Locked Inside

It's a little heavy-handed so I can't give it the full 4 stars. But it's engaging, and the themes of self-identity, of forging one's own identity while still yearning for a family's love, are relevant to teens now just as much as they were then. The online game & community doesn't feel dated. The characters are believable. I love that they're complex, and that Marnie isn't the only one who grows. Werlin even included some comic relief, which is not only necessary to me as a reader who cannot stand unrelenting dreariness, but also necessary to Truth. Definitely recommended to fans of realistic YA.

Btw, to be clear, it is much more than a mystery-thriller. If you want a simple straightforward genre read, look elsewhere.

I like Nancy Werlin's book for her characters and she usually throws in something unusual. In Locked Inside, she's not as strong. The book is told through the eyes of Marnie Skyedottir, a 17 year old daughter with a famous mother. Marnie lives at an all girls boarding school where she is definitely an outsider. She loves to play online fantasy games, to the point where they are interfering with her school work and the school removes her computer from her room. But due to no fault of her own, Marnie suddenly finds herself locked away. While there she has to face who her mother was and how isolated she herself has become.

Nancy Werlin's books are always well written and often suspenseful. This was not one of my favorites, because the book went on quite a few chapters after the high point in the action. It began to feel repetitive. Still, the first 3/4 of the book held my attention. Still, I couldn't quite figure out why this young woman of wealth and celebrity was so angry at the world. Given her anger, however, her interactions were realistic.

Let me start by saying that I thought "Impossible" was much better than this, but overall it was ok. I found Marnie to be quite annoying at times and thought often that she was an unrealistic character. The fact that her inner thoughts took on the persona of her online character was weird. The basic idea of gaming for hours was fine but the fact that she took her characcter into her real life was a little immature and a little crazy too. her relationship with the "elf" was unbelievable. I hated how she resisted him in any type of relationship even when they were trapped and thought they would die. You would think that an event like that would force you to change your outlook. But with that said, I guess that was also the point of the show more story, that Marnie was unable to engage anyone no matter what and how she eventually allowed herself to open up to people.

Overall The beginning and the end of the book made up for the middle, which lacked realism, and for the most part it held my attention. show less

I loved this book's little bits of humor. I swear Marnie cracked me up when she would start rhyming.

I thought this book was really creative. When I read this book, I was spending a lot of time on line, much like how Marnie was.

I also liked how Max, who was in Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin, makes an appearence. I nearly fell off my chair when he came into the story.

Nancy Werlin really created a new world for her characters. She has a real touch for creating something real for these fictional characters.

A good story about opening up and letting others in.

Computer gaming and fantasy novels come to life.