Better as an adult book

[Twylla]

This book is considered YA because the characters are in high school but I think the subject matter is more mature and it should be reclassified as Science Fiction. The relationship between Carly and Adam was pretty steamy.

[Nym182]

This book is considered YA because the characters are in high school but I think the subject matter is more mature and it should be reclassified as Science Fiction. The relationship between Carly and Adam was pretty steamy.

I agree! And you are right, their relationship does get pretty "steamy" at times!

[Nym182]

I agree that the age of the characters isn't always how a book should be categorized. Themes, especially very dark or sexual ones, play a major role. So with YA, the author might be limited in how far they can push teens or make readers uncomfortable with too-young characters and very adult themes. I think the theme, if very far one way, can ultimately outweigh the age. I would've liked the author to lean into that, pushing the theme.

Thanks for such a well-worded insight! And I agree, I'm also interested in seeing the author push the theme a bit!

[Howlan]

Yes, the book would have been much better suited as an adult book rather than YA. Some of the themes in the book would have been suited a scifi/thriller book. Also, some of themes could be potentially dangerous to younger readers especially the controlling relationship between the two main characters.

Yes it could result in bad influences all around.

[Howlan]

Yes, if the author wanted to portray dark and twisted psychology he could have handled it in another way rather than showing Adam's sex den.

Totally agree with you. I get showing dark overtones but scenarios like these send out the wrong kind of message to the younger readers, considering this book is labelled in a category dealing with young readers.

I think it would have been a bit more acceptable if there was some sort of warning or something that would let the reader know that there would be mature material within the book.

The synopsis and cover made it sound exactly like an edgy YA novel.

[Howlan]

At the beginning there is so much darkness and that disturb even adults.

I agree... I am no stranger to dark and disturbing books, but I usually know beforehand that the book is going to be mature.

It also just pops up the incest right in your face without any warning. I read the second page 3 times before it sank in.

[Howlan]

I agree, labelling it as a young adult book is misleading. It's a lot darker than expected. Not a bad thing but I can imagine readers being disappointed if they don't enjoy dark genres.

Exactly... If there was some sort of acknowledgment beforehand it would not have been so off-putting!

Agreed on that!

[Howlan]

I was expecting something a lot lighter due to the YA label so I was disappointed. As a dark thriller, it's fine but not for those that are not interested in these themes. YA stories usually are not this intense. This kind of felt like a midsommar situation.

Yeah, I've read a good amount of YA books and I don't think I've ever seen read one that talks about incest...

Yes it is one of the most unique YA reads of mine.

[Howlan]

One of the thoughts that kept occurring to me as I read this book was that Opaque would have been much better if it was not a YA book.

I dig gritty and dark books like anything by Bret Easton Elis or Stephen King, so when it turned as dark as it did I had mixed feelings. I enjoyed it but did not think that it fit in a YA book.

Between the darkness of Adam and the sexual undertones, I really think that Leigh-Reign would have made a much better book if she had leaned into the darkness. It would have made the strange sexual parts of the book less strange, especially if they were expanded on. I didn't like the scenes where Adam watches Carly wash or Carly's admittance that she wore socks to prevent stirring up Kane's foot fetish (what high schooler has a foot fetish?) in the context of a story about high schoolers.

Do you think writing it a YA book held the author back? Would you have preferred to read this as a sci-fi thriller?

I am in acord with you. I truly put in my rewiew that I consider this book missrated. It is a true and trougth R-18 Book. The book has sex, hijaking, intentional fire, murder, rape and stalking.
We are in times of higschool violence incidents. When a person comes to their schoolroom armed to the teeth, and kills off their cassmates becuse a lot of reasons, this book can be bad news.

We have to be carefull of Adam scion saga firsth book. It could be taken has a guide to the american sociopath. Im not telling to ban the book by all means. But it is true that we have the responsability of warning the people the risks of this book.

