CRANK

Crank By Ellen Hopkins is an interesting novel, written in a poem style, that captures readers with an unpredictable storyline and hard-edge story telling. A first for me in the world of teen drug addictions and I felt that I enjoyed it but, at the same time, I felt it was very edge-of-the-knife; a little too much so, if you ask me.

Hopkins introduces you to a very different character, Kristina Georgia Snow. She is the perfect daughter with her good grades, blonde hair, blue eyes, and, for a teenager, she is very quiet. That is, until she goes on a summer vacation to her crack-head dad's house in Albuquerque, New Mexico and meets Adam (aka, "Buddy"). Adam is sexy, brooding, and alluring. It's no wonder that Kristina feels attracted to him, and then he introduces her to the monster, Crank. Now, Kristina is all but murdered as Bree takes her place. Bree is the complete opposite of Kristina, she is the bad-girl drug addict. After Bree leaves her father's house, she goes home only to want more of her monster and she goes to lengthy ends to get it and when she finds it, she finds two new guys, Brendan and Chase. Brendan is sexy and Chase is just a bad boy so Bree settles for both and her life winds up in a mess.
Struggling through a rape and a pregnancy isn't all that's in store for Bree but when those begin the mayhem, it makes you wonder what will happen to this poor good-girl-gone-bad.

I read this novel as a last resort during the summer after having it recommended to me by a couple of friends of mine. I picked it up and I fell in love with the edgy style and poetic flow but I have to admit, I put it down after I got past the first hundred pages and didn't pick it up again for a while. This novel is very graphic and terrifying, definitely not for the light at heart. I am not a very "light at heart" kind of person but this book overwhelmed me with emotions and feelings that I never thought I'd experience. It is a completely emotional ride and it is written incredibly well but be warned, if you plan on reading this novel, be prepared to go high as heaven, low as hell, and stuck on middles ground as you read about the conversion of Kristina to Bree.

Rating: 7/10