What do you think?
Rate this book
The Predicteds
"We wanted to know what makes a good kid good and a bad kid bad. Can you blame us for that? We found an astoundingly, marvelously simple answer: The brain isn't so much a complicated machine as it is a crystal ball. If you look into it, you will see everything you want to know."
-Dr. Mark Miliken, senior researcher at Utopia Laboratories
Who will it be?
Will the head cheerleader get pregnant?
Is the student council president a secret drug addict?
-Dr. Mark Miliken, senior researcher at Utopia Laboratories
Who will it be?
Will the head cheerleader get pregnant?
Is the student council president a secret drug addict?
352 pages, ebook
First published September 1, 2011
27 people are currently reading
3935 people want to read
About the author
Christine Seifert
11 books106 followersI'm a fan of taking long walks on sunny days, browsing through the library on Saturday afternoons, and eating popcorn for lunch. I am a native North Dakotan, a professor at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, and author of some books: Factory Girls (YA nonfiction, 2017 Zest); Whoppers: History's Most Outrageous Lies and Liars (YA nonfiction, 2015, Zest); Virginity in Young Adult Literature After Twilight (nonfiction/scholarship, 2015, Scarecrow); and The Predicteds (YA fiction, 2011 Sourcebooks Fire). I'm represented by Alyssa Eisner Henkin of Trident Media Group. When I'm not writing or teaching writing, I'm an avid reader and an enthusiastic listener of podcasts (especially podcasts about books). I hate golf, avalanches, and bees.
https://ladyprofessorreads.com/
https://www.facebook.com/#!/TeamChris...
https://ladyprofessorreads.com/
https://www.facebook.com/#!/TeamChris...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 222 reviews
March 21, 2012
This started out okay. The writing is pretty good and the protagonist is likable, plus the premise sounds interesting. But I was so taken aback by how dumbed down it felt, like teen audiences are fine with stereotypes instead of characters and a bland plot that doesn't really tackle any deep stuff our heads couldn't comprehend, because it's all good as long as everything is sealed with a kiss in the end.
One of those cringe-worthy incidents that set off alarm bells in my head was when Jesse is described as a cross between Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a Greek God because of his gorgeous eyelashes and perpetually creased forehead. He's very tan and mysterious. But in the first few pages we hear the school shooter spend one paragraph announcing his intentions and the quote is... well, I read it to people and they can't tell if it's satire or not. Pretty much word for word:
"The shooter's voice is gravelly. He has a sore throat, I think to myself. "I hate dumbfucks," he's saying. "I hate all the dumb people, the retards, the people who screw everything up for me. I'm too good for this. Too good for this shitty world. You know? Nobody is ever going to truly get me. I'm all alone." He's crazy.
"Death to socialism!" he says now, triumphantly. "Death to politics and the establishment and the so-called authorities!"
WHAT.
He then proceeds to shoot everywhere without actually harming anyone (he has terrible aim! /handwave) before getting knocked out by the heroic Love Interest. And then after that he kills himself, because what would we do if he actually needed to explain what happens to him afterwards.
WHAT.
Then there is a personality test that everyone in this one high school can take that predicts what whether you will commit a crime in the future. We know about this because the main character's mom (who graduated with two master degrees before she was 21 and was the youngest person ever to get a PhD from MIT and is a neuroscientist who also knows a lot about computer science and genetics) worked with it at Utopia Labs. Utopia Labs. Which is pushed aside because of this angsty teen drama that resonates with us because ditzy popular girls and jocks pervade every high school ever. There is one ditzy popular girl who's name is
Cuteny
I can't even
One of those cringe-worthy incidents that set off alarm bells in my head was when Jesse is described as a cross between Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a Greek God because of his gorgeous eyelashes and perpetually creased forehead. He's very tan and mysterious. But in the first few pages we hear the school shooter spend one paragraph announcing his intentions and the quote is... well, I read it to people and they can't tell if it's satire or not. Pretty much word for word:
"The shooter's voice is gravelly. He has a sore throat, I think to myself. "I hate dumbfucks," he's saying. "I hate all the dumb people, the retards, the people who screw everything up for me. I'm too good for this. Too good for this shitty world. You know? Nobody is ever going to truly get me. I'm all alone." He's crazy.
"Death to socialism!" he says now, triumphantly. "Death to politics and the establishment and the so-called authorities!"
WHAT.
He then proceeds to shoot everywhere without actually harming anyone (he has terrible aim! /handwave) before getting knocked out by the heroic Love Interest. And then after that he kills himself, because what would we do if he actually needed to explain what happens to him afterwards.
WHAT.
Then there is a personality test that everyone in this one high school can take that predicts what whether you will commit a crime in the future. We know about this because the main character's mom (who graduated with two master degrees before she was 21 and was the youngest person ever to get a PhD from MIT and is a neuroscientist who also knows a lot about computer science and genetics) worked with it at Utopia Labs. Utopia Labs. Which is pushed aside because of this angsty teen drama that resonates with us because ditzy popular girls and jocks pervade every high school ever. There is one ditzy popular girl who's name is
Cuteny
I can't even
December 29, 2014
INITIAL THOUGHTS:
I’ve read tons of books that have great covers but with a not so good story line which made a little hesitant to read this book. I was curious to know what the real content of this book is. The Goodreads summary was very short and not entirely what the whole book was about. That summary didn’t do the book any justice!
PLOT:
Daphne recently transferred to Quiet, Oklahoma with her mother Melissa. On her first day, a shooting incident occurred where she was saved by Jesse who held of the attacker. Not long after that, rumors has been going around that the results of the program called PROFILE was going to be released to prevent further incidents like the shooting.
But what is PROFILE?
Profile is a program created by Daphne's mother Melissa. It was made to predict the possible future they would have. They maybe predicted to a teacher, an alcoholic, a president, a drug user or a criminal.
Jesse, the guy who saved her (and who she was developing feelings for) was a predicted. He was predicted to commit violence in his future. Daphne was caught between trusting Jesse and believing all the things that has been said about him.
STORY DEVELOPMENT:
I liked how the story developed. It was not too fast and not too slow. As you read through the book you'll learn more about not only about PROFILE but also the main characters. Though this book was solely told in Daphne's POV you'll still get a clear picture of who the other characters were and how the fit into the picture of the story.
CHARACTERS:
DAPHNE:
I am not sure I liked her or not. She was smart without knowing it which I think is a common characteristic on most of the lead female characters in YA books. Most of the time, I felt that she thinks she was better than everyone else in QHS even though she doesn’t say it. She gives these funny witty remarks which I found entertaining. She hangs out with girls she barely likes and is sometimes pretty sarcastic with people who only wanted to be friends with her. I liked the book but I don’t think I really liked Daphne all that much.
JESSE:
Jesse is a different story though. I loved Jesse. OMG! He was totally the guy for me. LOL. He was courageous, mysterious, sweet and handsome. Gosh what more can you ask for?! But seriously I thought he was one of the better characters in this book. He was pretty much as well developed as Daphne. I didn’t feel that much connection between them though. I think it was insta-love on his end and not with hers which I thought was kind of cute because usually it’s the girls who falls first.
MELISSA:
I didn’t like Daphne but the opposite goes for her mother. I love Melissa! I thought she was a great mother. I just didn’t agree with her keeping things from Daphne because as they always say, "Secrets couldn’t be kept forever."
THE OTHER CHARACTERS:
I didn’t like the mean girls. They were totally b*tchy and stuckup and think they were all that because they weren’t predicted and stuff. Dizzy was sort of okay. Brooklyn was well she was the most b*tchy one. I wanted to punch her face when I read about the incident in Dell's. Lexus and Cuteny? Well I hate their names. I mean their parents must hate them for giving them such terrible names. One was named after a car and the other one was well I dunno how they even got that name. Cuteny? Is that even a name?
Then there's January, the sister of the shooter and the victim of an attack. She was Jesse's best friend or so he said. I pitied her. She was the victim of two things that she had no control over. It's not her fault that her brother wanted to bring a gun and shoot people. It also wasn’t her fault that she was attacked. She wanted so much to fit in but she was already judged because of what her brother did. I feel for her.
REACTION AFTER READING THE BOOK:
It took me by surprise. It caught me off guard. I was surprised and caught of guard in a good way. This book was awesome! I loved the book from start to finish. There were very minor things I didn’t like that isn't even worth mentioning.
It wasn’t just the story itself that I liked but also how she tackled the mob mentality in a different way.
Overall, I really love this book and I do highly recommend it. It is a very good book with really believable scenarios. I think in the future PROFILE could really be possible. The human mind is a very wonderful and dangerous thing. It could either be used for the betterment of society or for its destruction. In this book, PROFILE was created for a good use but had a negative effect on society.
I give this book a very well deserved 5 stars!
**************
PS:
My bad!
I forgot to mention the bad guy here!
Not the person I was expecting!
I’ve read tons of books that have great covers but with a not so good story line which made a little hesitant to read this book. I was curious to know what the real content of this book is. The Goodreads summary was very short and not entirely what the whole book was about. That summary didn’t do the book any justice!
PLOT:
Daphne recently transferred to Quiet, Oklahoma with her mother Melissa. On her first day, a shooting incident occurred where she was saved by Jesse who held of the attacker. Not long after that, rumors has been going around that the results of the program called PROFILE was going to be released to prevent further incidents like the shooting.
But what is PROFILE?
Profile is a program created by Daphne's mother Melissa. It was made to predict the possible future they would have. They maybe predicted to a teacher, an alcoholic, a president, a drug user or a criminal.
Jesse, the guy who saved her (and who she was developing feelings for) was a predicted. He was predicted to commit violence in his future. Daphne was caught between trusting Jesse and believing all the things that has been said about him.
STORY DEVELOPMENT:
I liked how the story developed. It was not too fast and not too slow. As you read through the book you'll learn more about not only about PROFILE but also the main characters. Though this book was solely told in Daphne's POV you'll still get a clear picture of who the other characters were and how the fit into the picture of the story.
CHARACTERS:
DAPHNE:
I am not sure I liked her or not. She was smart without knowing it which I think is a common characteristic on most of the lead female characters in YA books. Most of the time, I felt that she thinks she was better than everyone else in QHS even though she doesn’t say it. She gives these funny witty remarks which I found entertaining. She hangs out with girls she barely likes and is sometimes pretty sarcastic with people who only wanted to be friends with her. I liked the book but I don’t think I really liked Daphne all that much.
