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Hostage Three
by
From the author of the Michael L. Printz award–winning novel In Darkness comes a critically-acclaimed, fast-paced thriller that's as dangerous as the seas on which it's set.
The last thing Amy planned to do this summer was sail around the world trapped on a yacht with her father and her stepmother. Really, all she wanted was to fast-forward to October when she'll turn
eighte ...more
The last thing Amy planned to do this summer was sail around the world trapped on a yacht with her father and her stepmother. Really, all she wanted was to fast-forward to October when she'll turn
eighte ...more
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Hardcover, 369 pages
Published
November 12th 2013
by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
(first published December 20th 2012)
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Start your review of Hostage Three
I had a great (IMHO) review all planned out for this novel. Unfortunately, inspiration struck just as I was falling asleep, so that review has been gobbled up by my subconscious and try as I might, I can’t seem to recover that pithy first paragraph.
So apologies for the following review, which is going to be scrounged from memory.
A novel that successfully explores a captor/captive narrative from both sides is a difficult thing to achieve, particularly when it’s a story that involves the develop ...more
So apologies for the following review, which is going to be scrounged from memory.
A novel that successfully explores a captor/captive narrative from both sides is a difficult thing to achieve, particularly when it’s a story that involves the develop ...more
Hostage Three first grabbed my attention with it's witty title. It made me question the seemingly easy read, and eventually forced me to dive into it- cluelessly. The plot to this book is something new. There is no dystopian society, no puzzle to solve, and not even a group of teens rebelling against their government. Hostage Three offers a story of a teenage girl named Amy. Though Amy's style is gothic and rebellious, she is still a harmless young girl at heart. I'm pretty sure many younger tee
...more
I didn't know that this book was by the same author as In Darkness until the very end, when I read the acknowledgements and found out, but now I can totally see the similarities, I have to say that I totally enjoyed Hostage Three a little more though because it was romantic, gritty and terrifying all in one.
The book starts near the end, with Amy in a boat with a gun aimed at her. Then we go a few months into the past and slowly we are introduced to Amy's ordinary life at school, her broken relat ...more
The book starts near the end, with Amy in a boat with a gun aimed at her. Then we go a few months into the past and slowly we are introduced to Amy's ordinary life at school, her broken relat ...more
This lacked something.... I felt no emotion towards the main character. She was, in my opinion, spoiled and stupid
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: A family adventure that takes a deadly turn, will they be able to survive the pirates?
Opening Sentence: “We stand on the diving platform of our yacht, in the brutal sunlight.”
Excerpt: No
The Review:
Amy ends up on on a yacht with her father, stepmother and three other people as they decided to spend a year sailing around the world. Things are going just fine until they come near the Somali coast and her dad informs her of all the protocol to avoid ...more
Quick & Dirty: A family adventure that takes a deadly turn, will they be able to survive the pirates?
Opening Sentence: “We stand on the diving platform of our yacht, in the brutal sunlight.”
Excerpt: No
The Review:
Amy ends up on on a yacht with her father, stepmother and three other people as they decided to spend a year sailing around the world. Things are going just fine until they come near the Somali coast and her dad informs her of all the protocol to avoid ...more
This is such an unlikely story, filled with cliche, but totally compelling. Our narrator acts more like a 12 year old, rather than someone who turns 18 during this Event. Spoiled child of a rich banker, she is almost a stereotype.
But, the tale is compelling. I thought the descriptions of the scene and her feelings were perfect.
I just have one question; why, when she and Farouz were on deck the last time did he have to get dressed and she did not? She insists they did not have sex.
For Teen Fictio ...more
But, the tale is compelling. I thought the descriptions of the scene and her feelings were perfect.
I just have one question; why, when she and Farouz were on deck the last time did he have to get dressed and she did not? She insists they did not have sex.
For Teen Fictio ...more
A seventeen year old girl and her family are taken hostage by Somali pirates. The same seventeen year old falls in love with one of the pirates!
What a perfectly terrible story. I'm never going to get through this book! I want to slap this girl in the face and shout how ridiculous and immature she is being!
Or so I thought as I began reading.
