Review: Trafficked by Kim Purcell

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

A gripping thriller, ripped from the headlines!

Hannah 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.

Review:

Just from the catch line as well as the summary, I could tell Trafficked was going to be an emotional and intense read, and as it turns out it was just that as well as much, much more. Trafficked divulges into the testy waters of Human Trafficking, and not only delivers the facts about Human Trafficking but a realistic and heartbreaking story of one girl's life who has hit rock bottom.

Prior to the bomb that killed her parents as well as any hope she had in continuing her education, Hannah was living a pretty decent life in Moldova. Her parents had their own problems, but they loved her very much. She had friends she could count on, and with her grades as good as they were, there was no doubt about her becoming a doctor someday. However, before she knows it, everything changes. Left with little money to her name, she goes to live with her grandmother, who is barley able to support herself let alone Hannah, so when Hannah's offered the chance to nanny for a family in Los Angels, California, she jumps at the chance, thinking that this will finally be her chance to turn her life around for good. What happens, though, when everything isn't as it seems? What happens when Hannah's thrown in a life or death situation with no escape? Will she find a way out, or die trying? Only time and more pages can tell in this emotional roller coaster of read that's sure to have any reader rooting for Hannah every step of the way! 

Hannah was a character who caught my attention from the start. It was hard not to like a girl who was so serene and honest. Her descriptions of her home country as well as her family and friends played on my heartstrings continuously, and with that, I wished her the best of luck in America, even though I knew that was going to happen, which made the fall she faced even more emotional, in my opinion. Seeing Hannah fall into the Platonovs' greedy hands was scary and something that no one should face, and throughout the novel, I was constantly wishing she find a way out from under them and their conniving ways. With Hannah, however, came some other characters that I did enjoy reading about. The boy next door, for one, played an important part in Hannah's story by the end, and while their interactions were brief and terse, they always managed to bring more development and understanding to Hannah's characters. I also enjoyed the addition of the Platonovs' daughter Maggie. She was truly the only one in that house who truly seemed to somewhat like Hannah, and seeing her try to stand up for Hannah at times, even at her own expense, broke my heart. 

The plot in Trafficked was gritty as well as intense based on the topics discussed alone. I give Kim Purcell props for delivering such an honest look into the topic of Human Trafficking- she showed the bad sides as well as the very, very bad sides. While at times the scenes caused me to put the book down for a few minutes, it gave more understanding into this situation as well as Hannah's character, in my opinion. The ending was probably my favorite part, though, because while it wasn't the perfect happily ever after (what came be in this type of situation?) it gave good closure for Hannah as well as hope for her future.

Gritty as well as suspenseful, Trafficked by Kim Purcell is a hard read, but one that's worth a read based on the subject alone.

Grade: A-

Trafficked (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Gooodreads) is now out! 

Source: Deb/Penguin- thanks! 

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a copy below!!