JESSE:
Jesse is a different story though. I loved Jesse. OMG! He was totally the guy for me. LOL. He was courageous, mysterious, sweet and handsome. Gosh what more can you ask for?! But seriously I thought he was one of the better characters in this book. He was pretty much as well developed as Daphne. I didn’t feel that much connection between them though. I think it was insta-love on his end and not with hers which I thought was kind of cute because usually it’s the girls who falls first.
MELISSA:
I didn’t like Daphne but the opposite goes for her mother. I love Melissa! I thought she was a great mother. I just didn’t agree with her keeping things from Daphne because as they always say, "Secrets couldn’t be kept forever."
THE OTHER CHARACTERS:
I didn’t like the mean girls. They were totally b*tchy and stuckup and think they were all that because they weren’t predicted and stuff. Dizzy was sort of okay. Brooklyn was well she was the most b*tchy one. I wanted to punch her face when I read about the incident in Dell's. Lexus and Cuteny? Well I hate their names. I mean their parents must hate them for giving them such terrible names. One was named after a car and the other one was well I dunno how they even got that name. Cuteny? Is that even a name?
Then there's January, the sister of the shooter and the victim of an attack. She was Jesse's best friend or so he said. I pitied her. She was the victim of two things that she had no control over. It's not her fault that her brother wanted to bring a gun and shoot people. It also wasn’t her fault that she was attacked. She wanted so much to fit in but she was already judged because of what her brother did. I feel for her.
REACTION AFTER READING THE BOOK:
It took me by surprise. It caught me off guard. I was surprised and caught of guard in a good way. This book was awesome! I loved the book from start to finish. There were very minor things I didn’t like that isn't even worth mentioning.
It wasn’t just the story itself that I liked but also how she tackled the mob mentality in a different way.
Overall, I really love this book and I do highly recommend it. It is a very good book with really believable scenarios. I think in the future PROFILE could really be possible. The human mind is a very wonderful and dangerous thing. It could either be used for the betterment of society or for its destruction. In this book, PROFILE was created for a good use but had a negative effect on society.
I give this book a very well deserved 5 stars!
**************
PS:
My bad!
I forgot to mention the bad guy here!
Not the person I was expecting!
July 4, 2015
Actual rating 3.5 stars. The concept of this book was original and I really liked that. The idea of a test that can predict who will become violent or have mental issues in the future is crazy! It was really interesting to see what happened after the results were posted and the "predicteds" were public knowledge. I also enjoyed the mystery aspect of the story as well. However, I didn't really like the romance and that affected my rating. I really enjoyed this book and I would like to find another book that is similar.
Read
July 25, 2011I'm only a quarter way through this book, but man has it made me laugh so many times. I'm talking choke on your coffee laugh. There are some very funny oneliners and snarky dialogue. I know there's a darker side to this book, and that undertone is always there. I'm really enjoying it so far.
September 1, 2012
I guess I had had high hopes for this one because I was disappointed when it wasn't what I thought it would be.
The plot - which the back of the book inaccurately makes it sound like it's about predicting which people will commit a crime, but running the tests not on adults, but on High School Teens - is actually about Daphne and her high school adventures.
So many things just didn't make sense. Around her first day (or so) involves a high school shooter and being saved by a hot mysterious guy named Jesse. Luckily, the shooter doesn't kill anyone - except himself - so the school is saved YAY! But...no one is traumatized by this event. Sure she says "wow, I feel funny every time I come in the high school" or whatever annoying thing she said - and yet THEY ARE BACK TO SCHOOL <2 WEEKS LATER! Just long enough to paint the walls and fill in the bullet holes. And the first day back is actually CLASS?? seriously, where are the grief counselors, where are the staff crying and hugging. Where is the trauma?! These guys have been through a school shooting!!! Really?!
But, then as soon as they are back at school she meets the shooter's sister, January! And January is doing pretty okay - chatting about strange things and just doing nothing much but hanging out with Daphne.
Then, a few days later, Daphne is thrown through a wall that is just a huge window at a restaurant. Jesse - weird stalker boy - is there and helps her through the blood and gore of her head wound. And then, three days later, DAPHNE IS SHOPPING??!?! I am amazed her mom lets her leave the house!!! They have been in this town - maybe a month - and so far she's been shot at and been thrown through a window - and the most her mom can say is "Come back without a head injury".
There is absolutely no concern about Daphne or any of the kids. The shooter's sister is even shopping on the same day Daphne is! She's not even staying inside just to avoid people?! This is supposed to be a small town and she's just strolling around?? Just because her brother didn't kill anyone, he injured (I think) 25 people at school?! and the sister is just strolling around town??!! She's not grieving, not holding her mom while they both cry - they aren't even shunned by the small town?!?!
And the moment with Daphne, Jesse and the shooter's family under the stairs - it was just weird - I couldn't figure out why that was left int he book?
And all of this happens within the first 100 pages - so don't think I'm giving you some revealing plot lines here!!!
And, last of all - Daphne's clumsiness!! Her purse gets caught in the weeds so she falls in the water?! She's running along and trips in the road from a trip cord? It was just another distraction for me as I tried to figure out the logistics of her fall.
And Jesse's comment about it being a good thing he wasn't a vampire because she's always cut and bleeding around him. Just...ugh...
If I weren't doing a review for a local book store in my town, I would never have finished this book. I've read quite a bit of YA novels so it's not that I'm not used to reading YA. I've just never read a YA novel that made less sense.
The plot - which the back of the book inaccurately makes it sound like it's about predicting which people will commit a crime, but running the tests not on adults, but on High School Teens - is actually about Daphne and her high school adventures.
So many things just didn't make sense. Around her first day (or so) involves a high school shooter and being saved by a hot mysterious guy named Jesse. Luckily, the shooter doesn't kill anyone - except himself - so the school is saved YAY! But...no one is traumatized by this event. Sure she says "wow, I feel funny every time I come in the high school" or whatever annoying thing she said - and yet THEY ARE BACK TO SCHOOL <2 WEEKS LATER! Just long enough to paint the walls and fill in the bullet holes. And the first day back is actually CLASS?? seriously, where are the grief counselors, where are the staff crying and hugging. Where is the trauma?! These guys have been through a school shooting!!! Really?!
But, then as soon as they are back at school she meets the shooter's sister, January! And January is doing pretty okay - chatting about strange things and just doing nothing much but hanging out with Daphne.
Then, a few days later, Daphne is thrown through a wall that is just a huge window at a restaurant. Jesse - weird stalker boy - is there and helps her through the blood and gore of her head wound. And then, three days later, DAPHNE IS SHOPPING??!?! I am amazed her mom lets her leave the house!!! They have been in this town - maybe a month - and so far she's been shot at and been thrown through a window - and the most her mom can say is "Come back without a head injury".
There is absolutely no concern about Daphne or any of the kids. The shooter's sister is even shopping on the same day Daphne is! She's not even staying inside just to avoid people?! This is supposed to be a small town and she's just strolling around?? Just because her brother didn't kill anyone, he injured (I think) 25 people at school?! and the sister is just strolling around town??!! She's not grieving, not holding her mom while they both cry - they aren't even shunned by the small town?!?!
And the moment with Daphne, Jesse and the shooter's family under the stairs - it was just weird - I couldn't figure out why that was left int he book?
And all of this happens within the first 100 pages - so don't think I'm giving you some revealing plot lines here!!!
And, last of all - Daphne's clumsiness!! Her purse gets caught in the weeds so she falls in the water?! She's running along and trips in the road from a trip cord? It was just another distraction for me as I tried to figure out the logistics of her fall.
And Jesse's comment about it being a good thing he wasn't a vampire because she's always cut and bleeding around him. Just...ugh...
If I weren't doing a review for a local book store in my town, I would never have finished this book. I've read quite a bit of YA novels so it's not that I'm not used to reading YA. I've just never read a YA novel that made less sense.
Want to read
April 6, 2011"What if your boyfriend was destined to commit murder?"
The tagline is killer! :)
The tagline is killer! :)
August 18, 2011
2.5 stars
I wonder who wrote the summary for this novel because The Predicteds is not what I expected. At all.
First off, the book is broken down into three separate phases. In the first round, reader begins to learn a little bit about Daphne and the new small town she recently moved to with her mother, Melissa. Melissa does not like to be called mom, so throughout the novel, Daphne refers to her mother as Melissa. Odd, but okay. Anyway, you begin to also learn more about Daphne's "friends" (and I do use that term loosely). Her friends are what I deem the stereotypical teenage kids who have little to no personality whatsoever. Maybe it's because Daphne does not like to interact with them much, but all of them felt a bit bland. They were basically the popular, semi-rich, snobby kids that criticized people just because they could. Even the boys could be placed into categories: The jocky popular one who all the girls fall for, the popular rude one who's sketchy from the beginning and the mysterious one, the social pariah that's still incredibly hot and obviously the one Daphne will fall for.
*Sigh*
I felt like the first third of the book was unnecessary to the overall novel. While I understand you have to build your characters and set your setting, all that really happened was a bunch of constant rambling that played no part to the story whatsoever and a few clever one liners which made me giggle. I loved those one lines. Daphne is indeed a clever girl.
From the beginning, I thought this book would be about how each character would react to what PROFILE predicted about their future. Sadly, the whole concept of being "predicted" was just a slimmer of what this book is about. The predicteds are the bad ones, the unfortunate teens that will eventually commit some crime or cruelty in their life. I would have liked to see the predicteds factor play a larger role in the story. Why not show all the students' PROFILE? I mean, the back cover even asks "Will the head cheerleader get pregnant? Is the student council president a secret drug addict?" I don't know? Is she? Are they?! What? This would have made this book just so much better... asking and answering these questions and possibly creating some subplots, too.
What I did love about the book was the segregation, hate and prejudice between all the characters. I loved that Daphne stood up for what she believed in, even if it meant being a social outcast. This part of the story was incredibly well written and portrayed with grace. Loved it!
Now, the romance. Can you say insta-love? I wish both Daphne and Jesse's relationship grew, bloomed, instead of just "I see you, you see me, let's hook up." They didn't really get to know each other, so as the reader, neither did we. And the chemistry was a bit lacking. It was missing that certain simmer I needed to make the relationship believable.
Overall, The Predicteds is a somewhat fun contemporary read with a great concept behind it. Some people will fall in love with it, and I really hope you do. The writing and dialogue is incredibly clever and hilarious. I wish I did love it, but sadly for me, it as just an okay book where I liked some of it, but was bored with the rest.
