What do you think?
Rate this book
Hostage Three
From the author of the Michael L. Printz award–winning novel In Darkness comes a critically-acclaimed, fast-paced thriller that's as dangerous as the seas on which it's set.
The last thing Amy planned to do this summer was sail around the world trapped on a yacht with her father and her stepmother. Really, all she wanted was to fast-forward to October when she'll turn
eighteen and take control of her own life.
Aboard the Daisy May , Amy spends time sunbathing, dolphin watching and forgetting the past as everything floats by . . . until one day in the Gulf of Aden another boat appears. A boat with guns and pirates – the kind that kill.
Immediately, the pirates seize the boat and its human cargo. Hostage One is Amy's father – the most valuable. Hostage her stepmother. And Hostage Three is Amy, who can't believe what's happening. As the ransom brokering plays out, Amy finds herself becoming less afraid, and even
stranger still, drawn to one of her captors, a teenage boy who wants desperately to be more than who he has become. Suddenly it becomes brutally clear that the price of life and its value are two very different things . . .
The last thing Amy planned to do this summer was sail around the world trapped on a yacht with her father and her stepmother. Really, all she wanted was to fast-forward to October when she'll turn
eighteen and take control of her own life.
Aboard the Daisy May , Amy spends time sunbathing, dolphin watching and forgetting the past as everything floats by . . . until one day in the Gulf of Aden another boat appears. A boat with guns and pirates – the kind that kill.
Immediately, the pirates seize the boat and its human cargo. Hostage One is Amy's father – the most valuable. Hostage her stepmother. And Hostage Three is Amy, who can't believe what's happening. As the ransom brokering plays out, Amy finds herself becoming less afraid, and even
stranger still, drawn to one of her captors, a teenage boy who wants desperately to be more than who he has become. Suddenly it becomes brutally clear that the price of life and its value are two very different things . . .
369 pages, Hardcover
First published December 20, 2012
69 people are currently reading
3400 people want to read
About the author
Nick Lake
21 books455 followersMy name is Nick and I write and edit books for young adults. My first YA novel IN DARKNESS, was published by Bloomsbury in 2012 and won the Michael L Printz Award for Excellence in YA Literature. I also wrote a book called HOSTAGE THREE about a girl kidnapped by Somali pirates.
THERE WILL BE LIES is coming in January 15 and is about a girl who learns that everything she knows is a lie. To say it's a book with a twist in the story would be a massive understatement. There is also a talking coyote in it.
I live with my wife, daughter and son in a 16th century house in England with almost 19th century amenities. Sometimes the heating even works.
I like: reading, art, music, food containing sugar, cities at night, the countryside in the daytime, vintage furniture, modern standards of heating (see above), travelling.
I dislike: being sick, failing, being underdressed in the cold, being overdressed in the heat, the unnecessary suffering of children, being punched in the face.
THERE WILL BE LIES is coming in January 15 and is about a girl who learns that everything she knows is a lie. To say it's a book with a twist in the story would be a massive understatement. There is also a talking coyote in it.
I live with my wife, daughter and son in a 16th century house in England with almost 19th century amenities. Sometimes the heating even works.
I like: reading, art, music, food containing sugar, cities at night, the countryside in the daytime, vintage furniture, modern standards of heating (see above), travelling.
I dislike: being sick, failing, being underdressed in the cold, being overdressed in the heat, the unnecessary suffering of children, being punched in the face.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 348 reviews
July 29, 2013
I had a great (IMHO) review all planned out for this novel. Unfortunately, inspiration struck just as I was falling asleep, so that review has been gobbled up by my subconscious and try as I might, I can’t seem to recover that pithy first paragraph.
So apologies for the following review, which is going to be scrounged from memory.
A novel that successfully explores a captor/captive narrative from both sides is a difficult thing to achieve, particularly when it’s a story that involves the development of understanding, or sympathy, between the parties. Whether you want to label this Stockholm Syndrome, or human empathy, or lust, or risk-taking behaviour – writing about how such a situation could arise in a realistic and sensitive fashion is a heavy undertaking. In Hostage Three, Nick Lake achieves this with limited success.
The story is related from the viewpoint of Amy, who has embarked on a round world sailing trip with her father and step-mother when their yacht is seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia. It’s established early in the novel that Amy – while extremely wealthy and privileged – is wrestling with some demons in the form of her mother’s suicide, her poor relationship with her father and his subsequent remarriage.
Amy views herself as unremarkable. A talented musician, she’s given up the violin after her mother’s death, and her prevailing attitude toward her life and future is one of apathy. When the story opens, she’s got herself some facial piercings, lit a cigarette in her final exam in order to be deliberately removed from it, goes clubbing – but it’s clear that these actions stem largely from a desire for her father’s attention. Initially wary of the suggestion of a family holiday, Amy realises it’s an opportunity to secure some of his time and goes along with the plan with some tentative hope beneath her sullen façade.
Enter the Somali pirates, or Coast Guard, as they call themselves.
What Lake does most successfully with this novel is juxtapose Amy’s life of material comfort and ease with that of the Somalis’ daily struggle to survive. Credit where credit is due, Lake does a good job of explaining how piracy has become a business, a way of life, and the pragmatic, transactional approach many of the pirates take to their work. This isn’t merely for the benefit of the reader; as Amy herself gradually gains insight into the Somalis’ lives, she begins to understand, if not sympathise with their situation. Being caught in this mental quicksand of being a hostage while relating to her captors is further complicated when Amy starts to feel an attraction to young translator, Farouz.
It could have all gone horribly wrong here, and I’ll admit I experienced a moment of knee-jerk “ugh” the first time Amy mentions checking out Farouz’s body or whatever, fearing that the story was going to launch into some kind of star-crossed-love mawkishness. And while a relationship of some kind does develop here, it’s important to note that neither Lake nor Amy try to convince the reader that this is “love”. It’s always clear that this is an intense, unstable situation involving a character who cannot entirely trust her feelings.
Despite this, I found the execution of Amy’s emotional journey somewhat lacking. It wasn’t quite enough to pull off the scenario the novel presents convincingly.
I can’t help but compare Hostage Three to Stolen by Lucy Christopher, where the main character’s mental and emotional arc was all too vivid and believable. In Hostage Three, I never quite felt Amy’s psychological trauma was communicated as strongly as necessary to make the story work. Although the story is related in her words, there’s a distance from Amy, and connecting with her emotions is vital to invest in the conflict. In theory, I feel like I understand what Nick Lake was attempting to convey. In reality, it just wasn’t there for me.
Amy’s growth, including the development of her relationship with her father, her comprehension of who her mother was a person, and working through her feelings of guilt and regret are slightly better handled.
However, probably the strongest elements of the novel are in Lake’s portrayal of life in Somalia through the characters and their stories. Farouz recounts how he came to be involved with the coast guard, including fragments of a harrowing escape from Mogadishu and the cost of his survival.
Despite the risk of this becoming a story about how a rich white girl learns a valuable life lesson from the less-fortunate, Lake avoids this by taking care to balance this story between the characters. On the surface, it’s Amy’s story, yet it becomes more than this as it unfolds and concludes. Though I found the execution of Hostage Three’s central premise hit and miss, it has piqued my interest in picking up his Printz-winning In Darkness.
So apologies for the following review, which is going to be scrounged from memory.
