Don’t Close Your Eyes, by Holly Seddon ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Agoraphobia, Alcohol Abuse, Child Abuse, Dysfunctional Families, LGBT, Mystery, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: July 4th, 2017

336 Pages

Synopsis: Twin sisters Robin and Sarah haven’t spoken in years.

Robin can’t leave her house. A complete shut-in, she spends her days spying on her neighbors, subtly meddling in their lives. But she can’t keep her demons out forever. Someone from her past has returned, and is desperate to get inside.

Sarah can’t go home. Her husband has kicked her out, forcibly denying her access to their toddler. Sarah will do anything to get their daughter back, but she’s unraveling under the mounting pressure of concealing the secrets of her past. And her lies are catching up to her.

The novel takes readers back in time to witness the complex family dynamics that formed Robin and Sarah into the emotionally damaged young women they’ve become. As the gripping and intricate layers of their shared past are slowly peeled away, the shocks and twists will keep readers breathless long after the final page.

Don’t Close Your Eyes is a slow burning suspense story, which takes a look at two dysfunctional families who start out as friends, but are torn apart by secrets and lies. It’s told in the alternating POVs of Robin and Sarah, and also flashes back and forth from the 1990s and the present day. Just as she did in her debut novel Try Not To Breathe, Holly Seddon is not afraid to tackle the more sinister aspects of family life. The beginning of the story is seemingly innocuous, but it’s not long before the first cracks appear, which ultimately send each character on their own self-destructive journey. Seddon is brutally honest regarding her flawed characters and they come off as being very realistic, if not completely likable. The pacing of the book stays steady until the last quarter, when everything I thought I understood was turned on its head, literally leaving me gasping in disbelief. The shocking ending tied everything up wonderfully which left me completely satisfied. I highly recommend Don’t Close Your Eyes to readers who enjoy a dark story exploring complex family relationships. 

 

Lockdown, by Laurie R. King ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Child Abuse, Diversity, Dysfunctional Families, Gang Violence, Mystery, School Shootings, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

336 Pages

Synopsis: Career Day at Guadalupe Middle School: a day given to innocent hopes and youthful dreams. A day no one in attendance will ever forget.

A year ago, Principal Linda McDonald arrived at Guadalupe determined to overturn the school’s reputation for truancy, gang violence, and neglect. One of her initiatives is Career Day–bringing together children, teachers, and community presenters in a celebration of the future. But there are some in attendance who reject McDonald’s bright vision. 

A principal with a secret. A husband with a murky past. A cop with too many questions. A kid under pressure to prove himself. A girl struggling to escape a mother’s history. A young basketball player with an affection for guns.

Even the school janitor has a story he dare not reveal.

But no one at the gathering anticipates the shocking turn of events that will transform a day of possibilities into an explosive confrontation.

Laurie R. King is best known for her Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series, of which I’m a devoted fan. She’s also written the contemporary mystery Kate Martinelli series, which I haven’t tried yet, but after reading Lockdown, I definitely will be. I thought going into this, that it would be a thriller about a school shooting, and I was eagerly anticipating how the author would handle this topic. While it started off a little slow and a bit chaotic, in the end I was completely captivated by the character-driven story. It took me a little while though to get used to the way the story unfolds. It’s told from several different viewpoints including: the Principal’s, her husband, a police officer, and a few students. It also jumps between different time periods and adds in the mysterious disappearance of a young student, and because of these things I felt as though I was getting whiplash at first. But the characters are so well written, that within the first fifty pages I settled in and couldn’t tear myself away. Their lives and backstories are integral to what unfolds on Career Day, and they add to the slow- building suspense. Because each of them has something going on that could result in the violent act that happens at this small California town’s middle school, I really had no idea who the shooter was going to be. When the story arrives at its climax, what happens makes sense and leads to a satisfying conclusion. Overall I found Lockdown to be a creative standalone from Laurie R. King that solidifies her respected reputation. I highly recommend it to fans of hers, as well as readers who enjoy a good character-driven mystery.

