Project 17

Great Book -- Very Satisfied

For me, this had a lot of elements that I think make a really good book. Many YA books I get are unfortunately lacking quality writing, but I thought this book was pretty well-written...as in, there were no moments where I cringed and thought 'bad fanfic.' Another thing I liked, though I know some people probably won't, was the fact that it wasn't G-rated. There was swearing, sex jokes, etc., which I actually appreciated. Many YA books concerning teenagers skirt around these things. As a teenager who regularly hangs out with other teenagers, I thought the non-G rating made it a little more believable.

Some people said the characters were stereotypes...I disagree. I think they *could* have easily been stereotypes (the player, the goth, the brain, the clown), if the book was only in one person's POV. But I thought the multiple POVs provided insight into each of the characters that gave them depth. No, the book is not super-scary or gory, especially for horror-movie fans like myself, but it is suspenseful; once or twice I got so sucked into the tension in the book that little noises around me made me jump.

Basically, if you're looking for a good, quick read, with good writing, plot, and characters, I recommend this book.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Project 17: Book Review

Six typical teenagers spending the night in a Mental Hospital. For one purpose to: film a movie. The secrets that they discover inside the Hospital will bring them into their past and future.

Derik, a typical high school senior wants more of life than his low-average life of helping his parents with their diner and barely passing high school. He decides to enter into a "real-reality film contest" for a bigger and better picture for his future. He gathers five of the most diverse teenagers in his school and brings them altogether to shoot a taping for the reality film contest during midnight.
The six teenagers just expect to walk around the hospital's hallway discovering traces of the history of the patients who resided there, but what they discover is more than their eyes can bare.
A chilling and suspenseful page turner, the characters and the mystery of a seventeen year old girl named Christine Belle who had once lived in the Hospital brings all six teenagers closer to themselves and each other. They will not leave until they discover the past of Christine's life, their own, and what their future beholds.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Not What I Was Expecting

I was honestly astonished at the number of four and five star reviews here, raving about how wonderful "Project 17" is. Okay, so the idea of it is great. A haunted asylum that six kids break into to film a movie about their experience...you know the story by now. It could be terrifying. The book has the potential to be extremely scary......but it's not. The setting isn't very well defined, and the "scares" are few and far between and not exactly that scary. And I'm very, very easily scared - I cannot watch horror movies of any sort without being a nervous wreck for the next few nights, or even weeks.

The characters, like the setting, had the potential to be great. But they were rather two dimensional and not well developed. All the subplots about their relationships don't exactly help the story along.

Definitely not a book to buy. Borrow? Maybe. But if you want scary, this isn't it. This is a drama with a bit of a mystery.

(I'd give it 2.5 stars if I could rate with half stars here.)

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

The best book ever!

I loved this book, at first it took me awhile to get into it then I kept reading and fell in love! I love all the scary thrilling parts and the made me want to keep reading and not set the book down!1 I would reccomend it to maybe 13+ or 14+ because of the setting and lauguage, But everything eles was outstanding I would reccomend this book to anyone!

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Anonymous

Ok im a twelve year old girl and this book is AMAZING! If you're looking for a scary mysterious book that you can't predict whats gonna happen next, then read this book. I was never able to put it down. I read for three strait hours! But i have to warn you, there is some pretty bad language, thats what i had realized when i was reading it, but it was spectacular book overall !! :)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Amazing book!

Now I know everyone says they can't put certian books down, but I sincerely mean it when I say that I couldn't! Now, I will be honest, up until page 50-60, it was a little dry. Introductions you know? But after that, when they finally got into the hospital--I couldn't stop turning the pages. It was the best setting too! I couldn't sleep one night (I read it awhile ago) it was about 2am, so I picked up the book hoping it would get better-and believe me when I say it, it did! I was so into the book I was even googling The Aslyum and lobotomy. I actually learned a lot about them. It even shocked me that the place was real--great plus, made it seem more real! I was reading a nail-biting part when all of a sudden my light bulb blew--funniest thing that happened looking back (even though it was terrifying then). It took me all night to read it, it was about 8am before I actually went to bed. Anyways, back to the book--definitely a good book to buy if you get the chance if you already haven't. And any of her books for that matter. They are all very high on my list! :-)

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book was amazing!!!!

