Michelle Gagnon

Forcibly sucked into an abyss at the moment of their deaths, six smarter-than-most teenagers wake up in a deadly, desolate future world, where only one of them holds the key to getting everyone back home.

Strangelets

Chelsea Hunter

Michelle Gagnon has written an amazing post-apocalyptic/mystery story that had me guessing throughout the book about what was going on. I was caught on the synopsis of this book, and when I finally opened it up to read, I was not disappointed. The description of the future where Anat, Declan, and Sophie end up is very descriptive. The details in this novel were fantastic. I could imagine everything from the world down to what exists (view spoiler)[thrinaxes/cynogs (hide spoiler)] in the world. I loved Declan and Sophie, and the way their relationship developed over the course of the novel. I don't know how I felt about Anat, one moment I would like her and the next I couldn't stand her. Even so... all three of these characters were fantastically written. Along with the other three (view spoiler)[or two really, since one of the characters disappears at the beginning of the book (hide spoiler)] characters helped move the story along nicely. I must say that Yosh was probably my favorite secondary character in the novel because she was so intriguing with how she added to the story. I liked the ending, although I had one lingering question after I turned the very last page that was never really answered (or even mentioned again after it's one brief appearance).

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a mystery novel with a mostly post-apocalyptic setting.

laura

so good :) such cool characters. i loved the ending and want more in so ways but happy it got a actual ending

Jessica Nottingham

Strangelets Strangelets starts off with a bang. Six teenage strangers wake up to find themselves locked in a mysterious location. Is it a lab? A hospital? No one really knows. The only thing that is certain is that all of them now have a common goal: survive. I have to admit that I was extremely curious as to what type of adventure Michelle Gagnon would be taking the teens and I on.
 
I had no problem settling into the world that was built for me. The characters, despite being complete strangers to one another, meshed really well together. I loved how each one had their own background story, and how they all culminated into something much bigger than what I was expecting. I won't deny that I felt a little rushed at times though. Gagnon does her best to fit a lot into the 288 pages that Strangelets contains, and sometimes my questions went unanswered.
 
Which brings me to the thing about Strangelets that really makes it a harder book to review. The first three-quarters of the book is pretty much non-stop action. I had so many questions as I watched these strangers band together to try and survive. Kudos to the author for the way she built the tension, and kept me guessing. However as I neared the end, all the action kind of culminated in a big pause. There was a huge explanation of what was really going on, with a lot of terms I struggled to understand, and then the ending. It felt a bit anticlimactic, especially since I felt so invested in their struggle.
 
To me, Strangelets is one of those books that I enjoyed reading but probably wouldn't read again. I liked the story line for the most part, felt for the characters, but was left a little unsatisfied at the end. Still, I know that if there were further adventures for these characters I'd be there to read them. As I said, very confusing to review. Suffice it to say that if you like stories that mix thrillers and science fiction, this is probably the perfect read for you.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

Originally posted on Lost in Literature.


Oh boy, this one's a real toughy! Strangelets is definitely the type of book that really challenges the reviewer in that writing too much about it will give the story away. I think the synopsis alone is all you need to know regarding this story to be able to fully enjoy it. So I'll stay away from the story aspects for this review and just comment more on my feelings regarding the book.

Strangelets was action-packed and what I would consider a go-go-go type of story. I really enjoyed that aspect of it. I felt the beginning, which basically just gave the background of the characters, was a little slow and hard to get into, but it picked up after a bit and I found myself really into the story. I wasn't a big fan of the ending. It just kind of... well... ended. I know some stories just seem to work like that, but I was hoping for something more with this one. It was a little too convenient for me.

Overall, I would recommend Strangelets to fans of science fiction and thrillers. The story was fast-paced, creative, and kept my attention throughout. I'm eager to see what Gagnon comes out with next.

Strangelets

Reviews