Review of 172 Hours on the Moon
172 Hours on the Moon shouldn’t have been as entertaining as it was, and wasn’t as entertaining as it could have been. I know that sounds odd, but hear me out. It was an interesting, fast-paced read that had you almost constantly wondering what was going on for the first three-quarters or so of the book. I found myself leaning towards the screen as I read, so wrapped up in what was going on for the most part. The author also went for the unhappy ending instead of the tidy resolution, so that was definitely a plus too. The pictures definitely added to the overall story at times. 
However, the pictures were in there a little too often. It got to the point where – like in Ransom Riggs’ work – it felt like they were there for the sake of being there instead of truly being good/necessary for the read. There was absolutely no need at all for the romance angle that the author so predictably tried to shove in. Hint: Not everyone needs their stories dipped in romance to make them palatable! Thankfully it didn’t have time to do much.
Also, while I liked that the author went for the unhappy ending instead of the predictable one, it felt weakly written. One of those deals where, when reading, I actually frowned and then went back over what I had read to make sure I didn’t miss anything. It felt very sketched-out instead of fully written out, and while the book hadn’t been super fascinating and strong to read to begin with, this definitely weakened it even further. Then, overall, the story didn’t feel believable. Not even a little, tiny bit. I think that’s the nail in the coffin for it, for me at least. Definitely soft on the science fiction and reality scales.
Overall, definitely not a great read, but it kept me glued to the book for most of it, so it’s got an appeal that I can’t deny. It just sort of fizzled out quietly at the end, where it should have left you with a bone chilling sense of horror (at least before the epilogue. Which I’m not going to discuss, because, ugh, epilogues.)
Check 172 Hours on the Moon out for yourself now on Amazon.
Title: 172 Hours on the Moon | Author: Johan Harstad | Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers | Pub. Date: 2013-5-21 | Pages: 384 | ISBN13: 978-0316182898 | Genre(s): Science Fiction & Horror | Language: English | Triggers: None | Rating: 3 out of 5 | Date Read: 2016-4-26 | Source: Library
