Hostage Three by Nick Lake
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I've met Amy in a host of other rebellious, depressed, financially well-off teenagers in other books. However, her realization of what happened with her mother and what it will mean to her is natural and nicely done: gradually as she becomes more aware of the limits and flaws of her own view. But what Nick Lake really did successfully here was create a beautiful backstory of the Somali pirates--their homeland, history, and business-like approach to hostage-taking. This kind of story building based on historical occurrences is a strength of Nick Lake's that I also saw and loved in his Printz-award winner, In Darkness.
Lake also writes in Hostage Three with a clarity that conveys a lot of emotion in it's simplicity. I particularly loved In Darkness, I enjoyed the writing and story of this one too, despite the fact that it didn't have quite the deep characters and layered story that In Darkness has. Plus, the book delivers on the action it promises; the situation calls for a swift pace, and the up and down, back and forth emotions and physical standing between the hostages and the pirates brings some breathless suspense and action.
Good for fans of Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly, or if you liked books like Code Name Verity.
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