Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Killer Instinct (Early Book Review)

Wednesday, April 23, 2014 10:45 PM with 11 comments

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Killer Instinct

Author: S.E. Green
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Number of Pages: 272
Release Dates: May 6, 2014

Synopsis from Goodreads:

She’s not evil, but she has certain... urges.

Lane is a typical teenager. Loving family. Good grades. Afterschool job at the local animal hospital. Martial arts enthusiast. But her secret obsession is studying serial killers. She understands them, knows what makes them tick.

Why?

Because she might be one herself.

Lane channels her dark impulses by hunting criminals—delivering justice when the law fails. The vigilantism stops shy of murder. But with each visceral rush the line of self-control blurs.
And then a young preschool teacher goes missing. Only to return... in parts.
When Lane excitedly gets involved in the hunt for “the Decapitator,” the vicious serial murderer that has come to her hometown, she gets dangerously caught up in a web of lies about her birth dad and her own dark past. And once the Decapitator contacts Lane directly, Lane knows she is no longer invisible or safe. Now she needs to use her unique talents to find the true killer’s identity before she—or someone she loves—becomes the next victim...


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MY THOUGHTS:

I'm going to be honest up front. This review is going to get rant-y. 
I promise not to give away any major spoilers, but there will be some minor spoilers ahead.

So stop me if you've heard this one before: A person grows up with certain violent "urges" that may or may not stem from some kind of tragic event they witnessed when they were a toddler--say 3 years-old--but they learn to harness those urges by becoming a kind of vigilante killer that only goes after those that really deserve it. The majority of you will immediately recognize this as the premise to Dexter...well it is also the premise to this book. I'm going to guess that somewhere around 99% of the reviews that get written about Killer Instinct will mention Dexter in some capacity. Why? Because this book flat-out steals its premise from the show. I felt absolutely disgusted the entire time by what a blatant rip-off this book is, and finished it only so I could write this review (the fact that it was under 300 pages helped). 

A comparison:

  • Vigilante Killer

Killer Instinct (KI): Lane says, "If it is my destiny to be a killer, I'm going to need a type. And today decides that my type will be criminals--specifically, those who have managed to avoid punishment." 

Dexter: Only kills those who have killed--usually other serial killers. 


  

  • The Ritual
KI: Lane says, "And then I'll remind him about all the innocents he'd harmed. I'd detail their murders for him. I'd make him relive his sins right before I'd make him suffer the same way he made them. It would be the most perfect retribution of all time."

Dexter: Sets up a "kill room" where he displays pictures of those the person on his table has harmed so that they know exactly why they are about to die. 




dexter animated GIF
  • Law Enforcement/Family:
 
KI: Lane's mother and stepfather are in law enforcement. In this case they both work for the FBI. 

Dexter: Dexter's adopted father, Harry, was the police officer that found him and taught him the "code" in which Dexter lives by. Dexter's sister, Deb, works for Miami Metro as a detective, and Dexter, himself, works for Miami Metro as a blood-splatter analyst. 

dexter animated GIF

  • Little baddies 
KI: Lane goes after a woman who gets off a drunk-driving manslaughter charge by claiming that her car was stolen. Lane goes after a man who takes money from families hoping to get loved ones into the country only to keep them hostage in a warehouse before selling them into slavery.

Dexter: Goes after a man who got out of a drunk-driving manslaughter charge. Dexter goes after a couple who hold illegal aliens in their warehouse before selling them into slavery.

dexter animated GIF


  • The Major Baddie:
KI: The main baddie is called The Decapitator. He chops up body parts, shrink wraps them, paints the fingernails, and leaves the body parts in various places for the cops to find. It isn't long before the killer is contacting Lane directly. Is he somehow tied to her past?

Dexter: The main baddie in season 1 is called The Ice-Truck Killer he...chops up body parts, drains the blood, paints the fingernails, and leaves the body parts in various places for the cops to find. It isn't long before the killer is contacting Dexter directly. Is he somehow tied to his past?



dexter animated GIF

I could go on, but I know you all get the idea. I can understand wanting to emulate a show as awesome as Dexter (especially the first 4 seasons). I can. It was so different and original when it first came out. The writing was smart and witty, Deb was hilarious, and Dexter really did usher in a generation of the anti-hero (alongside The Sopranos and Breaking Bad). I can certainly understand wanting to bring the essence of that show to the YA crowd while also making the anti-hero a teen girl. It's a brilliant idea--maybe not the most original--but still very cool. BUT you have to make it your own. This could have been really good, but it just borrowed way too much from the show. 

Even the parts that weren't lifted directly from Dexter were weird and disjointed. Lane, even though she "doesn't feel", is somewhat obsessed with her boss at the vet clinic. She eventually starts kind of dating his younger brother, Zach. Zach is a recovering alcoholic who has a crazy ex-girlfriend who tries to intimidate Lane which was just weird. It just felt like filler because the book is a relatively slim, and it was completely unnecessary to have this second crazy girl in the book. 