The Dead Inside ~ By Cyndy Drew Etler

Tags

Child Abuse, Memoirs, Sexual Abuse, Straight Inc., Substance Abuse, Tough Love Programs, YA Non-Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

288 Pages

Synopsis: For readers of Girl Interrupted and Tweak, Cyndy Etler’s gripping memoir gives readers a glimpse into the harrowing reality of her sixteen months in the notorious “tough love” program the ACLU called “a concentration camp for throwaway kids.”

I never was a badass. Or a slut, a junkie, a stoner, like they told me I was. I was just a kid looking for something good, something that felt like love. I was a wannabe in a Levi’s jean jacket. Anybody could see that. Except my mother. And the professionals at Straight.

From the outside, Straight Inc. was a drug rehab. But on the inside it was…well, it was something else.

All Cyndy wanted was to be loved and accepted/ By age fourteen, she had escaped from her violent home, only to be reported as a runaway and sent to a “drug rehabilitation” facility that changed her world.

To the public, Straight Inc. was a place of recovery. But behind closed doors, the program used bizarre and intimidating methods to “treat” its patients. In her raw and fearless memoir, Cyndy Etler recounts her sixteen months in the living nightmare that Straight Inc. considered “healing.”

I’ve decided not to rate this book because honestly, how do you give a rating to such a dark and personal memoir? It’s also not a story that I’d apply the word enjoyable to, but it’s compelling and inspirational, and I think it’s an important one that people should read. Even before Straight Inc. got their hands on her, Cynde Etler’s childhood was not a happy one. Molested by her stepfather, neglected and ignored by her mother, by the time she’s fourteen, Cyndy is experimenting with alcohol and pot, making questionable relationship choices, and constantly running away and sleeping over at friends’ houses. After being placed in a nice foster care home for a brief time, she’s told by her family that she’s being sent to this wonderful boarding school, but instead is delivered into the hands of one of the most bizarre and abusive “tough love” programs that I’ve ever heard of. Cyndy relates what happened in the voice of the young teen she was, which gives the story even more of a raw, emotional narrative. The fact that she was trapped in this nightmare of abuse and brainwashing for over a year, is heartbreaking. I found myself having to take breaks from reading this because there were so many difficult moments. Yet at the same time I just had to keep reading because I wanted to–no needed to, know she persevered. My only criticism is that at the end of the book Cyndy winds up returning to her old high school, but it cuts off rather abruptly and I was left wanting more. However, the sequel, We Can’t Be Friends, is coming out in October so perhaps this is why. In the end while The Dead Inside is a tough read, it’s one I highly recommend for older teens and adults. While Straight Inc. was finally forced to shut its doors in 1993 after being supported by both the Reagan and Bush administrations, and was even visited by Princess Diana, there are still some programs in the troubled teen industry that use similar abusive practices. The only way to to affect permanent and positive change is through education and listening to courageous survivors like Cyndy Etler.

Blood Family ~ By Anne Fine – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Child Abuse, Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Family Relationships, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: March 21st, 2017

304 Pages

Synopsis: Edward is four years old when he is locked away with his mother by her abusive, alcoholic partner, Harris. By the time an elderly neighbor spots his pale face through a crack in the boarded-up window and raises the alarm, he is seven.

Rescue comes, but lasting damage has been done. Sent to live with a kind foster family, and then adopted, Edward struggles to adapt to normal life. Even as a smart and curious teenager it’s still clear to his new family and schoolmates there’s something odd about him. 

Then in a science museum, Edward sees an image that shocks him to the core and robs him of his hard won sense of safety. Can anyone’s past truly be left behind? And could it be that, deep down, another Harris is waiting to break out?