But what started out as the most tragic story quickly turned into something more. As much as I want to see these Somali pirates as evil... As much as I wan ...more
What a perfectly terrible story. I'm never going to get through this book! I want to slap this girl in the face and shout how ridiculous and immature she is being!
Or so I thought as I began reading.
But what started out as the most tragic story quickly turned into something more. As much as I want to see these Somali pirates as evil... As much as I wan ...more
Peach Award (4.5 stars)
For the record, I was never going to give a full 5 stars to a book that doesn't use quotation marks. So there's my bias up front.
Despite that, this book really won me over. At the beginning, I worried a bit about the main character Amy being kind of stereotypically "edgy," all attitude and piercings and smoking during an exam. As the story built, though, it became obvious that her affect was a semi-calculated desperate attempt to reach out to an emotionally absent father i ...more
For the record, I was never going to give a full 5 stars to a book that doesn't use quotation marks. So there's my bias up front.
Despite that, this book really won me over. At the beginning, I worried a bit about the main character Amy being kind of stereotypically "edgy," all attitude and piercings and smoking during an exam. As the story built, though, it became obvious that her affect was a semi-calculated desperate attempt to reach out to an emotionally absent father i ...more
Sep 07, 2016
Elijah Wood
added it
I'm going to start this by saying I did not finish the book yet, but I have read enough to give my opinion on it. Nick Lake does a perfect job at keeping my hooked and leaves me wanting to keep reading. Even though there aren't that many different settings the book stays interesting and a new experience for each chapter. I should also add how well Nick Lake makes each character unique in their own way and having each character talk a certain way. By doing this it makes picturing what is happeni
...more
Imagine being stuck on a yacht with ur dad and stepmom for the whole entire summer with no sign of outside life. In the book Hostage 3 by Nick Lake, this story is told in Amy’s point of view. Amy has just finished high school and is now onto her ‘gap year’. Amy uses her gap year to sail around on a yacht with her father and stepmother. Amy wasn’t exactly sure about how the trip would roll through since her and her family don’t get along so well. Once the boat comes, it ends up being boarded by p
...more
Before I review a book, I think seriously about what I'm going to put in a review. Sometimes I have these thoughts in the middle of reading, which generally mean I'm thrown back out of the book and never really develop a liking for it, and I have to say I think that's what happened here. I had too many eye rolling moments of thinking how exactly I wanted to describe this book without ever really connecting at all.
My first issue came early on; the author doesn't use " to indicate a character is s ...more
My first issue came early on; the author doesn't use " to indicate a character is s ...more
Nov 15, 2013
Ellen
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
books-read-in-2016,
ya,
contemporary,
poc,
diverse-ya,
international-ya,
kidnapping,
tragedy
I loved this. LOVED it. Fantastic characters, a premise that grabs you by the throat, layers upon layers of deception, and some truly stellar writing.
The protagonist, Amy, has basically been strong-armed into a yachting expedition by her incredibly rich father, but neither them, nor Amy's stepmother, nor their crew, expect to be held hostage by pirates. Amy doesn't expect to empathize with the pirates either, but her initial emotional detachment from everyone else on the yacht puts her in the be ...more
The protagonist, Amy, has basically been strong-armed into a yachting expedition by her incredibly rich father, but neither them, nor Amy's stepmother, nor their crew, expect to be held hostage by pirates. Amy doesn't expect to empathize with the pirates either, but her initial emotional detachment from everyone else on the yacht puts her in the be ...more
3.5 stars. I really did not expect to love this book. It so easily could have fallen into Stockholm syndrome, or the rich white person learns something from less fortunate stereotype, but it avoided these tropes neatly. Hostage Three works because of realistic characters and emotion.
Hostage Three discusses a very important topic I've never seen in a book before: the crisis in Somalia. Essentially, Somalia's economy and political sustain forces thousands of its citizens to become pirates. Having ...more
Hostage Three discusses a very important topic I've never seen in a book before: the crisis in Somalia. Essentially, Somalia's economy and political sustain forces thousands of its citizens to become pirates. Having ...more
Rich girl on a yacht taken hostage by Somali pirates. I picked it out of a box from Macmillan, thinking it would be a fun read for the holiday weekend, but I totally underestimated Nick Lake. I shouldn't have done that.
