• About

By Hook Or By Book

~ Book Reviews, News, and Other Stuff

By Hook Or By Book

Daily Archives: July 23, 2015

Damage Done ~ by Amanda Panitch – 4.0 Stars

23 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by By Hook Or By Book: Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff in Uncategorized

≈ 37 Comments

Tags

Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Suspense, School Shootings, Thriller, Twins, YA Fiction

Damage-Done-Cvr I received this ebook from NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: 22 minutes separate Julia Venn’s before and after.

Before: Julia had a twin brother, a boyfriend, and a best friend.

After: She has a new identity, a new hometown, and memories of those twenty-two minutes that refuse to come into focus. At least, that’s what she tells the police.

Now that she’s Lucy Black, she’s able to begin again. And her fresh start has attracted one of the most popular guys in school, a boy who will do anything to protect her. But when someone much more dangerous also takes notice, Lucy’s forced to confront the dark secrets she thought were safely behind. 

One thing is clear: The damage done can never be erased. It’s only just beginning…

To call this debut novel creepy and disturbing doesn’t even begin to cover it. It’s insanely twisted and shoved me completely outside my comfort zone. 

The story begins as Julia, now known as Lucy, is trying to fit in at a new school. She and her parents have moved to get away from the negative publicity and harassment following the conviction of her twin brother Ryan who committed a horrific act of school violence, leaving a teacher and several classmates, including her boyfriend and her best friend, dead. Lucy is the sole survivor but has large gaps in her memory regarding the events of that day. While what truly happened is foreshadowed, how the truth is eventually revealed is completely shocking. 

Lucy/Julia isn’t a likeable character right from the start. She has no problem lying and manipulating people and events to suit her needs. The terrible crime of her brother follows Lucy no matter where she goes, but you don’t discover her exact role in it until the end of the book. Through her eyes you see the development of a sociopath, which is truly frightening. Because the narrative is mostly told from her perspective, it adds another layer of suspense since she’s not exactly trustworthy.

While Lucy is unforgettable, the secondary characters could have used some more development, particularly the parents. I found myself wanting to know so much more about them, but unfortunately they’re fairly two-dimensional and don’t really add anything to the story. This is a shame, because in a thriller such as this, I would have liked to have seen more of how their parenting effected the twins development. 

The pacing never slows down, and while the ending wasn’t a complete surprise, there’s an incredible twist to it that left me shaken and disconcerted which doesn’t happen too often. 

Damage Done is not a book I’d recommend to anyone under the age of fourteen due to the mature themes as well as some pretty graphic and disturbing scenes. In a world where school shootings have unfortunately become commonplace, Amanda Panitch tells a fascinating and thrilling tale of one of these senseless tragedies and the repercussions on the shooter’s family. 

  • By Hook Or By Book: Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff

Archives

July 2015
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Jun   Aug »

Blog Stats

  • 336,703 hits
Follow By Hook Or By Book on WordPress.com

Blogs I Follow

  • Read Betwixt Words
  • The Psy of Life
  • Bookshelves & Teacups
  • idahobluebird50 Plants, Animals, Cats, Dogs, Mysteries and Chat
  • fromcavewalls.wordpress.com/
  • Tracy the Bookworm
  • BOOKSTAGGER
  • theconfessionsofarandomblogger.wordpress.com/
  • Hit or Miss Books
  • Amani's Reviews
  • @onceuponawishlist
  • A Home Library - Book Reviews & Book News
  • Gauri the Dreamer
  • A Naga of the Nusantara
  • Award Winning Books
  • Reader Jones
  • The Traveling Bookworm
  • novels around the world
  • I Heart Fictional People
  • The Write Stuff
  • Jane Lurie Photography
  • Mythaxis Review
  • The Book Bites
  • Literary Liza
  • abigailsbooks.wordpress.com/
  • Page by Page
  • The Masked Bibliophile
  • Dreams And Escapes
  • sugarandscream.wordpress.com/
  • Lines by Leon
  • Lovabull Books
  • Schizanthus Nerd
  • katherinesmits Word Siren
  • Bonkers For The Books
  • Bite! Eat! Repeat!
  • Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog
  • Stuart France
  • Tallis Steelyard
  • Jim Webster
  • The Rantings of a Book Addict
  • Books Teacup and Reviews
  • Gulf South Free Press
  • Bantering Books
  • Barb Taub
  • The Introverted Reader 📚
  • Odd Bits About Books
  • Between Pages
  • The Suspected Bibliophile
  • Beach Walk Reflections: Thoughts from thinking while walking
  • The Silent Eye

