Written by Melissa Platt
Have you ever felt so distraught that you needed to take action? Have you ever wanted to blow something up? Hurt anyone? Well that is what this book is all about.
Time Bomb follows six teenagers, who are going about their daily lives when they get stuck in their school after a bombing. They try to help each other, but things go haywire when they get rocked by more bombs and learn that one of them is helping with the bombings.
This book is highly addictive, and a super easy and quick read (maybe too easy), especially since it covers an incident occurring within a school, which is happening more and more often these days. The book starts off by introducing the reader to each main character, and what their lives are like. Joelle Charbonneau wants the reader to understand how each character feels, and the problems they are going through. With this, you are always trying to guess who the bomber could be, and why, how, etc.
The characters, however, are very stereotypical, but it enhances the book itself because you are always questioning whose problems are so bad that they decided to blow up the school. This aspect really helped make the book amazing because it constantly made you think, which created a bigger connection between the book and the reader.
Another thing that really adds to the book is each character having their own problems and feelings they are going through, but each problem is something very serious that all teenagers face everyday. This was great to see because it brings awareness to the readers that those feelings and problems aren’t wrong, and others feel them too, so talk about it. The book has strong messages throughout its entirety; suicide, being an outsider, bullying, etc.
Time Bomb really does focus on everyday lives and even finds the time to explore relationships. This is kind of funny because who would be thinking about that when you are trapped in a blown-up school, but perhaps it shows the predictability of high school students.
That being said, the rest of the book isn’t predictable. Instead it is intense and fills your mind full of questions, which is a tell-tale sign of a good book. As you read you think it was one person, but then they say or do something and then you’re thinking it has to be someone else. Each chapter is full of surprises and it really gets your heart racing. When things just start to calm down, all of a sudden then just become crazy again, which makes the book very hard to put down.
Most of the chapters are short with an average of six pages per chapter, and while some books in this format can be hard and frustrating to read, it only strengthens the intensity of it. The reason for the short chapters is because they are told from different character’s points of view to really showcase what that character is feeling in the heat of the moment. The short chapters also contribute to the quick easy read it is, which may be a good thing or a bad thing for some, but it does give the book a beginners YA feel.
Despite this, the book was well written. The reader understands what’s going on and feels what the characters are feeling which hooks the reader until the very end. The author also uses quotes at the end of some chapters to help justify what just happened and if you’re like me, any books that have quotes in it receive extra points. But on the other hand, there were some scenes where it was hard to visualise what was going on. However, this may just be the type of situation although sometimes a sentence would be completely different from what you were thinking of and you would get slightly confused for a second.
Overall, this was a fantastic book. Time Bomb was very captivating, and will have readers filled with questions until the very end. It’s a great mix of genres as it’s a mystery, thriller and YA novel all rolled into one. If you’re after a book that will surprise you with every page, then this is the book for you!
Time Bomb is now available in bookstores everywhere as of March 13th!
Will you be reading Time Bomb? Have you read it already? Tell us in the comments below!
A congressman’s daughter who has to be perfect. A star quarterback with a secret. A guy who’s tired of being ignored. A clarinet player who’s done trying to fit in. An orphaned rebel who wants to teach someone a lesson. A guy who wants people to see him, not his religion.
They couldn’t be more different, but before the morning’s over, they’ll all be trapped in a school that’s been rocked by a bombing. When they hear that someone inside is the bomber, they’ll also be looking to one another for answers.
This title was provided for an honest review by HMH Books for Young Readers.
