Last week I reviewed book 1, The Hiding Girl. You can read that review here.
I received this book as an ARC from Bookish and worried that I wouldn’t be able to follow the story because it’s the second book in a series. I bought book 1, and raced through it because I loved it so much. You don’t have to read The Hiding Girl to follow along with the story, but it makes reading this more enjoyable experience when you do.
The law has caught up with Emily, and she’s landed in juvenile prison awaiting trial. She’s made quite a few mistakes lately, but she has a good lawyer, and she’s hoping the law will see she felt her actions were necessary. While I enjoyed this one, I didn’t love the court case as much. The prosecutor harassed Emily a lot, and I feel that wouldn’t fly in court. That Emily was 13 when this happened is overlooked in her trial. Sure, they are aware she was 13, but to me, it was something that needed discussion and should weigh into their decisions.
Poor Emily, even if Box hadn’t told us she had PTSD, it was clear from the way she needs to discuss her traumas in a detached style, lest the pain overtakes her. “… suppressing my emotions is the only way to keep from drowning in them.” The characters are fantastic, and the storyline is addicting. I loved that Box talks about how detrimental ‘for-profit’ prisons are. America definitely needs prison reform. Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I’m hoping we haven’t seen the last of Emily and Curtis.
Read this review on Amazon and Goodreads.
The Girl in Cell 49B is available on Amazon for $3.99, it’s enrolled in KU.
About the Book:
Emily Calby disappeared at age twelve, the only survivor of a notorious home invasion. Three years after her terrifying odyssey in The Hiding Girl, she’s safe, living in anonymity with her mentor, ex-gang member Lucas Jackson—before life blows up again on her Sweet Sixteen birthday. Arrested for carrying her birthday gift (an illegal handgun), a fingerprint scan shows her to be the “missing Calby girl” and worse: she’s wanted for murder in another state.
Extradited to a corrupt juvenile prison, Emily struggles to adjust to a new code of survival while battling a vindictive prosecutor willing to resort to any means to convict her. As The Law thwarts her every move, she begins to appreciate its awesome power. She discovers an unused prison law library and buries herself in the books, casting her destiny.
As she fights for her life in court, the dark secrets behind the prison walls close in. Her cellmate, a spookily prescient drug addict, is in grave danger. So is her first love, a gentle boy sentenced to life without parole. Emily’s desperate to help them, but how can she, when her explosive trial brings one new disaster after another? A courtroom thriller like no other.
Start the series with The Hiding Girl on Amazon for $2.99, it’s enrolled in KU.
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