A novel that successfully explores a captor/captive narrative from both sides is a difficult thing to achieve, particularly when it’s a story that involves the development of understanding, or sympathy, between the parties. Whether you want to label this Stockholm Syndrome, or human empathy, or lust, or risk-taking behaviour – writing about how such a situation could arise in a realistic and sensitive fashion is a heavy undertaking. In Hostage Three, Nick Lake achieves this with limited success.
The story is related from the viewpoint of Amy, who has embarked on a round world sailing trip with her father and step-mother when their yacht is seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia. It’s established early in the novel that Amy – while extremely wealthy and privileged – is wrestling with some demons in the form of her mother’s suicide, her poor relationship with her father and his subsequent remarriage.
Amy views herself as unremarkable. A talented musician, she’s given up the violin after her mother’s death, and her prevailing attitude toward her life and future is one of apathy. When the story opens, she’s got herself some facial piercings, lit a cigarette in her final exam in order to be deliberately removed from it, goes clubbing – but it’s clear that these actions stem largely from a desire for her father’s attention. Initially wary of the suggestion of a family holiday, Amy realises it’s an opportunity to secure some of his time and goes along with the plan with some tentative hope beneath her sullen façade.
Enter the Somali pirates, or Coast Guard, as they call themselves.
What Lake does most successfully with this novel is juxtapose Amy’s life of material comfort and ease with that of the Somalis’ daily struggle to survive. Credit where credit is due, Lake does a good job of explaining how piracy has become a business, a way of life, and the pragmatic, transactional approach many of the pirates take to their work. This isn’t merely for the benefit of the reader; as Amy herself gradually gains insight into the Somalis’ lives, she begins to understand, if not sympathise with their situation. Being caught in this mental quicksand of being a hostage while relating to her captors is further complicated when Amy starts to feel an attraction to young translator, Farouz.
It could have all gone horribly wrong here, and I’ll admit I experienced a moment of knee-jerk “ugh” the first time Amy mentions checking out Farouz’s body or whatever, fearing that the story was going to launch into some kind of star-crossed-love mawkishness. And while a relationship of some kind does develop here, it’s important to note that neither Lake nor Amy try to convince the reader that this is “love”. It’s always clear that this is an intense, unstable situation involving a character who cannot entirely trust her feelings.
Despite this, I found the execution of Amy’s emotional journey somewhat lacking. It wasn’t quite enough to pull off the scenario the novel presents convincingly.
I can’t help but compare Hostage Three to Stolen by Lucy Christopher, where the main character’s mental and emotional arc was all too vivid and believable. In Hostage Three, I never quite felt Amy’s psychological trauma was communicated as strongly as necessary to make the story work. Although the story is related in her words, there’s a distance from Amy, and connecting with her emotions is vital to invest in the conflict. In theory, I feel like I understand what Nick Lake was attempting to convey. In reality, it just wasn’t there for me.
Amy’s growth, including the development of her relationship with her father, her comprehension of who her mother was a person, and working through her feelings of guilt and regret are slightly better handled.
However, probably the strongest elements of the novel are in Lake’s portrayal of life in Somalia through the characters and their stories. Farouz recounts how he came to be involved with the coast guard, including fragments of a harrowing escape from Mogadishu and the cost of his survival.
Despite the risk of this becoming a story about how a rich white girl learns a valuable life lesson from the less-fortunate, Lake avoids this by taking care to balance this story between the characters. On the surface, it’s Amy’s story, yet it becomes more than this as it unfolds and concludes. Though I found the execution of Hostage Three’s central premise hit and miss, it has piqued my interest in picking up his Printz-winning In Darkness.
December 14, 2015
Hostage Three first grabbed my attention with it's witty title. It made me question the seemingly easy read, and eventually forced me to dive into it- cluelessly. The plot to this book is something new. There is no dystopian society, no puzzle to solve, and not even a group of teens rebelling against their government. Hostage Three offers a story of a teenage girl named Amy. Though Amy's style is gothic and rebellious, she is still a harmless young girl at heart. I'm pretty sure many younger teens can relate to her personality. After her mother's death, her father had found a younger, prettier stepmother for her, who promises Amy the commitment of a mother. Obviously, Amy doesn't want anything to do with her new stepmother, until one day, Amy's father offers a trip... on a boat... around the world. But the one thing they were not prepared for, were the Somali pirates. Nick Lake shows how a teenage girl's life could change over one trip: how she could accept new family, and how she could even fall in love with a Somali pirate.
February 27, 2013
I didn't know that this book was by the same author as In Darkness until the very end, when I read the acknowledgements and found out, but now I can totally see the similarities, I have to say that I totally enjoyed Hostage Three a little more though because it was romantic, gritty and terrifying all in one.
The book starts near the end, with Amy in a boat with a gun aimed at her. Then we go a few months into the past and slowly we are introduced to Amy's ordinary life at school, her broken relationships with her father and step-mother and her rebellious lifestyle driven by her mother's recent death. Her wealthy father decides that maybe it's best if they 'get away' on his yacht and then suddenly we're thrown into the danger as Somalian pirates hijack the yacht and take the family and the boat staff as hostages.
But this isn't just a thriller, this book doesn't just use the pirates as the bad guys but makes them into something a lot more developed - they're relatable and you can kind of understand why they're doing this. Lake goes into the history of the pirates, showing how they turned to this and how they earn their money and actually, how nice they are to their hostages (minus the whole gun pointing at head thing). The hostages are fed, and are allowed to do as they please on the boat and the pirates are mostly all nice guys just trying to make a living.
Amy begins to fall for Farouz, a young, english-speaking pirate who tells Amy all about his past and his family and teaches Amy that actually, as mardy and spoilt as she is, she actually doesn't have it all that bad. I think this book hits so hard because the reader also begins to see the way these people live.
But a story like this can't have a happy ending can it? I honestly can't give anything away, but never has a book left me so heartbroken and touched. Lake may not have gone with the 'popular choice' for the ending, but in my opinion he went with the most honest and that really worked for me.
Overall, Hostage Three was a hard-hitting and gritty read, it was hard to get through at parts, but it isn't a thriller. This book has a tone of melancholy and hope that only Nck Lake can achieve. I am slowly but surely becoming a big fan of this author.
Overall Rating: B+
The book starts near the end, with Amy in a boat with a gun aimed at her. Then we go a few months into the past and slowly we are introduced to Amy's ordinary life at school, her broken relationships with her father and step-mother and her rebellious lifestyle driven by her mother's recent death. Her wealthy father decides that maybe it's best if they 'get away' on his yacht and then suddenly we're thrown into the danger as Somalian pirates hijack the yacht and take the family and the boat staff as hostages.
But this isn't just a thriller, this book doesn't just use the pirates as the bad guys but makes them into something a lot more developed - they're relatable and you can kind of understand why they're doing this. Lake goes into the history of the pirates, showing how they turned to this and how they earn their money and actually, how nice they are to their hostages (minus the whole gun pointing at head thing). The hostages are fed, and are allowed to do as they please on the boat and the pirates are mostly all nice guys just trying to make a living.
Amy begins to fall for Farouz, a young, english-speaking pirate who tells Amy all about his past and his family and teaches Amy that actually, as mardy and spoilt as she is, she actually doesn't have it all that bad. I think this book hits so hard because the reader also begins to see the way these people live.
But a story like this can't have a happy ending can it? I honestly can't give anything away, but never has a book left me so heartbroken and touched. Lake may not have gone with the 'popular choice' for the ending, but in my opinion he went with the most honest and that really worked for me.
