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Dusk
Book by Gates, Susan
176 pages, Paperback
First published March 4, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
August 8, 2012
On a positive note, the book was only 170 pages long, so only took a couple of sittings to get through.
On the other hand, this only felt like part of a story. There was no real conclusion, which made it feel like it might be the first in a series. After some digging, I don't think that it is, which makes it that much more disappointing.
There was far too much time given to the back story of one of the main characters for such a short book, not to mention that it was not very interesting and had no bearing on the main story itself.
I will not be recommending this book.
On the other hand, this only felt like part of a story. There was no real conclusion, which made it feel like it might be the first in a series. After some digging, I don't think that it is, which makes it that much more disappointing.
There was far too much time given to the back story of one of the main characters for such a short book, not to mention that it was not very interesting and had no bearing on the main story itself.
I will not be recommending this book.
September 3, 2010
I do really like this book, but in my opinion it ended a little to early and was too cliff-hangy. I'm guessing there is going to be another book... but Dusk didn't mention any other books.
January 3, 2020
Dusk was pretty enjoyable. Though I think, based off size and some of the ways the story was put together, the book was originally intended as a middle-grade work, it has moments that make it more intense than most books of the type.
The crowning achievement of the book was the titular character, Dusk. She was given powers by an evil government lab, and the way she was treated in the lab continues to affect her psychologically even after her first-chapter escape. Her progression through the story was enjoyable to watch, even if the ending didn't feel completely tied up with a bow.
The other characters weren't bad, either; Jay's difficulty growing up poor and urban had an air of truthiness to it. I enjoyed the imperfections in his and his parents characters. This character-driven story had a lot going for it, and I would 100% recommend it to people with children who are capable of reading about mild animal violence and thinking about difficult subjects critically.
If I'd known it was a middle-grade work, I probably wouldn't have put this on my reading list. I don't regret reading the book, but I also don't think it satiated my desires due to the simplicity of the book.
However, Susan Gates, if you somehow happen to stumble upon this post, I implore you to write book 2. I think it needs to happen.
The crowning achievement of the book was the titular character, Dusk. She was given powers by an evil government lab, and the way she was treated in the lab continues to affect her psychologically even after her first-chapter escape. Her progression through the story was enjoyable to watch, even if the ending didn't feel completely tied up with a bow.
The other characters weren't bad, either; Jay's difficulty growing up poor and urban had an air of truthiness to it. I enjoyed the imperfections in his and his parents characters. This character-driven story had a lot going for it, and I would 100% recommend it to people with children who are capable of reading about mild animal violence and thinking about difficult subjects critically.
If I'd known it was a middle-grade work, I probably wouldn't have put this on my reading list. I don't regret reading the book, but I also don't think it satiated my desires due to the simplicity of the book.
However, Susan Gates, if you somehow happen to stumble upon this post, I implore you to write book 2. I think it needs to happen.
October 1, 2020
**Warning- Not really spoilers just some info on a few characters**
I have two mind sets about this short read, I actually really loved the idea of this story, I mean a human injected with the DNA of a hawk seems pretty insane right.... And im sure that was the intention of the author, however, the book felt slightly rushed and the ending for me felt entirely incomplete.
Jay in my view should not have been one of the main characters, he just wasnt very likable from the start to finish, he came across as slightly arrogant, a show off, know it all bully and always had something to prove (dont get me wrong he has some issues in his family life but it doesnt excuse his behaviour throughout), that being said he does slightly redeem himself a little later in the book when Dusk is rediscovered. For me I would have liked to have had Little Shane take his place he seemed far more interesting in the short time we are introduced to him. I adored the creation of Dusk she was sweet yet savage, I even enjoyed The General (be him evil or not he is a pretty hardcore rat with his rat army), however I must say none of the characters are in depth just skimmed across the surface so you never feel a connection to anyone.
The world building is somewhat lacking for me and by the end of the book you are left with more questions than answers.
I have two mind sets about this short read, I actually really loved the idea of this story, I mean a human injected with the DNA of a hawk seems pretty insane right.... And im sure that was the intention of the author, however, the book felt slightly rushed and the ending for me felt entirely incomplete.
Jay in my view should not have been one of the main characters, he just wasnt very likable from the start to finish, he came across as slightly arrogant, a show off, know it all bully and always had something to prove (dont get me wrong he has some issues in his family life but it doesnt excuse his behaviour throughout), that being said he does slightly redeem himself a little later in the book when Dusk is rediscovered. For me I would have liked to have had Little Shane take his place he seemed far more interesting in the short time we are introduced to him. I adored the creation of Dusk she was sweet yet savage, I even enjoyed The General (be him evil or not he is a pretty hardcore rat with his rat army), however I must say none of the characters are in depth just skimmed across the surface so you never feel a connection to anyone.
