Don’t Turn Around audiobook

Wildly exciting with never ending action, Don't Turn Around is perfect for fans of Lisbeth Salander and Bourne Identity. With a bang, we begin this fast paced, nail biting thriller that takes us inside a story filled with conspiracies and lies, and how two hackers are gunning for the truth. If you're looking for a high-action plot you're definitely at the right place. There is no room to breathe in this novel, let alone relax. It begins and ends with your adrenaline pumping. It's exciting; keeping me up reading late at night, though it does have a few quirks that holds it back from becoming a truly amazing read. Like character development.First we meet Lisbeth Noa who has hacked herself into an independent life to escape the evils of foster care. I liked her instantly. Although not as mentally messed up, nor as characteristically fleshed out, Noa's hacking and resourcefulness reminded me quite a bit of Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Greater development would have helped make her a more memorable characters like our dear Lisbeth, but I did enjoy her nonetheless. Noa's foster care upbringing was not ideal, so what we do get is an apprehensive, keep-to-oneself, young woman who is just now starting to let people in. Thus, we do still glimpse at who she is at large, and for a first book in a series with so much happening, lack of greater depth is not a very prominent issue. At least, it didn't stop me from absolutely devouring this novel! Alongside Noa, we're introduced to Peter who is vastly different from her if only for the fact that he grew up in a rich household, and with parents who seem to have gotten way over their heads into something abysmal. I found Peter's character to be even less established than Noa's, never quite getting a feel of who this kid is except a hacker. I still found his voice fairly easy to like. With dual gender POVs some of you may expect a romance, so let me tell you that this book does not have a romantic subplot, which didn't bother me in the least as I felt it wouldn't be a good fit for this story in any case. Still, the author tries to work a tiny bit of romance in the plot which, as the novel fails to bring forth any chemistry between the characters beyond a mere acquaintance relationship, I found these instances quite awkward and out of place. I think I will be disappointed if any romantic relationship does germinate between them in the future. They make a great team as hackers, romance doesn't always need to pop it's head - especially when it's ugly. As others have mentioned, I do agree that we're left with an abundance of questions when the book ends. We do amass some details throughout the book relating to the major plot points, but we only merely scratch the surface, leaving a mountain to discover in the next installments. I'm particularly interested in digging deeper inside the medical side of the plot; a new terrible disease that targets teenagers is just what I need to quench my thirst for some terrifying mutated illnesses that kills. What? Is this a weird fetish?With its freaky, creepy cover, I highly recommend Don't Turn Around for readers who enjoy action packed, incredibly fast paced thrillers that include fascinating medical evolution and research. --An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

I've really enjoyed reading this! There is a lot of coincidences in this book, but I really like the idea and the storyline. The beginning is really strong, it grabbed me at the first couple of sentences. I'm excited to be reading the sequels soon!

The ending gave me literal chills.. or it could be the 50 degree weather and wind chill.Either way great story, great characters, great twist. Definitely recommend to any and all

Een leuk boek, maar het blies me niet echt van mijn stoel. Hier kan je mijn recensie lezen: http://nerdygeekyfanboy.com/recensie/...

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: A girl tries to find out who is behind the kidnapping of runaway teens (including herself). A boy leads a hacktivist group that eventually leads to Project Persephone. Opening Sentence: When Noa Torson woke up, the first thing she noticed was that her feet were cold. The Review: Noa Torson wakes up in a “hospital” with a huge blank hole in her memory. How did she arrive at the hospital? No, why is she even in the hospital? Not one for detainment, Noa escapes from the building, only to find that she was in a boat storage unit in the middle of nowhere. With an ingenious plan, Noa makes her way back to Boston, Massachusetts, determined to find out why someone would kidnap her and hold her for two weeks. At the same time, Peter Gregory is snooping through his father’s desk when he finds a folder labeled Project Persephone. Intrigued, Peter decides to use his hacking skills to research the folder. But just as he opens a internet window, a man named Mr. Mason and his men break down his door, steal his laptop and warns Peter to forget about Project Persephone. Of course Peter doesn’t oblige, but searching comes with a price. His parents kick him out of the house and his girlfriend in college, Amanda, is drawing farther and farther away. After a ironic coincidence, Peter and Noa join forces against this new threat to runaway kids on the streets. Fabulous. Ingenious. Absolutely incredible. Just to name a few. This book blew my mind with the intricate plot and deep characters and witty dialogue. It reminds me of an Artemis Fowl book for teens with less criminal mastermind and more crazy plots and adventure. Some of the plot is a tad predictable but there was enough action and suspense that I looked over it. This book is a great example of a YA book that doesn’t revolve around romance. Sure there are some aspects of romance such as Peter and Amanda. But that’s a relationship that is falling apart. Peter is starting to like Noa by the end of the book, but throughout the entire book, just about 10 sentences are dedicated to it. BUT those who like a little romance in a story, there’s enough to satisfy, but I doubt you’ll be paying attention to the relationships with everything else that’s going on. The most important factor in this book — the thing that makes this book original and applies to this day and age — is the fact that Noa and Peter live in a hacking society. Both can hack a computer or system with ease. Before I read this book, I wondered how Gagnon would describe hacking without overloading on computer codes or specific details. Gagnon creatively uses analogies to describe Noa or Peter hacking. Breaking through a castle wall or playing hide and seek are (according to Noa) similar to hacking a system. Peter also leads a “hacktivist” online group called /ALLIANCE/ that seeks out criminals, abusers or companies that cheat the law. Then they use their hacking skills to create a type of justice (i.e. closing their bank account, putting classified articles online, etc.) Overall, I loved this book and cannot wait for the next book. There’s not a terrible cliffhanger, but just enough to leave you hanging on to the last page or rereading the ending. Narrated in third person from both Noa and Peter’s objective point of views, Don’t Turn Around is a stunning debut that is worth every minute of reading and every hour of no sleep. Notable Scene: Just get /ALLIANCE/ up and running again, we’ll need it. Check in here every day. Don’t worry, we’ve got a plan. Sounded like she was still with that guy, the one he’d dubbed “Molotov cocktail man.” The thought bothered Peter more than he’d like to admit. But at least Noa wasn’t alone, he told himself. It was good that someone was watching her back. Even if for the moment, it wasn’t him. Peter typed, Better than the last plan, I hope. Definitely. This time we’ll be the cavalry. And she signed off. Peter spend a long moment staring at the screen, then logged off and powered down the phone and laptop. He tapped his finger on the steering wheel, thinking. Did he really want to get involved in all this again? Risk his parents, and Amanda? Yeah, he thought, remembering Cody. Hell yeah. He’d do whatever they needed him to.FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Don’t Turn Around. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