Overall, Hostage Three was a hard-hitting and gritty read, it was hard to get through at parts, but it isn't a thriller. This book has a tone of melancholy and hope that only Nck Lake can achieve. I am slowly but surely becoming a big fan of this author.
Overall Rating: B+
March 31, 2016
This lacked something.... I felt no emotion towards the main character. She was, in my opinion, spoiled and stupid
October 24, 2016
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: A family adventure that takes a deadly turn, will they be able to survive the pirates?
Opening Sentence: “We stand on the diving platform of our yacht, in the brutal sunlight.”
Excerpt: No
The Review:
Amy ends up on on a yacht with her father, stepmother and three other people as they decided to spend a year sailing around the world. Things are going just fine until they come near the Somali coast and her dad informs her of all the protocol to avoid pirates. Amy is shocked to learn this could be a real problem, but when the first day goes okay she begins to think it really won’t be an issue. That is until the yacht is boarded by pirates and everything changes.
As the days pass and Amy gets closer to the teenage pirate, she wonders if they will get out of this alive, and what will happen when it is all over. During the course of being a hostage Amy also begins to deal with long standing issues that she hasn’t dealt with before now. She also begins to feel closer to her dad and her stepmother. Will they get ransomed or will they all end up dead?
I am going to knock out what I didn’t like. I felt like this had so much potential and it kind of felt very anti-climatic at the end. So it would have been higher in the ratings for me, but I was tad disappointed overall. My next minor issue was why I didn’t necessarily mind the romance between Amy and the pirate. It felt very unrealistic. It also turned what could have been a thrilling ride into a something more about romance.
Those things aside, it was really a interesting book and it sucked me in from the start. I really couldn’t read it fast enough to find out what was going on. No spoilers, but how it all plays out kind of contributes to my disappoint with the book. Amy was an interesting and somewhat unlikable main character at times, but I loved seeing her come to terms with her tragedy and do the best that she could to grow and be better person. I feel like there could have been a bit more interaction with her father and stepmother, and that the lack of it helped take away from the emotional impact of the story.
Notable Scene:
“This makes me sound like a moron, but that was the first time time I realized-I mean, really, really realized-that my Mom was dead.
That only happened once, That full realization, it might just happen once, but the loss happens everyday. You see, when someone dies, you think: that’s it, the bad thing happened. And the idea is, you grieve it, and then you move on.
But it doesn’t work like that. I knew my mom all my life, it goes by definition. I remember- weekends and holidays and birthdays and tips to the cinema, and digging for worms in the garden.”
FTC Advisory: Bloomsbury provided me with a copy of Hostage Three. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: A family adventure that takes a deadly turn, will they be able to survive the pirates?
Opening Sentence: “We stand on the diving platform of our yacht, in the brutal sunlight.”
Excerpt: No
The Review:
Amy ends up on on a yacht with her father, stepmother and three other people as they decided to spend a year sailing around the world. Things are going just fine until they come near the Somali coast and her dad informs her of all the protocol to avoid pirates. Amy is shocked to learn this could be a real problem, but when the first day goes okay she begins to think it really won’t be an issue. That is until the yacht is boarded by pirates and everything changes.
As the days pass and Amy gets closer to the teenage pirate, she wonders if they will get out of this alive, and what will happen when it is all over. During the course of being a hostage Amy also begins to deal with long standing issues that she hasn’t dealt with before now. She also begins to feel closer to her dad and her stepmother. Will they get ransomed or will they all end up dead?
I am going to knock out what I didn’t like. I felt like this had so much potential and it kind of felt very anti-climatic at the end. So it would have been higher in the ratings for me, but I was tad disappointed overall. My next minor issue was why I didn’t necessarily mind the romance between Amy and the pirate. It felt very unrealistic. It also turned what could have been a thrilling ride into a something more about romance.
Those things aside, it was really a interesting book and it sucked me in from the start. I really couldn’t read it fast enough to find out what was going on. No spoilers, but how it all plays out kind of contributes to my disappoint with the book. Amy was an interesting and somewhat unlikable main character at times, but I loved seeing her come to terms with her tragedy and do the best that she could to grow and be better person. I feel like there could have been a bit more interaction with her father and stepmother, and that the lack of it helped take away from the emotional impact of the story.
Notable Scene:
“This makes me sound like a moron, but that was the first time time I realized-I mean, really, really realized-that my Mom was dead.
That only happened once, That full realization, it might just happen once, but the loss happens everyday. You see, when someone dies, you think: that’s it, the bad thing happened. And the idea is, you grieve it, and then you move on.
But it doesn’t work like that. I knew my mom all my life, it goes by definition. I remember- weekends and holidays and birthdays and tips to the cinema, and digging for worms in the garden.”
FTC Advisory: Bloomsbury provided me with a copy of Hostage Three. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
June 27, 2014
This is such an unlikely story, filled with cliche, but totally compelling. Our narrator acts more like a 12 year old, rather than someone who turns 18 during this Event. Spoiled child of a rich banker, she is almost a stereotype.
But, the tale is compelling. I thought the descriptions of the scene and her feelings were perfect.
I just have one question; why, when she and Farouz were on deck the last time did he have to get dressed and she did not? She insists they did not have sex.
For Teen Fiction, it's a good, quick read.
But, the tale is compelling. I thought the descriptions of the scene and her feelings were perfect.
I just have one question; why, when she and Farouz were on deck the last time did he have to get dressed and she did not? She insists they did not have sex.
For Teen Fiction, it's a good, quick read.
March 2, 2014
A seventeen year old girl and her family are taken hostage by Somali pirates. The same seventeen year old falls in love with one of the pirates!
What a perfectly terrible story. I'm never going to get through this book! I want to slap this girl in the face and shout how ridiculous and immature she is being!
Or so I thought as I began reading.
But what started out as the most tragic story quickly turned into something more. As much as I want to see these Somali pirates as evil... As much as I wanted there to be a bad guy to hate... I couldn't hate the pirates. Nick Lake brought them to life and made them real. You were given a glimpse into what life for the "bad guys" was really like and you got an understanding of what was behind their actions. Is what takes place in the book realistic? Is the portrayal of the Somali pirates realistic? Or was this just the imaginings of a talented writer? In a way I hope Nick Lake's interpretations are actually accurate. But regardless, the story makes you realize there are at least two sides to every story and just because we have been told Somali pirates are evil and even though we realize that taking people hostage is wrong... We have to admit there must be more to the story.
So as much as I thought the love story was ridiculous and Amy, the seventeen year old, really needed to be given a good shake back to reality I really enjoyed the idea of the story.
What a perfectly terrible story. I'm never going to get through this book! I want to slap this girl in the face and shout how ridiculous and immature she is being!
Or so I thought as I began reading.
But what started out as the most tragic story quickly turned into something more. As much as I want to see these Somali pirates as evil... As much as I wanted there to be a bad guy to hate... I couldn't hate the pirates. Nick Lake brought them to life and made them real. You were given a glimpse into what life for the "bad guys" was really like and you got an understanding of what was behind their actions. Is what takes place in the book realistic? Is the portrayal of the Somali pirates realistic? Or was this just the imaginings of a talented writer? In a way I hope Nick Lake's interpretations are actually accurate. But regardless, the story makes you realize there are at least two sides to every story and just because we have been told Somali pirates are evil and even though we realize that taking people hostage is wrong... We have to admit there must be more to the story.
