Dangerous Boy

Jan 11, 2012 Zemira Warner marked it as hyped-to-read

Shelves: mystery, thriller, retelling

Is it weird that I want Harper to end up with Daemon?

Sep 08, 2012 Mitch rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mandy Hubbard is like my guilty pleasure because, as far as I'm concerned, she can write anything. There was that cheesy yet cute time travel story (Prada and Prejudice). Also that surprisingly enjoyable mermaid story (Ripple). I trust her, so I picked up Dangerous Boy without even looking at the summary, which turned out to be a VERY good thing.

Dangerous Boy is a tough book to review because enjoying it hinges on being in the dark about one crucial fact. Figure it out too soon, and the entire b...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Julianna Helms rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-tours, skimmed-like-milk-jk

Actual, full reaction: Original is here on my blog. (Note: Due to copy-and-paste, formatting and links have been lost. View the review on my blog for utmost effect.)

Having never read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and not knowing anything about the story, I was massively unprepared for Dangerous Boy. For those of you who have read my Scary School review... this book is definitely type 1 scary for me. It's a thriller that's punctuated by staccatos of humor painted against a backgroun...more Actual, full reaction: Original is here on my blog. (Note: Due to copy-and-paste, formatting and links have been lost. View the review on my blog for utmost effect.)

Having never read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and not knowing anything about the story, I was massively unprepared for Dangerous Boy. For those of you who have read my Scary School review... this book is definitely type 1 scary for me. It's a thriller that's punctuated by staccatos of humor painted against a background of simmering horror. It's got great, developed characters and shocking twists for the reader to revel in.

And it's got one heck of a scary story that was never meant for me.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I never bluff except in the field of fears. At school, when the girls are squealing because a bug just flew into the room, I'll be all nonchalant and say, "it's just a bug, guys. It's not going to hurt you." But at home, I'm either frozen up in fear if I see a flying bug, or I'm asking my brother to kill the darn thing for me. Clearly, I am a coward. Which is why I would make a very bad pirate. (I have no idea where that came from.) And why it was a bad idea for me to read this book.

It's not that there is bloody murder going on (though there is), or that there are strange occurrences labeled to leave a chill (though there are). It's more that the abusive Daemon's behavior got to me instead. He's scary as heck and, thank goodness, Harper doesn't "fall in love" with him to "transform him into a country gentleman." She runs. You gotta give props to that girl for having the basic survival instinct that many books, especially YA, lack.

So I suppose, to sum it all up, that the truth is that this book was good but sadly a disappointing fit for me. It's like Stephen King for teens with an originality that's sure to intrigue. Only, as much as I love The Master, some of his books also scare me to almost-but-not-quite-death.

For fans of horror and resignation with doses of creativity and wry humor in between, Dangerous Boy is one heck of a novel that's selective but effective.(less)

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Feb 13, 2013 Ade rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

I was trying to decide whether or not I should give this 2 stars or 1 star, as you can tell, I decided to be nice and go with 2 stars. Why do people insist on making their female main characters such idiots? A lot of the crap that happened would have easily been avoided if Harper had just talked to someone about what was going on. (view spoiler)...more

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May 17, 2013 Pinkie Pie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: tour

Read this review and more like it at Pretty Deadly Reviews.

Thoughts: Though I didn't like the title or the cover, I thought a YA revisit to Jekyll and Hyde would be interesting. I love the original story, and the idea of overcoming your demons. But this new version didn't have those resonating themes that made The Strange Case a classic. Instead, Dangerous Boy is very shallow, and only skims the surface of Jekyll and Hyde.

I guess I'll start with what I did like. Aaaand, we're done.

Any suspense t...more Read this review and more like it at Pretty Deadly Reviews.

Thoughts: Though I didn't like the title or the cover, I thought a YA revisit to Jekyll and Hyde would be interesting. I love the original story, and the idea of overcoming your demons. But this new version didn't have those resonating themes that made The Strange Case a classic. Instead, Dangerous Boy is very shallow, and only skims the surface of Jekyll and Hyde.

I guess I'll start with what I did like. Aaaand, we're done.

Any suspense that could have been found in these pages was lost when the publishers decided to put 'A modern-day retelling of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with a chilling twist' in the blurb. That took away all the mystery of the twin's that the only thing I was left trying to figure out is why Harper would want to stay with her jerk of a boyfriend, and also why her friends even liked her.

