Ooh, Scott Westerfeld. I don’t mind if I do. That is the thought that ran through my head when I picked up this little book in the library the other week. I thought I was in for a treat, and whilst parts of this story were engaging and interesting to read, I found it took me ages to get through. The reading felt a little labourous, and not as easy reading as Scott Westerfeld’s other works. But the mystery that was streaked throughout kept me reading. A different read, if I may say so.
17 year old Hunter’s job is to seek out the hottest trends and pass them onto big retailers. To seek out the innovators and start the trends to go global. But when a big money client disappears after a mysterious reveal, Hunter takes it upon himself, along with Innovator Jen to track her down and rescue her.
Considering this was written twelve years ago, I am pretty impressed by the relevancy of it all. I could see where some parts had become outdated, but considering it is a book about being ahead of the trend, I can still it even today. And I must admit it did impress me a bit. It takes skill to do that. When I first started reading it, I was afraid of that, and there were parts I could identify that the book was out of age, but other times it kept up – like the phones.
Getting to grips with Hunter and Jen took a while. Although they were pretty straight forward characters, I couldn’t quite get the whole feel for them. Jen was meant to quirky, and I understand that illusion but I feel there was something needed to make Hunter a bit more lively. A bit more like someone you wanted to read about. I think this was maybe what I found it hard to read with an easy flow. As the mystery element of story was interesting, and I wanted to know more.
The ending I found was forgetful. I love it when after a few days your mind can wander back to the ending of a book and go over it in your head. This ending is hard to remember. Which is a shame, as I do think it taints the experience a bit.
A different read, that has mainly kept up with the times. Not one of Scott Westerfeld’s best works, but worth a good if you happen to stumble across it.
YA OBSESSED 