So as much as I thought the love story was ridiculous and Amy, the seventeen year old, really needed to be given a good shake back to reality I really enjoyed the idea of the story.
July 1, 2014
Peach Award (4.5 stars)
For the record, I was never going to give a full 5 stars to a book that doesn't use quotation marks. So there's my bias up front.
Despite that, this book really won me over. At the beginning, I worried a bit about the main character Amy being kind of stereotypically "edgy," all attitude and piercings and smoking during an exam. As the story built, though, it became obvious that her affect was a semi-calculated desperate attempt to reach out to an emotionally absent father in response to family tragedy. The past informs the present throughout the novel, from Amy's emotional pain over her mother to Farouz's debts of honor and loyalty to his brother Abdirashid, to the complicated landscape of Somali piracy itself. While the subject matter is both serious and interesting, it is the characters, especially Amy and Farouz, and their choices that make the book come alive.
For the record, I was never going to give a full 5 stars to a book that doesn't use quotation marks. So there's my bias up front.
Despite that, this book really won me over. At the beginning, I worried a bit about the main character Amy being kind of stereotypically "edgy," all attitude and piercings and smoking during an exam. As the story built, though, it became obvious that her affect was a semi-calculated desperate attempt to reach out to an emotionally absent father in response to family tragedy. The past informs the present throughout the novel, from Amy's emotional pain over her mother to Farouz's debts of honor and loyalty to his brother Abdirashid, to the complicated landscape of Somali piracy itself. While the subject matter is both serious and interesting, it is the characters, especially Amy and Farouz, and their choices that make the book come alive.
Read
September 30, 2016 I'm going to start this by saying I did not finish the book yet, but I have read enough to give my opinion on it. Nick Lake does a perfect job at keeping my hooked and leaves me wanting to keep reading. Even though there aren't that many different settings the book stays interesting and a new experience for each chapter. I should also add how well Nick Lake makes each character unique in their own way and having each character talk a certain way. By doing this it makes picturing what is happening in the book a ton easier. The only thing I didn't like about reading Hostage 3, was that the plot took too long to get to the next event. Other than that, it seems like reading the rest of the book will be a fun time.
August 31, 2018
Imagine being stuck on a yacht with ur dad and stepmom for the whole entire summer with no sign of outside life. In the book Hostage 3 by Nick Lake, this story is told in Amy’s point of view. Amy has just finished high school and is now onto her ‘gap year’. Amy uses her gap year to sail around on a yacht with her father and stepmother. Amy wasn’t exactly sure about how the trip would roll through since her and her family don’t get along so well. Once the boat comes, it ends up being boarded by pirates along the coast of Somalia. They are now being kept hostage by their captors. Even though Amy builds a bond with one of her captors, she is still trying understand the difference between value and cost of life are two different things.
December 14, 2015
Before I review a book, I think seriously about what I'm going to put in a review. Sometimes I have these thoughts in the middle of reading, which generally mean I'm thrown back out of the book and never really develop a liking for it, and I have to say I think that's what happened here. I had too many eye rolling moments of thinking how exactly I wanted to describe this book without ever really connecting at all.
My first issue came early on; the author doesn't use " to indicate a character is speaking. Instead, he starts the sentence with a -. That means though, that it's extremely difficult to understand when a character is speaking or thinking, since he often uses the dash and then the character will complete the sentence with 'Amy said' and then go on to say something else, but there isn't a new dash, it's just a continuation of the conversation. Or is it? are some of those times just Amy's thoughts? Since we have one part of the book that continues on for many pages that I thought was actual plot but turned out to be Amy's imagination, I'm really not sure.
Then the make or break for me with YA; the inevitable romance. Now, if you're going to do romance between a captive and her captor, I better be pretty damn convinced. If you're going to make your main character a spoiled rich girl acting out against a distant father, but then centre the character around her growth through romance, I better believe she's doing things for the boy, and not to get back at daddy. I never felt like any of Amy's actions could be explained; the whole time she was sneaking around I wanted to smack her for putting everyone else at risk; herself, her father, her stepmother. Hell, even the damn pirates were at risk because she wanted some alone time with Farouz. Explaining this away as Stockholm Syndrome never really sits well with me, just from Amy's previous actions.
Also, if I had to see the phrase 'That's the kind of school I went to' one more time, I was going to scream.
Not really a great book for me, but maybe you'll enjoy it better? I suppose I was always going to be down on it from the whole conversation thing, I hate books that try to be outside the box with something that should be a given. Two stars.
My first issue came early on; the author doesn't use " to indicate a character is speaking. Instead, he starts the sentence with a -. That means though, that it's extremely difficult to understand when a character is speaking or thinking, since he often uses the dash and then the character will complete the sentence with 'Amy said' and then go on to say something else, but there isn't a new dash, it's just a continuation of the conversation. Or is it? are some of those times just Amy's thoughts? Since we have one part of the book that continues on for many pages that I thought was actual plot but turned out to be Amy's imagination, I'm really not sure.
Then the make or break for me with YA; the inevitable romance. Now, if you're going to do romance between a captive and her captor, I better be pretty damn convinced. If you're going to make your main character a spoiled rich girl acting out against a distant father, but then centre the character around her growth through romance, I better believe she's doing things for the boy, and not to get back at daddy. I never felt like any of Amy's actions could be explained; the whole time she was sneaking around I wanted to smack her for putting everyone else at risk; herself, her father, her stepmother. Hell, even the damn pirates were at risk because she wanted some alone time with Farouz. Explaining this away as Stockholm Syndrome never really sits well with me, just from Amy's previous actions.
Also, if I had to see the phrase 'That's the kind of school I went to' one more time, I was going to scream.
Not really a great book for me, but maybe you'll enjoy it better? I suppose I was always going to be down on it from the whole conversation thing, I hate books that try to be outside the box with something that should be a given. Two stars.
January 28, 2016
I loved this. LOVED it. Fantastic characters, a premise that grabs you by the throat, layers upon layers of deception, and some truly stellar writing.
The protagonist, Amy, has basically been strong-armed into a yachting expedition by her incredibly rich father, but neither them, nor Amy's stepmother, nor their crew, expect to be held hostage by pirates. Amy doesn't expect to empathize with the pirates either, but her initial emotional detachment from everyone else on the yacht puts her in the best position to form bonds with her captors.
This isn't a tale of Stockholm Syndrome though, and it's a lot more complicated than just a simple survival story. One of the most impressive things about HOSTAGE THREE is how well it resists a bunch of obvious clichés. Amy could easily come off as a spoiled little rich girl, but the grief she's still dealing with following her mother's death, as well as the connection she seeks with the less privileged characters on the yacht, humanizes her. Her initial ignorance about Somalia, and the pirates, and even the nature of her father's life become the foundation of this broader, more empathetic world view she develops throughout the course of the story.
Nick Lake, the author, also does an excellent job cultivating empathy for the Somali pirates, by continuously working information about their circumstances and their desperation into the fabric of the story. The scenes in which Farouz talks about his life before piracy and his childhood provided heartbreaking glimpses of how fast war derails life as wee know it, and how long the consequences of violence last.
I'm honestly surprised that this book received as little recognition as it did, because it is magnificent start to finish. Highly, highly recommend.