That's right, I didn't even like the characters (well, I did like Bick, but that's it.) Harper was your typical afraid of everything, meek, not even attractive teenage girl. She's not adventurous or outgoing or even pretty, but yet again she snagged the resident hottie. Of course, the beautiful popular girl hates her and as such she is written as a caricature mean girl -- and she didn't even seem real, honestly, more like a mean girl from 5th grade. Finally, you have Logan who is a lying douche-jerk who constantly makes Harper do things she doesn't want to do and repeatedly puts her life in danger. There is also Harper's dad who is conveniently absent, and her outgoing adventurous life-of-the-party mother who died in a rock climbing accident that left its mark on Harper for life. Finally, we have Harper's three best friends who's names I can't remember. They are fun and love to live life and be in the middle of things, so I don't really understand why they like Harper. She's boring.

Also, there was this 'fears list' that Harper mentally kept, including off-roading 4-wheeling, swimming, I think. And more. And more. And more. So when Logan finds out about the list he's determined to break her out of her shell and have her face her fears. Which is nice, except that every time he does, Harper almost dies. And also Harper's best friends have been begging her to try some of the same things with no success, but in swoops a pretty boy and she does anything he wants. What a fantastic message to send.

There were a couple of horror elements I liked, like the dead birds and the handprints and of course the scenes where Harper was in danger -- the action and adrenaline were pumping. But in all I thought that Dangerous Boy was a poorly executed retelling of Jekyll and Hyde. It could have been done better. (less)

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May 01, 2013 WJ rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

I'm a pretty frequent visitor to Fictionpress, an online writing website. One of the writers that I've heard about, Mandy Hubbard was one of the lucky few who actually managed to clinch a writing deal. Needless to say, I was pretty excited about this book.

Disclaimer though: The edition that I read had a slightly different description than the one above. It doesn't mention anything about the retelling of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. What really caught my attention about the description though was the c...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Marie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm really conflicted with this book.

I don't know if I LIKED it or if I HATED it.

I kinda guessed the situation with Logan/Trent. Not exactly but the fact that they were one of the same. It's hard to guess spot on the whole situation as you don't have all the information at your disposal since then you'd have no mystery, no story.

The prologue was fetching. That really gripped me and at first I was reading this book like I was on speed. It wa a real page turner.

THEN- u...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Barbara rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: abusive-relationships, bullies, community, death, families, friendship, ncbla2013, mysteries, romance, school

Improbably, Harper Bennett has caught the attention of Logan Townsend, the handsome new boy in town. You'd think that she's have it made, but the secrets she learns about Logan and his twin brother have her confused. Because the author starts with Harper running for her life and then shifts back to Harper's blissful time with Logan, readers are unable to gauge how the relationship began. In many ways, he seems to be such a great guy, thoughtful and considerate. But there are hints about what's g...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Liviania rated it 3 of 5 stars

DANGEROUS BOY starts in media res, with a girl running from a boy who wants to kill her and who has already killed once. Then it jumps back a month to show how that girl came to be running for her life through the rain.

The girl is Harper and the place is Enumclaw, Washington. It's one of those towns that's half-rural, half-suburban. Harper and her friends fall into the rural part of that equation. But Harper is no tough, strapping farm girl. She's pretty timid all around, on top of her ten big f...more DANGEROUS BOY starts in media res, with a girl running from a boy who wants to kill her and who has already killed once. Then it jumps back a month to show how that girl came to be running for her life through the rain.

The girl is Harper and the place is Enumclaw, Washington. It's one of those towns that's half-rural, half-suburban. Harper and her friends fall into the rural part of that equation. But Harper is no tough, strapping farm girl. She's pretty timid all around, on top of her ten big fears, which all relate to her mother's untimely death by extreme sports. Her boyfriend Logan has been doing his best to draw her out of her shell. Then she meets Logan's twin, Daemon. Daemon has to be homeschooled because he did something so bad in their old hometown that they had to leave.

The first half of DANGEROUS BOY was hard for me to put down. It wasn't just wanting to reach that heart-pounding opening scene. There's an extremely creepy atmosphere permeating DANGEROUS BOY. There's suddenly hundreds of dead birds. There are bloody handprints on every car in the school parking lot. People Harper cares about have strange accidents. She receives invasive letters from a stalker.