A finished unsolicited copy was provided by the publisher for review.Noa wakes up in a facility with a big long scar on her chest and once she realizes she's being held prisoner in the city of Boston she escapes her tormentors. Running into fellow teenager and hacker Peter, they uncover a conspiracy so great that even help from the FBI is useless.Noa's character is fiercely sharp and intelligent, and I can honestly say I love her character. She's a survivor who took matters in her own hands and started to teach herself how to hack into systems so she can survive on her own. Noa isn't as hard and as cold as she seems, because you are privy to her vulnerable more sensitive side in bits and pieces.Then there's Peter who grew up in an affluent neighbourhood and gas had every advantage yet he his parents ignore him and basically abandon him. I kinda hated his father a lot. The things he said just made me incredibly mad. It was a large contrast seeing these two young lives, both broken in their own way. Both trying to make sense of how wrong society has influenced them.Don't Turn Around is written in dual perspectives and I've always loved different point of views because it adds so much more dimension to the story-line. So fast-paced, I couldn't stop reading. And there were just so many questions I needed to answer that my mind itself was racing to figure it all out. This book is for any techy geek or anyone interested in a mystery or even conspiracy. There's a little bit of hacking terminology like bricking which was a very interesting theory and most likely a realistic one. I loved this one and almost gobbled it up. I thought this was a standalone but I was happy to find out there were going to be more books after I finished reading the last page.This one is going into my favourites pile and one I would read over again to find out if I missed any clues of foreshadowing.CharactersGreat strong characters.Pacing/LengthSo fast I was flipping through the pages.Cover/DesignPretty interesting, but it could do a makeover to patch the actual plot.PlotLove love love!Overall, one of my favourites of the year and can't wait for the next one!

Ever since her parents died, Noa has been a victim of the system, shuffled in and out of foster care. Now sixteen, she’s finally found a way to beat the system by using her hacker skills to create herself a quiet and comfortable life. But whatever sense of calm Noa had built up for herself shatters when she wakes up on an operating table in a warehouse and no memory of how she could have gotten there. On the run from an enemy she doesn’t even know, Noa crosses paths with Peter, a fellow hacker. He needs her help digging up info on a mysterious corporation that seems to be after him, and, though she doesn’t realize it at first, she needs his help too. It turns out that both have unwittingly become embroiled in a terrible plot involving disappearing kids and controversial human experimentation—and their enemies will stop at nothing to keep their deadly secrets from being exposed.When I picked up Don’t Turn Around, I was hoping for a lot of great action, and thankfully, that’s what I got. The plot of this book is absolutely packed full of serious threats, desperate chases, fights, escapes, and close calls, which makes reading all of it certainly a thrilling experience. Noa’s and Peter’s hacking efforts added another layer of excitement to this story, and I found that the mystery and investigation aspect of the plot was quite smart and well structured as well. So overall, the action-packed plot most definitely lived up to my expectations. However, I did find myself distracted at times while reading because some of the exposition and descriptions were awkwardly integrated into the story; while I did enjoy learning these little details about various characters, more often than not they weren’t necessary to the plot and caused the pacing in these instances to lag a bit. Despite this, I was thoroughly entertained by Don’t Turn Around and look forward to seeing where Noa’s and Peter’s paths will take them next.Don’t Turn Around will be enjoyed by readers who also liked The Lab by Jack Heath, A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghan, Cold Fury by T.M. Goeglein, and Tunnel Vision by Susan Shaw.reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com

