Review: Damage Done by Amanda Panitch

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Words cannot describe how conflicted I am about Damage Done, and it is going to be hard to describe my feelings without spoiling anything. I went in completely blind and left confused and a little frustrated.

Damage Done centers around a teenager by the name of Julia Vann. After a horrific tragedy involving her twin brother, Julia and her family move towns and change their identity. However, the past soon comes creeping in and she is faced with a dangerous situation. She must act soon before it is too late.

I felt disconnected while reading. Given the nature of the past tragedy, I would have expected to feel something. However, I did not, and I think this has mainly something to do with Julia’s narration. From the beginning, I had the feeling that something was off. She immediately felt like an unreliable character and I couldn’t connect with her. Her romance was Michael felt forced and unnecessary.

Another problem I had with Damage Done is that it lacked thrill. The writing did not elevate the excitement. It felt like it was going through the motions and not adding any real substances or seat gripping details or surprises.

When I noticed the direction that the book was leaning towards, I had to take a moment to pause and take a moment. Although, I had suspected earlier that it would be going that route, I felt a little disappointed. It had potential to be a thrilling and gasping twist, however, the book had accidentally revealed all its cards in the beginning and did a poor attempt at hiding it. The twist was not thrilling anymore, it was expected, which was utterly disappointing.

Final Analysis

Damage Done had potential to be a thrilling tale about the extent that the connection that twins harbor. Unfortunately that potential was lost during the execution of the plot.