I wonder who wrote the summary for this novel because The Predicteds is not what I expected. At all.
First off, the book is broken down into three separate phases. In the first round, reader begins to learn a little bit about Daphne and the new small town she recently moved to with her mother, Melissa. Melissa does not like to be called mom, so throughout the novel, Daphne refers to her mother as Melissa. Odd, but okay. Anyway, you begin to also learn more about Daphne's "friends" (and I do use that term loosely). Her friends are what I deem the stereotypical teenage kids who have little to no personality whatsoever. Maybe it's because Daphne does not like to interact with them much, but all of them felt a bit bland. They were basically the popular, semi-rich, snobby kids that criticized people just because they could. Even the boys could be placed into categories: The jocky popular one who all the girls fall for, the popular rude one who's sketchy from the beginning and the mysterious one, the social pariah that's still incredibly hot and obviously the one Daphne will fall for.
*Sigh*
I felt like the first third of the book was unnecessary to the overall novel. While I understand you have to build your characters and set your setting, all that really happened was a bunch of constant rambling that played no part to the story whatsoever and a few clever one liners which made me giggle. I loved those one lines. Daphne is indeed a clever girl.
From the beginning, I thought this book would be about how each character would react to what PROFILE predicted about their future. Sadly, the whole concept of being "predicted" was just a slimmer of what this book is about. The predicteds are the bad ones, the unfortunate teens that will eventually commit some crime or cruelty in their life. I would have liked to see the predicteds factor play a larger role in the story. Why not show all the students' PROFILE? I mean, the back cover even asks "Will the head cheerleader get pregnant? Is the student council president a secret drug addict?" I don't know? Is she? Are they?! What? This would have made this book just so much better... asking and answering these questions and possibly creating some subplots, too.
What I did love about the book was the segregation, hate and prejudice between all the characters. I loved that Daphne stood up for what she believed in, even if it meant being a social outcast. This part of the story was incredibly well written and portrayed with grace. Loved it!
Now, the romance. Can you say insta-love? I wish both Daphne and Jesse's relationship grew, bloomed, instead of just "I see you, you see me, let's hook up." They didn't really get to know each other, so as the reader, neither did we. And the chemistry was a bit lacking. It was missing that certain simmer I needed to make the relationship believable.
Overall, The Predicteds is a somewhat fun contemporary read with a great concept behind it. Some people will fall in love with it, and I really hope you do. The writing and dialogue is incredibly clever and hilarious. I wish I did love it, but sadly for me, it as just an okay book where I liked some of it, but was bored with the rest.
October 14, 2011
Despite that the cover looks like a dystopian cover, and the summary sounds like a dystopian summary, THE PREDICTEDS is a little more complicated than that, and that's part of what I enjoyed about this book.
First off, there's Daphne. She's a strong, independent protagonist. I felt like she almost had a Nancy Drew quality to her. She felt sneaky and fierce. And who doesn't enjoy a little romance? Jesse had a lot of qualities that I look for in my book romance interests. He was a little emo--he totally shed a tear or two, if not on page, then definitely off-page. And I could totally see his going all wandering minstrel to get a girl back, carrying around a guitar and serenading her from the street. BUT, he didn't. Which I also appreciated, because as much as I love me some emo boy, it can get old pretty quickly. Instead, Jesse was equal parts tough and broken, which made for an interesting read. Also, I really appreciated Seifert's secondary characters. I felt like many of them had a dimensionality (is that a word? It is now!) to them that often goes by the wayside, especially in dystopian-esque books where there's so much world-building and plot-moving that needs to take place.
Secondly, there's the setting. How clever is it that the town is called Quiet, and it's where the kerfuffle goes down? SUPER clever, is the answer. Also, it made for some unintentionally funny lines, which I appreciated, such as going to the Quiet movie theatre. Ha. Get it? But seriously, Seifert did an excellent job of sculpting this tiny town into a very real place. Even though I grew up just outside of a major city, I recognized pieces of my own high school experience--having the local diner be the place to go on Friday night, the allure of the college kid parties--it all felt real to me. And while setting is always a key element to a quality novel, it felt extra-important to me in THE PREDICTEDS, because I needed to believe that Quiet was a town where this could happen in. And I definitely did.
Finally, I loved the concept of being predicted! Seifert starts her book off with a bang--literally. There's a shooter in Daphne's school (thankfully no one is hurt), which hurtles the reader into a town and a school plagued by fear, doubt, and the need to "fix" the problem. Enter, of course, the testing procedures that had already been done in order to create a list of the predicted students. It was so interesting to me reading how the school deals with this list, and the students, and what the fallout of a situation like that looks like. Working in a school, it made me look around at the middle & upper school kids around me and wonder what would happen if testing like that was done in real life. Seifert did a really great job of showcasing mob mentality, and how hard it can be to stand up for what you believe in, even if your belief isn't popular.
THE PREDICTEDS is out now, so definitely go check it out!
For more reviews & other fun book blogging (including thoughts on writing, author interviews and giveaways!), check out http://www.FirstNovelsClub.com
First off, there's Daphne. She's a strong, independent protagonist. I felt like she almost had a Nancy Drew quality to her. She felt sneaky and fierce. And who doesn't enjoy a little romance? Jesse had a lot of qualities that I look for in my book romance interests. He was a little emo--he totally shed a tear or two, if not on page, then definitely off-page. And I could totally see his going all wandering minstrel to get a girl back, carrying around a guitar and serenading her from the street. BUT, he didn't. Which I also appreciated, because as much as I love me some emo boy, it can get old pretty quickly. Instead, Jesse was equal parts tough and broken, which made for an interesting read. Also, I really appreciated Seifert's secondary characters. I felt like many of them had a dimensionality (is that a word? It is now!) to them that often goes by the wayside, especially in dystopian-esque books where there's so much world-building and plot-moving that needs to take place.
Secondly, there's the setting. How clever is it that the town is called Quiet, and it's where the kerfuffle goes down? SUPER clever, is the answer. Also, it made for some unintentionally funny lines, which I appreciated, such as going to the Quiet movie theatre. Ha. Get it? But seriously, Seifert did an excellent job of sculpting this tiny town into a very real place. Even though I grew up just outside of a major city, I recognized pieces of my own high school experience--having the local diner be the place to go on Friday night, the allure of the college kid parties--it all felt real to me. And while setting is always a key element to a quality novel, it felt extra-important to me in THE PREDICTEDS, because I needed to believe that Quiet was a town where this could happen in. And I definitely did.
Finally, I loved the concept of being predicted! Seifert starts her book off with a bang--literally. There's a shooter in Daphne's school (thankfully no one is hurt), which hurtles the reader into a town and a school plagued by fear, doubt, and the need to "fix" the problem. Enter, of course, the testing procedures that had already been done in order to create a list of the predicted students. It was so interesting to me reading how the school deals with this list, and the students, and what the fallout of a situation like that looks like. Working in a school, it made me look around at the middle & upper school kids around me and wonder what would happen if testing like that was done in real life. Seifert did a really great job of showcasing mob mentality, and how hard it can be to stand up for what you believe in, even if your belief isn't popular.
THE PREDICTEDS is out now, so definitely go check it out!
For more reviews & other fun book blogging (including thoughts on writing, author interviews and giveaways!), check out http://www.FirstNovelsClub.com
November 3, 2012
A YA novel for a psychologist (like me!) to love.
UPDATE
I grabbed this at the library and it's a very fast read - I'm about 20% through it in what feels like about 5 minutes. It's not bad, and I do love a YA novel about psychology, but I'm having a very hard time accepting the premise that science could perfectly predict anti-social behavior. I'm curious to see where she goes with it.
FINAL UPDATE
Most disappointing book I've read in awhile. At first I thought it was just because it's so teenager-y - they go to the mall, they have arguments in the lunchroom, they fret about what to wear to a party. After reading so many dystopian novels, where the young people are facing certain death, and battling megalomaniacs and repressive governments, the everyday trials of modern youth seem, well, incredibly trite.
But I think the problems with this book go beyond that. Daphne is full of snarky observations about the teachers and students at her school, but she jumps head first into the clique she derides. And she's kind of an idiot. It's extremely obvious to the reader what's going on about 200 pages before Daphne figures it out (despite the neon sign in the form of Dreiser's novel, An American Tragedy, having a major role in the story). She is not a worthy heroine for this story, and she's not even a very interesting character in general (being a smart ass doesn't substitute for actual character development). Half the time I wanted to reach into the book and slap her. Not someone you want to spend 300+ pages with.
And the author uses a bunch of real life horrors as plot devices - a school shooting, a stabbing, a beating, a near rape, and the upshot of all this is that Daphne finally gets a boyfriend. It trivializes these traumas in a way that I found really off-putting.
The author considers a couple of interesting ideas, and there's a few interesting moments in the book, and it's not badly written (which is why I gave it a 2 and not a 1; that and the cool shout out to NPR), but the last hundred pages, I was just trying to get through it so that I could start another book. It's a shame that CS didn't take this provocative idea and do more with it. She could have written a really thought provoking book, but she either chickened out, or she just thinks her target audience is stupid.
UPDATE
I grabbed this at the library and it's a very fast read - I'm about 20% through it in what feels like about 5 minutes. It's not bad, and I do love a YA novel about psychology, but I'm having a very hard time accepting the premise that science could perfectly predict anti-social behavior. I'm curious to see where she goes with it.
FINAL UPDATE
Most disappointing book I've read in awhile. At first I thought it was just because it's so teenager-y - they go to the mall, they have arguments in the lunchroom, they fret about what to wear to a party. After reading so many dystopian novels, where the young people are facing certain death, and battling megalomaniacs and repressive governments, the everyday trials of modern youth seem, well, incredibly trite.
But I think the problems with this book go beyond that. Daphne is full of snarky observations about the teachers and students at her school, but she jumps head first into the clique she derides. And she's kind of an idiot. It's extremely obvious to the reader what's going on about 200 pages before Daphne figures it out (despite the neon sign in the form of Dreiser's novel, An American Tragedy, having a major role in the story). She is not a worthy heroine for this story, and she's not even a very interesting character in general (being a smart ass doesn't substitute for actual character development). Half the time I wanted to reach into the book and slap her. Not someone you want to spend 300+ pages with.
And the author uses a bunch of real life horrors as plot devices - a school shooting, a stabbing, a beating, a near rape, and the upshot of all this is that Daphne finally gets a boyfriend. It trivializes these traumas in a way that I found really off-putting.