He won the Printz for his last novel about Haiti, so I should have known that he would have a unique take on girl/hostage/Somali pirates. Amy's a mess. She's angry, self-destructive after the death of her mom and her dad's remarriage. When the pirates board her dad's yacht, she's ...more
He won the Printz for his last novel about Haiti, so I should have known that he would have a unique take on girl/hostage/Somali pirates. Amy's a mess. She's angry, self-destructive after the death of her mom and her dad's remarriage. When the pirates board her dad's yacht, she's ...more
Hmm, this was alright. 2.75-ish
-Weird dialogue writing but easy to get used to.
-Felt no connection w the characters, were annoying at times
-emotions written vividly which is ✔✔✔
-Thought there was bit of stereotyping or u can say labelling of Muslims as terrorists ("pirates").
-didnt get point of including their beliefs in this???
-saddd
-insta-love
...more
-Weird dialogue writing but easy to get used to.
-Felt no connection w the characters, were annoying at times
-emotions written vividly which is ✔✔✔
-Thought there was bit of stereotyping or u can say labelling of Muslims as terrorists ("pirates").
-didnt get point of including their beliefs in this???
-saddd
-insta-love
...more
THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!!!! I love this book so much I could read it over and over again and not get tired of it. Hostage Three was such a tense book that was hard to put down. It had some parts which I didn't want to happen like Farouz dying. I for sure recommend this book to everyone.
...more
1 star. But also 4.
I feel completely hollow and empty trying to write this review. It needs to be separated into two polar opposite spheres. Before page 315 and After page 315. So, here:
After page 315.
I have to start with After, because right now, even with everything that i know i loved about Before, After is all i can think about. After is not a happy place. It's also one HUGE spoiler, so don't read it - DON'T read it - if you want to read the book. Which i cannot recommend you do. As much as ...more
I feel completely hollow and empty trying to write this review. It needs to be separated into two polar opposite spheres. Before page 315 and After page 315. So, here:
After page 315.
I have to start with After, because right now, even with everything that i know i loved about Before, After is all i can think about. After is not a happy place. It's also one HUGE spoiler, so don't read it - DON'T read it - if you want to read the book. Which i cannot recommend you do. As much as ...more
I thought this was an interesting book, there was a lot going on and there was always something new happening. There was a number of times were I was confused on why they happened but I ended up figuring it out. Overall I think thought this book was good but not great.
Sort of a stretched premise (pirates, young British girl) that doesn't play out into a full length novel to me.
...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
3.5*
*Received in exchange for an honest review*
*Thank you, Bloomsbury*
This book turned up on my doorstep as a complete surprise and, after reading the synopsis, I really couldn't wait to sink my teeth into it. I've not read anything pirate related so I was interested to see how everything would all play out. I didn't expect such an emotional ride. I didn't expect to read a book which evoked sympathy and empathy for the pirates. Yes, there were a few of your stereotypes, but this book shared wit ...more
*Received in exchange for an honest review*
*Thank you, Bloomsbury*
This book turned up on my doorstep as a complete surprise and, after reading the synopsis, I really couldn't wait to sink my teeth into it. I've not read anything pirate related so I was interested to see how everything would all play out. I didn't expect such an emotional ride. I didn't expect to read a book which evoked sympathy and empathy for the pirates. Yes, there were a few of your stereotypes, but this book shared wit ...more
Feb 01, 2014
Erin
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
this has a pirate romance, so be aware of that and READ IT
Well then. This book ripped out my heart.
I read it because the premise made me laugh, but also intrigued me a little-- falling in love with a pirate? It's the go-to plot of so many crappy romance novels, but it's also a popular story idea for a reason. It's an appealing concept, as long as you're in the mood for some vicarious reading. And I was in the mood.
This is actually not the right book if you're only looking for a vicarious romance, but hey, maybe you'll come for the pirate-love and stay ...more
I read it because the premise made me laugh, but also intrigued me a little-- falling in love with a pirate? It's the go-to plot of so many crappy romance novels, but it's also a popular story idea for a reason. It's an appealing concept, as long as you're in the mood for some vicarious reading. And I was in the mood.