The protagonist, Amy, has basically been strong-armed into a yachting expedition by her incredibly rich father, but neither them, nor Amy's stepmother, nor their crew, expect to be held hostage by pirates. Amy doesn't expect to empathize with the pirates either, but her initial emotional detachment from everyone else on the yacht puts her in the best position to form bonds with her captors.
This isn't a tale of Stockholm Syndrome though, and it's a lot more complicated than just a simple survival story. One of the most impressive things about HOSTAGE THREE is how well it resists a bunch of obvious clichés. Amy could easily come off as a spoiled little rich girl, but the grief she's still dealing with following her mother's death, as well as the connection she seeks with the less privileged characters on the yacht, humanizes her. Her initial ignorance about Somalia, and the pirates, and even the nature of her father's life become the foundation of this broader, more empathetic world view she develops throughout the course of the story.
Nick Lake, the author, also does an excellent job cultivating empathy for the Somali pirates, by continuously working information about their circumstances and their desperation into the fabric of the story. The scenes in which Farouz talks about his life before piracy and his childhood provided heartbreaking glimpses of how fast war derails life as wee know it, and how long the consequences of violence last.
I'm honestly surprised that this book received as little recognition as it did, because it is magnificent start to finish. Highly, highly recommend.
March 25, 2017
3.5 stars. I really did not expect to love this book. It so easily could have fallen into Stockholm syndrome, or the rich white person learns something from less fortunate stereotype, but it avoided these tropes neatly. Hostage Three works because of realistic characters and emotion.
Hostage Three discusses a very important topic I've never seen in a book before: the crisis in Somalia. Essentially, Somalia's economy and political sustain forces thousands of its citizens to become pirates. Having this topic in a book was really awesome, and Nick Lake's three-dimensional treatment of this issue really helped.
The plotting is fast-paced and keeps you on your toes. The only plot The ending is unfortunately not as great. It seemed like tragedy for the sake of resolving an issue. I don't know how to make the ending any better, but it just seemed too depressing.
I don't know that I'd recommend this book as a must-read, but it's certainly a powerful and important book.
Hostage Three discusses a very important topic I've never seen in a book before: the crisis in Somalia. Essentially, Somalia's economy and political sustain forces thousands of its citizens to become pirates. Having this topic in a book was really awesome, and Nick Lake's three-dimensional treatment of this issue really helped.
The plotting is fast-paced and keeps you on your toes. The only plot The ending is unfortunately not as great. It seemed like tragedy for the sake of resolving an issue. I don't know how to make the ending any better, but it just seemed too depressing.
I don't know that I'd recommend this book as a must-read, but it's certainly a powerful and important book.
January 11, 2014
Rich girl on a yacht taken hostage by Somali pirates. I picked it out of a box from Macmillan, thinking it would be a fun read for the holiday weekend, but I totally underestimated Nick Lake. I shouldn't have done that.
He won the Printz for his last novel about Haiti, so I should have known that he would have a unique take on girl/hostage/Somali pirates. Amy's a mess. She's angry, self-destructive after the death of her mom and her dad's remarriage. When the pirates board her dad's yacht, she's drawn to Farouz, the translator.
Lake makes their unfolding relationship completely believable--but most captivating was how Lake showed the reader the pirates' actions and motivations.
One of my absolute favorites of 2013.
He won the Printz for his last novel about Haiti, so I should have known that he would have a unique take on girl/hostage/Somali pirates. Amy's a mess. She's angry, self-destructive after the death of her mom and her dad's remarriage. When the pirates board her dad's yacht, she's drawn to Farouz, the translator.
Lake makes their unfolding relationship completely believable--but most captivating was how Lake showed the reader the pirates' actions and motivations.
One of my absolute favorites of 2013.
January 23, 2018
Hmm, this was alright. 2.75-ish
-Weird dialogue writing but easy to get used to.
-Felt no connection w the characters, were annoying at times
-emotions written vividly which is ✔✔✔
-Thought there was bit of stereotyping or u can say labelling of Muslims as terrorists ("pirates").
-didnt get point of including their beliefs in this???
-saddd
-insta-love
-Weird dialogue writing but easy to get used to.
-Felt no connection w the characters, were annoying at times
-emotions written vividly which is ✔✔✔
-Thought there was bit of stereotyping or u can say labelling of Muslims as terrorists ("pirates").
-didnt get point of including their beliefs in this???
-saddd
-insta-love
September 25, 2015
THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!!!! I love this book so much I could read it over and over again and not get tired of it. Hostage Three was such a tense book that was hard to put down. It had some parts which I didn't want to happen like Farouz dying. I for sure recommend this book to everyone.
February 20, 2015
1 star. But also 4.
I feel completely hollow and empty trying to write this review. It needs to be separated into two polar opposite spheres. Before page 315 and After page 315. So, here:
After page 315.
I have to start with After, because right now, even with everything that i know i loved about Before, After is all i can think about. After is not a happy place. It's also one HUGE spoiler, so don't read it - DON'T read it - if you want to read the book. Which i cannot recommend you do. As much as i loved the writing and the story and everyone seems to have done the same and given it amazing reviews, i can't suggest someone else read it, knowing how awful i felt afterwards.
Here begin the spoilers.
Before page 315.
Oh, BEFORE page 315, i loved this book. SO MUCH. It started out weird. The layout was...weird...but so fitting and consistent after you got into the book and understood the narrative and the way the plot was going to unfold, with the escalating tension with the pirates and the scenes with Farouz that start off so out of place - just gonna chat with the pirate - but then seem so normal, and the stories about stars and Somalia - especially Farouz's hard-hitting ones - and Amy's flashbacks about her mum and just EVERYTHING. Kwoar.
It wasn't an instant love of the plot, don't get me wrong - Amy had a really interesting character that wasn't unlikable at all but...not necessarily likeable either? But that never seemed to matter because i could understand her and her narrative and it just all made sense. The only times i really DIDN'T like her was when it comes to animals and the values of their lives which she seems to value as zero. There was actually quite a lot of animal death in this book, surprisingly, and , yes, i know not everyone gives a shit, and they don't have to, but i'd have been much more accepting if she'd just though nothing rather than 'ew' or 'get over it' like she did with the chicken and the horse in that order. Just because she lost her mum doesn't mean a boy who was one minute riding his horse and is the next having to be held by his father for an hour while it lies in pain waiting for the nurse to come and put it down, isn't allowed to be upset.
Anyway, off that tangent before i rant.
It was cool to see how the individual characters developed throughout the plot. The chef suddenly became Felipe with a family and quiet intelligence, the step-mother, despite Amy's personal feelings, was actually quite smart and capable, and Amy herself changing so much.
Farouz was easily likable in a funny sort of way seeing as he's part of the Somali pirate crew and therefore should not be. His stories were interesting and since i read the majority of this book in one night that ended at 4am and his last story had been about an Arabian prince, i went to bed with this in my head, backing tune and all:
http://gph.is/XGClWq;
Since i've pointed out that i was very late at night and i'd decided that instead of writing an essay on journalism due at midnight, i would read about being kidnapped by pirates, let's just say i was not very on-the-ball. So Farouz was Fahr-ooze. Sorry, Farouz. This was particularly hilarious when Amy was making a comment about saying his name and it inadvertently ending on a sigh, and all i could do was laugh like an idiot at 4am, saying aloud Fahr-ooooooze and trying to make it sigh. Yeah. Somehow my mind just changed it's mind at somepoint and read Farouz like Karou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone so all was good then :P
I don't really know how to sum this up, but writing this has taken entirely too long and also made me feel infinitely better about having read this book. I am no longer full of painful emotions i have nothing to do with and am instead left with a review as long as the essay i should've been writing should be. Oops.