The author considers a couple of interesting ideas, and there's a few interesting moments in the book, and it's not badly written (which is why I gave it a 2 and not a 1; that and the cool shout out to NPR), but the last hundred pages, I was just trying to get through it so that I could start another book. It's a shame that CS didn't take this provocative idea and do more with it. She could have written a really thought provoking book, but she either chickened out, or she just thinks her target audience is stupid.
September 13, 2011
The Predicteds explores a frightening world where it is possible to know if a person will eventually commit a crime. The summary really grabbed my attention because, not only is it a unique idea, but it's also something that could be explored in the future. Someday it may be possible to examine individuals and put out a list of what they could be capable of. Scary thoughts!
While The Predicteds completely grabbed my attention early on with immediate action, it lost me a bit around the middle. The book starts out with a school shooting. This placed a lot of focus on the new system PROFILE, which has been known to predict behaviors. Everyone wants to prevent the type of violence just experienced with the shooting so many people get on board with the idea of PROFILE.
The sequence of events and overall plot of this book were really well written. It contains a big mystery and, even if a bit predictable, it was still interesting to follow. I think my main issue with this book was the characters. One of my pet peeves with female characters is if they are constantly falling, tripping, and getting banged up due to their lack of coordination. Daphne does this often. And, while I am a hopeless romantic, I just wasn't feeling Jesse. It wasn't really him as a person, but his obsession with another girl. Personally, if I was on a date with a guy, and he constantly mentioned another girl or rushed out to save her, I'd get mad..very mad. That really made me dislike him and wonder why Daphne felt so drawn to him. He really wasn't treating her all that great.
Daphne's friends were another issue. They didn't really give off the "friend" vibe I guess. The only one who did was Dizzy, but even with that I didn't feel that she really had a bond with Daphne. Melissa, Daphne's mom, was a great character and I liked seeing that she had a close relationship to Daphne.
Overall, the plot and writing style in this book were fine, but the characters sort of brought it down for me. It does have a very strong foundation and beginning but after reading around 200 pages, I found myself skipping some of it. But even with that, I will be checking out more books from Christine Seifert. She has a great ability to create fun dialogue and descriptive details throughout a story.
While The Predicteds completely grabbed my attention early on with immediate action, it lost me a bit around the middle. The book starts out with a school shooting. This placed a lot of focus on the new system PROFILE, which has been known to predict behaviors. Everyone wants to prevent the type of violence just experienced with the shooting so many people get on board with the idea of PROFILE.
The sequence of events and overall plot of this book were really well written. It contains a big mystery and, even if a bit predictable, it was still interesting to follow. I think my main issue with this book was the characters. One of my pet peeves with female characters is if they are constantly falling, tripping, and getting banged up due to their lack of coordination. Daphne does this often. And, while I am a hopeless romantic, I just wasn't feeling Jesse. It wasn't really him as a person, but his obsession with another girl. Personally, if I was on a date with a guy, and he constantly mentioned another girl or rushed out to save her, I'd get mad..very mad. That really made me dislike him and wonder why Daphne felt so drawn to him. He really wasn't treating her all that great.
Daphne's friends were another issue. They didn't really give off the "friend" vibe I guess. The only one who did was Dizzy, but even with that I didn't feel that she really had a bond with Daphne. Melissa, Daphne's mom, was a great character and I liked seeing that she had a close relationship to Daphne.
Overall, the plot and writing style in this book were fine, but the characters sort of brought it down for me. It does have a very strong foundation and beginning but after reading around 200 pages, I found myself skipping some of it. But even with that, I will be checking out more books from Christine Seifert. She has a great ability to create fun dialogue and descriptive details throughout a story.
October 6, 2011
I'm going to be honest.I bought this book because I liked the cover. After reading the summary, I felt pretty pleased with myself, because it actually sounded like it was something that I could get into.
It turns out that figuring out who's going to win major sporting events isn't the only talent I have, apparently, I have a knack for picking good books, as well.
The Predicteds is, by far, the most realistic book I've read in a while. It doesn't hold any complicated explanations, or trying moments where you want to beat your head against the wall in irritation..
It's about a girl named Daphne. She's a girl who happens to have bad things happen to her in her first week of school. Nose bleeds, throwing up in people's purses...first weeks of school really aren't her thing.
Her first day at Quiet High isn't any different. First she nearly chokes on some gun, then a student decides that bringing a gun to school and threatening students is a way to go. One good thing came about it, though. Jesse, a boy who, in the span one class period manages to save her life. Twice.
Things seem to go well for her. She makes friends with a the 'cool' kids, She's apparently caught Jesse's eye, and over all, things seem to be going well.
That is, until PROFILE starts causing problems. PROFILE, a computer program that is capable of predicting what the students at Quiet High are capable of. Her life is turned upside down when, after one of the students at QH are attacked and Jesse informs her that he is predicted.
The book itself feels like everything in it could be real. Like what I was reading would actually happen. It's exactly how people would react, and it's exactly what some people would do.
This is definately a book I would reccomend to people. Seriously. Go read this book!
It turns out that figuring out who's going to win major sporting events isn't the only talent I have, apparently, I have a knack for picking good books, as well.
The Predicteds is, by far, the most realistic book I've read in a while. It doesn't hold any complicated explanations, or trying moments where you want to beat your head against the wall in irritation..
It's about a girl named Daphne. She's a girl who happens to have bad things happen to her in her first week of school. Nose bleeds, throwing up in people's purses...first weeks of school really aren't her thing.
Her first day at Quiet High isn't any different. First she nearly chokes on some gun, then a student decides that bringing a gun to school and threatening students is a way to go. One good thing came about it, though. Jesse, a boy who, in the span one class period manages to save her life. Twice.
Things seem to go well for her. She makes friends with a the 'cool' kids, She's apparently caught Jesse's eye, and over all, things seem to be going well.
That is, until PROFILE starts causing problems. PROFILE, a computer program that is capable of predicting what the students at Quiet High are capable of. Her life is turned upside down when, after one of the students at QH are attacked and Jesse informs her that he is predicted.
The book itself feels like everything in it could be real. Like what I was reading would actually happen. It's exactly how people would react, and it's exactly what some people would do.
This is definately a book I would reccomend to people. Seriously. Go read this book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2012
I was really intrigued with the premise of The Predicteds, though it reminded me of Minority Report. The first couple of chapters were intense and full of promise. I quickly became disappointed as the story line strayed away from the ramifications of being predicted by the PROFILE. The actual plot deviates into a mess of high school drama.
Daphne exhibits good sense and yet she get in with the popular crowd, who are shallow and sometimes cruel. Daphne continues to reach out to social rejects even when she is warned and punished by the other catty girls.
In addition to the teen saga the author chose to use vulgar language, not just in the intense scenes but through the entire text. There are also references to sex, that it is expected and the normal behavior for teens in high school. As an example, while January is at the frat party Daphne finds her in a room vomiting, when the frat boy leaves Daphne hears him say to the other boys in the hall, "Hey, drunk slut in that room."(9. 168) Indicating that she might be available for their use, though he advises they don't go in there right now.
I am not suggesting that the vulgar language isn't anything our kids haven't heard, rather language that we wish they weren't exposed to along with the decaying morals. Other mature subjects touched on in the novel include...
To read my full review go to http://talesuntangled.wordpress.com
Daphne exhibits good sense and yet she get in with the popular crowd, who are shallow and sometimes cruel. Daphne continues to reach out to social rejects even when she is warned and punished by the other catty girls.
In addition to the teen saga the author chose to use vulgar language, not just in the intense scenes but through the entire text. There are also references to sex, that it is expected and the normal behavior for teens in high school. As an example, while January is at the frat party Daphne finds her in a room vomiting, when the frat boy leaves Daphne hears him say to the other boys in the hall, "Hey, drunk slut in that room."(9. 168) Indicating that she might be available for their use, though he advises they don't go in there right now.
I am not suggesting that the vulgar language isn't anything our kids haven't heard, rather language that we wish they weren't exposed to along with the decaying morals. Other mature subjects touched on in the novel include...
To read my full review go to http://talesuntangled.wordpress.com
September 10, 2011
Balancing superior characters with a just-short of sci-fi plot, Predicteds is highly recommended for YA readers seeking strong and sympathetic female characters, realistically complicated and quirky adults, and for an honest portrayal of the complications, truces, and stop-and-start relationships that teenagers suffer through the years in which they come to learn themselves better. Most admirable is Seifert's characterization of central character Daphne as self-reliant and strong willed, yet wholly believable as a young woman who can fall for a boy without either sacrificing her integrity or belittling the equally as complicated emotions of her would-be partner. Similarly, Daphne's friends throughout the story move realistically across the spectrum of young adult friendships: sometimes Daphne and Dizzy are inseparable and others completely at ends. Yet natural interactions like these across the book never take a turn toward the unbelievable or overly dramatic. Seifert seems on the verge of finding in future novels the opportunity to explore even more complicated themes with equally as thoughtful characters. I very much enjoyed this book.
November 25, 2011
I really enjoyed this book a lot! My favorite character is Melissa & I liked the premise of the "predicted" test to see who might commit crimes! Fast read, I totally recommend it!
August 16, 2024
I found the high school stereotypes so cliche that it turned me off to the book. I quite after about 50 pages.
March 3, 2024
This book opens with a school shooting, which Seifert infused with appropriate tension. Then Seifert made the odd choice of having the school shooter not actually hit anyone, implying he just had terrible aim (!?!?). Maybe to make it slightly less odd that the entire student body quickly moved on from a classmate trying to kill them before shooting himself.
The school - Quiet High - has been part of a test case for using PROFILE on the students to predict who will commit violent crimes. No one knows their score. But after the school shooting and then the brutal beating of a girl after a party, everyone's scores become public. Of course, it's the outcast kids (including the girl who was beaten!) who are predicted to be violent. This includes Jesse, the boy who our heroine Daphne has a crush on. Quiet's population goes beserk over the scores, seeking to isolate and segregate the predicteds.
I read about a third of this before I started skimming through to the end. I was hoping that when the PROFILE scores came out, it would make an interesting social experiment as the popular and unpopular alike were hit with bad scores. I was not looking for a particularly deep exploration of this topic, but at least some interesting fallout. You can't tell me that at least some of the over privileged popular, rich boys would not be predicted to be rapists or domestic abusers. And yet, for the most part, it's just "outcasts" that are predicted. There is one popular girl - Lexus - but she basically disappears from the narrative and it's not really explored. Instead, there are extreme generalizations against the predicted - they aren't allowed to ride school buses, etc. There's no national fallout from everything happening in Quiet, and no real engagement about what it means to be "predicted" to be violent.