This is actually not the right book if you're only looking for a vicarious romance, but hey, maybe you'll come for the pirate-love and stay ...more
Hostage Three in three words: Thrilling, Emotional & Bittersweet
The story starts off with a dramatic, in media res beginning, which only lasts a few pages before the reader is taken back three months before. As I continued to read, I started to almost dislike the story because the main character, Amy wasn’t very likeable. She comes off as this bratty, spoiled teenager who doesn’t get enough love from her daddy so she acts out---gets piercing, smokes cigarettes….etc. But as I kept reading, I coul ...more
The story starts off with a dramatic, in media res beginning, which only lasts a few pages before the reader is taken back three months before. As I continued to read, I started to almost dislike the story because the main character, Amy wasn’t very likeable. She comes off as this bratty, spoiled teenager who doesn’t get enough love from her daddy so she acts out---gets piercing, smokes cigarettes….etc. But as I kept reading, I coul ...more
This is the story of Amy who is kidnapped along with her family by Somali pirates when they are on a round the world trip.
The positives:
1. Good narrator. Amy is a seventeen year old with a rebellious streak. Throughout the story she goes on a journey and although she isn't the most likeable character in the beginning, by the end you feel like she actually learnt something and grew up.
2. We got to see what it's like from the other side. It's easy to want to see people who are different as the ba ...more
The positives:
1. Good narrator. Amy is a seventeen year old with a rebellious streak. Throughout the story she goes on a journey and although she isn't the most likeable character in the beginning, by the end you feel like she actually learnt something and grew up.
2. We got to see what it's like from the other side. It's easy to want to see people who are different as the ba ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Sep 30, 2015
Madison Perez
added it
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This book was selected by a former teacher for our adult book club. I also enjoy teen books for a quick escape read as their themes are often deeper than contemporary fiction. At first I was afraid this would be an overly dramatic predictable book with stereotypical characters: absent dad, distant stepmom, and rebellious teen just wanting to be loved and noticed.
But it ended up being a coming of age tale with several themes that could encourage both classroom and adult discussion. Specifically, ...more
But it ended up being a coming of age tale with several themes that could encourage both classroom and adult discussion. Specifically, ...more
Jan 06, 2020
Erin Pradeep
added it
Recommends it for:
NO ONE, unless they want to be bored or waste a few hours for nothing
DNF 30%
Is it too late to say that this is probably the worst book I read in 2020??? No? Anyway, I am saying it is. This is terrible.
I'm sorry Nick Lake but it was just horrible. I don't know whether the characters get better in the book as I literally dumped the book because of the protagonist but to me the characters were brats and I didn't feel any emotions at all. The main character was a spoiled, arrogant, annoying slop. Just because you're dad was a rich guy, does not mean you can depend o ...more
Is it too late to say that this is probably the worst book I read in 2020??? No? Anyway, I am saying it is. This is terrible.
I'm sorry Nick Lake but it was just horrible. I don't know whether the characters get better in the book as I literally dumped the book because of the protagonist but to me the characters were brats and I didn't feel any emotions at all. The main character was a spoiled, arrogant, annoying slop. Just because you're dad was a rich guy, does not mean you can depend o ...more
The story line was really interesting and Nick writes well and has got good ideas, but the only problem (and a very big one) was the way Nick presented conversations... There were no punctuations like open and close inverted commas, and I seriously struggled to follow the conversations throughout the book... I didn't know when it was a narration and when someone was speaking. It was frustrating and gave me a headache. It took a lot out of me to finish the book!
...more
Nick Lake is an excellent writer; however, this book was just not for me. There was a little too much description at times, and I got a bit lost going back and forth between past and present. The main character was a little too frustrating at times, and I didn't exactly believe the romance with the pirate. That being said, I still wanted to find out what happened at the end, so the story did draw me in. I could see teens with a little higher reading level, especially girls, liking this book.
...more
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My name is Nick and I write and edit books for young adults. My first YA novel IN DARKNESS, was published by Bloomsbury in 2012 and won the Michael L Printz Award for Excellence in YA Literature. I also wrote a book called HOSTAGE THREE about a girl kidnapped by Somali pirates.
THERE WILL BE LIES is coming in January 15 and is about a girl who learns that everything she knows is a lie. To say it's ...more
THERE WILL BE LIES is coming in January 15 and is about a girl who learns that everything she knows is a lie. To say it's ...more
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