Michelle Gagnon is known for her bestselling thrillers. But, for her new novel “Don’t Turn Around”, due out August 28, 2012, she decided to switch genres and pick up the YA mantle. Boy, am I glad she did. She’s a natural at writing intriguing, mature, but still flawed young characters with loads of issues. The book centers around Noa, a teenage computer hacker/forgotten foster kid who wakes up in a hospital gown on a surgical table in an empty warehouse with a mystery incision healing on her chest. After that intriguing opening, the story continues at a non-stop pace from there. Who did this to her and more importantly what did they do to her. The crisp thrill-ride prose will definitely have you reading well into the night to figure it out. I really enjoyed the fact that there are references to the hacker group Anonymous and Gagnon establishes her own hacker community called /ALLIANCE/ that a clueless at first rich-kid hacker named Peter runs. It makes the reader feel like they are right in the middle of current events. Noa happens to have worked some with /ALLIANCE/ before her mysterious abduction, so it gives us a chance for her and Peter’s paths to converge, and that’s when they realize they are both fighting the same enemy. They join forces, and with the help of some very good friends, they slowly piece together the puzzle, which turns out to be an intricate, massive web that encompasses more than they could have ever imagined. Noa is definitely a great heroine for young and adult alike. She is tough, smart, strong, scared, and vulnerable all at the same time. Just like a lot of us. This is the first book in a trilogy, and I can’t wait to see where Gagnon takes these thrilling characters from here.

I won this book thru a goodreads giveaway and I must say it is a must read it is constantly moving and action packed. Sixteen year old Noa and her Allliance friend Peter embark on a life changing quest that turns into a lot of action and you meet a girl that can seriously kick some butt when it comes to computer hacking. Its a non stop action packed book that you can't put down. I loved it from the start so all I got to say is WOW Loved it.Really hoping there will be a part two. Thanks Michelle for a great book.

Great book. Now, where is book 2? Review coming soon.

4.25 stars.I received an ARC of this book from Goodreads.Noa Torson has been in and out of the foster care system for almost a decade and, through her knowledge of hacking, was able to eventually get out of the system and set up a fake family for herself, thus ensuring she would never have to see the inside of a The Center, the place she lived between foster homes, ever again. Peter’s a rich kid who has everything he could ever want, except for warm, loving parents. Both are hackers; Noa’s just about the best at what she does and Peter’s set up a hacktivist site called /ALLIANCE/ (could someone explain the need for the / bracketing the name to me?!) that targets sexual predators, animal abusers and basically anyone who preyed on the weak.Right at the start of the book, the reader is thrown into the thick of things, with Noa waking up on a metal examination table with no memory of how she got there. And soon after we’re introduced to Peter, he inadvertently hacks a site that will bring him more trouble than he ever imagined, involving people he’d never imagined. I was surprised that Amanda had as big a role as she did, though it wasn’t huge, and am curious to see if she’ll factor into the next book and if so, to what extent. There’s also a mysterious person aiding Noa, though we don’t really find out much about them in this book, leading me to believe they’ll have a much bigger role in the next.For the longest time, you really don’t have too much of an idea of what’s happening or why, and the author left out one piece of information until halfway through the book that could give you some idea of why things are happening. After you have that vital bit, it’s easy to figure out what’s going on, though she’s quick to clue you in herself. I actually loved how you were sort of left floundering as to what was going on with the plot for quite some time, as many stories dive right in without any build-up. All you have for the first half of the book is build up, plenty of action and lots of questions. Many of those questions get answered in the second half of the book, there’s even more action and the set-up for the second installment comes right at the end.Noa’s a great character, smart, fast thinking and resilient. She doesn’t trust people easily and isn’t a character who’s going to fall into the arms of some guy and depend on him to save her, as she’s more than capable of taking care of herself. Yet, she’s smart enough to know when she needs help and is able to accept it.Peter’s also a good character, his home life is crap and things just keep getting worse and worse for him as the book goes on. Though he wasn’t in it too much, I totally loved Cody. As for Peter’s parents, they’re so self-centered and shallow, I really didn’t like them and doubt if there’s any way they can be redeemed as characters in subsequent books.I have one suggestion for Ms. Gagnon. If you’re going to write about a vegan, you should do the bare minimum of searches to find out what they are, as nobody who is actually a vegan, especially an ethical vegan, would wear a wool coat or hat or anything else that comes from an animal.If you like mysteries; lots of action; shadowy, morally-challenged organizations; strong female characters; and aren’t put out that there isn’t really a romance (though there is the possibility of one in the future, but the question is between which of the characters will it occur), you should definitely check out this book.