Instead, this is mostly just used as background for a half-baked romance. At times this felt almost like a parody of a contemporary YA. The popular girls are named Brooklyn, Lexus, Dizzy, and Cuteny (!). Daphne is the too-cool loner who thinks she's better than everyone else (which she is only because everyone else is terrible) and even though she looks down on the popular girls, she continues to hang out with them (?!?). At one point the love interest tells Daphne: "You look real...Like a real person. Not like any other girl here." Spare me. The "not like other girls" continues to be one of the worst tropes.
The school - Quiet High - has been part of a test case for using PROFILE on the students to predict who will commit violent crimes. No one knows their score. But after the school shooting and then the brutal beating of a girl after a party, everyone's scores become public. Of course, it's the outcast kids (including the girl who was beaten!) who are predicted to be violent. This includes Jesse, the boy who our heroine Daphne has a crush on. Quiet's population goes beserk over the scores, seeking to isolate and segregate the predicteds.
I read about a third of this before I started skimming through to the end. I was hoping that when the PROFILE scores came out, it would make an interesting social experiment as the popular and unpopular alike were hit with bad scores. I was not looking for a particularly deep exploration of this topic, but at least some interesting fallout. You can't tell me that at least some of the over privileged popular, rich boys would not be predicted to be rapists or domestic abusers. And yet, for the most part, it's just "outcasts" that are predicted. There is one popular girl - Lexus - but she basically disappears from the narrative and it's not really explored. Instead, there are extreme generalizations against the predicted - they aren't allowed to ride school buses, etc. There's no national fallout from everything happening in Quiet, and no real engagement about what it means to be "predicted" to be violent.
Instead, this is mostly just used as background for a half-baked romance. At times this felt almost like a parody of a contemporary YA. The popular girls are named Brooklyn, Lexus, Dizzy, and Cuteny (!). Daphne is the too-cool loner who thinks she's better than everyone else (which she is only because everyone else is terrible) and even though she looks down on the popular girls, she continues to hang out with them (?!?). At one point the love interest tells Daphne: "You look real...Like a real person. Not like any other girl here." Spare me. The "not like other girls" continues to be one of the worst tropes.
June 23, 2013
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.
Quick & Dirty: An interesting contemporary read that has a intriguing scientific plot line. I had a hard time with some of the characters but overall it was a good read.
Opening Sentence: The rose-patterned carpet of the room reminds me of the guest room in my grandmother’s house.
The Review:
What would you do if your life had been predicated by a scientific experiment? Would you live your life like normal or would you change yourself because of what they told you? Would you believe them if they said you were going to be a criminal, or perform a violent act? Daphne Wright is about to find out what being predicated can do to a person. Daphne has just recently moved to the little town of Quiet. Ever since she can remember her first week of school every year; something really embarrassing happens to her. This year is no different on the first day she chokes on her gum and throws up after the Heimlich is performed. Unfortunately, that’s not the highlight of the day, shortly after Daphne’s incident a shooter enters the school. No one is hurt but everyone is pretty shaken up, it turns out the shooter was predicated.
Quiet High’s students are part of an experiment the government is running. They are profiling all the kids there, which basically means that they are using scientific data to predict what they will be like throughout their life. Supposedly it is 100% accurate, but it doesn’t specify when you could potentially be dangerous or what exactly you will do. If you are predicated to be a violent person, or a criminal your social life is pretty much over. No one wants to be around someone that is dangerous. Daphne has a hard time accepting peoples profile; she feels that people make their own choices. She struggles to fit in at Quiet High, and there is only one person she seems to connect with. Jesse is a gorgeous, rich boy that Daphne can’t help but like. He is sweet and kind, but he is keeping secrets from Daphne. She wants to trust him, but she’s not sure if she should.
The story is told from Daphne’s point of view. She has a good voice and most of the time I really liked her. But there were some things about her that irritated me a little bit. She had a bad attitude sometimes and she had her whiny moments which I wasn’t a fan of. Sometimes she would be very confrontational and speak her mind, but other times she would just stand in the corner and be too quiet. I had really mixed feelings about Daphne, and I wish she would have been a more consistent character that I could depend on.
Jesse was my favorite part of the book. He is hot, sweet, kind, charming, and interesting. Yes, he had his secrets that make you wonder about him, but that just made me more intrigued. You can tell he really cares about Daphne and their relationship was so cute. It developed slowly and was fun to read about. I loved Jesse, I thought he was a great character and he added a lot to the story.
Overall, this was a pretty good read for me. The idea was very unique and interesting. I thought that the characters were pretty engaging and I connected well with them most of the time. The plot line wasn’t the most original, but it was still fun to read. The pacing was pretty good, but there were a few times I felt that it dragged a little bit. This is the first book I have read by Seifert, and it won’t be my last. Her writing style was engaging, and I really enjoyed the story. I would recommend this to anyone that likes a good YA contemporary with an interesting scientific twist.
Notable Scene:
The dull murmur of the class barely makes it through the heavy wooden door. Away from the lull of McClain’s scratchy voice, I feel kind of relaxed. It’s sort of nice in here, kind of like how I imagine a morgue would be, only warmer and less creepy. I move to a Red Cross bucket in the corner and tip it over to make a comfy seat. Why rush to clean up puke? Maybe if I wait long enough it’ll disappear. Or maybe I’ll disappear. I prop my feet on a stack of books and lean against the shelves. I drift someplace between awake and asleep, a pleasant middle ground that has no good name.
Sometime later-seconds or minutes, I don’t know-I hear the screams, the abrupt scuffle of desks and feet, and a sudden chorus of pained cries. “Help!” someone yells over the din.
And then as quickly as it all begins, silence resumes, and I wonder if I’ve imagined it. My paralysis lifts quickly, and I scramble to the door, tipping the bucket over in my haste. I trip on the handle and catch myself before I land on my face. My hand is on the doorknob when I hear it: Mrs. McClain’s voice is plain, calm, and strangely indifferent, like she’s talking about her bunions.
“He’s got a gun,” she says. “Nobody move.”
FTC Advisory: Sourcebooks Fire provided me with a copy of The Predicteds. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: An interesting contemporary read that has a intriguing scientific plot line. I had a hard time with some of the characters but overall it was a good read.
Opening Sentence: The rose-patterned carpet of the room reminds me of the guest room in my grandmother’s house.
The Review:
What would you do if your life had been predicated by a scientific experiment? Would you live your life like normal or would you change yourself because of what they told you? Would you believe them if they said you were going to be a criminal, or perform a violent act? Daphne Wright is about to find out what being predicated can do to a person. Daphne has just recently moved to the little town of Quiet. Ever since she can remember her first week of school every year; something really embarrassing happens to her. This year is no different on the first day she chokes on her gum and throws up after the Heimlich is performed. Unfortunately, that’s not the highlight of the day, shortly after Daphne’s incident a shooter enters the school. No one is hurt but everyone is pretty shaken up, it turns out the shooter was predicated.
Quiet High’s students are part of an experiment the government is running. They are profiling all the kids there, which basically means that they are using scientific data to predict what they will be like throughout their life. Supposedly it is 100% accurate, but it doesn’t specify when you could potentially be dangerous or what exactly you will do. If you are predicated to be a violent person, or a criminal your social life is pretty much over. No one wants to be around someone that is dangerous. Daphne has a hard time accepting peoples profile; she feels that people make their own choices. She struggles to fit in at Quiet High, and there is only one person she seems to connect with. Jesse is a gorgeous, rich boy that Daphne can’t help but like. He is sweet and kind, but he is keeping secrets from Daphne. She wants to trust him, but she’s not sure if she should.
The story is told from Daphne’s point of view. She has a good voice and most of the time I really liked her. But there were some things about her that irritated me a little bit. She had a bad attitude sometimes and she had her whiny moments which I wasn’t a fan of. Sometimes she would be very confrontational and speak her mind, but other times she would just stand in the corner and be too quiet. I had really mixed feelings about Daphne, and I wish she would have been a more consistent character that I could depend on.
Jesse was my favorite part of the book. He is hot, sweet, kind, charming, and interesting. Yes, he had his secrets that make you wonder about him, but that just made me more intrigued. You can tell he really cares about Daphne and their relationship was so cute. It developed slowly and was fun to read about. I loved Jesse, I thought he was a great character and he added a lot to the story.
Overall, this was a pretty good read for me. The idea was very unique and interesting. I thought that the characters were pretty engaging and I connected well with them most of the time. The plot line wasn’t the most original, but it was still fun to read. The pacing was pretty good, but there were a few times I felt that it dragged a little bit. This is the first book I have read by Seifert, and it won’t be my last. Her writing style was engaging, and I really enjoyed the story. I would recommend this to anyone that likes a good YA contemporary with an interesting scientific twist.
Notable Scene:
The dull murmur of the class barely makes it through the heavy wooden door. Away from the lull of McClain’s scratchy voice, I feel kind of relaxed. It’s sort of nice in here, kind of like how I imagine a morgue would be, only warmer and less creepy. I move to a Red Cross bucket in the corner and tip it over to make a comfy seat. Why rush to clean up puke? Maybe if I wait long enough it’ll disappear. Or maybe I’ll disappear. I prop my feet on a stack of books and lean against the shelves. I drift someplace between awake and asleep, a pleasant middle ground that has no good name.
Sometime later-seconds or minutes, I don’t know-I hear the screams, the abrupt scuffle of desks and feet, and a sudden chorus of pained cries. “Help!” someone yells over the din.
And then as quickly as it all begins, silence resumes, and I wonder if I’ve imagined it. My paralysis lifts quickly, and I scramble to the door, tipping the bucket over in my haste. I trip on the handle and catch myself before I land on my face. My hand is on the doorknob when I hear it: Mrs. McClain’s voice is plain, calm, and strangely indifferent, like she’s talking about her bunions.
“He’s got a gun,” she says. “Nobody move.”
FTC Advisory: Sourcebooks Fire provided me with a copy of The Predicteds. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Read
September 19, 2011When I first read about The Predicteds, I thought I had it figured out. I dropped it into a category, thinking ‘it sounds like Minority Report‘. But oh, how wrong I was. Because while the premise is similar, The Predicteds is unlike anything you’ve read or seen before.
Daphne is the only point of view in this book. She’s a junior at a new school. Her first week she almost dies once, is threatened with violence and/or death once, and meets a hot guy in glasses who saves her both times. So already it’s shaping up to be a great year, as you can tell. And this is all in the first chapter!