But then I really slowed down. It got to be too much. As multiple people tell Harper, she really needed to go to the cops. Yet she not only keeps things secret, she keeps trying for face-to-face confrontations with Daemon. I could maybe believe her stubborn insistence on facing down the creeper herself if she hadn't been established as a total scaredy-cat. When she tries to investigate the twins' past, she drives to Cedar Cove but spends her entire time reading the school's newspaper on microfiche instead of talking to people. It may be just me, but I think everybody in a school knows what happened when someone gets expelled.

The ending could've redeemed the increasingly ludicrous second half, but instead things just got sillier. I'd tell you the classic novel DANGEROUS BOY is based on, but it would spoil all the twists. Suffice it to say, the original had a better explanation for how everything happened. Sadly, contemporaries do not allow for mad science.

I can't completely write off DANGEROUS BOY. The atmosphere is fantastic and it gets in several good scares. I would've absolutely loved this during the years I devoured R. L. Stine's Fear Street books. I just wish the second half of the book lived up to the first half. (less)

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Jul 26, 2012 Amy Sauder rated it 3 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book that I am so grateful for and pleased to have won. I entered the drawing because it was described as a modern retelling of the Jekyll & Hyde story. My main concern with this book was that it would be too high-school romance for my liking. And I will say, now that I have read it, that there was alot of very high-schooler moments that I rolled my eyes at. The infatuation and obsession with a boyfriend or girlfriend that the kid hasn't known or been with very long...more

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May 10, 2012 Rene Kirkpatrick rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was pretty exciting, it was a quick read.

What do you do when your boyfriend hides his past and his family from you?

In my head, I was thinking: RUN! Run fast! You don't know anything except that you don't know anything! Not a good way to start a relationship! My heart was saying: Ohhh! He's a sweetheart! He loves you! You get all tingly when you see him in a room! Awww. Hug him again and breathe in his soapy scent.

Harper is a farmer's kid in Enumclaw with a few good friends and a school en...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Hannah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: unexpected-endings, romance

I was lucky enough to get one of the ARCs very, very early, so...first review! (And I also want to say that Mandy is incredibly nice in person!)

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This is a really great new dark thriller reinvention of that universal love story: ordinary girl meets handsome boy with a dark past.

Harper has always been a "good girl," doing her chores at her family's western Washington dairy farm, staying out of trouble, and keeping anything dangerous at arm's length after her mother's death. So when Logan Townsen...more I was lucky enough to get one of the ARCs very, very early, so...first review! (And I also want to say that Mandy is incredibly nice in person!)

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This is a really great new dark thriller reinvention of that universal love story: ordinary girl meets handsome boy with a dark past.

Harper has always been a "good girl," doing her chores at her family's western Washington dairy farm, staying out of trouble, and keeping anything dangerous at arm's length after her mother's death. So when Logan Townsend, the gorgeous, mysterious new boy chooses her, she can't believe her luck.

But with gorgeous and mysterious comes dark, delphic secrets and Harper starts to wonder what lurks beneath her boyfriend's golden boy exterior.

Just after Logan moves to Enumclaw, Harper's tiny, rain-soaked town experiences its share of Halloween creepiness, from peeping toms to bloody cow bones showing up mailboxes. Then she meets Logan's sinister, almost bestial twin brother Daemon. And that's when thousands of birds show up dead. One day after school, every single car in the seniors' lot is covered in red-paint handprints. But the handprint on Harper's window isn't paint. It's blood.

Harper begs Logan to confront Daemon with her, convinced he's somehow mixed up in this. As Logan denies his brother's involvement and starts acting erratically, the stakes escalate. Just how far will Harper go in pursuit of the truth about Logan's past? When a dangerous discovery exposes just how much he's lied, suddenly she's not just fighting for her boyfriend. She's fighting for survival.

Dangerous Boy is full of twists, turns, and an almost painfully real perspective on high school. I was a little unsure of the premise at first, being pretty suspicious it would result in a love triangle, but the second act twist makes the book for me. It's a sensitive, unforeseen ending without ever leaving reality.

The best thing about Dangerous Boy is that it's so real. Harper seems like your next-door neighbor or best friend, the dialogue is snappy and current, and I can't gush enough about the ending. It's perfect.

Five out of five shiny gold stars. (less)

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Sep 04, 2012 Ferdy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Spoilers

Shy and cautious Harper can't believe that Logan, the gorgeous new guy is interested in her. After dating Logan for a few weeks Harper is pleased to find that her relationship is going well, that is until she meets Logan's deranged twin brother, Daemon. Harper's new relationship is tested when Daemon takes an unhealthy interest in her. Harper is convinced there's more to Daemon than she was led to believe and when strange things start happening around her town, she starts to suspect that...more Spoilers

Shy and cautious Harper can't believe that Logan, the gorgeous new guy is interested in her. After dating Logan for a few weeks Harper is pleased to find that her relationship is going well, that is until she meets Logan's deranged twin brother, Daemon. Harper's new relationship is tested when Daemon takes an unhealthy interest in her. Harper is convinced there's more to Daemon than she was led to believe and when strange things start happening around her town, she starts to suspect that Daemon is behind it all and sets about exposing him.

-I liked the first part of the book - there were a few creepy parts that had me hooked but Harper's POV was so blah that I couldn't enjoy it as much as I would have had the protagonist been half decent. The 'twist' was predictable - I was irritated that it took Harper so long to figure things out - actually she didn't even figure things out because she was told everything in the end. Most of the story dragged as the bulk of the book was just one freaky thing happening after another.

-Harper was the typical, boring YA heroine. There was nothing unique about her - nobody understood her, she was all alone, she had 1 dead parent and 1 absent parent, she thought she was plain even though she's wasn't, she dressed in jeans and t-shirts and generally made little effort in her appearance - all to give the illusion that she was deep and profound. She was a rubbish heroine - she was weak and sacred about the most stupidest of things. She was just a boring loser. Her fears weren't charming or endearing they were irritating and it just made me hate her.

-I can't say Logan was the typical YA hero, he did however have a few cliches - like being model good looking and also having a tortured past. The romance between Logan and Harper was dreary.
I was pissed that Harper could only conquer her fears because of Logan - she only knew him for a month and he managed to persuade her to face her fears, yet she didn't listen to any of her life long friends who had tried for years to make Harper more adventurous...ugh.
It's just so unrealistic and insulting that most heroines live a mundane life and do nothing of meaning or importance until the hero shows up and changes her life. Aren't heroines meant to be admirable and strong? What's admirable about them not living their lives to their full potential until they're introduced to the hero?

-Of course, like all YA books the mean girl hated the heroine for no good reason, she was also flirty, wore make up and revealing clothes. Apparently all girls that date, flirt, go to parties and make an effort with their appearance are evul sluts.

-The ending reveal about Logan, Daemon, Trent was expected but the explanations of who was who wasn't very clear - it just came across as nonsense in the end.

Overall, I was disappointed in this book - the concept wasn't original, the execution was poorly done and the characters were all generic. I was glad to see that Harper didn't make any excuses for Logan/Daemon and that she didn't try to 'save' him or redeem him like the usual BS in YA where the heroine forgives the heroes for all their psychotic behaviour. (less)

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Oct 06, 2012 Maribel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Review is on http://wordswritteninblack.blogspot.com/

My initial reaction to this book when I finished it reading was that of EXTREME shock. And why is that? Well because I had never read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and so I had no clue how this book would have ended. I know how stupid of me for not knowing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde right? But I was actually grateful of my ignorance, because if I had known what would have happened I would have NOT read the book. You see I have mixe...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Allison (The Allure of Books) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: retellings, ya-paranormal, 2012, read-for-halloween

Dangerous Boy by Mandy Hubbard is a retelling of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. How awesome is that? I haven’t read the original, but I have seen the Wishbone episode (that counts for something, right?). Since it is the season for reading all that is spooky and sinister, I dove right into this one. Did it fulfill my Halloween read craving? Yes. Was it a fantastic read otherwise? Not so much, I’m afraid.

Y’all, the MC is a WEENIE. Oh my goodness, Harper is afraid of everything. I m...more Dangerous Boy by Mandy Hubbard is a retelling of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. How awesome is that? I haven’t read the original, but I have seen the Wishbone episode (that counts for something, right?). Since it is the season for reading all that is spooky and sinister, I dove right into this one. Did it fulfill my Halloween read craving? Yes. Was it a fantastic read otherwise? Not so much, I’m afraid.

