Panic by Lauren Oliver

I think I would give this one a 2 1/2 if possible.  Not that it was a bad read, it just wasn't a book for me.  I love Oliver's writing style and have enjoyed her previous YA books but this one just didn't capture my enthusiasm.  I did not feel connected to the main characters Heather or Dodge.  I unfortunately felt that it was rather predictable and at points found that I was "skim-reading" through till I found the good bits.  "Panic" (the game played by recent high school graduates to prove their fearlessness and win a big pot of money) did not seem very realistic.  I don't know, I just felt like a lot of the action was forced and a lot of the background was lacking.  The resolution of the story was also very convenient, predictable and kind of anticlimactic for a novel set on the premise of taking huge risks.

In the end, recommended for: fast-paced action crowd, fans of Oliver, tiger-lovers?