Member of The Internet Defense League

Follow By Hook Or By Book on WordPress.com

Blogs I Follow

  • Read Betwixt Words
  • The Psy of Life
  • Bookshelves & Teacups
  • idahobluebird50 Plants, Animals, Cats, Dogs, Mysteries and Chat
  • fromcavewalls.wordpress.com/
  • Tracy the Bookworm
  • BOOKSTAGGER
  • theconfessionsofarandomblogger.wordpress.com/
  • Hit or Miss Books
  • Amani's Reviews
  • @onceuponawishlist
  • A Home Library - Book Reviews & Book News
  • Gauri the Dreamer
  • A Naga of the Nusantara
  • Award Winning Books
  • Reader Jones
  • The Traveling Bookworm
  • novels around the world
  • I Heart Fictional People
  • The Write Stuff
July 2015
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Jun   Aug »

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Read Betwixt Words

Books, Reviews, Recommendations and occasionally Poetry

The Psy of Life

Understanding the psychology that drives our politics

Bookshelves & Teacups

Because paradise is a library

idahobluebird50 Plants, Animals, Cats, Dogs, Mysteries and Chat

Memories of a Senior citizen

fromcavewalls.wordpress.com/

The Journey Home

Tracy the Bookworm

a bookworm detailing all her bookish thoughts

BOOKSTAGGER

Connecting Author to Readers and Readers to Author

theconfessionsofarandomblogger.wordpress.com/

the confessions of a random blogger

Hit or Miss Books

Reviews for children's and adult books.

Amani's Reviews

Here’s where I’ll gush about my favorite books , shows, and other projects!

@onceuponawishlist

all things bookish!!

A Home Library - Book Reviews & Book News

Gauri the Dreamer

My slice-of-life as child and as parent. Of reading, writing, gardening, and giving back to nature.

A Naga of the Nusantara

Fantasy and sci-fi reviews by a Malaysian book wyrm

Award Winning Books

As decided by me, your favorite raccoon host

Reader Jones

a book blog

The Traveling Bookworm

novels around the world

.com

I Heart Fictional People

Falling in Love One Book at a Time…

The Write Stuff

"Writers Helping Writers" with Marcia Meara & Friends

Jane Lurie Photography

Jane's Lens

Mythaxis Review

culture and technology

The Book Bites

Literary Liza

Cosy up and read with me!

abigailsbooks.wordpress.com/

"Books wash away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

Page by Page

Book Reviews with Bianca

The Masked Bibliophile

Books, Novels, Reviews, Poetry

Dreams And Escapes

Moments cherished, memories kept, dreams fulfilled and little things that make everyday a blessing.

sugarandscream.wordpress.com/

Lines by Leon

Leon Stevens : Author, Artist, Composer

Lovabull Books

My journey as a dog mom and book worm...

Schizanthus Nerd

Living the dream one page at a time

katherinesmits Word Siren

Reviewing enchanting reads and discussing all things bookish

Bonkers For The Books

Book reviews and more by Michael David

Bite! Eat! Repeat!

52 Cookbooks. 52 Recipes. A Tasty 2022!

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

READER - WRITER - CURATED RESOURCES - & MORE

Stuart France

Writer

Tallis Steelyard

The jumbled musings of Tallis Steelyard

Jim Webster

Books and Stuff

The Rantings of a Book Addict

Books Teacup and Reviews

Eclectic Mix Book Blog

Gulf South Free Press

Opinion Is The Medium Between Knowledge And Igonrance

Bantering Books

Book Reviews

Barb Taub

Writing & Coffee. Especially coffee.

The Introverted Reader 📚

Forever lost in literature

Odd Bits About Books

Between Pages

Documenting the inspiration I find, Between Pages

The Suspected Bibliophile

rambling book reviews and queer SFF writing

Beach Walk Reflections: Thoughts from thinking while walking

The Silent Eye

A Modern Mystery School

Read Betwixt Words

Books, Reviews, Recommendations and occasionally Poetry

The Psy of Life

Understanding the psychology that drives our politics

Bookshelves & Teacups

Because paradise is a library

idahobluebird50 Plants, Animals, Cats, Dogs, Mysteries and Chat

Memories of a Senior citizen

fromcavewalls.wordpress.com/

The Journey Home

Tracy the Bookworm

a bookworm detailing all her bookish thoughts

BOOKSTAGGER

Connecting Author to Readers and Readers to Author

theconfessionsofarandomblogger.wordpress.com/

the confessions of a random blogger

Hit or Miss Books

Reviews for children's and adult books.

Amani's Reviews

Here’s where I’ll gush about my favorite books , shows, and other projects!

@onceuponawishlist

all things bookish!!

A Home Library - Book Reviews & Book News

Gauri the Dreamer

My slice-of-life as child and as parent. Of reading, writing, gardening, and giving back to nature.

A Naga of the Nusantara

Fantasy and sci-fi reviews by a Malaysian book wyrm

Award Winning Books

As decided by me, your favorite raccoon host

Reader Jones

a book blog

The Traveling Bookworm

novels around the world

.com

I Heart Fictional People

Falling in Love One Book at a Time…

The Write Stuff

"Writers Helping Writers" with Marcia Meara & Friends

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • By Hook Or By Book
    • Join 6,119 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • By Hook Or By Book
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.