to have been given stronger reasons for their actions. Still there’s a fine black humour to the story and a set-up for a sequel, which I will definitely be checking out.
The Verdict:
Joel Schreiber’s YA thriller is a mix of COLLATERAL and KILL BILL and although the plot doesn’t hold much water if you think about it, the execution (no pun intended) is adrenalin-fuelled, has a believable teen main character and all in all makes for a rollercoaster read. It ends with a set-up for a sequel, which I will definitely be checking out.