This book was absolutely amazing. So great that U could not put it down.It took me only a few hours to read it. I loved how you got a first person perspective from each of the characters. It was a thrilly and always had me on edge. Great setting+great characters+great writing= great book. I recommend this book for anyone up for a spooky and thrilling book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

LUVED IT!!!! AMAZINGLY AWESOME!!!!

omg....that's definitely one of the best books i've ever read. it's suspenseful, really keeps you literally on the edge of your seat, and is a page turner. it's a little creepy, so i recommend that you don't read it before going to sleep. but it has great descriptions. at some points you feel like you're actually there with the characters and you can actually here what they're saying and thinking.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Reviewed by Ashley B for TeensReadToo.com

Derik needs a way to get out of flipping burgers at his family's diner. He finds a film-making contest for a reality channel, and decides to go for it. It is the eve of Danver State's demolition, a supposedly haunted mental institution.

Derik and five of his peers break into the asylum, so Derik can film his documentary. All seems well at first, but then the place starts messing with them. As the teens explore the asylum, they find things, and unravel mysteries of the patients that once lived there.

And perhaps some of them are still there - somehow.

This book was great. I am fascinated by the paranormal, so that element of the story pulled me in. It was hard to put down. The characters were strong, and they all fit in well with the story. The plot was great.

If you are interested in the paranormal, like me, this book is for you, but I would recommend PROJECT 17 to anyone.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

must read book

this book was one of the best that i have read in a very long time. the way that it was written was just great. from the very beginning i just got hooked. i love to read horror books but the ones that i have read weren't scary enough. i'm not saying that this book was the scariest but it was diffently up there.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Loved it!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Spooky, but not all it could have been...

I love a good scary story, so when I read the summary for Project 17 I was, needless to say, intrigued. I was hoping for a funny horror movie in paperback form. When I started reading, I quickly realized that I was going to have to lower my expectations a bit in order to enjoy this story more. One thing about YA fic is that things are often a watered-down version of what they could be. But once I got past that and really got into the book, that’s where the fun began.

Derik is a high school kid whose future is starting to look a little grim. Not the best student, his options are to work at his family’s diner when he graduates or… actually, that’s it. So when he finds out about a film contest that might give him another way out, Derik leaps at the chance. His idea? To film a low-budget horror flick à la Session 9 at the old, deserted Danvers State Hospital, aka the Danvers Insane Asylum. He and five other kids from his school agree to spend the night at the old asylum and film a few scenes. It doesn’t take long for them to realize that things aren’t exactly going as planned.

Stolarz gets points for crafting some genuinely spooky scenes. There’s a particular page towards the beginning of the book that involves a talking doll that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand right up. And two thumbs way up for the setting: a creepy abandoned, possibly sentient, probably haunted asylum is always a good go-to horror destination. As for the characters, I was a bit disappointed with their characterization. They fall right into their prescribed stereotypes and although there’s development that tries to make them more three-dimensional, it fell a little flat. The ending, as well, was a bit anticlimactic.

Quite short at about 250 pages, Project 17 was a quick little read that is a great way to pass the time without getting too emotionally invested in the story. I definitely learned a few common sense things, like 1. Don’t go into an abandoned building in the dead of night and 2. Don’t go into an abandoned building that is also a former insane asylum that might be haunted and 3. Just don’t go into abandoned buildings in general, especially the former asylum ones that might be haunted.
People who get scared easily might want to read this one with the lights on!

Amazing

A must read!

Takes off slow, but once it does, you want to keep reading

I bought this book on a monday, had the book finished by wednesday. It takes off kinda slow, providing information on the characters and building its way up. When they finally get to the hospital, it keeps you interested. It's not overall scary, but it does have some parts that leave you saying 'man that was crazy', but its not that bad of a book. I'm not sure i'd read other books by this author, shoot, i'd never even heard of the author before this book. It just grabbed my attention from the shelf, seemed interesting, so i bought it. I'd say this book is more for older teens, not younger because it does have some strong language in it.

Amazing

Although I read this in the 8th grade, I remember getting chills from this book. It takes alot for a book to actually make me feel an emotion besides excited and this book made me feel creeped at some parts. This book is one of my favorites.

Project Awesome!

This is one of the scariest/creepiest/disturbing novels I think I have ever read... and I loved it! Every character had a different personality and I loved the concept of switching between the character's point of views without being confusing. This is a deffinite thumbs up and I recommend it 100%!

Not good!

I didnt have the drive to finish the book! I love laurie stolarz and her books but she didnt do a very good job on this one. I wouldnt suggest this book to anyone

AWESOME BOOK!! A MUST READ :D

This book is great! I could read this book over and over and over again. I was on vacation and I still couldn't put it down. It has romance, action, and thrill. If you're looking for a quick excellent read, i recommend this book.

Must Read!!

this books a great book for anyone who likes a good haunting paranormal investigation

great!

i love this book and everyone should read it, i could NOT put it down :D