Hacked (Hacked)

by Tracy Alexander

I'm a huge computer geek! My laptop is my baby and if anybody tries to steal my child there will be war. As soon as I saw the title of the novel, Hacked, and read the word "cyber" in the blurb, I was sold.

The hacking and coding aspect are seriously FANTASTIC! I have no cooking-clue about anything to do with hacking, but the author makes Dan's hacking and coding processes simple to understand. The way in which Alexander, the author, wrote about the hacking showed that she did a ton of research to make this aspect believable. The hacking is at the center of the story and is the start of Dan's many problems. Unfortunately it was the only aspect that is done right.

I think the problem stems from what I wanted the book to be and what the book actually is. I wanted hacking (which I got), mystery, thriller, government conspiracies, cover-ups and people on the run and in hiding. I wanted the type of things that happen in action movies. This is not what the book focused on. Instead it focuses on a character, whose hacking turns into a major problem when he mistakenly and indirectly helps Angel, an online friend, to steal a drone. Dan has to deal with the consequences of what he has indirectly done. The fact that Hacked focuses more on the main character, Dan, wasn't the problem. The fact that I want a sort of bigger picture view is the problem.

Another minor issue that I had with Hacked is the disjointed writing style that makes me feel distant from the book and its characters. Halfway through the book I did get used to the writing style and the book became easier and smoother to read.

Even although Hacked is a really quick read, I feel as though more pages are needed. Why? Firstly, to give Angel a little more page time. I know nothing about what her personality was like (and I totally understand that personalities don't really show online especially when a crime needs to be committed), but she seems very one-sided as a character. I do know that Angel is getting her own story and maybe who she is and what she's all about will be explained there, but whether I'm going to read it, will depend entirely on how I feel. Secondly, Hacked ends abruptly, extremely conveniently, predictably and there are more questions than answers at the end of the novel. I like my endings to be complete. There must be no loose ends and every part of the story must be tied up into a neat parcel called "The End." This was something that Hacked didn't have.

Honestly speaking, I feel as though the issues that I encountered with this book are more "me" problems, than "general reader" problems. Even although I had so many "me" issues with the book, Hacked is a quick read that allowed me to escape reality.