Tricks

I usually rate books based on how much I enjoyed them. This book would probably have one star if I did that here.

It was graphic, painful, depressing. I felt drained once I reached the end. (For some reason, I have a habit of reading really emotionally intense books all at once. Maybe it's easier to swallow that way?)

The POV shifts were confusing and didn't give as much room for character depth as I would have liked. A lot of my issues with the book have been covered by other reviewers here, I won't go over them all. The most important thing I have to say is that this book is brutal, and very important. It treats its subject with unflinching realism. It made me, at points, feel dirty myself. I imagine this was intentional, and even if it wasn't, it worked.

For teenagers especially, this is an important read. The saddest thing was that I began to understand why they were lead into prostitution as the story unfolded, and it felt like a path that was all too easy and understandable for these kids (and many kids in real life) to take.

I wish I had half the talent Ellen Hopkins does writing a novel in prose. The way she can capture such raw emotions and tense situations in so few words... Tricks is one of those books you start reading knowing it's going to be a rough ride for the characters. Prepare yourself to watch some harsh situations as you read about different reasons teens begin to turn tricks in vegas and how it changes them forever.