Another major problem I had with this book is how Lane slut-shames her half-sister, Daisy, every chance she gets. Lane calls her a slut repeatedly through the book because Daisy isn't shy about giving blow jobs to the boys she is dating when Lane, herself, forces Zach's hand in between her legs in the school library to get off. Lane even at one point says, "Why do people find that act [sex] a challenge to admit or say in everyday conversation? Especially between two people who have participated in said act." Good point, Lane, and healthy, too. So why is your sister a slut because she, too, enjoys sex and can unabashedly talk about it? Furthermore, she is constantly talking about how she just can't deal with her sister, but Daisy doesn't really do anything to show how she is so "annoying."

Which brings me to my final point: the book is mostly "tell" not "show." There are obviously some action scenes. But the majority of the book is: and then this happened, and then this, etc. The writing felt juvenile for such a mature topic. This really goes without saying, but this is definitely NOT for the younger crowd.

What I did like about the book: 1. The writing is quickly paced and 2. I didn't immediately guess who The Decapitator was. I suspected, but did fall for the red herrings throughout, so there's that.

If you've never seen Dexter, you may enjoy this, but even then I just cannot recommend this. It's a bummer as I really was looking forward to this one. Dexter is obviously one of my favorite shows, so a teen girl Dexter was an exciting idea, but I wasn't expecting a rehash of the first season.

*I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange of an honest review.*

*All quotes were taken from an uncorrected proof that may be changed in the final copy.*

goodbye animated GIF





11 comments:

  1. I like reading about serial killers. I don't studying them, and it's not exactly a secret but I just find it fascinating. Ohhh, confession: I've never actually watched Dexter (maybe an episode or two) so I might enjoy it. And then I saw the slut shaming part. No. Just no. And really? 1) double standard much? and 2) slut shaming in the family now? Yaaaay. :l
    There are always books and tv shows that are similar, you know? That remind you of a certain one and like when they say "For fans of..."(easpecially Pretty Little Liars lately- since they really like to plug it) blah blah blah, but there is a line between similarity and HOLY SHIT YOU STOLE IT. It sounds like it crossed the line. But this and Dear Killer were the ones that I was so looking forward to this year (I did love Dear Killer though), but this, ugh. No. I should really get into Dexter.

    Kirsty @ StudioReads

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    1. You really should get into Dexter--especially if you like reading about serial killers. For the first few seasons it was seriously the best show on TV. The sister slut shaming pissed me off--especially since she, herself, was sexual active. This whole book was a mess. I definitely don't recommend it. Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. Oh dang. I hate when books rip things off. It sounds like it was a great idea though and I have to admit that I've never watched Dexter. But your review made me want to start the series, even if it made me want to avoid the book.

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    1. Definitely watch the series. I think you would love it. It's so good. But, yeah, I wouldn't recommend the book. Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Oh wow. I had no idea this book was going to be so similiar to an already extremely popular tv show. I've never seen Dexter so I would not even notice this if you hadn't pointed it out. That's probably a good thing and a bad thing for me when it comes time to read this. Good because I won't spend the whole book comparing, but bad because I have no idea that it's basically being ripped off. I read the first couple of points in your review and noticed it sort of sounds like DEAR KILLER. Did you read that? I made it about 50% through and then stopped because the main character (I can't even remember her name!) was irritating me and the perfectness of her crimes was so unrealistic. I skipped the whole middle section of the review because you said there are some minor spoilers, BUT it is nice to see that this is fast paced and you weren't easily able to guess who the Decapitator was. Some redeeming qualities at least!

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    1. I think I got even further into Dear Killer, but ended up putting it aside. I actually do plan on finishing that one. It wasn't great, but it was better than this one--and that is saying something. I literally only finished this because it was so short and I wanted to write this review. You should seriously watch Dexter. Do you have Netflix? All 8 seasons are on it. Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. I've actually never watched Dexter but it sounds like a good show. I think it's quite common now that writers try to emulate their favorite TV shows into books. While that's not a bad thing being a complete copycat only handicaps the novel. Great review!

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    1. It's SOOO good. Definitely watch it. I agree that you ,may get your motivation or spark from a favorite TV show, or whatever, but to completely rip something off completely undermines your work. And pisses people off. Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. I've seen a couple of episodes of Dexter so I probably wouldn't have noticed the similarities, but after reading your review, I think I'm going to pass on this one. Juvenile writing, telling and now showing, plus so much borrowing from a tv show…not for me. Sorry this one didn't work out for you! ~Pam

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    1. Me, too. I was so looking forward to this. I really do love a good serial killer. Lol. That sounds so bad. I really can't recommend this one with all the other pretty books coming out this Spring. Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. The main baddie in season 1 is called The Ice-Truck Killer he...chops up body parts, drains the blood, paints the fingernails, and leaves the body parts in various places for the cops to find. It isn't long before the killer is contacting Dexter directly. asian womens clothes uk , asian attire uk , asian style dresses uk , asian designer suits uk , kurta pyjama punjabi style uk , ready made lawn suits uk , pakistani salwar kameez online usa , white kurti chikan work , red chikankari suit , chikankari anarkali suits online , chikankari anarkali kurti

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Hello, there! Thanks for taking the time to comment. I read each and every one and will do my best to respond--usually on your blog instead of on mine. I will, however, always answer direct questions. Due to serious time restraints, this blog is now an award free zone, but I appreciate the thought!