Interesting premise and very fast paced. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one! ( )

Thanks for the advance copy, Goodreads, but I really didn't like this book. Found it a bit boring and blandly written. although the fight scenes were great and really WELL written.

Head over to Raging Biblioholism for the full review! ( )

I had a hard time getting into this book from the first brutal murder in the opening pages. At first I thought maybe it was because it was from an assassin's point of view, but I've read other books with that point of view. Then it hit me. It's urban dystopian - this isn't life in the aftermath of a disaster, it's a disaster in the middle of everyday life. If you follow our blog, you are probably aware that I am not a fan of dystopian novels. The world can be an ugly enough place, I don't need to imagine it as more ugly.

Also, unlike Julie, Maria was the only character I liked. Although even Maria was difficult to comprehend. As much as I tried, I never could warm up to Joseph. When he almost kills an innocent bystander, he nearly goes to pieces -he kills on a regular basis, but only because they're targets -he's that programmed. I know I should have felt empathy, but I just couldn't. Maybe it's because the first time we meet him he's killing a mother a wall's-space away from her children, but I was turned off towards him early on. I realize this is done for effect, that the shock factor is part of the dystopian theme, but that is what keeps me at bay with dystopian novels. Did Joseph reedeem himself by the end? Perhaps, or perhaps it was too little too late.

Julie and I discussed a bit about how the book relates to the psychological trauma of war, and I think it's a valid point. But I think there is a more primitive connection than that -it's gang violence and organized crime on a whole new level. The fact that it's that close to reality on that level is rather frightening. However, the involvement of law, or lack there of, is astounding. The fact that this has been going on for generations and has been covered up or inconclusively investigated was incredulous; it went beyond my ability to suspend my belief. I love a good conspiracy, but this was over the top for me.

I kept thinking, it had to be a sick twisted joke on the part of the masterminds of this war game. If that had been the case, perhaps I could have withstood it all, but as soon as it became apparent that there were two sides playing war games, I was completely turned off. Though several theories are put in play by the characters, the true source of the dispute is never revealed. Maybe Trevor Shane will venture into the actual origins of "The War" in the sequel.

Obviously, I couldn't get past the dystopian under currents to appreciate this novel as a thriller. However, if that mix of genres is appealing to you, you will love this book. Julie did.

REIVEW: http://girlsjustreading.blogspot.com/2011/08/group-review-children-of-paranoia.h... ( )

I thought this book would be fantastic and original - unfortunately I was wrong. Had the book been written in a different tense, from a different perspective, it cold have been more exciting instead of dull. I found I did not really care for the characters or what happened to them, and there is no real explanation provided for anything, ever. ( )

Children of Paranoia is like the love child of Franz Kafka and Jeff Lindsay, of Dexter fame. A reader is taken on a whirlwind of a ride, where answers are few and far between, and all anyone really knows is just what few answers exist. Not for the faint of heart, even through the graphic nature of the killings a reader maintains a level of sympathy and respect for Joseph because he really does believe he is on the right side. After Joseph meets Maria and his world turns upside-down, sympathy turns into empathy, and the heart of the novel grows in strength.

War is a powerful motivator. More importantly, can anyone say that they ever truly understand the causes of or motivation behind wars while they are being fought? While some may be skeptical of Joseph’s blind following of his leaders and enthusiasm for his job, there is one particular scene that is extremely telling in its use of propaganda and emotion used to instill conviction in new recruits. One could even take this scene and its lessons one step further and identify it as the clever warning it is. Mr. Shane does not hit the reader over the head with his politics, but a reader is left with no doubts as to the concerns Mr. Shane does have about the manipulation of people by its governments.

The format of the novel is both unique and a great communication tool that only serves to intrigue the reader. It is not apparent, at least on audio, that Joseph is telling his story via journal entries, and this confusion adds to the reader’s sense of unease, which in turn builds even more tension. Through the use of the journal entries, Joseph is able to maintain his emotional distance while obtaining a level of intimacy with the audience that is more believable than an omniscient third-person narrator or even if Joseph had been “talking” to his audience directly.

The two narrators, Steven Boyer and Emma Galvin, are perfect in their roles. Mr. Boyer plays an excellent Joseph, as he is able to convey the dispassionate, almost ruthless demeanor appropriate for an assassin but lets the emotional turmoil with which Joseph struggles creep into various words and phrases. Ms. Galvin’s performance is simply heartbreaking. The switch in the narrative is a brilliant stroke on the part of Mr. Shane, and having two narrators capitalizes on this change to eke out as much emotion and pathos as possible. Combined, their performances make Children of Paranoia one of the better audiobooks of the year.

Children of Paranoia is an adrenaline rush of the best kind. The final chapters leave the reader simultaneously sobbing and pumped up, ready for action. The ending is at once a suitable conclusion to this thrilling read while also leaving the reader breathless in anticipation for the next novel is this amazing trilogy. It is going to be a long wait to find out what happens next.