Publisher:
S&S
Release
Date: 22nd
May 2014
Edition:
UK paperback,
review copy
She’s
not just a witness – she’s a target!
An
onlooker to a brutal murder, Liva is taken into police protection. But the
police station is attacked and bullets start flying – and it’s Liva in the
gunmen’s sights.
With
a car thief called Jay, Liva escapes the massacre. Alone in New York, they are
desperate to outrun and outwit two killers who are willing to stop at nothing
to find them.
When
you live on the edge, there’s a long way to fall.
I thoroughly enjoy the high-octane
action, break-neck pace and sexual tension of Sarah Alderson’s books. Out of Control was no exception!
Liva was my far my favourite aspect of Out of Control. I think she’s my
favourite of Alderson’s heroines so far – there’s just so much to here! She had
a really strong character arc over the course of the novel and I loved how much
she adapted to her situation while still reacting realistically. Liva went from
being frozen with fear, panic and desperation as the Brooklyn police station was
attacked to serious badass-ery and ingenuity that saved her and Jay’s life
many, many times. And yet she retains her ability to act like a person being
chased by crazy people with guns. She’s scared, she occasionally freezes up and
she finds comfort in what she can. I love her.
I was also quite fond of Jay,
unsurprisingly. He’s sassy, sarcastic and has a wicked smirk – what more do you
need to know?! Oh yeah, he’s also a complete sweetie. I loved the chemistry between
him and Liva; they sizzled. I also thought they made a fantastic team. Their talents
and skills and opposing backgrounds made them have such a wide set of knowledge
to keep them alive, and to put together what was going on as more of the story
was revealed.
Out
of Control delivers
a shocking twist that actually made me reread to page to make sure I hadn’t got
the wrong end of the stick – so unexpected! The book also took on a rather
heavy and important subject that I didn’t expect to see come up. Liva’s dad
runs a team of civilians that work in the Middle East to stop human trafficking
so she’s been heavily protected all of her life. Naturally, when she’s got a
target on her head when she’s in new York and her dad is in Nigeria, she
realises it must be something to do with that. Though the trafficking wasn’t
about or really mentioned that often, there is a single scene in the novels
about the survivors of human trafficking that really punched me in the heart. It
was great to see such a difficult and sadly relevant topic in YA and I hope it
opens some eyes.
Out
of Control is
action-packed and thrilling with an emotional punch and I can’t wait for Sarah’s
next offering.
Thanks to S&S for the
review copy!
Sophie
I now want to read this book so much - great review :)
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