Can't say i'm gonna recommend this book, but i really do think this author is talented and i have grown to love the odd layout. Since i KNOW how HUGE the market is for books like the teen-cancer-patients genre where the ending is unhappy and people know this going in (hence why i've never read them), i know that this book will do well with other readers. Jusr not me.
*EDIT*
Jeez, it's been 5 minutes and i already feel bad. Fine. 2 stars - i know it still deserves more, but see rant to know why that won't happen.
I feel completely hollow and empty trying to write this review. It needs to be separated into two polar opposite spheres. Before page 315 and After page 315. So, here:
After page 315.
I have to start with After, because right now, even with everything that i know i loved about Before, After is all i can think about. After is not a happy place. It's also one HUGE spoiler, so don't read it - DON'T read it - if you want to read the book. Which i cannot recommend you do. As much as i loved the writing and the story and everyone seems to have done the same and given it amazing reviews, i can't suggest someone else read it, knowing how awful i felt afterwards.
Here begin the spoilers.
Before page 315.
Oh, BEFORE page 315, i loved this book. SO MUCH. It started out weird. The layout was...weird...but so fitting and consistent after you got into the book and understood the narrative and the way the plot was going to unfold, with the escalating tension with the pirates and the scenes with Farouz that start off so out of place - just gonna chat with the pirate - but then seem so normal, and the stories about stars and Somalia - especially Farouz's hard-hitting ones - and Amy's flashbacks about her mum and just EVERYTHING. Kwoar.
It wasn't an instant love of the plot, don't get me wrong - Amy had a really interesting character that wasn't unlikable at all but...not necessarily likeable either? But that never seemed to matter because i could understand her and her narrative and it just all made sense. The only times i really DIDN'T like her was when it comes to animals and the values of their lives which she seems to value as zero. There was actually quite a lot of animal death in this book, surprisingly, and , yes, i know not everyone gives a shit, and they don't have to, but i'd have been much more accepting if she'd just though nothing rather than 'ew' or 'get over it' like she did with the chicken and the horse in that order. Just because she lost her mum doesn't mean a boy who was one minute riding his horse and is the next having to be held by his father for an hour while it lies in pain waiting for the nurse to come and put it down, isn't allowed to be upset.
Anyway, off that tangent before i rant.
It was cool to see how the individual characters developed throughout the plot. The chef suddenly became Felipe with a family and quiet intelligence, the step-mother, despite Amy's personal feelings, was actually quite smart and capable, and Amy herself changing so much.
Farouz was easily likable in a funny sort of way seeing as he's part of the Somali pirate crew and therefore should not be. His stories were interesting and since i read the majority of this book in one night that ended at 4am and his last story had been about an Arabian prince, i went to bed with this in my head, backing tune and all:
Since i've pointed out that i was very late at night and i'd decided that instead of writing an essay on journalism due at midnight, i would read about being kidnapped by pirates, let's just say i was not very on-the-ball. So Farouz was Fahr-ooze. Sorry, Farouz. This was particularly hilarious when Amy was making a comment about saying his name and it inadvertently ending on a sigh, and all i could do was laugh like an idiot at 4am, saying aloud Fahr-ooooooze and trying to make it sigh. Yeah. Somehow my mind just changed it's mind at somepoint and read Farouz like Karou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone so all was good then :P
I don't really know how to sum this up, but writing this has taken entirely too long and also made me feel infinitely better about having read this book. I am no longer full of painful emotions i have nothing to do with and am instead left with a review as long as the essay i should've been writing should be. Oops.
Can't say i'm gonna recommend this book, but i really do think this author is talented and i have grown to love the odd layout. Since i KNOW how HUGE the market is for books like the teen-cancer-patients genre where the ending is unhappy and people know this going in (hence why i've never read them), i know that this book will do well with other readers. Jusr not me.
*EDIT*
Jeez, it's been 5 minutes and i already feel bad. Fine. 2 stars - i know it still deserves more, but see rant to know why that won't happen.
December 13, 2018
I thought this was an interesting book, there was a lot going on and there was always something new happening. There was a number of times were I was confused on why they happened but I ended up figuring it out. Overall I think thought this book was good but not great.
July 25, 2017
Sort of a stretched premise (pirates, young British girl) that doesn't play out into a full length novel to me.
February 8, 2018
It was good except when Farouz died
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2023
It kept me in suspense. Liked the flow and suspense created.
January 3, 2014
3.5*
*Received in exchange for an honest review*
*Thank you, Bloomsbury*
This book turned up on my doorstep as a complete surprise and, after reading the synopsis, I really couldn't wait to sink my teeth into it. I've not read anything pirate related so I was interested to see how everything would all play out. I didn't expect such an emotional ride. I didn't expect to read a book which evoked sympathy and empathy for the pirates. Yes, there were a few of your stereotypes, but this book shared with us not only the lives of Amy and her family, but the lives of the pirates too. It deals with many big issues: suicide, violence, poverty making for a truly heart-wrenching read.
It took me awhile to get fully immersed in the book. The beginning was a little slow and there was far too much focus on the rebellious teen. I'm not saying that there shouldn't have been, but I found myself unable to conjure up sympathy for Amy, the protagonist. In fact, I found it hard to empathise at all with that family. The only character which seemed to be making an effort was Amy's stepmother - a character that is constantly bad mouthed, sticking to the stereotype of teen vs. 'replacement' mother. I found myself having a lot more sympathy for the pirates as well, rather than Amy. It was a strange experience feeling empathy for the criminals, but the more the author shared with us about their past, the less I found myself able to hate them.
The romance aspect of the book was difficult to get my head around. I first thought that it was the authors way of showing us how Stockholm Syndrome develops, but the more I read the less certain I became. It was a very conflicting romance and I didn't find myself connecting with it until the events at the end of the book. It's definitely a tear tester - but that was from the point of view of the pirates rather than Amy and her family. The one thing I liked about Amy however, was seeing her develop throughout the three weeks. She matures and begins growing into an adult rather than the teen that she was when she left land. It was written really well, and I definitely began to like her more as the novel progressed.
Hostage Three makes for an interesting, emotional and conflicting read. I didn't expect to empathise with pirates but this is the emotion that this novel brings to the forefront. A really good and different read, I will definitely be reading more of Nick Lake's work.
*Received in exchange for an honest review*
*Thank you, Bloomsbury*
This book turned up on my doorstep as a complete surprise and, after reading the synopsis, I really couldn't wait to sink my teeth into it. I've not read anything pirate related so I was interested to see how everything would all play out. I didn't expect such an emotional ride. I didn't expect to read a book which evoked sympathy and empathy for the pirates. Yes, there were a few of your stereotypes, but this book shared with us not only the lives of Amy and her family, but the lives of the pirates too. It deals with many big issues: suicide, violence, poverty making for a truly heart-wrenching read.
It took me awhile to get fully immersed in the book. The beginning was a little slow and there was far too much focus on the rebellious teen. I'm not saying that there shouldn't have been, but I found myself unable to conjure up sympathy for Amy, the protagonist. In fact, I found it hard to empathise at all with that family. The only character which seemed to be making an effort was Amy's stepmother - a character that is constantly bad mouthed, sticking to the stereotype of teen vs. 'replacement' mother. I found myself having a lot more sympathy for the pirates as well, rather than Amy. It was a strange experience feeling empathy for the criminals, but the more the author shared with us about their past, the less I found myself able to hate them.
The romance aspect of the book was difficult to get my head around. I first thought that it was the authors way of showing us how Stockholm Syndrome develops, but the more I read the less certain I became. It was a very conflicting romance and I didn't find myself connecting with it until the events at the end of the book. It's definitely a tear tester - but that was from the point of view of the pirates rather than Amy and her family. The one thing I liked about Amy however, was seeing her develop throughout the three weeks. She matures and begins growing into an adult rather than the teen that she was when she left land. It was written really well, and I definitely began to like her more as the novel progressed.
Hostage Three makes for an interesting, emotional and conflicting read. I didn't expect to empathise with pirates but this is the emotion that this novel brings to the forefront. A really good and different read, I will definitely be reading more of Nick Lake's work.
February 13, 2014
Well then. This book ripped out my heart.
I read it because the premise made me laugh, but also intrigued me a little-- falling in love with a pirate? It's the go-to plot of so many crappy romance novels, but it's also a popular story idea for a reason. It's an appealing concept, as long as you're in the mood for some vicarious reading. And I was in the mood.
This is actually not the right book if you're only looking for a vicarious romance, but hey, maybe you'll come for the pirate-love and stay for the high quality story. Amy is a seventeen-year old girl living in England with her wealthy father and brand-new stepmother. She's grumpy, angry, prickly... you get the drift. All those teenage-girl-hiding-inner-pain adjectives.
Then she's semi-forced to go on a private cruise with her parents. And that's where the pirates come in.
Sometimes the story was dancing right on the edge of believability, but Lake always brought it back. The first 90% is a breathless adventure, built on tension and avid page-turning**. The final 10% is a beautiful, emotional, resonant, powerful piece of writing that, like I mentioned, ripped my heart out. I had to throw the book across the room when I finished, but in a good way.
Honestly, the last few pages of this book were so stunning that I went back and re-read them over and over. I'm going to write out my fave parts here so I can look back on them whenever I want, since I got this from the library. So don't click on the spoilers, you filthy animal!
This book is gross and UNFAIR.
**I am making these numbers up. Do not trust my math.
I read it because the premise made me laugh, but also intrigued me a little-- falling in love with a pirate? It's the go-to plot of so many crappy romance novels, but it's also a popular story idea for a reason. It's an appealing concept, as long as you're in the mood for some vicarious reading. And I was in the mood.
This is actually not the right book if you're only looking for a vicarious romance, but hey, maybe you'll come for the pirate-love and stay for the high quality story. Amy is a seventeen-year old girl living in England with her wealthy father and brand-new stepmother. She's grumpy, angry, prickly... you get the drift. All those teenage-girl-hiding-inner-pain adjectives.
Then she's semi-forced to go on a private cruise with her parents. And that's where the pirates come in.
Sometimes the story was dancing right on the edge of believability, but Lake always brought it back. The first 90% is a breathless adventure, built on tension and avid page-turning**. The final 10% is a beautiful, emotional, resonant, powerful piece of writing that, like I mentioned, ripped my heart out. I had to throw the book across the room when I finished, but in a good way.
Honestly, the last few pages of this book were so stunning that I went back and re-read them over and over. I'm going to write out my fave parts here so I can look back on them whenever I want, since I got this from the library. So don't click on the spoilers, you filthy animal!
This book is gross and UNFAIR.
**I am making these numbers up. Do not trust my math.
November 1, 2014
Hostage Three in three words: Thrilling, Emotional & Bittersweet
The story starts off with a dramatic, in media res beginning, which only lasts a few pages before the reader is taken back three months before. As I continued to read, I started to almost dislike the story because the main character, Amy wasn’t very likeable. She comes off as this bratty, spoiled teenager who doesn’t get enough love from her daddy so she acts out---gets piercing, smokes cigarettes….etc. But as I kept reading, I couldn’t put the novel down. Once the reader learns why Amy acts and does certain things, it makes her more likeable, tolerable.
When the yacht that Amy and her family are on gets seized by pirates, Amy has an “insta” love connection with Farouz, one of the younger pirates. It seems unrealistic that a girl getting taken over by pirates would instantly fall in love with one, but I guess if you believe in “love at first sight” then it works. I thought the Amy-Farouz romance was sweet, and heartbreaking because the reader knows that their romance can’t end well because of the circumstances. But it teaches the reader about first love, sacrifice, and trust. Farouz also educates Amy (and us) on piracy and Somalia. I found these parts rather interesting because I didn’t know much about Somalia piracy.
While Amy is being held captive and falling in love with a pirate, she’s also dealing with the death of her mother, trying to rebuild the relationship with her workaholic father, and trying to like her stepmother. Throughout the whole book, Amy feels broken and she’s trying to pick up the pieces of her life. This is what made her relatable, and realistic. Even though she grew up in this rich atmosphere, she still experiences everyday problems and emotions.
Overall, Hostage Three was a thrilling, quick-read with a bittersweet ending. I'm really glad I decided to buy this in B&N. The formatting of the book is a little weird because it contains no quotation marks on the dialogue, but once you keep reading it’s not much of a bother. I really enjoyed Nick Lake’s writing style, and I will definitely pick up another one of his books!
The story starts off with a dramatic, in media res beginning, which only lasts a few pages before the reader is taken back three months before. As I continued to read, I started to almost dislike the story because the main character, Amy wasn’t very likeable. She comes off as this bratty, spoiled teenager who doesn’t get enough love from her daddy so she acts out---gets piercing, smokes cigarettes….etc. But as I kept reading, I couldn’t put the novel down. Once the reader learns why Amy acts and does certain things, it makes her more likeable, tolerable.
When the yacht that Amy and her family are on gets seized by pirates, Amy has an “insta” love connection with Farouz, one of the younger pirates. It seems unrealistic that a girl getting taken over by pirates would instantly fall in love with one, but I guess if you believe in “love at first sight” then it works. I thought the Amy-Farouz romance was sweet, and heartbreaking because the reader knows that their romance can’t end well because of the circumstances. But it teaches the reader about first love, sacrifice, and trust. Farouz also educates Amy (and us) on piracy and Somalia. I found these parts rather interesting because I didn’t know much about Somalia piracy.
While Amy is being held captive and falling in love with a pirate, she’s also dealing with the death of her mother, trying to rebuild the relationship with her workaholic father, and trying to like her stepmother. Throughout the whole book, Amy feels broken and she’s trying to pick up the pieces of her life. This is what made her relatable, and realistic. Even though she grew up in this rich atmosphere, she still experiences everyday problems and emotions.
Overall, Hostage Three was a thrilling, quick-read with a bittersweet ending. I'm really glad I decided to buy this in B&N. The formatting of the book is a little weird because it contains no quotation marks on the dialogue, but once you keep reading it’s not much of a bother. I really enjoyed Nick Lake’s writing style, and I will definitely pick up another one of his books!
January 3, 2015
This is the story of Amy who is kidnapped along with her family by Somali pirates when they are on a round the world trip.
