Spontaneous
Author: Aaron Starmer
Published by: Canongate
Pages: 356
Format: Paperback
My Rating ★★
Published by: Canongate
Pages: 356
Format: Paperback
My Rating ★★
Mara Carlyle’s senior year is going as normally as could be expected, until— KABAM! —fellow senior Katelyn Ogden explodes during third period. Katelyn is the first, but she won’t be the last teenager to blow up without warning or explanation.
The body count grows, and the search is on for a reason, while the students continue to pop like balloons. But if bombs or terrorists or a government conspiracy aren’t to blame, what is?
With the help of her oldest friend, her new boyfriend, a power ballad and a homemade disco ball, will Mara make it to graduation in one piece? It’s going to be one hell of a year, where the only test is how to stay alive and where falling in love might be the worst thing you can do…
The body count grows, and the search is on for a reason, while the students continue to pop like balloons. But if bombs or terrorists or a government conspiracy aren’t to blame, what is?
With the help of her oldest friend, her new boyfriend, a power ballad and a homemade disco ball, will Mara make it to graduation in one piece? It’s going to be one hell of a year, where the only test is how to stay alive and where falling in love might be the worst thing you can do…
My thoughts:
Mara's senior year is proving to be a lot less exciting than she'd hoped, until the day Katelyn Ogden explodes during third period. Katelyn is the first, but she won't be the last senior to explode without warning or explanation. The body count grows, and the search is on for a reason. As the seniors continue to pop like balloons and the national eye turns to Mara’s suburban New Jersey hometown, the FBI rolls in and the search for a reason is on.
The author picked an unusual premise and a unique situation. There were some points where it felt dystopian and some points where it felt like an FBI story, but mainly was rooted in realistic fiction. Which was interesting for this scenario.
This book was original, and it was addicting, but it had the potential to be so much better. It felt a bit like watching a bad or trashy tv show, when you catch yourself thinking "This is bad," and as you consider flipping the channel there's something that hooks you in again.
As more and more seniors die, it soon becomes clear that these students don't have anything in common except being part of the same class and that even the teens who transferred or tried to leave town are at risk. The FBI quickly arrives to investigate and quarantine the students, while the remaining classmates try to cope any way they can - sex and drugs and rock and roll, drinking, parties, distracting themselves with projects, or investigating the situation on their own.
I enjoyed the shift in the reactions to the explosions, which continue throughout the book. After they've gone on for a while, people shruggingly adapt to the combustions as though this is just something that happens sometimes.
After a little while though, the book kind of falls apart, and this is largely due to the characters. For starters, Mara was supposed to be this relatable teenager going through all kinds of heightened emotions, but she was just awful. She knows she's awful and discusses it throughout. But she also has the worst narrative style. Those looking for forward-telling stories can expect to be annoyed on multiple occasions. She didn’t have the voice of a teenage girl at all , and sadly it felt all too obvious that this was written by a male author.
It also seemed like the author was relying too heavily upon the concept of spontaneous combustion, instead of focusing on developing more realistic and compelling characters and making sure the plot actually made sense. Even the supporting characters seemed poorly developed. One example is Special agent Carla Rosetti, who does not act like an FBI agent any more that Mara acts like a real world girl.
All in all, this book was... very strange. Despite the interesting premise and my initial hopes for a funny and exciting plot, this ultimately turned out to be another book in which a male author depicts a terrible version of how a girl thinks and behaves. And while the ending was oddly satisfying, readers are still only left with a general idea of what happened. I wish the conclusion hadn’t been so vague.
If you enjoy reading humorous books with a snarky attitude, you may want to read Spontaneous, although if you also want a plot that makes sense or at least an ending that explains what on earth you just read, maybe skip this one.
Overall reaction:
Mara's senior year is proving to be a lot less exciting than she'd hoped, until the day Katelyn Ogden explodes during third period. Katelyn is the first, but she won't be the last senior to explode without warning or explanation. The body count grows, and the search is on for a reason. As the seniors continue to pop like balloons and the national eye turns to Mara’s suburban New Jersey hometown, the FBI rolls in and the search for a reason is on.
The author picked an unusual premise and a unique situation. There were some points where it felt dystopian and some points where it felt like an FBI story, but mainly was rooted in realistic fiction. Which was interesting for this scenario.
This book was original, and it was addicting, but it had the potential to be so much better. It felt a bit like watching a bad or trashy tv show, when you catch yourself thinking "This is bad," and as you consider flipping the channel there's something that hooks you in again.
As more and more seniors die, it soon becomes clear that these students don't have anything in common except being part of the same class and that even the teens who transferred or tried to leave town are at risk. The FBI quickly arrives to investigate and quarantine the students, while the remaining classmates try to cope any way they can - sex and drugs and rock and roll, drinking, parties, distracting themselves with projects, or investigating the situation on their own.
I enjoyed the shift in the reactions to the explosions, which continue throughout the book. After they've gone on for a while, people shruggingly adapt to the combustions as though this is just something that happens sometimes.
After a little while though, the book kind of falls apart, and this is largely due to the characters. For starters, Mara was supposed to be this relatable teenager going through all kinds of heightened emotions, but she was just awful. She knows she's awful and discusses it throughout. But she also has the worst narrative style. Those looking for forward-telling stories can expect to be annoyed on multiple occasions. She didn’t have the voice of a teenage girl at all , and sadly it felt all too obvious that this was written by a male author.
It also seemed like the author was relying too heavily upon the concept of spontaneous combustion, instead of focusing on developing more realistic and compelling characters and making sure the plot actually made sense. Even the supporting characters seemed poorly developed. One example is Special agent Carla Rosetti, who does not act like an FBI agent any more that Mara acts like a real world girl.
All in all, this book was... very strange. Despite the interesting premise and my initial hopes for a funny and exciting plot, this ultimately turned out to be another book in which a male author depicts a terrible version of how a girl thinks and behaves. And while the ending was oddly satisfying, readers are still only left with a general idea of what happened. I wish the conclusion hadn’t been so vague.
If you enjoy reading humorous books with a snarky attitude, you may want to read Spontaneous, although if you also want a plot that makes sense or at least an ending that explains what on earth you just read, maybe skip this one.
Overall reaction: