{Review} Identical by Ellen Hopkins

Identical
by Ellen Hopkins
Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages:  565
Source:  Gift from Michelle
Available as of August 26, 2008
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Do twins begin in the womb?
Or in a better place? Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical down to the dimple. As daughters of a district-court judge father and a politician mother, they are an all-American family -- on the surface. Behind the facade each sister has her own dark secret, and that's where their differences begin. For Kaeleigh, she's the misplaced focus of Daddy's love, intended for a mother whose presence on the campaign trail means absence at home. All that Raeanne sees is Daddy playing a game of favorites -- and she is losing. If she has to lose, she will do it on her own terms, so she chooses drugs, alcohol, and sex. Secrets like the ones the twins are harboring are not meant to be kept -- from each other or anyone else. Pretty soon it's obvious that neither sister can handle it alone, and one sister must step up to save the other, but the question is -- who?

Rating:

My Review:

I've always said I LOVE Ellen Hopkins's writing and the stories she creates, but Identical was beyond amazing. She threw me for a loop and I can not begin to describe how much this book really showed me.

Kaeleigh and Raeanne are twins. Raeanne is the fun party girl who enjoys her high and will do anything to get it. Kaeleigh eats to feel better and when that doesn't work she cuts. The girls are polar opposites of one another and haven't been close in years. To make matters worse, the girls strive for the attention of the parent not providing it. Raeanne wants her father to see her, but he's to busy starring Kaeleigh's way to realize what he's doing is destroying them both. Kaeleigh wants her mother to be present in her life, but she's too busy trying to make it in D.C. The big question, who will save the other in the end?

Ellen Hopkins has a way with words that leaves me begging for more. It is rare when I can find an author that can shock me with the slightest twist. That is what I loved most about Identical. One minor twist, revealed by one epic scene, had me setting the book down to collect my thoughts and process what I had just read three times. I was at a loss for words, in disbelief, but I loved every minute of it. The only thing I didn't care for was how long it took Kaeleigh to speak up. Her secret almost cost her life, but if she had spoken up, there would be no story to tell.

Overall, Identical was an astounding read and I'm so grateful to my bookish friend for surprising me. It was one of the best books I've ever read and I highly recommend it!!

Waiting on Wednesday #11

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine

This week I'm waiting for.....

Tilt
by Ellen Hopkins


To Be Released on September 11, 2012


Summary:
TILT is the story of three teens inter-related through their parents' family relationships and friendships. As their parents pull away, caught up in their own dilemmas, the kids' worlds tilt, through love--good and bad:

Mikayla, almost eighteen, is over-the-top in love with Dylan, who loves her back jealously. But what happens to that love when Mikayla gets pregnant the summer before their senior year, and decides to keep the baby?

Shane turns sixteen that same summer, and falls hard in love with his first boyfriend, Alex, who happens to be HIV positive. Shane has lived for four years with his little sister's impending death. Can he accept Alex's love, knowing his life, too, will be shortened?

Harley is fourteen—a good girl searching for new experiences, especially love from an older boy. She never expects to hurdle toward self-destructive extremes in order to define who she is and who she wants to be

Why I'm waiting:  

All I have to say is:  Ellen Hopkins = Awesomeness

What are you waiting for?

Wishlist Wednesday #11

Wishlist Wednesday is hosted by Pen to Paper

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

Summary:

Sometimes you don't wake up. But if you happen to, you know things will never be the same.

Three lives, three different paths to the same destination: Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital for those who have attempted the ultimate act -- suicide.

Vanessa is beautiful and smart, but her secrets keep her answering the call of the blade.

Tony, after suffering a painful childhood, can only find peace through pills.

And Conner, outwardly, has the perfect life. But dig a little deeper and find a boy who is in constant battle with his parents, his life, himself.

In one instant each of these young people decided enough was enough. They grabbed the blade, the bottle, the gun -- and tried to end it all. Now they have a second chance, and just maybe, with each other's help, they can find their way to a better life -- but only if they're strong and can fight the demons that brought them here in the first place.

Why it's on my wishlist...

As many of you know I read Crank and Glass last month and reviewed both last weekend.  Ellen Hopkins has a unique writing style that is extremely easy for me to fall into.  By reading her books, you can see through each characters eyes.  I have fallen in love with her books and I need to have each and every one of them.    

What's on your wishlist?

{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.

{Review} Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Crank
by Ellen Hopkins
Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry Books
Series:  Crank (#1)
Pages:  537
Source:  Self Purchased
Available as of October 5, 2004
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The Book Depository | Books-A-Million

Kristina Georgia Snow is the perfect daughter: gifted high school junior, quiet, never any trouble. But on a trip to visit her absentee father, Kristina disappears and Bree takes her place. Bree is the exact opposite of Kristina -- she's fearless. Through a boy, Bree meets the monster: crank. And what begins as a wild, ecstatic ride turns into a struggle through hell for her mind, her soul -- her life.

Rating:

My Review:

One of my friends has continuously recommended this book to me for the past six years, and I finally broke down and bought it a few weeks ago.  I really wish I would have picked it up sooner.  Ellen Hopkins delivered a wonderfully written book dealing with the after effects and addiction that using meth one time can cause.

Kristina's life begins to spiral out of control after just three weeks of staying at her dads.  Is it because of the boy she met or because of the other person hiding inside her wanting to break free?  Then her time is up and she is sent back to her mom.  She attempts to clean herself up, but how long will that last?  

Throughout the book Kristina is battling her alter ego, Bree, for dominance.  It isn't that she doesn't want to break free of the addiction, it's the monster pulling her back in every time she comes down from a high only to find herself more depressed than she was before that keeps her going back for another hit.  

Drug abuse is never an easy topic to cover in a book, but Ellen Hopkins did a wonderful job depicting Kristina's life as she spirals out of control.  You can tell just from reading that she did a lot of research and talked to users about what it's like when they are getting their fix.  Then you have the way it is written that also makes an impact on the reader.  She writes each segment in verse then forms them on a page.  For instance, Kristina is coming down from her high and the words will be made into downward pointing arrows or they will be falling across the page at an angle.

For me, this book is very easy to relate to.  No, I was never a drug user and never will be, but I have friends who are, who have been to rehab, who still relapse.  If I had read this book back in high school, I would have been able to name everyone in my class who was using.  Now, looking back, I think of all the signs I missed and wish I would have read Crank sooner.

Crank was a wonderful, enlightening read.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone in high school who may be pressured into using any drug.