I’m going to start by saying that Blood Family isn’t going to be for everyone. It’s an issue laden story that can be tough reading, especially as it focuses on a young boy who has been so badly traumatized. It is a heartbreaking and realistic look at Eddie from the age of seven to fifteen and how he copes with what happened to him. The story is made even more interesting as it’s not only told by Eddie, but by the people who become part of his life, from the authorities who rescue him and his mother Lucy, to his foster parents, and adoptive parents, and the psychologists who treat him. Seeing Eddie through their eyes gives the reader a better sense  of his development. It’s Eddie’s chapters though that are particularly gut-wrenching and hard to read at times. I’m going to be honest and admit that I wound up forming a close connection with him in part due to my own childhood experiences. But, I also think that any reader won’t be able to become emotionally invested in him. Eddie struggles to overcome so much and while he loses his way at times the end leaves you with hope that he has overcome what was done to him during his early childhood. The story also raises the question of nature vs nurture in an interesting and thought-provoking way When Blood Family first was published in 2014 in England, it was short-listed for the Carnegie Medal, and after reading this, I can certainly understand why. My one problem is while it falls under the YA category, how young is too young as far as who to recommend this for? While the style of writing is fine for middle-grade students, because of the subject matter, I don’t think I’d recommend this to anyone under the age of fourteen. Otherwise, this is a poignant and realistic exploration at domestic abuse and its aftermath, that I think would lend itself well to individual readers as well as teen book discussion groups. 

The Devil Crept In ~ By Ania Ahlborn – 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Child Abuse, Horror, Relationships

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: February 7th, 2016

384 Pages

Synopsis: Young Jude Brighton has been missing for three days, and while the search for him is in full swing in the small town of Deer Valley, Oregon, the locals are starting to lose hope. They’re well aware that the first forty-eight hours are critical and after that, the odds usually point to a worst-case scenario. And despite Stevie Clark’s youth, he knows that, too; he’s seen the cop shows. He knows what each ticking moment may mean for Jude, his cousin and best friend.

That, and there was that boy, Max Larson…the one from years ago, found dead after also disappearing under mysterious circumstances. And then there were the animals: pets gone missing out of yards. For years, the residents of Deer Valley have murmured about these unsolved crimes…and that a killer may still be lurking around their quiet town. Now fear is reborn–and for Stevie, who is determined to find out what really happened to Jude, the awful truth might be too horrifying to imagine.

I loved Ania Ahlborn’s previous book, Brother, and while I had a few issues with The Devil Crept In, it’s clear that she is an excellent storyteller along the same lines of horror writers like Stephen King. The book is divided into three sections with part one focusing on ten-year-old Stevie Clark’s determination to find his cousin and best friend, Jude. While I’m all for slow-building horror and suspense, I found myself getting a bit impatient with the pacing in the beginning. I felt as though Ahlborn spent a little too much time on the set-up. The second part takes you back in time, detailing a creepy house in the woods and the backstory of Rosie, the woman who lives there. The third part brings both storylines together.  I never once felt disconnected and Ahlborn does a brilliant job at fitting all the pieces together. My biggest issue was that with the exception of a few, the majority of adults in this story are completely one-dimensional and do not come across in a positive light. You’ve got the abusive step-father stereotype, the abused mother who can’t/won’t protect her children, and the judgmental, holier-than-thou townsfolk. There are two characters that don’t fall into these stereotypes. One is Stevie’s teacher, but sadly she only makes a brief appearance. The other is an elderly shop keeper who tries to help Stevie, but he’s maddeningly slow at giving him much needed information. And of course there’s Rosie, who I found utterly exasperating at times, yet still emphasized with the horror her life had become. Ania Ahlborn is also an absolute genius at creating subtle and menacing atmospheres and creepy goosebump-raising storylines. I was completely sucked into the small town of Deer Creek and its hidden horrors and I felt as though I were actually in the story. But the absolute best part of the book is ten-year-old Stevie, whose courage and innocence is what drives the story and his attributes are in direct contrast to the disturbing nature of the narrative and the rest of the characters. His resilience is remarkable given that he’s surrounded by adults, who at best don’t believe the things he insists he’s witnessed, and at worst are verbally and physically abusive. Making things worse is that Stevie suffers from an unnamed disorder(s), which further adds to the suspicion and doubt that people view him with. Yet despite all this, this small child never gives up and I absolutely loved him. The ending is complicated, and there’s some questions I had that weren’t answered, yet for the most part it’s in keeping with the rest of the story. Despite its flaws, I found The Devil Crept In to be a disturbing and emotional read, and one which I have no problem recommending. It’s a solid blend of horror, mystery and suspense and it’s left me excited for Ania Ahlborn’s next venture.