The world building is somewhat lacking for me and by the end of the book you are left with more questions than answers.
May 10, 2018
2.75 STARS. This book's synopsis reminded me a lot of the Animorph's book series. But as I read this story I began to become disappointed that the main characters back story wasn't the main focus of the story. This story follows Dusk a girl whose DNA was fused with hawk genes. The military believes that the combination of hawk genetics might be able to give their soldiers night vision. But things didn't go as planned, and Dusk spends her life trapped in a government laboratory. It seems as if all hope is lose for Dusk being able to escape, but then she meets the one person who can help her escape. Will Dusk be able to escape the cruelness of the scientists, or will she be caught before she is given the chance of reaching freedom? Read the book Dusk By:Susan Gates to find out. (or don't the choice is yours)
April 2, 2024
I reread this book after not reading it for a good 10 years. I was worried it wouldn't hit the same and I still love it. I like that the relationship between the two main characters is leaning more towards a friendship/partnership than romance. As an autistic person, I really resonate with Dusk as a character and her feelings. I also love Jay and his identity struggles. I think the book could benefit from a sequel and my only real complaint about it is that it's too short! I will absolutely read this book again and again now that I have my own personal copy of it.
September 26, 2018
Read this years ago, can't remember when, but I remember how silly and inconsistent the writing style was. That was the most bothersome. The story itself had a nice basic premise but the male character was really flat. I bought the book a few months ago for nostalgic reasons and begin to re-read it. It was just as bad as I slightly remembered. For that, three stars.
December 12, 2019
I really liked this book, this book was about a girl who is part human and part hawk. Scientists genetically modified her to conduct experiments on her. They wanted to use her for war. Scientists were doing this with all different kinds of animals. This is a very interesting book, I recommend this book for people who are into mysteries.
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December 7, 2022This was... fine. It felt neither quick and engaging enough for a children's book nor introspective and mature enough for YA. Just okay. Interesting ideas. I couldn't figure out where this was meant to be set since it repeatedly referenced a "hair slide" (British English) and yet the character traveled 500 miles to see his dad (so... to Scotland...).
December 7, 2019
One of the books I could never get out of my mind. I think I read the book somewhere around 2006 or 2007, and I’ve tried to get my hands on this again. This book just keeps you intrigued from the beginning till end.
October 21, 2018
This was an AMAZING book I loved it.
February 28, 2020
Ended on a cliff hanger, it felt like last half the book was missing.
March 6, 2021
Not much happened throughout the book. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger as well.
Also, the entire plot is very similar to Where the Wind Blows by James Patterson.
Also, the entire plot is very similar to Where the Wind Blows by James Patterson.
August 9, 2022
Very boring
August 10, 2024
Really great read until the end... While I don't mind a short story, this book ended with the impression that there would be a sequel, which does not seem to be the case.
October 16, 2019
It’s falling more on a 2.5, but it doesn’t deserve just 2.
I wanna to start by saying that this book has an awesome story that had a lot of potential. The story could have a great success, because it’s a genre that a lot of people love, but it didn’t work for me. I was really drawn by the fact that the book was about a girl whose genes are mutated with Hawk’s. It didn’t really say much else, but I was already hooked.
When I started reading the book, I realized that it was in third person, which I’m not really a big fan of. You don’t get to connect with the main character and in the book’s case, there were not any main characters.
There was Dusk, Jay and his father. The plot kept going from Dusk to Jay, really giving any reason why one is more important than the other at that point in the story.
I totally understand why it’s not in first person, because we wouldn’t be able to know all these things about the way Dusk lives among rats and wolves. However, I couldn’t connect with Dusk because of the way she was written and described. To me, she seemed more like a robot than anything. Sure, she wasn’t a full human with emotions and all, but it was hard to understand what she was going through because we weren’t in her mind.
Jay’s character didn’t interest me at all. He was a kind of a bully and he didn’t really care about anything but himself and his reputation. He does grow throughout the book and I’ll admit that he’s the character that seemed the most tridimensional.
More in a video.
I wanna to start by saying that this book has an awesome story that had a lot of potential. The story could have a great success, because it’s a genre that a lot of people love, but it didn’t work for me. I was really drawn by the fact that the book was about a girl whose genes are mutated with Hawk’s. It didn’t really say much else, but I was already hooked.
When I started reading the book, I realized that it was in third person, which I’m not really a big fan of. You don’t get to connect with the main character and in the book’s case, there were not any main characters.
There was Dusk, Jay and his father. The plot kept going from Dusk to Jay, really giving any reason why one is more important than the other at that point in the story.