The book’s plot quickly picks up after PROFILE is mentioned for the first time. Daphne has no knowledge of this program since she wasn’t attending this ISD when they were tested, so we get to learn about PROFILE at the same time that she does. The program itself is one of those that sound great in theory, but trying to predict human behavior is, as Stephen Hawking said in Black Holes, Baby Universes and Other Essays, ”just too difficult.” Of course he was trying to prove free will in the essay where he mentions this, but the theory behind behavior prediction is sound. Without knowing the fundamental equations that govern the brain, we are unable to use them to predict human behavior. But with PROFILE, those fundamental equations were found. So the question becomes, is it a ‘prediction’ if you know about it beforehand? Are you fulfilling your ‘destiny’ or making choices based on what you already think will happen regardless?
Amazingly, The Predicteds only deals with PROFILE on the fringe of the main plot, which centers around Jesse and Daphne as she tries to figure him out. There’s an entire violent mystery story going on during the unveiling of PROFILE at this high school that Daphne is unwillingly caught up in, which keeps your attention just as much as the sub-plot of what’s going on with the “Predicteds”.
The humor in this book (yes, there’s humor!) was very sly. There were several times I was surprised by the witty one-liners, usually about Daphne’s mom, which had me laughing quite loudly. As I read the majority of this book on an airplane, I would like to take a moment to apologize to the people sitting near me. These moments helped lightened my mood as I read and worried over all the characters I’d grown attached to, Jesse in particular. (It’s the glasses… and the skinny tie… I was imagining a young Zachary Quinto the entire time. I mean, just look at this picture, then read this book and tell me you don’t see it too.)
Anyway, the only thing I wasn’t too keen on was the ending. It was very open-ended, as far as PROFILE was concerned. Christine Seifert could very well take this idea and spin an entire series off it, basing it in different schools across the nation as one teen or a teenage couple deal with the outcome of the PROFILE tests while laying down an overall arc that reaches an amazing complex in the last book when the characters from the first book (meaning Daphne, Jesse and maybe even Daphne’s mom) take down the entire system! Clearly Christine and I (like that won’t get confusing at all) need to have a talk about future plot lines for what could be an awesome series.
When I interviewed Christine, she did say she wanted to go deeper into the new world PROFILE establishes, so we should definitely talk.
Overall, fascinating premise both psychologically and emotionally, great set-up for a series, super cute male interest… my recommendation? You should read this.
The Predicteds is published through Sourcebooks and available in bookstores nationwide and anywhere they sell books online, so go read it!
Reviewed at WhatchYAreading on Sept 13, 2011.
Daphne is the only point of view in this book. She’s a junior at a new school. Her first week she almost dies once, is threatened with violence and/or death once, and meets a hot guy in glasses who saves her both times. So already it’s shaping up to be a great year, as you can tell. And this is all in the first chapter!
The book’s plot quickly picks up after PROFILE is mentioned for the first time. Daphne has no knowledge of this program since she wasn’t attending this ISD when they were tested, so we get to learn about PROFILE at the same time that she does. The program itself is one of those that sound great in theory, but trying to predict human behavior is, as Stephen Hawking said in Black Holes, Baby Universes and Other Essays, ”just too difficult.” Of course he was trying to prove free will in the essay where he mentions this, but the theory behind behavior prediction is sound. Without knowing the fundamental equations that govern the brain, we are unable to use them to predict human behavior. But with PROFILE, those fundamental equations were found. So the question becomes, is it a ‘prediction’ if you know about it beforehand? Are you fulfilling your ‘destiny’ or making choices based on what you already think will happen regardless?
Amazingly, The Predicteds only deals with PROFILE on the fringe of the main plot, which centers around Jesse and Daphne as she tries to figure him out. There’s an entire violent mystery story going on during the unveiling of PROFILE at this high school that Daphne is unwillingly caught up in, which keeps your attention just as much as the sub-plot of what’s going on with the “Predicteds”.
The humor in this book (yes, there’s humor!) was very sly. There were several times I was surprised by the witty one-liners, usually about Daphne’s mom, which had me laughing quite loudly. As I read the majority of this book on an airplane, I would like to take a moment to apologize to the people sitting near me. These moments helped lightened my mood as I read and worried over all the characters I’d grown attached to, Jesse in particular. (It’s the glasses… and the skinny tie… I was imagining a young Zachary Quinto the entire time. I mean, just look at this picture, then read this book and tell me you don’t see it too.)
Anyway, the only thing I wasn’t too keen on was the ending. It was very open-ended, as far as PROFILE was concerned. Christine Seifert could very well take this idea and spin an entire series off it, basing it in different schools across the nation as one teen or a teenage couple deal with the outcome of the PROFILE tests while laying down an overall arc that reaches an amazing complex in the last book when the characters from the first book (meaning Daphne, Jesse and maybe even Daphne’s mom) take down the entire system! Clearly Christine and I (like that won’t get confusing at all) need to have a talk about future plot lines for what could be an awesome series.
When I interviewed Christine, she did say she wanted to go deeper into the new world PROFILE establishes, so we should definitely talk.
Overall, fascinating premise both psychologically and emotionally, great set-up for a series, super cute male interest… my recommendation? You should read this.
The Predicteds is published through Sourcebooks and available in bookstores nationwide and anywhere they sell books online, so go read it!
Reviewed at WhatchYAreading on Sept 13, 2011.
August 28, 2011
Originally posted at Fragments of Life.
The Predicteds started with a gun-wielding student terrorizing his fellow students at Quiet High. After the incident, the people of Quiet want to make sure that nothing like that happens again. It was a good thing that the students at the high school were tested for PROFILE. PROFILE was the work of Dr. Melissa Wright, Daphne’s mom.
PROFILE allowed experts to find out if a person was capable of committing violent crimes in the future or if the person had anti-social tendencies and problems. Once the results were announced publicly, the student body of Quiet High was divided into two: the good students and the predicteds. The wall between them had instantly grown thick. It was scary how science could quickly change the perspective of many people in such a short time and how it could drastically change the lives of the predicteds.
I pretty much loved Daphne from the beginning. She was different, brave, smart, not-too-girly, rational and had a kind heart. Her voice was very distinct. I’ve learned to identify phrases as ‘Daphne phrases.’ She had a certain way of narrating, of reasoning of letting me see her story that I took delight in. In the beginning, she was saved by Jesse from the shooter. Her relationship with him was a complicated one, part sweet, part bitter. Jesse was the kind of guy who wasn’t really part of the popular crowd but didn’t fall under the outcast category, too. He was something else entirely. With a handsome face and a hot body that no girl could ignore, coupled with his charisma, he was an ideal dream boy. His gentleness and his concern had allowed him to break Daphne’s defenses. But when she realized that Jesse spent a lot of his time with January, a girl from school, she started to doubt that what they shared would last. Jesse was always on the run to rescue January from whatever trouble she was stuck in. Daphne couldn’t take it anymore.
As Daphne struggled to fit in, she adjusted to the personalities of her new circle of friends, accepted that Jesse made her girly and faced the truth that her mom refused to tell her about PROFILE. Daphne’s relationship with Melissa, her mom, was quite fascinating. Her friend, Dizzy, was absolute fun. Their friendship was tested by many issues about Jesse, PROFILE and the predicteds. The secondary characters also held my attention. They were varied, alive and entertaining. Josh, Jesse’ stepbrother, was really confusing. But I was generally annoyed at him eventhough he tried to be nice. January, the girl that Jesse always saved, was one of the most mysterious characters I’ve ever encountered.
The Predicteds is a joy to read. Told from a very suave manner, it was easy for me to dive into the story. I was addicted with it! The writing was wonderful. With the charm and beauty of Before I Fall, The Predicteds is a unique, witty, unpredicted and gorgeous sci-fi that reads like a contemporary that I’ll never ever forget. I highly recommend this to contemporary readers and science fiction/dystopia readers! Pick this up!
The Predicteds started with a gun-wielding student terrorizing his fellow students at Quiet High. After the incident, the people of Quiet want to make sure that nothing like that happens again. It was a good thing that the students at the high school were tested for PROFILE. PROFILE was the work of Dr. Melissa Wright, Daphne’s mom.
PROFILE allowed experts to find out if a person was capable of committing violent crimes in the future or if the person had anti-social tendencies and problems. Once the results were announced publicly, the student body of Quiet High was divided into two: the good students and the predicteds. The wall between them had instantly grown thick. It was scary how science could quickly change the perspective of many people in such a short time and how it could drastically change the lives of the predicteds.
I pretty much loved Daphne from the beginning. She was different, brave, smart, not-too-girly, rational and had a kind heart. Her voice was very distinct. I’ve learned to identify phrases as ‘Daphne phrases.’ She had a certain way of narrating, of reasoning of letting me see her story that I took delight in. In the beginning, she was saved by Jesse from the shooter. Her relationship with him was a complicated one, part sweet, part bitter. Jesse was the kind of guy who wasn’t really part of the popular crowd but didn’t fall under the outcast category, too. He was something else entirely. With a handsome face and a hot body that no girl could ignore, coupled with his charisma, he was an ideal dream boy. His gentleness and his concern had allowed him to break Daphne’s defenses. But when she realized that Jesse spent a lot of his time with January, a girl from school, she started to doubt that what they shared would last. Jesse was always on the run to rescue January from whatever trouble she was stuck in. Daphne couldn’t take it anymore.
As Daphne struggled to fit in, she adjusted to the personalities of her new circle of friends, accepted that Jesse made her girly and faced the truth that her mom refused to tell her about PROFILE. Daphne’s relationship with Melissa, her mom, was quite fascinating. Her friend, Dizzy, was absolute fun. Their friendship was tested by many issues about Jesse, PROFILE and the predicteds. The secondary characters also held my attention. They were varied, alive and entertaining. Josh, Jesse’ stepbrother, was really confusing. But I was generally annoyed at him eventhough he tried to be nice. January, the girl that Jesse always saved, was one of the most mysterious characters I’ve ever encountered.
The Predicteds is a joy to read. Told from a very suave manner, it was easy for me to dive into the story. I was addicted with it! The writing was wonderful. With the charm and beauty of Before I Fall, The Predicteds is a unique, witty, unpredicted and gorgeous sci-fi that reads like a contemporary that I’ll never ever forget. I highly recommend this to contemporary readers and science fiction/dystopia readers! Pick this up!
