Review Detail

In TRAFFICK, Ellen Hopkins creates yet another compelling story. Filled with five characters many of us already know from TRICKS; Eden, Seth, Whitney, Ginger, and Cody try to find their way.

Told with as much beauty and grit as all of Hopkins’ work, this novel succeeds in showing readers the tough choices that must be made in order to survive. In a style perfected in eleven other YA novels, the poetic prose works to deliver narratives that are stark and true.

Ellen Hopkins brings closure to some of the big questions left unanswered at the end of TRICKS, but also proves the power of redemption and love. This story is one not only important to those of us already connected to the characters of TRICKS, but to those unnamed teens who have found themselves in similar situations.

As always, Ellen Hopkins takes difficult topics and gives them a face and a story. Too often, those suffering are unable to find their voice, and are grouped as “issues” or “problems.” Within TRAFFICK, there are characters who feel heartbroken and powerless, but this novel proves that we all have choices, and we all have the power to become better.

TRAFFICK takes five teens’ stories and turns them into more than just words on a page. There is a reason so many readers wanted this sequel. Eden, Seth, Ginger, Whitney, and Cody feel real, and readers care about them as if they really know them. Maybe in a way we do because the story is told with honesty. But in the end, we care, and it’s clear the author does as well.