I totally understand why it’s not in first person, because we wouldn’t be able to know all these things about the way Dusk lives among rats and wolves. However, I couldn’t connect with Dusk because of the way she was written and described. To me, she seemed more like a robot than anything. Sure, she wasn’t a full human with emotions and all, but it was hard to understand what she was going through because we weren’t in her mind.
Jay’s character didn’t interest me at all. He was a kind of a bully and he didn’t really care about anything but himself and his reputation. He does grow throughout the book and I’ll admit that he’s the character that seemed the most tridimensional.
More in a video.
June 3, 2013
I'm still wondering what on earth it is I read with this book. I seriously thought I was going to have nightmares soon after I started reading it what with the General Rat and his rat army. Gross.
Dusk is a science experiment gone wrong. Scientists wanted to see if they could create a person with the eyes of a hawk – someone who would see in the night or soldiers. They inserted hawk genes into an embryo and thus Dusk was born. But Dusk had more attributes from a hawk than they planned, so instead of letting her live the life of a human, they keep her caged up like an animal. This makes her believe even more that she's a hawk rather than human. She has three eyelids, loves hunting mice (when she gets out of the lab anyways. In the lab they just defrost frozen mice for her) and thinks that she can fly despite not having wings.
Thanks to a fire at the laboratory, Dusk is able to escape, along with General Rat, a rat who has been given more room in his head for a brain, aggressively pumped rats for his army, and a wolf-dog. They all live in the ruins of the laboratory years after the fire on their own schedules.
I cannot think of anything else to say for this book other than thank goodness I'm done reading it!
Dusk is a science experiment gone wrong. Scientists wanted to see if they could create a person with the eyes of a hawk – someone who would see in the night or soldiers. They inserted hawk genes into an embryo and thus Dusk was born. But Dusk had more attributes from a hawk than they planned, so instead of letting her live the life of a human, they keep her caged up like an animal. This makes her believe even more that she's a hawk rather than human. She has three eyelids, loves hunting mice (when she gets out of the lab anyways. In the lab they just defrost frozen mice for her) and thinks that she can fly despite not having wings.
Thanks to a fire at the laboratory, Dusk is able to escape, along with General Rat, a rat who has been given more room in his head for a brain, aggressively pumped rats for his army, and a wolf-dog. They all live in the ruins of the laboratory years after the fire on their own schedules.
I cannot think of anything else to say for this book other than thank goodness I'm done reading it!
June 8, 2008
This story is about a genetically modified girl whose genes were infused with a hawk's. She was genetically modified with a hawk's genes for a government experiment to create supersoldiers or superwarriors, some favorable traits she attained was night vision. After being held in a lab for many years, she escapes and takes refuge in an abandoned town. In that town, she meets other escaped experiments, such as mutant rats and vicious guard dogs. Then on one ocassion, a boy named Jay enters the abandoned town. It is then a battle between Dusk's human behavior or her hawk instincts to either save the boy or kill him.
This book sounds very much like a science fiction film and I do enjoy the plot. It would be common to have a story like this in a science fiction novel. However, the concept of a human/hawk is ridiculous to me, on the other hand, I've seen spiderman and I've enjoyed him, so who am I to judge that a hawk and a human cannot combine to create an acceptable fictional creature?
This book sounds very much like a science fiction film and I do enjoy the plot. It would be common to have a story like this in a science fiction novel. However, the concept of a human/hawk is ridiculous to me, on the other hand, I've seen spiderman and I've enjoyed him, so who am I to judge that a hawk and a human cannot combine to create an acceptable fictional creature?
October 21, 2011
This book is about a genetically modified girl whose genes were blended with a hawk's to create super soldiers. After being held in a lab for many years, she escapes after a fire and takes cover in an abandoned town where she lives with other escaped experiments, such as mutant rats and vicious guard dogs. Soon, a boy named Jay enters the abandoned town and it soon becomes a battle between Dusk's human behavior or her hawk instincts to either save the boy or kill him.
I picked this book up because I loved the plot and the captivating mysterious cover. I had finished it only because I enjoyed the way the author put it (cliffhanging and fascinating). Although the plot line didn't have that much going on and so it felt too short, I would recommend this book to those who adore Science Fiction books because of the way the book is written.
I picked this book up because I loved the plot and the captivating mysterious cover. I had finished it only because I enjoyed the way the author put it (cliffhanging and fascinating). Although the plot line didn't have that much going on and so it felt too short, I would recommend this book to those who adore Science Fiction books because of the way the book is written.
