I received Thirteen as an ARC (thank you by the way Tom Hoyle and publications) a few days before it was released and instantly decided to read it. It was a short read at 200 pages and I read it within a couple of hours but an interesting read to say the least.
Born at midnight in London, on the stroke of the new millennium, Adam is the target of a cult that believes boys born on this date must die before the end of their thirteenth year. Twelve boys have been killed so far. Coron, the crazy cult leader, will stop at nothing to bring in his new kingdom. And now he is planning a bombing spectacular across London to celebrate the sacrifice of his final victim: Adam.
Review:
When I read the summary, I automatically thought that it sounded a lot like I Am Number Four which I was excited about. Being chased by a clan who wants to kill you and being the "chosen one?" Definitely has an I Am Number Four vibe. However, when I read into it, it became evident that this book has its own flare.
I loved the storyline of thirteen kids being born on the 1st of January 2000 and a clan of crazy ass people chasing after them to kill them before they hit the age of 14 so that their leader can "cleanse the world" of evil. It makes you realise how easily persuaded and gullible's humans actually are.
Adam, the main character, is about to turn 14 in a few weeks and his friend, Megan, has noticed how he has been followed by a boy with a jagged scar going down his neck *queue shiver down spine*
I had such hopes for this book, truly, and it let me down. In particular, the writers writing. Now, I may sound sexist and cringy for saying this, but I am not a massive fan of male authors. There I said it. The only books by male authors that I have read of I can remember of off the top of my head is Christopher Paolini, Phillip Pullman and George R R Martin. I feel that male authors have a weakness and a very distinct one - writing about feelings. Urghhhhhh, it annoys the heck out of me when writers list stuff and don't give us, the readers, a chance to get to know the characters, to get a feel of the scenery before diving into the story. And that's exactly what Hoyle did in this book.
The writing was just horrid. It was like he was making a list or was more focused on the plot, he kept on writing "he did this and he did that and then this happened" rather than why and when and how and urghhh....
But I was able to look past that and the storyline wasn't so bad. It wasn't as good as I thought it'd be but lets just say it wasn't as bad as I Am Number Four's sequel which, FYI, was horrible.
Another tiny complaint I have with this book is that I didn't understand the whole "thirteen kids that need to be killed before they turn fourteen" thing. Like...why? The author didn't explain the concept properly and it just put me off the book. Was it because they were devil's spawn or an alien or what? So confusing.
Overall I would give this book a 7/10, I don't think I will be purchasing it or reading it again.
Have you guys heard about this book? Do you like the sound of this book?
Annie x
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