 

 

 

Child’s Play (Elle Harrison #3) ~ By Merry Jones – 2.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Child Abuse, Mystery, Psychological Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Release Date: January 3rd, 2017

320 Pages

Synopsis: Since her husband’s murder two years earlier, life hasn’t been easy for Elle Harrison. Now, at the start of a new school year, the second grade teacher is determined to move on. She’s selling her house and delving into new experiences–like learning trapeze.

Just before the first day of school, Elle learns that a former student, Ty Evans, has been released from juvenile detention where he served time for killing his abusive father. Within days of his release, Elle’s school principal, who tormented Ty as a child, is brutally murdered. So is a teacher at the school. And Ty’s former girlfriend. All the victims have links to Ty. 

Ty’s younger brother, Seth, is in Elle’s class. When Seth shows up at school beaten and bruised, Elle reports the abuse, and authorities remove Seth and his older sister, Katie, from their home. Is Ty the abuser?

Ty seeks Elle out, confiding that she’s the only adult he’s ever trusted. She tries to be open-minded, even wonders if he’s been wrongly condemned. But when she’s assaulted in the night, she suspects that Ty is her attacker. Is he a serial killer? Is she his next intended victim?

Before Elle discovers the truth, she’s caught in a deadly trap that challenges her deepest convictions about guilt and innocence, childhood and family. Pushed to her limits, she’s forced to face her fears and apply new skills in a deadly fight to survive.

What did I miss? That was the first thought that entered my mind when I finished Child’s Play. Have I mentioned how much I hate it when everyone else seems to like a book but I don’t? I thought the actual plot was pretty good, but my overwhelming dislike for most of the characters overshadowed any enjoyment I could have had from reading this book. It is the third in a series, but although I haven’t read the first two, I was never confused, so that was a positive. Sadly it was one of only a few. The MC, Elle, is a victim straight from the Perils of Pauline. This isn’t a supernatural book, but it literally seemed as though she was being stalked by the Grim Reaper. I mean honestly! How much bad luck can one person have? I went on Goodreads and read the premises of the first two books, and honestly, no one could have witnessed that much death without at least being in therapy. It is stated that she suffers from a dissociative disorder, but unbelievably she’s not under a doctor’s care. At least not in this book. She’s a likable enough character, but her personality came across as rather bland for the most part. Through the majority of the book I found her judgement questionable as she recklessly put herself in danger again and again. What I found even worse though were her so-called friends, who seemed unsympathetic and patronizing toward Elle. Actually, they’re all supposed to be around forty, but they spoke and acted more like teens. I wound up guessing who the real killer was before the halfway point of the book, but there was a cool little twist regarding their motivations that I really liked. The story was also fast-paced which made it a very quick read. Sadly, for me, the negatives far outweighed the positives. But, as I said at the beginning of this review, going by the reviews on Goodreads I’m definitely in the minority, so if you enjoy suspenseful mysteries and psychological thrillers I encourage you to give this a try. 

A List Of Cages ~ By Robin Roe – 5.0 Stars

Tags

Bullying, Child Abuse, Death, Friendship, Love, Loyalty, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 10th, 2017

320 Pages

Synopsis: When Adam Blake lands the best elective ever in his senior year, serving as an aide to the school psychologist, he thinks he’s got it made. Sure it means a lot of sitting around, which isn’t easy for a guy with ADHD, but he can’t complain, since he gets to spend the period texting all his friends. Then the doctor asks him to track down a troubled freshman who keeps dodging her, and Adam discovers that boy is Julian–the foster brother he hasn’t seen in five years.

Adam is ecstatic to be reunited. At first Julian seems like the boy he once knew. He’s still kind hearted. He still writes stories and loves picture books meant for little kids. But as they spend more and more time together, Adam realizes that Julian is keeping secrets, like where he hides during the middle of the day, and what’s really going on inside his house. Adam is determined to help him, but his involvement could cost both boys their lives.