Y’all, the MC is a WEENIE. Oh my goodness, Harper is afraid of everything. I mean, in both her and Mandy Hubbard’s defense, she does have her reasons for holding back from things. But it was taken to SUCH an extreme level – every single time her friends or boyfriend try to do anything with her, she whines about being afraid. It is really hard to respect (or even like) a protagonist like that. About all I could muster up for her is pity, and that just kinda makes it worse, doesn’t it? Sigh.

Oh, and another thing. When things start hitting the fan, though, she refuses to tell anyone or ask for help. Uh, really? The girl too afraid to drive on the freeway doesn’t want help when she is being stalked? Seriously you guys. I basically hated her character. She was not fleshed out very successfully – or consistently - at all.

The other biggest issue for me in Dangerous Boy was the writing. I’ve already mentioned that I felt Harper’s characterization was poorly done. The dialogue was also less than impressive for me. It got pretty clunky at times, especially in the beginning. I thought more than once about setting this one aside and adding it to the ranks of the other DNF reads.

So, why didn’t I give up on Dangerous Boy – and why shouldn’t you? Because you guys. This book is a CREEP FEST. Hopefully you know a little about the plot of the original classic story since I’m not talking about it here. The atmosphere was super ominous throughout the entire read and built up suspense layer by layer. Where Harper’s characterization suffered, Logan’s was pretty stellar. Something is so off about him from page 1 – but at the same time, it is so believable and easy to accept why Harper keeps trusting him.

When things finally come to a head at the end, I was not disappointed. The conclusion was worthy of all the build up. It was very edge-of-your-seat-bite-your-fingernails. I don’t know how true it is to the original, but it sure worked for me!

To Sum it Up:

-Harper, the MC, is very hard to like. She wasn’t written very well and has way too many fears to be a strong female lead easy to root for.

-The writing fell short in other areas too – the dialogue didn’t flow very smoothly at all, especially in the beginning.

-I think other areas suffered because all the focus seemed to be placed on the plot and fleshing out Logan’s character. Not a very well rounded read, but definitely great to pick up for Halloween!(less)

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May 31, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde retellings so I was immediately intrigued with this book. Harper has just began dating Logan who is recently new to town. He is very sweet, kind, swoon worthy, and a perfect boyfriend to Harper. They really understand each other since Harper lost her mom and Logan lost both of his parents. Everything is perfect between them until one night Logan has to take off in a hurry and has Harper's purse in his car. Harper decides to drop by his house to pick it up and unkno...more I love Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde retellings so I was immediately intrigued with this book. Harper has just began dating Logan who is recently new to town. He is very sweet, kind, swoon worthy, and a perfect boyfriend to Harper. They really understand each other since Harper lost her mom and Logan lost both of his parents. Everything is perfect between them until one night Logan has to take off in a hurry and has Harper's purse in his car. Harper decides to drop by his house to pick it up and unknowingly meets Daemon. Daemon is cruel and evil to Harper and she runs out of the house planning to never speak to Logan again.

Logan then has to confess he has an evil twin brother. Poor Logan. He never wanted to have to tell Harper about him because Daemon has been ruining his life forever. Harper is mad he lied but doesn't want to judge Logan by his evil brother. But as mysterious spooky things keep happening and also a couple of suspicious injuries occur, Harper thinks it's time to investigate what is really going on with Daemon and why they had to move. Those that were actually looking forward to this because of the implied love triangle will be disappointed. No love triangle occurs which made me very happy. Daemon is completely psycho and Harper wants nothing to do with him.

I don't have too much to say about this one. It was a creepy and fast read but a bit predictable which is expected with retellings. I loved Logan and felt really bad for him. I wanted him to be my boyfriend. He truly loved Harper and was trying so hard to have a chance to be happy. His circumstances were horrible. I wasn't too impressed with the ending either. It wasn't happy or sad and it left things a bit open. Definitely still worth a read. Not a life changer but it held my attention well and I enjoyed the romance and horror.

"I blush. How can he call me beautiful when he's dressed like that and I'm in torn blue jeans and an old Darigold T-shirt? When my nickname is DQ and his might as well be GQ?"

