BOOK REVIEW: Dangerous

Book Review: Dangerous By Shannon Hale
    Hello Internet World! So I got this book yesterday and just finished it. The only time I put it down was for school. So I naturally I need to share it with someone! Anyone! The book is Dangerous by Shannon Hale.  Shannon Hale is probably best known for Goose Girl, Princess Academy and Austin Land. Her books are usually directed to either a younger audience or an adult audience. I've read all her books and really enjoy all of them. Well now she's published one directed to the teenagers. Dangerous. And Shannon proves she can write to all audiences.
    So spoiler free review?
     Dangerous is about Maisie Danger Brown, a completely ordinary teenager from Salt Lake City, Utah. Maisie has been homeschooled because she is missing her right arm. She was born without it. Her small world contains her parents and her friend Luther, who is also homeschooled. Maisie has always dreamed about being an astronaut and when she gets the chance to enter a sweepstakes to go to an astronaut boot camp she takes it.  And she wins. When she gets to the camp she meets Jonathan Ingalls Wilder, who is just called Wilder (like all teenage boys who suddenly to go by their last name).  They are put into fireteams for drills. Maisie meets Ruth, Mi-sun, and Jacques. The winning team gets to go up to space. Wilder is added to Maisie's team as they go into space. And this is where things go crazy.
     Throughout the book I thought "oh it'll be okay because it's a kids book right?" Then I reminded myself, "Oh wait....nope I pulled it outta the teen section..." Shannon Hale really did a great job with this book. There is love and hate and emotion and fear and adventure and just...ahhh! I really loved the book. Probably in my top 10. I think Maisie has a strong, yet relatable character, and there is just so much about this book I just loved! Go read it! NOWWWWW!!!!! :)
   Now for the spoiler FILLED review! :)
     I'm usually not a science fiction kinda girl, but I really loved the way Hale handled it. It wasn't pure science fiction, not pure adventure, not pure romance. It had a little bit of everything which I think will appeal to a lot of people.  I think Hale developed such deep characters that I just fell in love with.  So let's do this by the two main characters because I don't know how else I should go about this.
Maisie Danger Brown: I love Maisie's character. I think she is really strong yet vulnerable at the same time. She isn't just standing there like, "Oh someone save me!" But she isn't like "That's right I have no fear. Eat dust aliens!" She's afraid yet still does what she needs to do to save herself, her family and the world. Maisie is missing her right arm, and has been since birth. I love that Shannon created a flawed heroine. Maisie doesn't let her disability stand in her way. She is all around a strong character with a relatable personality and emotions. It was so interesting to watch her grow throughout the story. As she battled her feelings for Wilder, you could see her becoming more aware of the world and losing a bit of her innocence. Her character progression didn't feel forced by the writer, it felt natural. As if it could happen to any one.  So Maisie defiantly is going onto my list of top heroines.  Agreed?
Now while I love Maisie, I am so completely intrigued by Jonathan Ingalls Wilder.
Jonathan Ingalls Wilder: I can't even begin to explain the emotions I went through with this guy. Gosh I was more confused than Maisie.  When we first meet him he has this bad boy kinda vibe. He is very flirty and charming. I instantly liked him. Some will probably disagree with that. I liked when he took his dad's car and just drove with Maisie. That might have to do with the fact that I want it to happen to me, but just look past that for a minute. I feel like there are three phases of Jonathan Ingalls Wilder's character development. For the first half of the book he is called Wilder. For the second half Maisie calls him the Wild Card and for the last few pages she refers to him as Jonathan. I think each of these name changes represent something within Wilder and within Maisie herself. Going by a last name is something that a lot of teenage guys at my school do to put on a show. It's almost like they are detaching themselves, trying to be something they are not. I think this is what Wilder is. It is a show. He puts on a show to please his dad, to please the people around him, to please Maisie. When she starts referring to him as The Wild Card it is his "hero" name. With the token he has become another person. The Wild Card suggests something dangerous and uncontrollable, which is exactly what he has become. Maisie thinks the tokens have turned him into another person completely. The Wild Card starts when Jonathan breaks away from his dad and starts doing his own thing. It's another shift in his character. Now my personal favorite is Jonathan. It's a real name. No more showy Wilder, no more superhuman Wild Card. He is just Jonathan. Jonathan isn't putting on an act for anybody. This is the climax of his character development.
Overall I really loved this book. I thought the characters were all very interesting, the plot was strong and unique, and while there was a slight love triangle it wasn't the focus of the book and didn't take away from the plot or characters. I would highly recommend this book!! 
  Has anyone else read it? I don't know anyone else who has and would love to get some feed back or opinions besides my own. Did you like it? Or did you think it was cheesy and cliché? If you've read it let me know in the comments below!  Oh and any book recommendations, toss those down there too!