April 29, 2008
Dusk's DNA was infused with hawk genes by the military to get good night vision, but instead of just the eye genes she has absorbed the hawk's behaviors: Solitary, predator, but still human in a way. She feels, can learn, can talk, can make tools, hunts in both a human and animal way, and is anti-social due to cruel treatment by humans and long periods of isolation and drugs. She meets the son of a person who was kind to her in the government facility, Curtis's son Jay. Together they try to escape the town of Prospect.
November 10, 2015
Originally rated A- by Dominic Matthews
This book is okay. It's pretty predictable. It's definitely geared toward older readers (it has approximately four swear words in it and some gruesome descriptions). I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more if I hadn't read Maximum Ride, by James Patterson, first. Dusk is a watered down version of Maximum Ride. Dusk starts slow but picks up toward the end. Students that are into sci-fi might enjoy it. Buy it if there are few other choices. Book summary from SLJ is also posted.
This book is okay. It's pretty predictable. It's definitely geared toward older readers (it has approximately four swear words in it and some gruesome descriptions). I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more if I hadn't read Maximum Ride, by James Patterson, first. Dusk is a watered down version of Maximum Ride. Dusk starts slow but picks up toward the end. Students that are into sci-fi might enjoy it. Buy it if there are few other choices. Book summary from SLJ is also posted.
February 13, 2016
Good premises, but fell short because of POV choice, I think. It would be better if only Jay and Dusk telling the story, not jumping from head to head randomly that keeping the reader apart from the main characters.
And the ending... it's not conclusive.
What I like though is Jay's internal conflict. I can relate to him, but suffer with him from the abrupt ending.
From others' reviews I learnt that there isn't any sequel. That's too bad.
Maybe the author intended this as a first book but then being cancelled.
And the ending... it's not conclusive.
What I like though is Jay's internal conflict. I can relate to him, but suffer with him from the abrupt ending.
From others' reviews I learnt that there isn't any sequel. That's too bad.
Maybe the author intended this as a first book but then being cancelled.
September 29, 2009
Okay, so I picked this up, and it had the coolest summary.
Check it. This half-breed of human and hawk (awesome) livin' in the wild (awesome) meets boy (yay!).
What I didn't want...they were 13. What the mess? I don't enjoy reading 13 year old semi-love stories. Swearing...yuck. And Jay? The dude? He's a loser. Until like the very last page. Or whatever. Oh, and the rat is super creepy. That's all I'll say, to avoid spoilers...but man...
Check it. This half-breed of human and hawk (awesome) livin' in the wild (awesome) meets boy (yay!).
What I didn't want...they were 13. What the mess? I don't enjoy reading 13 year old semi-love stories. Swearing...yuck. And Jay? The dude? He's a loser. Until like the very last page. Or whatever. Oh, and the rat is super creepy. That's all I'll say, to avoid spoilers...but man...
November 26, 2014
I forgot the name of the book and the author. Was searching high and low via Internet for the title. Finally found it here. Yes, the book was so well-written that the young me find it hard to put down.
**SPOILERS*
The author took the time to describe vividly how the character hunts and very details of how dirty the environment is, etc. It gave me a deep impression. When the young me was reading it, i felt as if I was experiencing it with my own eyes, no details were spared. Thumbs up!
**SPOILERS*
The author took the time to describe vividly how the character hunts and very details of how dirty the environment is, etc. It gave me a deep impression. When the young me was reading it, i felt as if I was experiencing it with my own eyes, no details were spared. Thumbs up!
October 3, 2010
I. AM. SHOCKED.
i cannot beleive how incredible this book is, its, its, as good as the choas walking series!!!!!!!!!!!!
i just love this book, that i was scared to death to turn to the las page, i didn't want it to ever end...
best book EVER!!!!!!!!!!
i cannot beleive how incredible this book is, its, its, as good as the choas walking series!!!!!!!!!!!!
i just love this book, that i was scared to death to turn to the las page, i didn't want it to ever end...
best book EVER!!!!!!!!!!
October 8, 2012
Probably not a book I would recommend. It was kind of pointless. It was weird and I just disliked the main male character so much! It was okay, just extremely weird. I'm glad I didn't pay too much for it.
March 27, 2013
I actually liked it quite a lot, even though the cliffhanger at the end was a pity. The background on the characters seemed a bit too long too, at least compared to the overall length of the book. Too bad that the author hadn't decided to continue this, but heh. It's still good.
February 7, 2008
Finally, something differen!
February 19, 2011
I liked it but there was a strange flow to it and sometimes too much POV changing
August 16, 2011
40%
This seemed to end half way through a story. It wasn't very well written, but not totally terrible.
This seemed to end half way through a story. It wasn't very well written, but not totally terrible.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews