{Review} Glass by Ellen Hopkins

Glass
by Ellen Hopkins
Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry Books
Series:  Crank (#2)
Pages:  681
Source:  Self Purchased
Available as of August 21, 2007
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Crank. Glass. Ice. Crystal. Whatever you call it, it's all the same: a monster. And once it's got hold of you, this monster will never let you go.

Kristina thinks she can control it. Now with a baby to care for, she's determined to be the one deciding when and how much, the one calling the shots. But the monster is too strong, and before she knows it, Kristina is back in its grips. She needs the monster to keep going, to face the pressures of day-to-day life. She needs it to feel alive.

Once again the monster takes over Kristina's life and she will do anything for it, including giving up the one person who gives her the unconditional love she craves -- her baby.

The sequel to Crank, this is the continuing story of Kristina and her descent back to hell. Told in verse, it's a harrowing and disturbing look at addiction and the damage that it inflicts.

Rating:

This review may contain spoilers if you haven't read the first book in this series.

You can find my review of Crank here.

My Review:

After reading Crank, I had to read Glass as soon as I found adequate time to finish the book in one sitting.  I'm thrilled that I didn't have to wait long.  If I thought Crank was amazing, then I don't know how to describe Glass.

The story starts out four months after Kristina has her little boy, Hunter.  After spending most of her pregnancy and the last four months free of the monster, Bree begins to rear her ugly head.  It doesn't take long for Kristina to give in to the temptation, but first she needs to find a dealer she can trust.  She calls on an old friend who can score for her, but what she finds in the process could ruin her.

I would love to tell you that Kristina has changed, that she has controlled the urge to get high, but that would be a lie.  If anything, she is digging herself a deeper hole, one she will soon find herself dead in if she doesn't quit while she's ahead.  She want's to be a mother to Hunter, but how can she when she can't even wake herself up when he cries.  She doesn't want to live under her mother's controlling roof, but first she need a job to support her and her baby.  Can she find and keep a job, or will the drug take over?

Glass was better than I expected because most sequels never live up to the first book.  Well, this one did and went beyond.  At one point I was proud of Kristina for giving up the monster for so long, and then she hit bottom and couldn't stay afloat.  This book really shows how life altering a drug can be even after you put it down and walk away from it.  The drug never leaves you and will always be trying to claw its way back in.  

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Glass.  It was a quick, addicting read that I couldn't put down without talking about it constantly.  I highly recommend picking up Crank & Glass if you haven't already.