He steps closer and touches my chin with his pointer finger so that I look up at hm. "I really like being with you." And then he closes the gap, and we're standing there beside the bubbling geyser as his lips graze mine. The faintest flutter of a touch steals my breath away. My eyes slip shut and the world seems to give way beneath my feet. (less)

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Sep 25, 2012 Lendsi rated it 4 of 5 stars

So this is a modern adaptation of Jeckyll and Hyde.

The story was a bit fast-paced.

It was already a given that the heroine and the character LOGAN were already an item and the heroine feels that she's too lucky to get a good catch like Logan.

I like the story telling though, it was at times raw, and other times impulsive, and the incidents in the story seem to match the pacing of the narration.

Although there are "you should have done this" moments (and mind you a lot), I think the narration was pr...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I started reading this book, I was immediately sucked in. I do have to admit that I guessed pretty early on what was happening, but that didn't hurt my enjoyment of the story at all! The story just flowed so well and the writing was so easy and comfy to read (if that makes any sense) that I was just completely into the book.

I loved Harper. I do think that she was a little naive to some of Logan's actions, but I guess we are all in our first love. And I love the environment the book was set...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Valia Lind rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review on www.wordsareinnermusic.blogspot.com

I’m going to start out by saying that I didn’t read any reviews or descriptions going into this book. All I had is the info from the back cover, and I had no idea what to expect. Even though, I had the book figured out pretty fast, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it. A lot.

The book starts out with our heroine on a date, hanging out with a few of her friends. Logan is the new kid in town, and he’s taken by Harper. Everything seems to be going g...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Evie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: august-2012, 2012-contemporary, 2012-ya, wish-list

Loved it. A solid thriller, full of secrets and surprises. The mystery was pretty good, the tension was building up steadily all the way till the end, and the ending was very satisfying, though open to interpretation! I highly recommend it ;)

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Nov 15, 2012 Chelsey Jensen rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 26, 2012 Aioki Reika rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“Mystery-Suspense! ”

Contains SPOILER!!!

(view spoiler)...more “Mystery-Suspense! ”

Contains SPOILER!!!

(view spoiler)

Overall I just love the mystery and the suspense, but I never thought of turning into some sort of paranormal. I rate it 3-stars for making me wonder about the hottie twin brothers.
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Apr 18, 2013 Briana rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review was also posted at Pages Unbound Book Reviews.

Source: ARC

Review: Dangerous Boy presents itself as a dark, suspenseful read that will send chills down readers’ spines. However, the closest it gets to its goal is giving the distinct impression that the author is striving to create a scary atmosphere. Spooky locations and creepy pranks pop up one after another, but in the end they feel contrived. I, a person scared by everything, was not particularly moved.

The novel overall felt like so

...more This review was also posted at Pages Unbound Book Reviews.

Source: ARC

Review: Dangerous Boy presents itself as a dark, suspenseful read that will send chills down readers’ spines. However, the closest it gets to its goal is giving the distinct impression that the author is striving to create a scary atmosphere. Spooky locations and creepy pranks pop up one after another, but in the end they feel contrived. I, a person scared by everything, was not particularly moved.

The novel overall felt like something the author had crafted. It opens with a somewhat standard cliffhanger prologue, then backpedals to the main story. Characters are introduced, necessary background information thrown in, and words used “creatively” (i.e. in contexts that almost make sense, but actually do not). Hubbard clearly has experience writing, notably Prada & Prejudice, but Dangerous Boy reads as if she has a concrete idea of how a book is supposed to work and then forces it to do so; neither the writing nor the story seem effortless and natural.

The plot, instead of transitioning smoothly, jumps around from location to location. Occasionally there is the impression the author means to achieve some type of dramatic effect by revealing some new information and then cutting to another scene, but the reading experience mostly feels stilted instead of exciting. The overarching plot does not compensate for these flaws. From the beginning a reader will see there are two possible outcomes to the book: the one the book heavily foreshadows, or a plot “twist” that is easy to guess.

The characters of Dangerous Boy are not particularly interesting. Harper is an “almost genius” with a high IQ who cannot think of a smart solution to a problem to save her life. Literally. Her attempts to figure out the mystery are absurd; she does not try the obvious and most effective courses of action. (This is also a book where the entire plot would have been avoided if anyone had done the smart thing and called the police—but of course that never happens in books.) Her boyfriend will not be overly attractive to readers, especially since there is no build-up to their romance and their relationship appears to be founded primarily on PDA. My ARC jacket suggests Logan is a bad boy, not just his twin brother, but the official summary seems to have correctly deleted that assertion; I was not impressed with any badass attitude from him.

Dangerous Boy simply is not the book for me. The writing style seems off, the plot is predictable, and the characters are difficult to connect with. Even though Harper does find herself in terribly dangerous situations, I was not very scared. The best takeaway from the book is the hidden sound relationship advice: “Guys screw up. A lot. You just have to figure out whether their heart is in the right place.” Apply this to girls, too, and a lot of relationship problems will be solved.

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Nov 15, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, library, predictable, ghosts, mashups, 4-stars

The Good

The prologue. I loved the fact this book had an exciting, action-packed prologue. Because I knew the awful fate of the narrator, it kept me turning pages even faster. It's like when you watch a horror movie and you are constantly yelling at the tv, "No! No, don't go in there!" Really kept me on the edge of my seat in a way that I don't think would have happened without the prologue.
The action scenes. As mentioned before, the action scenes throughout the book were just really well wri...more

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May 17, 2013 Sue Engel rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love books of mystery, suspense and a little horror. Although this books is well written it is too predictable for me. Girl meets boy, girl meets perfect boys evil twin, weird and dangerous things start to happen around town, to her friends and to her. The evil twin strikes again but his brother keeps omitting what has happened in the pat other than the fact that there has been trouble and they had to move. I know many girls who will absorb this book. Maybe I am just too well read or old but t...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Lady Light rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dangerous Boy is the perfect title for this story. This book was so good that it tricked me till the very end which got me frustrated but loved it as well. Harper the main character gal has a new boyfriend, Logan who has a dark secret that he doesn't want to share with her. Another, book that had a surprising twist at the end of the book. Harper really cares for Logan that she'll do what it takes to help him even though it may be dangerous. This book is perfect to read in October since it might...more

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May 23, 2013 Mikerline Paul rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: disappointing, actually-rating-this-0, mediocrity-at-its-finest, humoroulsy-sucky, disgusted

Quite possibly one of the the worst books I've ever read. The only reason I even made it to the last page was because I absolutely hate leaving a book unfinished.

I had two main problems with this book (although there were several other minor thins).

Firstly, the main character. She is drab and her voice is completely monotone. Not only that, but she lets her infatuation with a certain guy define her character. The boys she dates define her instead of her defining herself. Her thought process was...more

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Dec 19, 2012 Momo the Mome Rath rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: pub-2012, retelling, read-in-2012, contemporary, horror, reviewed

I wanted so much more than I got out of Dangerous Boy. I found it kind of shallow and predictable. BUT I WANTED TO LIKE IT SO MUCH. Hmph. I’m going to pout like a child for a few minutes.

*a few minutes*

And we’re back. I’ve never read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but I am betting that Dangerous Boy was only a loose retelling of the original, meaning that it only held onto the main idea of what Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were. I think most people know the main plot point of the Dr. Je...more I wanted so much more than I got out of Dangerous Boy. I found it kind of shallow and predictable. BUT I WANTED TO LIKE IT SO MUCH. Hmph. I’m going to pout like a child for a few minutes.

*a few minutes*

And we’re back. I’ve never read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but I am betting that Dangerous Boy was only a loose retelling of the original, meaning that it only held onto the main idea of what Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were. I think most people know the main plot point of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but if you don’t maybe you would enjoy the book more than I did. I, however, was familiar with the storyline so the plot twist at the end of Dangerous Boy was over before it began. Knowing this, I was still interested in how the book would tell the story in the modern world, which is why I read it. Looking at it from that angle, I wasn’t incredibly wowed.

Like the original book, the story did not follow the Dr. Jekyll character directly with the original being told from an investigator/friend’s perspective. Dangerous Boy was told following Harper, a cautious girl who has recently started dating the mysterious new boy in town. I liked Harper and her scared-y cat tendencies -- I could relate as I am also a bit terrified of everything. She wasn't a weak character, just not willing to partake in activities that put her life in danger. But I felt that with starting the book off with them already dating, you lost a bit of the intrigue and chemistry that happened when characters meet for the first time. This was one of that main ways the story deviated from the original, so I thought it would have been played up a little more than it was. I didn’t feel as attached to their relationship as maybe I should have and wanted to.