September 12, 2011
Title: The Predicteds
Author: Christine Seifert
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pub Date: 09-01-2011
My Copy: Got an ARC From Publisher for an honest review
Book Synopsis: Daphne is the new girl in town and is having trouble fitting in. At least she has Jesse... sort of. He wants to be more than "just friends," but there's something he's not telling her about his past. Something dangerous. When a female student is brutally attacked, police turn to PROFILE, a new program that can predict a student's capacity for drug use, pregnancy, and violent behavior, to solve the case. As the witch hunt ensues, Daphne is forced to question her feelings for Jesse-and what she will do if her first love turns out to be a killer.
Book Review:
This book had an intriguing concept that sounded like it would be something that I would enjoy.
The Heroine was interesting enough.
I felt that this book had an excellent beginning, but I felt like the author borrowed from real life incidents, like Columbine with the shooting that the readers read right in the beginning of the book. Daphne, the main character is placed in real danger. This was particularly strong.
It made me feel like this book had potential.
A good beginning always makes me think that the book will go someplace amazing. This was not the case. What this book did well, was make the heroine find herself in some dangerous situations, but they were sporadic in the books. I felt like they were thrown in just to enhance the story, but didn't.
Also some of these scenes reminded me like society was changing and that people were discriminating against the Predicteds, who are a group of people whose behavior is predicted, and then they are kept in a separate section. What was interesting, was how this affected Daphne who didn't stand up for them, but rather when she did, she was ostracized.
The ending made me think that the Predicteds story was being ignored because the book is told by Daphne, a non predicted story. The love story didn't amaze me. I thought there was no chemistry between Daphne and Jesse.
Not to mention the book kind of seemed in some ways that the normal people were cliquish and I just hated that about high school. It seemed like there were mean girls and that these girls were featured a lot.
I just found this book okay. Overall it was okay. The themes were okay. The writing was okay. Thought there were a lot of themes, but it didn't work for me. I just found it to be lacking. Not for me personally.
Not so much adoration, but an okay adoration.
Author: Christine Seifert
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pub Date: 09-01-2011
My Copy: Got an ARC From Publisher for an honest review
Book Synopsis: Daphne is the new girl in town and is having trouble fitting in. At least she has Jesse... sort of. He wants to be more than "just friends," but there's something he's not telling her about his past. Something dangerous. When a female student is brutally attacked, police turn to PROFILE, a new program that can predict a student's capacity for drug use, pregnancy, and violent behavior, to solve the case. As the witch hunt ensues, Daphne is forced to question her feelings for Jesse-and what she will do if her first love turns out to be a killer.
Book Review:
This book had an intriguing concept that sounded like it would be something that I would enjoy.
The Heroine was interesting enough.
I felt that this book had an excellent beginning, but I felt like the author borrowed from real life incidents, like Columbine with the shooting that the readers read right in the beginning of the book. Daphne, the main character is placed in real danger. This was particularly strong.
It made me feel like this book had potential.
A good beginning always makes me think that the book will go someplace amazing. This was not the case. What this book did well, was make the heroine find herself in some dangerous situations, but they were sporadic in the books. I felt like they were thrown in just to enhance the story, but didn't.
Also some of these scenes reminded me like society was changing and that people were discriminating against the Predicteds, who are a group of people whose behavior is predicted, and then they are kept in a separate section. What was interesting, was how this affected Daphne who didn't stand up for them, but rather when she did, she was ostracized.
The ending made me think that the Predicteds story was being ignored because the book is told by Daphne, a non predicted story. The love story didn't amaze me. I thought there was no chemistry between Daphne and Jesse.
Not to mention the book kind of seemed in some ways that the normal people were cliquish and I just hated that about high school. It seemed like there were mean girls and that these girls were featured a lot.
I just found this book okay. Overall it was okay. The themes were okay. The writing was okay. Thought there were a lot of themes, but it didn't work for me. I just found it to be lacking. Not for me personally.
Not so much adoration, but an okay adoration.
September 13, 2011
The idea for this book amazed me. What would you do if we could early profile criminals and seek out their intentions early on in life to keep watch before they commit the crime? That is exactly what this book is based on. You take a bunch of high school kids, ask them some questions and the lab spits out a list of whom would be “The Predicted“.
The premise of this book very much intrigued me. To comprehend actually being able to do this had me on the fence. On one hand it would be great to shove the would be criminals to the side and never have to worry about violence. On the other hand , the world would turn into chaos and those poor people would get thrown into a category without even doing anything wrong yet. This is exactly how the book is portrayed.
Daphne is having a hard time wrestling with herself about her feelings on “The Predicteds“. She does not know what to feel or think. Especially when the love of her life may be just like them. Does she follow in the path of her friends and everyone else around her or does she create her own footsteps and step out of the box?
This book was very enjoyable and it definitely made me think. The characters were an interesting blend and the romance was unique. There was no mushy gushy love story, but an honest to goodness relationship filled with doubt and questioning.
I highly recommend this book! I have to say that one of my favorite parts of the book were the intros to each chapter. The interviews were interesting and let the reader in on a little bit more about each character.
“What else did he say?” Jesse insists, and for the second time ever, I feel uneasy with him.
“Nothing,” I say.
“Daphne, they say I’m predicted, but there has to be some mistake. That’s not who I am.”
“I’m hearing a lot about who you are.”
“And you’re saying that you believe it all?”
“Jesse, I don’t know.”
The premise of this book very much intrigued me. To comprehend actually being able to do this had me on the fence. On one hand it would be great to shove the would be criminals to the side and never have to worry about violence. On the other hand , the world would turn into chaos and those poor people would get thrown into a category without even doing anything wrong yet. This is exactly how the book is portrayed.
Daphne is having a hard time wrestling with herself about her feelings on “The Predicteds“. She does not know what to feel or think. Especially when the love of her life may be just like them. Does she follow in the path of her friends and everyone else around her or does she create her own footsteps and step out of the box?
This book was very enjoyable and it definitely made me think. The characters were an interesting blend and the romance was unique. There was no mushy gushy love story, but an honest to goodness relationship filled with doubt and questioning.
I highly recommend this book! I have to say that one of my favorite parts of the book were the intros to each chapter. The interviews were interesting and let the reader in on a little bit more about each character.
“What else did he say?” Jesse insists, and for the second time ever, I feel uneasy with him.
“Nothing,” I say.
“Daphne, they say I’m predicted, but there has to be some mistake. That’s not who I am.”
“I’m hearing a lot about who you are.”
“And you’re saying that you believe it all?”
“Jesse, I don’t know.”
September 1, 2011
This book is a delicious blend of Sci-Fi and contemporary that I’ve yet to see rivaled. It took me a few chapters to get into this book, but I was so glad I stuck with it. Catherine Seifert has come up with a plot so ingenious, I couldn’t help but be amazed. It’s fresh and original in every aspect.
Honestly I think the initial problem was that I found the first few chapters somewhat erratic and a bit frustrating because I wanted more detail. I felt like Seifert was bypassing the characters’ backgrounds in order to get to the meat of the story. But once I got past that and Seifert really started digging in and getting into what PROFILE was, I was hooked. Maybe the most powerful part was I could see PROFILE becoming a very real possibility – monitoring the brain and making educated guesses as to how a person will behave. It’s something out of a conspiracy theorists handbook.
Daphne, as the lead character, was a good narrator. She had me scratching my head several times in the beginning, but there was something charming about her snark and wit that made me keep reading. By the middle of the book I truly warmed to her and by the end I adored her. Jesse, on the other hand, I fell for almost immediately. He’s a guy I would love to know in real life, and the way Seifert writes them together is golden. They’re real and magical all at once.
I went into this book thinking I was getting a dystopian (because doesn’t that seem to be the trend nowadays?), and was pleasantly surprised when this book wasn’t that cut and dried. It kinda of caught me off guard—in a good way. There are several twists and turns that literally made my jaw drop. Seifert came up with a dynamite plot and backed it up with fun, vibrant characters. I recommend Sci-Fi fans, dystopian fans, and contemporary fans check this one out ASAP.
Honestly I think the initial problem was that I found the first few chapters somewhat erratic and a bit frustrating because I wanted more detail. I felt like Seifert was bypassing the characters’ backgrounds in order to get to the meat of the story. But once I got past that and Seifert really started digging in and getting into what PROFILE was, I was hooked. Maybe the most powerful part was I could see PROFILE becoming a very real possibility – monitoring the brain and making educated guesses as to how a person will behave. It’s something out of a conspiracy theorists handbook.
Daphne, as the lead character, was a good narrator. She had me scratching my head several times in the beginning, but there was something charming about her snark and wit that made me keep reading. By the middle of the book I truly warmed to her and by the end I adored her. Jesse, on the other hand, I fell for almost immediately. He’s a guy I would love to know in real life, and the way Seifert writes them together is golden. They’re real and magical all at once.
I went into this book thinking I was getting a dystopian (because doesn’t that seem to be the trend nowadays?), and was pleasantly surprised when this book wasn’t that cut and dried. It kinda of caught me off guard—in a good way. There are several twists and turns that literally made my jaw drop. Seifert came up with a dynamite plot and backed it up with fun, vibrant characters. I recommend Sci-Fi fans, dystopian fans, and contemporary fans check this one out ASAP.
August 18, 2011
The Predicteds by Christine Seifert follows Daphne who has just moved to Quiet Oklahoma. On her first day at the new school she is involved in a school shooting where she is saved by Jesse who shoves her in a cabinet and disables the attacker. Soon after the attack rumblings happen in the town that his behavior was "predicted". Daphne soon finds out that her mother was the creator of a program that was given to students in the town that could predict if a teen will commit an act of violence, abuse drugs or become a teen parent. The names of the students that are predicted will soon come out and rock the small town.
This book had a very original premise. I initially thought that it would be a dystopian novel but it was more of a contemporary novel with an added twist and the majority of the book read like a regular contemporary novel with a bit of a romance and mystery. The book had some major problems that were mostly character related. While Daphne was fleshed out fairly well everyone else was like a caricature of popular high school kids and while Daphne seems to want nothing to do with these popular kids they keep pushing and pushing into her life (while also warning her that she could do things that would make her unpopular). I think if Daphne's social situation had been a little different and she'd had anyone that she could confide in (and that she didn't feel superior to) it would have made it easier to relate to her and it would have made for a better read.
