Crank by Ellen Hopkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 4.15

Goodreads Summary:
In Crank, Ellen Hopkins chronicles the turbulent and often disturbing relationship between Kristina, a character based on her own daughter, and the "monster," the highly addictive drug crystal meth, or "crank." Kristina is introduced to the drug while visiting her largely absent and ne'er-do-well father. While under the influence of the monster, Kristina discovers her sexy alter-ego, Bree: "there is no perfect daughter, / no gifted high school junior, / no Kristina Georgia Snow. / There is only Bree." Bree will do all the things good girl Kristina won't, including attracting the attention of dangerous boys who can provide her with a steady flow of crank.

Actual Rating: 5.0

Such an eye opener! Life changing..

I grew up completely sheltered to the life style that evolves around drugs and drug addicts. My eyes were recently opened when two of my best friends slowly became strangers. I watched them turn from people I spent every waking moment with to people I didn't even WANT to know any more. I removed myself from their lives in fear of falling into the same trap they had. I knew I had too much to lose.

I resented them. I was hurt, broken, in need of a friend and they were too busy getting high, staying up for days, coloring nonsense pictures and having sex with random guys twice their age. But as the years past (2 years now) I began to open my eyes to the disease that is addiction. This book helped tons in that sense. Made me understand, a little. Made me think to myself "Oh.... It all makes sense."

At first I was a little weary of the writing style. Didn't understand why it was written the way it was.. lyrically, poetically, all over the page... But by the end of the book I was obsessed. So beautiful, so well written. So few words but such big meanings. I felt every wave of emotion while reading this book. I learned so much about so many different things. I'm thankful for the author for putting it all down on paper.

I will definitely be reading the next one.. And possibly other books about addiction. It helps me understand, helps me cope, helps soften my heart to those who have hurt me. Because I know it's not their intention... It's simply a result of the monster.

View all my reviews

Alternative Covers:

Gone by Michael Grant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Avg rating: 3.86

Goodreads Summary:
The first in New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant's breathtaking dystopian, sci-fi saga, Gone is a page-turning thriller that invokes the classic The Lord of the Flies along with the horror of Stephen King.

In the blink of an eye, everyone disappears. Gone. Except for the young.

There are teens, but not one single adult. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day. It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...

Michael Grant's Gone as been praised for its compelling storytelling, multidimensional characters, and multiple points of view.

Supports the Common Core State Standards

Actual Rating: 3.2

I had high hopes for this book.. It started out good, really pulled me in. Then it slowed down a lot.. Spent a lot of time going into detail on unnecessary items, in my opinion.

There's something weird about the writing style that I can't quite put my finger on. I like how the author switches story perspectives multiple times in each chapter. And I liked how it counts down the hours until the "poof" and then the book ends..

To be honest I didn't end this book dying to read book two so that's a definite downfall. In a series of 3 (or is it 4?) books, I think there has to be a lot of unanswered questions to ensure the desire to read on and figure out the answer to these questions. But in this book, a lot of the questions are answered in the last chapter and then it's like "ughhh do I really want to read a new one with all these 14 year-olds and under kids as characters?"

So anyways... I doubt I'll continue on with this series, but the book is still worthy of 3 stars.

View all my reviews

Alternative Covers: