Traffick by Ellen Hopkins Blog Tour and Book Review

 

 

The sequel to “Tricks,” Hopkins’ latest book follows five teenage victims of sex trafficking — from all walks of life and gender orientations — as they try to extricate themselves from their current situations and find a new way of life.

TRAFFICK (Tricks, #2)

By: Ellen Hopkins

Release Date: November 3, 2015

Pages: 528

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

 

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. Heart wrenching 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.

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About Ellen

Ellen Hopkins is a poet, freelance writer, and the award-winning author of twenty nonfiction titles and five NY Times Bestselling novels-in-verse. She has published hundreds of articles on subjects ranging from aviation to child abuse to winegrowing.

Ellen mentors other writers through her position as a regional adviser for the Nevada chapter of the Society of ChildrenÕs Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

She is a regular speaker at schools; book festivals and writers conferences across the US, and now throughout the world.

 

Social Media Links:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter |Facebook | Pinterest | Tumblr

 

PIMPS read by Alicia Keys - https://youtu.be/XhMuVC6dAPw

 

 

 

 

My Thoughts

‘Traffick’ blew me away. This book is a heartwrenching, eye opening, and page turner. I couldn’t put down ‘Tricks’ and Ellen did it again. I loved this book, all of these teens have seen things that no one should have to see and now they are faced with the other side of the coin. Is there is a way out? What are they supposed to do now? Can they survive going back to the life that pushed them onto the streets in the first place?

I felt for all of these characters, I couldn’t even imagine what these teen were going through, but I felt as if they were taking me with them on their journey the whole time. The way Ellen writes her books just captivates me in a way no one else does. When I pick up one of her books, the world disappears.

‘Traffick’ really speaks for itself; the book is s phenomenal read and yet again brings controversial issues of sex trafficking in teens to the surface of a very blind society. This happens to people around us every day, but nobody wants to believe it.

‘Traffick’ is a must read, it’s dark, raw, and emotional, but it is amazing.  

 

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. I did not receive compensation for this review.

Collateral Book Review

Collateral
Ellen Hopkins
Publisher: Atria Books
Publishing Date: November 6, 12

 

 

 

Book Description

 

From the New York Times bestselling author of Triangles comes an exquisitely told story about a young woman torn between passionate first love and the gripping realities of war.

Meet Ashley, a graduate student at San Diego State University. She was raised in northern California reading poetry and singing backupin her best friend’s band. The last thing she ever expected was to end up a military wife. But one night, she meets a handsome Marine named Cole. He doesn’t match the stereotype of the aggressive military man she’d always presumed to be true; he’s passionate and romantic, and he even writes poetry. Their relationship evolves into a deeply felt, sexually charged love affair that goes on for five years and survives four deployments. Cole desperately wants Ashley to marry him, but when she meets another man, a college professor, with similar professional pursuits and values, she begins to see what life might be like outside the shadow of war.

Written in Ellen Hopkins’s stunning poetic verse style, Collateral captures the hearts of the soldiers on the battlefield and the minds of the friends, family, and lovers they leave behind. While those at home may be far from the relentless, sand-choked skies of the Middle East and the crosshairs of a sniper rifle, they, too, sacrifice their lives and happiness for their country at war. And all must eventually ask themselves if the collateral damage it causes is worth the fight.

 

My Thoughts

‘Collateral’ was Ellen Hopkins second book in her adult series and oh my goodness was it fantastic.

Cole is a marine and Ashley is a college student who wants to be a social worker. They are in love but can their love survive the war?

‘Collateral’ was a bombshell of a novel. It was a hard hitting, dramatic, tear down your heart strings, action packed, page turner.

I loved this book, I have many members of my family who have served this country in the military so this book really hit home for me.

This book discusses what these soldiers really go through. Nightmares, post-traumatic stress disorder, paranoia, substance abuse, you name it, soldiers suffer from it, they come back and they have nothing. They don’t have the jobs they were promised or the homes they had when they left.

Denial is a wide spread disease in this country, war is real, everyone realizes this fact but not many people realize the fact of what war really is and what it does to the soldiers.

Ironically the day after I finished ‘Collateral’ a marine showed up on my doorstep. He was doing a program for wounded soldiers. His story broke my heart, 23 years old, he was shot, lost his hearing in one ear, and had lost all of his memories from his junior year in high school back do to a blast that sent him flying, leaving a piece of remnant in his head. He also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. The horrible things he went through to serve his country and now the government won’t even pay for their tuition to go to school. It just breaks my heart.

 

Every time you see a soldier you should always give him or her, your thanks. A simple ‘Thank you for your service,’  will not cost you anything but it may have cost them more than you can ever understand so please just do this one simple thing, it is your civilian duty as far as I am concerned.

 

Everyone should really read this book, it is a big eye opener for many and it is beautifully written. I highly, highly recommend it.

 

 

This book really captured it. It was a truly amazing book, written brilliantly.

Ashley and Cole’s story was a really tragic one and sadly it happens around the world every day. A soldier returns home broken beyond repair.

A soldier sent back to his wife and children and a coffin never getting to say goodbye,

A mother getting nothing but her daughter’s dog tags, always wondering if there is a possibility that she somehow survived, when there were no remains.

A soldier losing her limbs before she is even 25 and can truly even begin her life.

 

That is war. War is ugly. War is real. War is and always will be Satan’s favorite form of entertainment.

* I bought this book on my own and decided to review it. All opinions shared in this review are my own. I did not receive compensation for this review.

Identical Book Review

Identical
Ellen Hopkins
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publishing Date: September 16, 2008

 

Book Description

 

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?

 

My Thoughts

 

Ellen Hopkins is definitely one of my tops for favorite authors. Anything she writes I just devour. ‘Identical’ was no different, it was a non-stop, drama filled; punch you in the gut kind of book. I couldn’t put it down. Ellen writes her books in such a unique poetic way and yet they pack such a punch that they hit my emotions much harder than any book written in regular verse.

 

‘Identical’ touches some very tough issues. Incest, death, attempted suicide, and eating disorders are just a few of them. The girls in this story are identical twins and they go through hell and the sad thing is there are girls all over the world that live through their own personal hell every day. This is their reality. That is one of my favorite things about Ellen’s books; she hits on dark subjects and sheds light on them. It makes them more known, when a lot of people live in a world of denial.

 

‘Identical’ was such a great book, I don’t even think I can do it justice in words. The ending was such a mind warp, let me tell you! It was crazy! I did not see that coming in any shape or form. It was a shocker. I won’t give any of it away because it is just too good to spoil.

You will just have to read it for yourself and trust me you don’t want to miss this book!

 

 

* I bought this book of my own accord and decided to review it. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. I did not receive compensation for this review.

Tilt Book Review

Tilt
Ellen Hopkins
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Expected Publishing Date: September 11, 2012
ISBN: 9781416983309
Genre: Young Adult

Book Description:

Love—good and bad—forces three teens’ worlds to tilt in a riveting novel from New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins.

Three teens, three stories—all interconnected through their parents’ family relationships. As the adults pull away, caught up in their own dilemmas, the lives of the teens begin to tilt….

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 that 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.

Love, in all its forms, has crucial consequences in this standalone novel.

My Thoughts:

Hopkins has done it yet again! ‘Tilt’ was an amazing companion piece to ‘Triangles’. Fans that have been loyal to her will eat ‘Tilt’ up and new readers will flock to get her other books after reading ‘Tilt’.

‘Tilt’ follows the lives of the three teenagers from Hopkins Adult Novel, ‘Triangles’. You get to see all the situations that happened in ‘Triangles’ from the teenagers point of view and see how it affected them. One thing I really enjoyed in ‘Tilt’ was that the story went beyond where ‘Triangles’ left off.

I think ‘Triangles’ is an amazing novel, but ‘Tilt’ really raised it up a notch. ‘Tilt’ is a page turner that pulls at the heart strings. It is a companion piece but it can stand on its own with no problem, with the talented, captivating stories it told.

Hopkins stuck to her unique, fast paced, hard hitting, emotional blending verse poetry and it does not disappoint.

Another thing I love about Ellen Hopkins is that she doesn’t play it safe or shy away from the controversy. She really captures the tough life situations and the consequences that’s why her fans cling to her books; I know I do.

‘Tilt’ is a poetic verse masterpiece by Hopkins and I cannot wait for more of her work.

*I recieved this book from the author in exchange for and honest review. All opinions are my own. I did not recieve compensation for this review.

Triangles Book Review

Triangles Ellen Hopkins
Publisher: Atria Books
Publishing Date: October 18, 2011
ISBN: 9781451626339
Genre: Adult Fiction

Book Description:

THREE FEMALE FRIENDS FACE MIDLIFE CRISES IN A NO-HOLDS-BARRED EXPLORATION OF SEX, MARRIAGE, AND THE FRAGILITY OF LIFE.Holly: Filled with regret for being a stay-athome mom, she sheds sixty pounds and loses herself in the world of extramarital sex. Will it bring the fulfillment she is searching for?Andrea: A single mom and avowed celibate, she watches her friend Holly’s meltdown with a mixture of concern and contempt. Holly is throwing away what Andrea has spent her whole life searching for—a committed relationship with a decent guy. So what if Andrea picks up Holly’s castaway husband?Marissa: She has more than her fair share of challenges—a gay, rebellious teenage son, a terminally ill daughter, and a husband who buries himself in his work rather than face the facts.As one woman’s marriage unravels, another’s rekindles. As one woman’s family comes apart at the seams, another’s reconfigures into something bigger and better. In this story of connections and disconnections, one woman’s up is another one’s down, and all of them will learn the meaning of friendship, betrayal, and forgiveness.Unflinchingly honest, emotionally powerful, surprisingly erotic, Triangles is the ultimate page-turner. Hopkins’s gorgeous, expertly honed poetic verse perfectly captures the inner lives of her characters. Sometimes it happens like that. Sometimes you just get lost.Get lost in the world of Triangles, where the lives of three unforgettable women intersect, and where there are no easy answers.

My Thoughts:              

  ‘Triangles’ is the first adult novel that Ellen Hopkins has written and I think it was absolutely brilliant. ‘Triangles’ was the story of three women whose lives connect in multiple ways, some of those ways being through friendship, tragedy, and family. As these stories unfolded I really got pulled into their worlds and I couldn’t get enough. Each individual story is amazing in its own way.

                Marissa’s story broke my heart but I think it was beautifully written and it touched me on many levels. I couldn’t imagine going through what her family had to and I realize so many families out there do, which is just so devastating. It’s a real eye opener and I hope more people will read this book if simply for that reason.

                 I feel for Andrea, she is a very strong woman who continues to get dealt a bad hand. However throughout it all she knows her daughter is all that matters, even when she stumbles into some really bad habits involving a friend’s husband.

                Holly however is a bit of a wild child still and if I want to be completely honest there was a few times I wanted to smack her but her story was still very entertaining and sometimes bordered on being raunchy.

                Overall this book was brilliant; the writing took some amazing talent and I was addicted to it. I finished it in two days. I literally couldn’t put down. Ellen Hopkins has done it again, if you haven’t read any of her books, you don’t know what you are missing. These will one day be considered classics as far as I am concerned. So if you haven’t read her work, do it now, trust me you won’t be disappointed.

                ‘Triangles’ was an amazing novel and I would recommend it to everyone.

* I purchased this book on my own accord and decided to review it. I was not compensated for this review.

Perfect Book Review

Perfect Ellen Hopkins
Publisher: Margaret K McElderry Books
Publishing Date: September 13, 2011
ISBN: 9781416983248
Genre: Young Adult

Book Description:

Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there.

Cara’s parents’ unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother Conner spiraling toward suicide. For her, perfect means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of love. Kendra covets the perfect face and body—no matter what surgeries and drugs she needs to get there. To score his perfect home run—on the field and off—Sean will sacrifice more than he can ever win back. And Andre realizes that to follow his heart and achieve his perfect performance, he’ll be living a life his ancestors would never have understood.

Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What would you give up to be perfect?

A riveting and startling companion to the bestselling Impulse, Ellen Hopkins's Perfect exposes the harsh truths about what it takes to grow up and grow into our own skins, our own selves.

My Thoughts:

                                So as you all know Ellen Hopkins is one of my favorite authors by far and I have finally collected all of her books, therefore be prepared for reviews on all of them.  ‘Perfect’ was absolutely amazing, it touched me in a lot of different ways. ‘Perfect’ showcases four teenagers’ lives as they all do their best to be perfect. Whether that definition is defined by them or their parents they push themselves to extremely dangerous, even life threatening limits to do what it takes to become perfect!

                This book honestly made me so sad, not because it was bad but because it was so brilliantly written. I saw people from my own life in these characters; I know firsthand what it feels like to go to a funeral of someone you loved who committed suicide. That part was really hard for me to read but this book held so many real problems that teenagers face. They don’t want to let anyone down and they feel like they have to be what everyone else expects them to be. Perfect at school, sports, be pretty, skinny, excel at everything. That causes more than a little damage and Ellen Hopkins focused on that. I really like that she addressed eating disorders in this one because that is a huge problem in today’s society. Girls see these women on TV that are so skinny and perfect and they want to be like them. They will hurt themselves, starve themselves, and do anything just to look like that. What most of them don’t understand is the damage it does to their bodies. Same thing when it comes to steroid use that is another thing I am really glad she touched on. Every young adult should read Ellen’s books I think they would help tremendously!

                As I have said before, Ellen’s writing style never ceases to amaze me and I love the way she writes, such talent put into words. I don’t know how she does it but all I know is that I pray she never stops!

* I purchased this book on my own accord and decided to review it. I was not compensated for this review.

Tricks Book Review

Tricks
Ellen Hopkins
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publishing Date: December 6, 2011
ISBN: 978-1416950080
Genre: Addiction, Non-Fiction

Book Description:

“When all choice is taken from you, life becomes a game of survival.”

Five teenagers from different parts of the country. Three girls. Two guys. Four straight. One gay. Some rich. Some poor. Some from great families. Some with no one at all. All living their lives as best they can, but all searching . . . for freedom, safety, community, family, love. What they don’t expect, though, is all that can happen when those powerful little words, “I love you,” are said for all the wrong reasons. These are five moving stories that remain separate at first, then weave together to tell a larger, more powerful story–a story about making choices, taking leaps of faith, falling down, and growing up. And figuring out what sex and love are all about.

TRICKS is informed and inspired by living near Las Vegas–a big teen prostitution scene–and by the fact that teen prostitution is not exclusively the result of kids running away from abuse. Kids from “better” families are selling themselves for hefty sums in order to finance addictions or even just to buy jewelry or clothing. In some cases, parents prostitute their children for the same reason. So what happens to the kids who are asking themselves, and asking us, “Can I ever feel OK about myself?”

Highly charged, TRICKS is a gripping experience that turns you on and repels you at the same time.

My Thoughts:

                Ellen Hopkins is by far one of my favorite authors out there, her books are so truly unique and I’m addicted to her books. ‘Tricks’ was the one that I read most recently and I have to say it may be my favorite one so far. ‘Tricks’ touched on such a deeply disturbing issue that affects teens all over the world, teens that comes from all different kinds of backgrounds and you don’t really realize it affects them but it does. Teenage prostitution happens every day all around the world and ‘Tricks’ touches on this subject  in every way possible.

                It takes six different teenagers from very different worlds and shows how every event or tragedies in their lives lead them down the dangerous and slippery slope of prostitution. Ellen’s books are so amazing they share real life drama and sad stories you wouldn’t want to face but many families have.

                I love the way she writes it is so unique and it makes her books stand out against the rest. ‘Tricks’ was such a captivating story with so many twists and turns that it will keep you on the edge of your seat , anxious to turn the page until the very end. I promise you will not be able to put this book down, it will pull you in and not let go. Excellent work by Ellen Hopkins yet again and I cannot wait for another book from her.

* I purchased this book on my own accord and decided to review it. I was not compensated for this review.

Crank Book Review

Crank
Ellen Hopkins
Simon Pulse
ISBN 0-689-86519-8

                This book was unique in so many ways and I truly adored it. You see so many books and movie about what drugs can do to a person or a family but very rarely do you get a glimpse into that person’s head well that’s exactly where this book takes you. ‘Crank’ is definitely a unique kind of a book. The way it is written sets it apart from other novels of this sort of plot. It’s written in poem form, the story comes at you in short, fast spurts. It’s unlike any other book I’ve ever read and I was immediately hooked by the style of writing and how the words were placed on the page. As well as the powerful story they told.

                ‘Crank’ tells the story of Kristina, a good kid who has good grades. Her family is pretty prim and proper and on the straight and narrow except for the fact that her older sister is a lesbian. Which they still try to turn their heads to and deny it the best they can. Then for the summer Kristina decides to go live with her estranged father. She thinks it will be the time of her life, she has been feeling suffocated by the life that has become hers since her mother married her stepfather and her daddy is her knight in shining armor and it will be a glorious summer. However her summer with her father takes the complete opposite turn, her stay down there and the people she meets expose her to a dark and dangerous world of drugs. That is when Kristina becomes ‘Bree’ when she meets the monster. She gets highly addicted to crystal meth and comes home a completely different girl with a secret deadly habit.

                As I was saying before I have read a lot of books and seen movies about drug addiction. Usually you see from the outside how it affects them and how it hurts the family. Whereas ‘Crank’ shows everything from the addict’s point of view, you get to see the damage firsthand. You really get to see how the drugs make you think and affect every part of your life.

                The story of Kristina was a heart wrenching, yet touching story. You see a family go through such struggles to find their little girl again but yet not really know exactly how far she is in the deep.

                This story was an absolutely amazing, I have read a few of Ellen Hopkins other books and they are all phenomenal I would recommend this book to anyone. This is a must read, everyone should read this book at least once in their life.

* I purchased this book on my own accord and decided to review it. I was not compensated for this review.