Review: Traffick by Ellen Hopkins

Traffick by Ellen Hopkins
Publisher:
Release Date: November 3, 2015
Purchase: Amazon

Five teens victimized by sex trafficking try to find their way to a new life in this riveting companion to the New York Times bestselling Tricks from Ellen Hopkins, author of Crank.

In her bestselling novel, Tricks, Ellen Hopkins introduced us to five memorable characters tackling these enormous questions: Eden, the preacher’s daughter who turns tricks in Vegas and is helped into a child prostitution rescue; Seth, the gay farm boy disowned by his father who finds himself without money or resources other than his own body; Whitney, the privileged kid coaxed into the life by a pimp and whose dreams are ruined in a heroin haze; Ginger, who runs away from home with her girlfriend and is arrested for soliciting an undercover cop; and Cody, whose gambling habit forces him into the life, but who is shot and left for dead.

And now, in Traffick, these five are faced with the toughest question of all: Is there a way out? How these five teenagers face the aftermath of their decisions and experiences is the soul of this story that exposes the dark, ferocious underbelly of the child trafficking trade. Heartwrenching and hopeful, Traffick takes us on five separate but intertwined journeys through the painful challenges of recovery, rehabilitation, and renewal to forgiveness and love. All the way home. 

My thoughts:
I read Tricks a few years ago and it was one book that really stayed with me.  It was my first Ellen Hopkins book, definitely not my last, but the one that never left my thoughts.  When I discovered Ms. Hopkins was writing a sequel I wasn't sure what to think at first.  My heart hurt after Tricks so I wasn't sure I could go down that road again, but I just couldn't let these characters stay in limbo so I picked up Traffick and I am so happy I did.

Tricks was pure destruction.  Ellen Hopkins took five teenagers and threw them into the fire of child trafficking.  I was completely devastated after Tricks and I realized after reading Traffick that I needed this sequel.  Where Tricks was destruction, Traffick was restoration of the human soul.  Was it all pretty no, not in the least I mean come on its Ellen Hopkins.  What it was though was beautiful in parts, gut wrenching in others, and hopeful throughout.

I wanted the HEA for these characters.  Some got it some didn't quite get the pretty bow tied in a knot, but there was hope that they could if they worked hard.  This novel shows what can happen when you are given hope and a chance.  All these kids needed was a little help from someone and they all realized they needed to turn their lives around.  It was easierish for some, but the struggle was real for everyone of them.

I think I fell most in love with Cody.  I remember thinking his story wasn't as strong as the others, but his rehab story was one of the strongest because of his aftermath from Tricks.  I felt connected to each character this time around though honestly.  I hoped with all my heart that they would each find their way again and I was scared one or more of them would fall off their path.  I won't say what happens because I don't want to give spoilers. I will say each story was unique and heartbreaking at the same time and I really and truly loved Ellen Hopkins for giving her readers this second chance with her characters.

5 snowflakes

 

Review: The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

When madness stalks the streets of London, no one is safe…

There’s a creepy new terror haunting modern-day London. Fresh from defeating a Jack the Ripper killer, Rory must put her new-found hunting skills to the test before all hell breaks loose…

But enemies are not always who you expect them to be and crazy times call for crazy solutions. A thrilling teen mystery.

My Thoughts:

After reading The Name of the Star I was really eager to get my hands on the sequel, The Madness Underneath unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations.  It was fun and exciting to a point but I had envisioned something a little more in depth and more ghost based and it was lacking in those areas for me.

This sequel takes off pretty much where The Name of the Star ended.  Rory has just extinguished Jack and is now living with her parents trying to overcome her fears.  She has been seeing a therapist and with her therapists approval Rory gets to final move back to her dorm and attend regular classes.  The story from here gets a little strange and kinda all over the place.  The beginning sub plot was creepy and just what I would expect from Johnson, but it is concluded way to fast and just left by the wayside.  I think if the author would have kept with the whole asylum plot the story would have been fantastic, but to quickly we are thrown into a somewhat boring plot about Rory not keeping up with her classes and her trying to find her place among the ghost hunters.  The story really takes a turn when Rory goes to see Jane, a therapist that Charlotte, her nemesis, is seeing for free.  I didn't quite understand the whole idea behind Jane and her plans, they seemed just strange and well I just didn't buy it completely.  In the end things go down not the way I wanted them too and one of my favorite characters is thrown to the wolves.  I can't believe this book ended the way it did and I have to give the author credit because if it had ended any other way I wouldn't have wanted to continue on with the story.  As it is though I am craving the next one to see if what happened really happened.

So all in all an okay sequel, I think it just falls into that weird second book in a series category that most unfortunately fall into.  It needed more creepy for me, but I have hope that the next book will totally bring it back to the ripperesque quality of the first one.

3 Stars

*ARC was provided by the publisher*