STRANGELETS by Michelle Gagnon

Strangelets
Michelle Gagnon

Rating: F
Release Date: 04/09/13
Synopsis:
17-year-old Sophie lies on her deathbed in California, awaiting the inevitable loss of her battle with cancer…
17-year-old Declan stares down two armed thugs in a back alley in Galway, Ireland…
17-year-old Anat attempts to traverse a booby-trapped tunnel between Israel and Egypt…
 
All three strangers should have died at the exact same moment, thousands of miles apart. Instead, they awaken together in an abandoned hospital—only to discover that they’re not alone. Three other teens from different places on the globe are trapped with them. Somebody or something seems to be pulling the strings. With their individual clocks ticking, they must band together if they’re to have any hope of surviving. 
 
Soon they discover that they've been trapped in a future that isn't of their making: a deadly, desolate world at once entirely familiar and utterly strange. Each teen harbors a secret, but only one holds the key that could get them home. As the truth comes to light through the eyes of Sophie, Declan, and Anat, the reader is taken on a dark and unforgettable journey into the hearts of teens who must decide what to do with a second chance at life.

My thoughts on the book:
I was super excited to read Strangelets, but unfortunately this book was a big disappointment. To me the plot was unique, but not planned out very well. The switching points of view were awful and distracting. The pacing was too slow. The characters were super annoying. The writing was dull. You get the idea. I just really didn't like this book. 

When I first started the book, Sophie seemed brave and likable. Well, that got blown out of the water pretty quickly. She's a total Mary Sue and super whiny. I wanted to smack her for the majority of the story. Declan was a jerk, and I really couldn't stand him either. There was just nothing likable about him. He wasn't even one of those hot and tough, but somehow still lovable jerks... He was the kind of jerk that you wanted to kick in the face so he'd shut his jerky mouth. Anat was self-absorbed and dull. The secondary characters were all cookie-cutter and plain. Nothing stood out (in a good way) character-wise. 

The plot was a big mess, in my opinion. The book moved so incredibly slowly at first, and barely sped up after the first 25-30%. The ending was pretty convenient and somewhat perfect. Annoying. Also, Gagnon's writing was so boring. Every sentence had about the same cadence, even. Even though there were three points of view, none of the characters voices really varied. Sure, Gagnon affected awful pseudo-Irish dialogue for Declan, but it wasn't believable. His sentences were still structured exactly like Sophie's and Anat's. Also, there was a stupid romance involving insta-love. Yuck. 

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, but that's just my opinion. I think that this book will have a very specific set of fans who enjoy a certain type of book that I just don't like. If you want to give it a try (some people like it), then check it out at the library first. Don't spend your money on it until you're sure this novel is for you.