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Showing posts with label Illegal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Illegal. Show all posts

Feb 1, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: Trafficked by Kim Purcell

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm not really focused on books too much because we just got the news that we got approved for our apartment. My husband & I have been separated (by 800 miles) & living with family since May 2010. This apartment will mark the first time we've gotten to live together, alone, since then. I think I have sufficient reason to be distracted. :D

Anywhoodle, this week I'm most intrigued by the February 16th release of Trafficked by Kim Purcell. While the storyline itself has been "ripped from the headlines" this is a first for this kind of story in the YA genre (that I'm aware of). Read on for the details.



Trafficked coverHannah believes she's being brought from Moldova to Los Angeles to become a nanny for a Russian family. But her American dream quickly spirals into a nightmare. The Platonovs force Hannah to work sixteen-hour days, won't let her leave the house, and seem to have a lot of secrets - from Hannah and from each other. Stranded in a foreign land with false documents, no money, and nobody who can help her, Hannah must find a way to save herself from her new status as a modern-day slave or risk losing the one thing she has left: her life.

From Goodreads


How absolutely terrifying would that be? In the US alone there are between 14,500 & 17,500 people trafficked in annually (CNN). While this is sure to be a harrowing story, not all trafficked individuals are "fortunate" enough to end up in Hannah's circumstance. I have a feeling that this book will be a tough one to read, not just because of the subject matter, but also because of how I think the writing will be stylized. Either way, I'm up for the challenge. Who's with me?

Also, I just found an interesting (and kind of scary story) about the amount of prostitution & sex trafficking for major sporting events. There are several organizations trying to raise awareness about this travesty. Read the original article.

What are you waiting on this week?

Mar 2, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: Double Feature!

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Today you're in for a treat as I'm featuring two books that came out yesterday because I think they are equally promising & I feel like a complete dolt for not mentioning them earlier. Illegal by Bettina Restrepo & Burn Bright by Marianne de Pierres are polar opposite books, so I know they will appeal to divergent audiences.

Burn Bright coverInto a world of wild secrets and deadly pleasures comes a girl whose innocence may be her greatest strength.

In Ixion music and party are our only beliefs. Darkness is our comfort. We have few rules but they are absolute . . .

Retra doesn’t want to go to Ixion, the island of ever-night, ever-youth and never-sleep. Retra is a Seal – sealed minds, sealed community. She doesn’t crave parties and pleasure, experience and freedom. But her brother Joel left for Ixion two years ago, and Retra is determined to find him. Braving the intense pain of her obedience strip to escape the only home she’s ever known, Retra stows away on the barge that will take her to her brother.

When she can’t find Joel, Retra finds herself drawn deeper into the intoxicating world of Ixion. Come to me, whispers a voice in her head. Who are the Ripers, the mysterious guardians of Ixion? What are the Night Creatures Retra can see in the shadows? And what happens to those who grow too old for Ixion? Retra will find that Ixion has its pleasures, but its secrets are deadly. Will friendship, and the creation of an eternal bond with a Riper, be enough to save her from the darkness? From Goodreads

A promise.Illegal cover
QuinceaƱera.
A promise that we would be together on my fifteenth birthday . . .

Instead, Nora is on a desperate journey far away from home. When her father leaves their beloved Mexico in search of work, Nora stays behind. She fights to make sense of her loss while living in poverty—waiting for her father's return and a better day. When the letters and money stop coming, Nora decides that she and her mother must look for him in Texas. After a frightening experience crossing the border, the two are all alone in a strange place. Now, Nora must find the strength to survive while aching for small comforts: friends, a new school, and her precious quinceaƱera. From Goodreads

How about that for divergent? Burn Bright is an Australian import that has serious promise. It is the first in a trilogy that promises to be both dark & edgy. I look forward to getting lost in "Land of Toys" type world. Illegal seems to be a grippingly realistic tale that I'm sure many immigrants have faced. Restrepo's debut novel touches on a very sensitive subject in today's society & I hope it lives up to it's blurb. What are you waiting on this week?