Blink and Caution Review

Author: Tim Wynne-Jones
Release Date: March 8, 2011
Pages: 352 (ARC)
Publisher: Candlewick
Most Appropriate For Ages: 14+
Where I Got It: From publisher for review

Boy, did Blink get off on the wrong floor. All he wanted was to steal some breakfast for his empty belly, but instead he stumbled upon a fake kidnapping and a cell phone dropped by an "abducted" CEO, giving Blink a link to his perfect blonde daughter. Now Blink is on the run, but it’s OK as long as he’s smart enough to stay in the game and keep Captain Panic locked in his hold.

Enter a girl named Caution. As in "Caution: Toxic." As in "Caution: Watch Your Step." She’s also on the run, from a skeezy drug-dealer boyfriend and from a nightmare in her past that won’t let her go. When she spies Blink at the train station, Caution can see he’s an easy mark. But there’s something about this naïve, skinny street punk, whom she only wanted to rob, that tugs at her heart, a heart she thought deserved not to feel. Charged with suspense and intrigue, this taut novel trails two deeply compelling characters as they forge a blackmail scheme that is foolhardy at best, disastrous at worst - along with a fated, tender partnership that will offer them each a rare chance for redemption.

I have mixed feelings about Blink and Caution, but when it comes down to it, I enjoyed it a good deal.

I found the pacing of the novel to be kind of slow--I mean, there are bullet holes on the cover, so you'd think there'd be action, right? Well, not really. (Though trust me, they are relevant.) I just thought this book was just a little too easy to put down. Also, the writing style didn't help: Blink's point-of-view was told in second person (You said to him, You walked downtown, etc). It was something I'd never read before, so it took a lot of getting used to.

Not only that, but I found both of the main characters hard to connect to at first. I felt pity for both of them, but I couldn't love them, for some reason. Weirdly enough though, I really started to like both Blink and Caution when they met each other. It's like they both brought out the best in each other, and suddenly I began to really like them and grow attached to them.

Blink and Caution will steal some readers hearts, I'm sure...I just wasn't one of them, really. I did find some things to enjoy in it, though, like the punch it the message packs and the characters.

Book Report:

Plot: Kind of slow, and full of business-y stuff I really just didn't care about.
Characters: Took me a while, but I ended up really liking them.
Writing: The second person was...weird. But other than that it was good.
Ending: Wrapped everything up wonderfully.
Kid friendly? There's mentions of porn, sex, drugs, and abuse, as well as swearing.
Should I read it? Yeah, I think a lot of people will love it.
Overall: