Actual rating :: 3.75/5
I expected nothing less than 'thrilling' and 'exhilarating' from such an acclaimed author who's books I grew up reading and enjoying and that is exactly what I got. Similar to CHERUB but not quite, similar to Henderson's Boys but not quite, Killer T is its own story in its unique plot and style, which in my opinion was written in a more mature and sophisticated way.
Right from the get-go we are thrown into a chaotic scene of an explosion aimed at a student, and the calamity doesn't stop there. We follow both Harry and Charlie, witnessing key events and changes that happen in the world through their points of view, each change bigger and more worrying than the last.
This book was full of twists and turns that I did and didn't see coming. There was one in particular near the end that completely took me by surprise I had to reread it twice to properly comprehend what I was reading. Just when you thought the story couldn't get any darker, it did.
There were multiple time jumps throughout the book which were a little jarring at first, but I did end up slowly getting used to them. Although they did sometimes feel unnecessary, we were immediately filled in on what we had missed through website articles which I thought was a nice touch.Unfortunately, due to those time jumps, just as I felt like I was finally completely understanding the character, there would be a time jump and I would once again feel a disconnect to our protagonists.
I did also think there were many missed opportunities with this book - so much more could have been explored, such as Charlie's older sister Fawn. Though she plays a significant role in the book, she was rarely present, and when we finally get a proper scene with her at the end it's abruptly cut short. I wish we'd have learnt more about her as it could have been an interesting touch to the story.
Honestly, I found this book pretty difficult to review because there were definitely parts that I absolutely loved and couldn't get enough of, but there were also times I found myself quickly skimming the page for useful information, waiting for something more exciting to come up. Overall, this was not perfect, but is an unquestionably exciting read. It is definitely the type of book I'd pick up over the long stretch of the summer holidays.
I expected nothing less than 'thrilling' and 'exhilarating' from such an acclaimed author who's books I grew up reading and enjoying and that is exactly what I got. Similar to CHERUB but not quite, similar to Henderson's Boys but not quite, Killer T is its own story in its unique plot and style, which in my opinion was written in a more mature and sophisticated way.
Right from the get-go we are thrown into a chaotic scene of an explosion aimed at a student, and the calamity doesn't stop there. We follow both Harry and Charlie, witnessing key events and changes that happen in the world through their points of view, each change bigger and more worrying than the last.
This book was full of twists and turns that I did and didn't see coming. There was one in particular near the end that completely took me by surprise I had to reread it twice to properly comprehend what I was reading. Just when you thought the story couldn't get any darker, it did.
There were multiple time jumps throughout the book which were a little jarring at first, but I did end up slowly getting used to them. Although they did sometimes feel unnecessary, we were immediately filled in on what we had missed through website articles which I thought was a nice touch.Unfortunately, due to those time jumps, just as I felt like I was finally completely understanding the character, there would be a time jump and I would once again feel a disconnect to our protagonists.
I did also think there were many missed opportunities with this book - so much more could have been explored, such as Charlie's older sister Fawn. Though she plays a significant role in the book, she was rarely present, and when we finally get a proper scene with her at the end it's abruptly cut short. I wish we'd have learnt more about her as it could have been an interesting touch to the story.
Honestly, I found this book pretty difficult to review because there were definitely parts that I absolutely loved and couldn't get enough of, but there were also times I found myself quickly skimming the page for useful information, waiting for something more exciting to come up. Overall, this was not perfect, but is an unquestionably exciting read. It is definitely the type of book I'd pick up over the long stretch of the summer holidays.