Untill Carly Adam is a jerk. And he is not a paria, is a top exponent of the higschool comunity. And a very important influence too. Is a top deportist, a martial artist and active memeber of the social circle of the higschool. Alas he wants to be alone beacuse think that the rest are mindless drones, not beacuse isolation or ostracism.

I am a martial artist and a sportsman to, and a true one dont think off people that way, or not in the rigthfull ones. So Adam has the mind of a sociopath, the body and the ability set of a higly trained sportsman and the social circle of a beloved student. It´s too rare to me. His thechers, companions or trainers, no one noticed it?

Lets put it simply. we have a edition work here. If we do not put the miss rate case we will have it in our tab. Opaque its a truly and trogth dark book. Sex apart, Adam mind it´s very dark at the begining of the plot. He is a true sociopath that attacks people at minimum provocation. Put it in an bullyng surronding and we have a explosive mix for a higschool student. This book missinterpreted can be a guide to hijjaking, to murder, and rape. It show you how can ressentment and pettyness can macerate and become a blistering pustule of arrogant selfconceith.

I agree with you wholeheartedly! The word "psychopath" crossed my mind more than once when thinking about Adam and you are right, we have a responsibility to not turn someone like that into a hero.

I have similar concerns that, albeit rare, the wrong person reads a book like this and have them feel justified in their feelings because Adam becomes a hero. And you make an interesting point that somehow none of the teachers or coaches picked up on Adam's redflags.

Yes that is definitely a concern. Glorifying kidnapping and incet are something the author shuld be careful about.

[danicommissions]

I guess deciding whether Opaque is YA partly depends on what we think 'YA' means. I don't think it just means the depiction of high-schoolers; it also means the book is aimed at 15-18-year-olds. I think it's fine to depict sex in books for that demographic, but there are limits on how sexualised you want to get, particularly in terms of the disturbing, predatory sexuality found in the book.

[Howlan]

One of the thoughts that kept occurring to me as I read this book was that Opaque would have been much better if it was not a YA book.

I dig gritty and dark books like anything by Bret Easton Elis or Stephen King, so when it turned as dark as it did I had mixed feelings. I enjoyed it but did not think that it fit in a YA book.

Between the darkness of Adam and the sexual undertones, I really think that Leigh-Reign would have made a much better book if she had leaned into the darkness. It would have made the strange sexual parts of the book less strange, especially if they were expanded on. I didn't like the scenes where Adam watches Carly wash or Carly's admittance that she wore socks to prevent stirring up Kane's foot fetish (what high schooler has a foot fetish?) in the context of a story about high schoolers.

Do you think writing it a YA book held the author back? Would you have preferred to read this as a sci-fi thriller?

How interesting! I haven't read this book yet, but your insight got me intrigued Well, I would still prefer such themes to be explored in a YA book format.

I'd be most interested in hearing your opinion on this book if you do give it a read... it was definitely an... interesting book to say the least!

Better phrase to use here is "Horrifyingly interesting"

[Howlan]

Yes, the book would have been much better suited as an adult book rather than YA. Some of the themes in the book would have been suited a scifi/thriller book. Also, some of themes could be potentially dangerous to younger readers especially the controlling relationship between the two main characters.

I agree! Especially since Adam does some truly terrible thing and gets away with it scott free!

Yes I sense big karma coming in Adam's way.

[Howlan]

I agree with you on this, although I didn't give the book as many stars as you haha.

I have not reviewed it and I would also not give it four stars. A three stars maybe.

You should, I would be interested in reading a full-on review by you!

Thanks. I have a couple of pending reviews. Once it is done I am thinking to review it.

[Howlan]

As I began reading this book, I instantly had that thought that the book would be better suited to an adult audience.

Yes the way the book is set up, it feels that it is meant for mature readers not pre-teens.

[Howlan]

Too much darkness and violent thoughts at the beginning. This is more of an adult book than young adult.

Yup. Dark, disturbing, incest, kidnapping, attempted rape, facilitation of murder, etc. Etc. Horrifying that this would ever be put in the hands of a young person. Makes me sick to my stomach.

Yes, and still the author tries to finish the story off as a YA.