4.5 Stars... really addicting

Jamie has just found out that his older sister has been released from juvie... and now he can't feel his hands. 2 years ago, Cate went away for starting a fire, but now she's out and apparently she wants Jamie to know some things. Like what really happened when their real mother died... and other things that Jamie can't remember.

Jamie and Cate were adopted by a couple after their mom was shot and killed. Cate was outgoing and fun, Jamie had tons of problems. Through the years with therapy, he's been able to get most of his anxiety under control, until Cate returns. Now he's freaking out worse than ever, and he's starting to realize that the only way out is to find out the truth of their past.


My Thoughts:
This is a seriously thrilling, addicting, messed-up, and unsatisfying kind of book. I really enjoyed reading it, and I had to keep reading it until I finished. I have a thing for books that feature teenage boys as the main character. I relate so much better to guys than I do girls most of the time. I'm weird like that. But this main character was written so incredibly well that I felt like I knew him inside and out. Every feeling in this book came across as so genuine.

Jamie is out-of-control scared of his sister, but he also desperately needs information from her, and this basically is what drives the book. He also has a thing about fate and wants to believe it's real, which kind of stems from the circumstances surrounding his mother's death and how his adoptive parents came to want to adopt the 2 siblings. I especially liked all the mystery that the sister brought to the book. Cate was this cryptic enigma of a girl and normally I think that sort of thing would get on my nerves, but in this book it totally worked. The writing is amazing! I've never read a book by this author before, but I love the way she wrote this. The way she describes things, the like, philosophy that goes through the main character's head... it was really brilliant. I wish I could write like that.

The only thing that holds me back from screaming from the rooftops for everyone to read this book is that I had a feeling from the very beginning what was going to be the end result. And I was right. I didn't want to be right. After the "big reveal" happened, I kept waiting for there to be another major twist to tell me I was wrong and that never happened. Also there is no conclusion in this ending. It felt very unsatisfying... creepy, but unsatisfying. And I have a love/hate thing with endings like that. I'll probably like the way this ended a lot better in a few weeks. It's too fresh now and I feel like I need to know MORE!

OVERALL: A book about a boy with psychological problems and his need to find out more about his past in order to overcome them. It's got the whole psychological mystery thing going... and it's a total mindfuck. I recommend this for anyone who is in the mood for spectacular, addictive writing. I just personally wish the ending was more concrete.

My Blog:
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Four stars for the skillful writing alone. I read this book in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. As far as storytelling and description, the last thirty pages built up to a Big Lipped Alligator Moment (credit to Nostalgia Chick for the phrase). i have happily read stories with this premise whose authors have written the ending much more cleanly, and belief was far easier. ( )

3.5 stars. Thriller, mystery, fast-read, gets kind of weird, Law and Order:Criminal Intent style. ( )

For mature readers ( )

"Complicit" had enough twists and turns to do anyone's head in. However, I found it only an average read - there are certainly better psychological thrillers dealing with mental illness out there. From the start, I didn't like or trust Jamie. I found his timidness and general behaviour annoying. Now, Cate, his older sister, on the other hand was a far more interesting character and I would have liked to have known her better. I thought the ending was great - it certainly brought the story to an unexpected climax, but the rest was the novel was just okay. ( )