Appropriateness: There was quite a bit of drinking, lots of gossipy sex talk and an attempted rape (which doesn't get very far and is not traumatic). The characters are all older high schoolers and act their age. I would recommend this book for teens 14+
This book had a very original premise. I initially thought that it would be a dystopian novel but it was more of a contemporary novel with an added twist and the majority of the book read like a regular contemporary novel with a bit of a romance and mystery. The book had some major problems that were mostly character related. While Daphne was fleshed out fairly well everyone else was like a caricature of popular high school kids and while Daphne seems to want nothing to do with these popular kids they keep pushing and pushing into her life (while also warning her that she could do things that would make her unpopular). I think if Daphne's social situation had been a little different and she'd had anyone that she could confide in (and that she didn't feel superior to) it would have made it easier to relate to her and it would have made for a better read.
Appropriateness: There was quite a bit of drinking, lots of gossipy sex talk and an attempted rape (which doesn't get very far and is not traumatic). The characters are all older high schoolers and act their age. I would recommend this book for teens 14+
August 28, 2011
THE PREDICTEDS is a skillfully crafted YA debut that is sure to intrigue readers. Going into THE PREDICTEDS, I was expecting a dystopian novel, but what I got was definitely not that. It is more of a contemporary novel with a few unique concepts thrown in that give it a bit of a sci-fi feel. It took awhile for the story to take off, but once it did, I was glued to the pages! And while there were a few minor annoyances, I was able to enjoy the overall story.
Daphne was a bit confusing to me. She seemed really detached and unemotional so it was really hard for me to connect with her in the beginning. Luckily, in the middle some of her ice began to thaw and I was able to understand her and her motives more. I really didn't like who she decided to be "friends" with, though. The whole group was so awful and mean yet she kept hanging out with them. That just really didn't fit with who Daphne claimed to be. I did like her willingness to speak what was on her mind, even if it wasn't what others wanted to hear. That made me appreciate her much more as a person.
Jesse was definitely swoon-worthy. He is one of those guys who will do anything for you, even if it means risking his life. He is a true knight in shining armor! I really loved how he treated Daphne. He was such a sweetheart to her, even when she probably didn't deserve it. Even knowing he was a predicted, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from falling for him, just like Daphne.
I really enjoyed THE PREDICTEDS overall, even though it took awhile for the story to really get going. It is a very intriguing YA debut that will have you hooked!
Daphne was a bit confusing to me. She seemed really detached and unemotional so it was really hard for me to connect with her in the beginning. Luckily, in the middle some of her ice began to thaw and I was able to understand her and her motives more. I really didn't like who she decided to be "friends" with, though. The whole group was so awful and mean yet she kept hanging out with them. That just really didn't fit with who Daphne claimed to be. I did like her willingness to speak what was on her mind, even if it wasn't what others wanted to hear. That made me appreciate her much more as a person.
Jesse was definitely swoon-worthy. He is one of those guys who will do anything for you, even if it means risking his life. He is a true knight in shining armor! I really loved how he treated Daphne. He was such a sweetheart to her, even when she probably didn't deserve it. Even knowing he was a predicted, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from falling for him, just like Daphne.
I really enjoyed THE PREDICTEDS overall, even though it took awhile for the story to really get going. It is a very intriguing YA debut that will have you hooked!
September 1, 2011
I was so excited to read this book, I bought the paperback version as the Kindle version wasn't available until September - and I'm so glad I did.
My 5-star ratings are indications of two things: Would I read this book again and buy copies for others? and, Did I find myself thinking about the characters in random parts of the day? This book was a resounding YES! on both accounts.
The story is about a small community in Oklahoma, specifically it's high school students, which have been pilot testers for a new program called PREDICTED. Predicted is a way to assess what people are capable of in the future - violence, drug abuse, antisocial behaviors, and more. The main character is Daphne, who later finds out her boyfriend is a PREDICTED. From the very first chapter, I was drawn in to the world of Daphne and Quiet High. It's full of action, teenage angst, and a mystery in which I was never fully able to guess until the end. Although it's genre is Young Adult, I enjoyed it immensely and thought Seifert's understanding of teenagers was spot on. It reminds me of a morph between Hunger Games, Twilight, Water for Elephants, and the movie Minority Report.
It's a fun, quick read. I loved the vivid descriptions of the characters (you feel like you know each of them) and the one-liners are often laugh-out-loud worthy which come when you least expect them.
It's amazing this is a first novel from Seifert, and I look forward to reading more from her. A GREAT READ!
My 5-star ratings are indications of two things: Would I read this book again and buy copies for others? and, Did I find myself thinking about the characters in random parts of the day? This book was a resounding YES! on both accounts.
The story is about a small community in Oklahoma, specifically it's high school students, which have been pilot testers for a new program called PREDICTED. Predicted is a way to assess what people are capable of in the future - violence, drug abuse, antisocial behaviors, and more. The main character is Daphne, who later finds out her boyfriend is a PREDICTED. From the very first chapter, I was drawn in to the world of Daphne and Quiet High. It's full of action, teenage angst, and a mystery in which I was never fully able to guess until the end. Although it's genre is Young Adult, I enjoyed it immensely and thought Seifert's understanding of teenagers was spot on. It reminds me of a morph between Hunger Games, Twilight, Water for Elephants, and the movie Minority Report.
It's a fun, quick read. I loved the vivid descriptions of the characters (you feel like you know each of them) and the one-liners are often laugh-out-loud worthy which come when you least expect them.
It's amazing this is a first novel from Seifert, and I look forward to reading more from her. A GREAT READ!
November 25, 2011
I was really disappointed in this book. It could've been so much more than it is. I found it painfully predictable and it didn't live up at all to the way it was described. It felt as if Christine Seifert took a bunch of random situations, such as a school shooting, and tried to string them all together to fit this PROFILE test plot line.
I expected it to be more futuristic, but it was instead set in a modern high school. I liked that at first, until it took 215 pages for them to even begin addressing the results of the PROFILE testing. The book seemed to focus solely on Daphne and Jesse's relationship which made it feel almost Twilight-esque to me. The PROFILE testing could've been expanded upon so much more and created a great book, even a great series. Unfortunately it was just a sappy, predictable teen romance with a poorly fleshed out plot.
Long story short, this could've been an amazing book. It had an original plot and the potential to go places, but unfortunately it got stuck in the same young adult, romance, "Oh he's so mysterious!" schlock that's being churned out these days. It was an alright book, but certainly not one I'd recommend.
I expected it to be more futuristic, but it was instead set in a modern high school. I liked that at first, until it took 215 pages for them to even begin addressing the results of the PROFILE testing. The book seemed to focus solely on Daphne and Jesse's relationship which made it feel almost Twilight-esque to me. The PROFILE testing could've been expanded upon so much more and created a great book, even a great series. Unfortunately it was just a sappy, predictable teen romance with a poorly fleshed out plot.
Long story short, this could've been an amazing book. It had an original plot and the potential to go places, but unfortunately it got stuck in the same young adult, romance, "Oh he's so mysterious!" schlock that's being churned out these days. It was an alright book, but certainly not one I'd recommend.
June 14, 2013
Wouldn't you like to know if there is something evil inside of you that may turn you into a serial killer?
I would not.
Wouldn't you like to know if the guy you are falling for is as good as he seems to be?
Definitely and preferably before falling head over heels and making a fool of myself.
This is what The Predicteds is about .Predicting a disastrous outcome and (I guess) trying to prevent it from happening.I predicted the way the book was going to end but getting it right didn't make me enjoy the book less.
Mini-guide:
Daphne: The usual YA girl, not too pretty or too ugly,average intelligence and a tendency to get into trouble.
Jesse: The usual YA hottie ,too good to be true .
Dizzy: The usual YA friend/frenemy/friend again.
The Predicted (a.k.a. Lifers): people who are likely to commit violent crimes.
The confirmed : predicteds who have already committed a crime.
The Lifer-lovers: "regular"people who like predicted people.
www.theleisurediaries.blogspot.es
I would not.
Wouldn't you like to know if the guy you are falling for is as good as he seems to be?
Definitely and preferably before falling head over heels and making a fool of myself.
This is what The Predicteds is about .Predicting a disastrous outcome and (I guess) trying to prevent it from happening.I predicted the way the book was going to end but getting it right didn't make me enjoy the book less.
Mini-guide:
Daphne: The usual YA girl, not too pretty or too ugly,average intelligence and a tendency to get into trouble.
Jesse: The usual YA hottie ,too good to be true .
Dizzy: The usual YA friend/frenemy/friend again.
The Predicted (a.k.a. Lifers): people who are likely to commit violent crimes.
The confirmed : predicteds who have already committed a crime.
The Lifer-lovers: "regular"people who like predicted people.
www.theleisurediaries.blogspot.es
August 21, 2011
First off, kudos to Ms. Seifert for using a first person POV, which is really difficult to do well. Secondly, I had to think about this review a bit, primarily because the novel is more complex and thought provoking than the average YA novel that I pick up. I am intrigued by the fictional novel that also explores moral and ethical questions. Yes, the characters in this piece were engaging, and, yes, there was a fun YA romance going on, but what I liked about this novel was its presentation and exploration of themes so pertinent to life in high school or elsewhere. The idea of a predetermined future or of judging the people that surround us based on preconceived notions is explored well in this novel as is the complexity of relationships. I appreciated that the author didn't gloss over important moral and ethical questions thus treating YA readers as less capable of questioning their own moral and ethical decisions. Overall, the pacing was consistent, the writing intelligent with a dry humor, and the conclusion offered a twist worthy of a classic.
January 3, 2012
The Predicteds was a great book to read. How would you act if you one of your classmates were predicted to be a killer in the future? That is the question. The kids at QH have all taken a test to determine what type of person they will be in the future. Theives, president, killer?? Can you really predict what people will become by a few questions in their teens..... I liked the storyline of how once people thought they knew what someone was - it changed their way of looking at them. One day a friend, the next a "predicted". The chemistry between Daphne and Jesse are up and down , but there is always a constant charge between them that draws them together. (I thought Jesse was a good guy!!) It is a page turner- I stayed up till the wee hours trying to finish the book.
August 20, 2011
I don't usually review the books I read, but this one I need to, since I couldn't put this book down since I started reading it! The story is so compelling, and I thought it was also very different from the usual YA novels that I read. The suspense was killer, and even though some things you could predict (hehe) that would happen since the beginning, the twists in the plot were always surprising. I was sad when I finished the book, I wanted to keep getting to know the story of those fantastic characters, or at least, to read more books from Christine Seifert. I loved the book, and I recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 222 reviews