The positives:
1. Good narrator. Amy is a seventeen year old with a rebellious streak. Throughout the story she goes on a journey and although she isn't the most likeable character in the beginning, by the end you feel like she actually learnt something and grew up.
2. We got to see what it's like from the other side. It's easy to want to see people who are different as the bad guys but I think the way the pirates were presented showed them in a truthful light. People who are like everyone else who have to do what they can to survive.
3. There isn't any unnecessary fluff added. Obviously this is incredibly unrealistic storyline however at no point did it feel out of the question. The way the story pans out is realistic and makes it sort of believable.
The negatives;
There is only one and it's that the focus kept switching to Amy and her problems too much. I understand she's the main character and this is her story but I felt as if I was being made to feel sorry for the poor little rich girl. She befriends one of the pirates and he tells her about his life and how hard and awful he's had it and she feels the need to throw in every minute how hard she's had it when in reality, yes she is dealing with serious issues, but let's get real, the Somalian guy has had it a lot worse than her. I thought it was a little immature and it was like she was competing for who's deserves the most sympathy.
Nevertheless, this was a great YA read and one of the best that I have read.
The positives:
1. Good narrator. Amy is a seventeen year old with a rebellious streak. Throughout the story she goes on a journey and although she isn't the most likeable character in the beginning, by the end you feel like she actually learnt something and grew up.
2. We got to see what it's like from the other side. It's easy to want to see people who are different as the bad guys but I think the way the pirates were presented showed them in a truthful light. People who are like everyone else who have to do what they can to survive.
3. There isn't any unnecessary fluff added. Obviously this is incredibly unrealistic storyline however at no point did it feel out of the question. The way the story pans out is realistic and makes it sort of believable.
The negatives;
There is only one and it's that the focus kept switching to Amy and her problems too much. I understand she's the main character and this is her story but I felt as if I was being made to feel sorry for the poor little rich girl. She befriends one of the pirates and he tells her about his life and how hard and awful he's had it and she feels the need to throw in every minute how hard she's had it when in reality, yes she is dealing with serious issues, but let's get real, the Somalian guy has had it a lot worse than her. I thought it was a little immature and it was like she was competing for who's deserves the most sympathy.
Nevertheless, this was a great YA read and one of the best that I have read.
July 7, 2014
Peach Award 4.5 Stars
The quality of the story and the writing is keeping me from giving this 4 stars. I just don't love it enough to give it a full 5.
Pros:
1. Beautiful imagery and overarching themes
2. The author's ability to make you sympthasize and love "the bad guys"
3. The references to Somali folklore...I loved the tailless camel, and similar stories.
Cons:
1. Apparently Amy grew up in America. You can't tell that by the fact that she reports the temperature in Celsius, and some of her word choices, even though at the beginning of the book she mentions she has an American accent. This is petty of me to report, I know...but it jarred me several times, enough that I actually stopped reading.
2. There were times when the "artsiness" of the book got to be too much--too forced. Not often, but at times. For example, Amy's description of the gun going off in her ear: (
)
I thought this was too much. Or the page of music.....the book had so much action going on, that these brief glimpses of...whatever...didn't jive, and were once again jarring.
In the end this was an unusual meshing of action, romance, and for lack of a better term, artsy self-expression. Sometimes jarring, but on the whole a successful melding.
The quality of the story and the writing is keeping me from giving this 4 stars. I just don't love it enough to give it a full 5.
Pros:
1. Beautiful imagery and overarching themes
2. The author's ability to make you sympthasize and love "the bad guys"
3. The references to Somali folklore...I loved the tailless camel, and similar stories.
Cons:
1. Apparently Amy grew up in America. You can't tell that by the fact that she reports the temperature in Celsius, and some of her word choices, even though at the beginning of the book she mentions she has an American accent. This is petty of me to report, I know...but it jarred me several times, enough that I actually stopped reading.
2. There were times when the "artsiness" of the book got to be too much--too forced. Not often, but at times. For example, Amy's description of the gun going off in her ear: (
)
I thought this was too much. Or the page of music.....the book had so much action going on, that these brief glimpses of...whatever...didn't jive, and were once again jarring.
In the end this was an unusual meshing of action, romance, and for lack of a better term, artsy self-expression. Sometimes jarring, but on the whole a successful melding.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
October 1, 2015I thought this book was interesting. Myself I can never get lost in a book. It was the complete opposite with this book "Hostage Three". I loved the romance between a captive and captor.
This is a great story for young readers who like fiction, romance, and some suspense stories. It tells the story from a seventeen year old girl's point of view, who was on vacation with her father and step-mother. The yacht then gets taken over by pirates whom don't want to harm any of the passengers, they would just like some money to survive. Weeks had past and the main character Amy falls in love with her young captor Farouz. Farouz dies in a explosion and she gets saved and goes back to her home in London.
This is a great story for young readers who like fiction, romance, and suspense stories. I believe it is a book most people need to read at least once in there life. It will touch your heart and will make you want to keep reading page after page after page. I recommend everyone to read this fictional romance by Nick Lake.
This is a great story for young readers who like fiction, romance, and some suspense stories. It tells the story from a seventeen year old girl's point of view, who was on vacation with her father and step-mother. The yacht then gets taken over by pirates whom don't want to harm any of the passengers, they would just like some money to survive. Weeks had past and the main character Amy falls in love with her young captor Farouz. Farouz dies in a explosion and she gets saved and goes back to her home in London.
This is a great story for young readers who like fiction, romance, and suspense stories. I believe it is a book most people need to read at least once in there life. It will touch your heart and will make you want to keep reading page after page after page. I recommend everyone to read this fictional romance by Nick Lake.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2016
This book was selected by a former teacher for our adult book club. I also enjoy teen books for a quick escape read as their themes are often deeper than contemporary fiction. At first I was afraid this would be an overly dramatic predictable book with stereotypical characters: absent dad, distant stepmom, and rebellious teen just wanting to be loved and noticed.
But it ended up being a coming of age tale with several themes that could encourage both classroom and adult discussion. Specifically, don't judge by stereotypes or first impressions as people and motives are multidimensional and not always a simple right or wrong. Another theme was interconnectedness with the universe and family-cultural history. Geopolitical issues also were pivotal to the plot.
So, yes, I can recommend this book for those 14 and older. PS: wondering if anyone else saw some parallels to The Kite Runner.
But it ended up being a coming of age tale with several themes that could encourage both classroom and adult discussion. Specifically, don't judge by stereotypes or first impressions as people and motives are multidimensional and not always a simple right or wrong. Another theme was interconnectedness with the universe and family-cultural history. Geopolitical issues also were pivotal to the plot.
So, yes, I can recommend this book for those 14 and older. PS: wondering if anyone else saw some parallels to The Kite Runner.
July 30, 2016
The story line was really interesting and Nick writes well and has got good ideas, but the only problem (and a very big one) was the way Nick presented conversations... There were no punctuations like open and close inverted commas, and I seriously struggled to follow the conversations throughout the book... I didn't know when it was a narration and when someone was speaking. It was frustrating and gave me a headache. It took a lot out of me to finish the book!
January 12, 2016
Nick Lake is an excellent writer; however, this book was just not for me. There was a little too much description at times, and I got a bit lost going back and forth between past and present. The main character was a little too frustrating at times, and I didn't exactly believe the romance with the pirate. That being said, I still wanted to find out what happened at the end, so the story did draw me in. I could see teens with a little higher reading level, especially girls, liking this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 348 reviews