I actually finished A List Of Cages a few days ago, but to be honest I was such a puddle of emotions that it took me this long to form a somewhat cohesive review. This amazing and inspirational story had me crying, raging, and even laughing at times, and I believe it is one of the most powerful YA novels I’ve ever read! It’s a book that deals with many issues: ADHD, death, foster care, multiple forms of child abuse, trauma, and bullying. Balancing these weighty topics are the positive ones of personal growth, friendship, loyalty and love. Robin Roe juggles all this in a believable and deeply personal way. Many of the topics are ones that have always been important to me, and it’s obvious that Roe is experienced with these issues. Every character in this story has their own distinct voice, but the two stars are  fourteen-year-old Julian and seventeen-year-old Adam, who on the surface have nothing in common, yet once you know them you realize they share the same pure, generous and kindhearted soul. While the abuse I suffered from as a child was somewhat different than what’s inflicted upon Julian, I feel comfortable in stating the author has created an authentic representation of many children who suffer from abuse and neglect. Julian also has an unadulterated sweetness of spirit that remains unwavering despite the horrible things that are happening to him and it made me want to just dive into the book and protect him even more. And Adam—dear God! He has such a joi de vivre that remains undiminished throughout most of the story, although it is sorely tested once he discovers the secret that Julian is so desperately trying to keep hidden. His fierce loyalty and love for Julian is simply breathtaking. As you know, I read a lot of books, but this story, and Julian and Adam are so amazingly written, that they will be staying with me for a very long time. I’m going to end my review here because A List Of Cages is a book with such a powerful message that you really need to experience it for yourself. I truly believe it has the capacity to change lives and I think ALL older teens and adults should experience it. It’s not an easy read, and you should definitely have a box of tissues on hand, but I guarantee, that if you read this, you will never, EVER, forget it! 

Golden Boys ~ By Sonya Hartnett – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Alcoholism, Child Abuse, Coming of Age Stories, Dysfunctional Families, YA Fiction

Thank you NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: With their father there’s always a catch…

Colt Jenson and his younger brother Bastian, have moved to a new, working-class suburb. The Jensens are different. Their father, Rex, showers them with gifts–toys, bikes, all that glitters most–and makes them the envy of the neighborhood.

To Freya Kiley and the other local kids, the Jensens are a family out of a movie, and Rex a hero–successful, attentive, attractive, always there to lend a hand. But to Colt he’s an impossible figure in a different way: unbearable, suffocating. Has Colt got Rex wrong, or has he seen something in his father that will destroy their fragile new lives?

Golden Boys is a tale of two very dysfunctional families, seen through the eyes of their children. The story takes place in Australia during the late 1970s or early 1980s. This isn’t a book that is action packed from beginning to end. Yet while the pacing is slow, especially in the beginning, that doesn’t make the narrative any less compelling. Seeing the events that unfold from the perspective of the children, makes an already disquieting story deeply personal. Sonya Hartnett deftly captures that childlike innocence we all had at some point. I think the strongest passages are from Freya and Colt who are the oldest, and are both put in the unspeakable position of staying quiet about their fathers’ actions or revealing secrets long kept hidden. Nothing that happens is too graphically told, which in a way makes it even more menacing. It’s also a reminder that sometimes monsters need not be supernatural in nature, and that they can hide behind the most ordinary and benign of facades. None of the adults walk away from this smelling like roses. Both fathers are despicable and vile, and the mothers are your stereotypical enablers. This might have been a problem but in the end it’s not because the children are so brilliantly written, and after all, in the end this is their story. The only reason why I haven’t given this 5 stars is because I hated the ending. I thought it was much too abrupt and it left me a bit frustrated. Overall though I found Golden Boys to be a hauntingly beautiful and evocative novel and I think it would be a perfect pick for a teen or adult book discussion group. It’s an unsettling story that will linger in your mind long after you’ve finished.