Quicksand Hardcover – January 1, 2017

Interesting read in one person's voice. Enjoyed it.

All

Loved it.

The hard-hitting opening had me going back over it a couple of times to make sure the images it was creating in my mind were accurate. Then as I started to make my way through Maja's bleak story, I tried to work out exactly what had happened in that classroom. I had so many questions. Did Maja actually do what she was being accused of? What was her relationship with the victims? Why did she seem so calm? Who was Sebastian and how was he involved?The writing style was beautifully expressive, it pulled me in and made me want to understand the characters and the situation better. Covering Maja's time in court made the story feel even more real, I found it very easy to visualise the scenes in front of me. It was absolutely believable.Amongst the darkness of a murder trial were some amusing moments, little comments from Maja that made me laugh. Her sarcasm surprised me in a good way and I really enjoyed coming across those lighthearted sentences! This also brings me to the fact that I couldn't help but like Maja. I felt as though I was supposed to despise her but for some reason I just couldn't. In fact, I felt quite sad for her, for the situation she had found herself in. I definitely had some motherly feelings towards this girl who had so spectacularly lost her way.The further I read, the more engrossed I became. Maja's life completely fascinated me and, as the mystery was pieced together, I realised I was holding my breath waiting for the outcome.Quicksand is a suspenseful treat of a thriller that will have you flipping the pages in anticipation. An utterly captivating 5 star read.

I really enjoyed the book. Great character development. She knows how to tell a story. Very pleased to learn that Netflix has bought the movie rights.

I’d say that this is a young adult book. It certainly can’t be compared with, ‘We need to talk about Kevin’ - doesn’t come any where near that standard. I would have given 1* but the book redeemed itself in some passages, otherwise this is a really boring court account involving troubled teenagers.There’s a massacre shooting in a school classroom. Maja, the narrator and main character, is in court charged with incitement and involvement. The whole point of the plot is whether Maja is guilty or not. I couldn’t have cared less at the end because the book was so tedious.

I liked it. It definitely was worth reading but I would not say it was the best ever - It wasn't really about what happened but more about how they figure out what happened and convince the jury about what happened. There was some cleverness in that but the rest of the book bordered on frustrating - one can't really understand why the protagonist ever liked Sebastian at all which then makes the story a bit less interesting

Like others, I hadn’t realised that this is a book for “young adults” - even though the story is distinctly grown up and at times very dark, the style of writing is not one aimed at adults.I read it waiting for the various inevitable Scandi-noir twists to arrive, but they didn’t. Perhaps not having any twists was the twist.Readable, but not great.

Excellent, thought provoking book. The details of the crime aren't covered in depth for readers who think they will be. It focuses more on the lead up to the crime and the aftermath. Well written and the topic was handled well.

I did enjoy this even though initially I found Maja too negative in her opinions of her family and friends, she seemed too cynical and jaded for her age. However I was definitely drawn in and wanted to find out how things turned out. I think the book would be better if a few chapters were shortened or chopped, occasionally reprtitive