I did like that the story is taken out of Victorian London and into rural-ish Washington. Our heroine actually lives on a dairy farm, with most of her friends also living/working on ranches and other farms. I thought that was very cool and brought in a lot of originality for a retelling.

In regards to how the author tied the paranormal elements of the original into the modern world and into teenagers, I was really disappointed. Obviously Dr. Jekyll was a doctor, and you can’t have a teenage doctor (or can you?) but I really didn’t like the twist on the original twist of the ending -- it felt cheapened. I was expecting more, but I think a lot of retellings of classic novels fall into that trap of not living up to the expectations of readers.

So, if you are completely unfamiliar with the original The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I recommend this book full heartedly. It was lighter than I was expecting, considering the subject matter, but it was still a good and enjoyable read. If you’re familiar with the original and are looking for something that will pick your brain a little more, Dangerous Boy may not be for you. It may also not be for you if you don’t think you want to have to explain the title to anyone who happens to see you reading it. I have never gotten more questions about what I was reading before this book.

This review is also posted on my blog, Where the Mome Raths Outgrabet (less)

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Oct 30, 2012 Kaitlyn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: annoying-heroines, read-in-one-day, guys-who-are-complete-jerks

Normally, this isn't the type of book that would catch my eye. I haven't even ever read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which this book is a modern retelling of. But I'd enjoyed Mandy Hubbard's books Ripple and Prada & Prejudice, so I thought I might like this one. Unfortunately, I felt quite let-down.

Oh, the main character. I could not connect with Harper at all. She ignores the obvious - the fact that Logan is, as the title suggests, a dangerous boy - and keeps forgiving him w...more Normally, this isn't the type of book that would catch my eye. I haven't even ever read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which this book is a modern retelling of. But I'd enjoyed Mandy Hubbard's books Ripple and Prada & Prejudice, so I thought I might like this one. Unfortunately, I felt quite let-down.

Oh, the main character. I could not connect with Harper at all. She ignores the obvious - the fact that Logan is, as the title suggests, a dangerous boy - and keeps forgiving him whenever he puts her in danger or gets angry at her. She repeatedly puts herself in harm's way, and doesn't listen when her friends say she should go to the police. I just wanted to yell at the poor girl and shake some sense into her.

And the story? Completely predictable. I easily figured out what was happening and just wanted the story to hurry up and finish. I kept guessing what would happen. The only good thing in Hubbard's writing is that it was pretty creepy at times. But the suspense factor would have so much better if the story hadn't been predictable.

There were a couple other things in the writing that bothered me. They're not major problems, but they got on my nerves. First: "'You really okay?" Allie says, her voice low. "That was really scary."' (pg. 161.) Why does the author use the word "really" twice in that paragraph? It doesn't make sense to have two of the same words so close together. A similar instance occured earlier in the story, when the author used the phrase "fair enough" twice within a few pages. Again, these aren't huge issues, but they stuck out to me.

Also, I have to mention one last quote. "As far as I know, he has no friends in Enumclaw. How would he make them when he's homeschooled?" (pg. 180.) *sigh* Why does everyone assume that homeschoolers have no social life? This is the farthest thing from the truth. It really annoys me how homeschoolers are always represented in such a sterotypical way in most books.

I feel bad because this review has been so negative. But I think there are other readers who will probably enjoy the creepy atmosphere of this book and end up liking it. Sadly, it just wasn't for me. However, I'm still interested to see what Mandy Hubbard writes in the future.

Check out this review and many more on my blog: http://dragongirl28.blogspot.com/2012...(less)

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Oct 28, 2012 Waiting For Wentworth rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had mostly forgotten the tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, so I had no expectations going into reading Dangerous Boy. I found it to be a quick read and very enjoyable, though not completely believable.

The protagonist, Harper, is not a strong character and at first I didn't really care for her. She is a big scaredy cat and is afraid to take any risk at all. The irrational fears that she has stems from her mother's death, and is not directly related to anything that occurred to Harper. I found t...more

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