Review: Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman

Title: Full Tilt

Author: Neal Shusterman

Genre: YA, horror

Publication date: June 2003

Published by: Simon & Schuster

Source: Purchased paperback

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Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Blake and his younger brother, Quinn, are exact opposites. Blake is the responsible member of the family. He constantly has to keep an eye on the fearless Quinn, whose thrill-seeking sometimes goes too far. But the stakes get higher when Blake has to chase Quinn into a bizarre phantom carnival that traps its customers forever.

In order to escape, Blake must survive seven deadly rides by dawn, each of which represents a deep, personal fear -- from a carousel of stampeding animals to a hall of mirrors that changes people into their deformed reflections. Blake ultimately has to face up to a horrible secret from his own past to save himself and his brother -- that is, if the carnival doesn't claim their souls first!

My rating: ★★★★☆
Blake follows his thrill-seeking younger brother to a creepy, phantom-like amusement park. A park that is more than meets the eye.

This was the exact opposite of some drugged-out experience. We still had our senses. Our minds were sharp and clear. It was the rest of the world that had gone crazy.

Blake must ride seven rides before dawn, otherwise the carnival will claim his soul. And this whole situation ties in with a past childhood trauma for Blake, which was astonishing to say the least.

So, this was my first Neal Shusterman book and I loved it! It was so well written! I can’t believe I haven’t read his books before! And an unexpected, but pleasant, surprise was that this book was very funny! I absolutely loved that! I love quippy characters!

It was what you would call a “vomit ride.” You know the kind—you get inside what’s basically a big drum that spins you around and around, gluing you up against the wall with centrifugal force and making you so nauseous that you end up puking things you probably ate in previous lives.

And speaking about characters, I loved the relationship between Blake and Quinn. Quinn was a bit frustrating at first, but the brothers had some really sweet moments, especially towards the end. And what was going on inside Quinn was so heartbreaking! Blake is used to saving Quinn all the time, but Blake will have to learn that in order to get out of this, Quinn might just have to save himself.

I really loved Blake! He was smart and capable and I really enjoyed following him on this journey. Also, he was a male main character in a YA book! I actually don’t read many of these, but I love it when I do come across one! It’s a nice change from all the female protagonists.

So, this book is categorized as horror, but I wouldn’t exactly call it that, to be honest. The things that the characters went through were definitely horrible, but I didn’t find them to be particularly scary. I would say this is more of a thriller than anything.

So, yeah, I really liked this book and how action-packed it was! I also loved the characters and the humor in the book. I also happen to love amusements parks, so I absolutely loved the setting! Especially how weird and creepy it was, just popping up out of nowhere. The rides themselves were very cool and interesting, but definitely deadly. And I loved how the rides morphed into these sort of challenges Blake had to win in order to save himself and his friends. Even though I wouldn’t consider this a straight horror, there were some really creepy parts. I also really enjoyed the heartfelt moments between the brothers. This book had a little bit of everything and it was great! And I just fell in love with Neal Shusterman’s writing. I am really looking forward to reading more of his books!

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a link to your review or comment below! :)