THE GIRL IN CELL 49B by Dorian Box

 

“Standout sequel from Dorian Box featuring a fierce female main character, a perfectly planned and paced plot, and a strong sense of theme. ... Emily is a brilliant character ...” — IndieReader (starred review, IR Seal of Approval)

“[A] must-read thriller ... engrossing ... memorable. All the right ingredients of emotions, action, corruption, justice, courtroom drama, and gentle romance.” — Readers’ Favorite (5-Star Seal)

Emily Calby disappeared at age twelve, the only survivor of a notorious home invasion. Three years after her terrifying odyssey in The Hiding Girl, she’s safe, living in anonymity with her mentor, ex-gang member Lucas Jackson—before life blows up again on her Sweet Sixteen birthday. Arrested for carrying her birthday gift (an illegal handgun), a fingerprint scan shows her to be the "missing Calby girl" and worse: she’s wanted for murder in another state.

Extradited to a corrupt juvenile prison, Emily struggles to adjust to a new code of survival while battling a vindictive prosecutor willing to resort to any means to convict her. As The Law thwarts her every move, she begins to appreciate its awesome power. She discovers an unused prison law library and buries herself in the books, casting her destiny.

As she fights for her life in court, the dark secrets behind the prison walls close in. Her cellmate, a spookily prescient drug addict, is in grave danger. So is her first love, a gentle boy sentenced to life without parole. Emily’s desperate to help them, but how can she, when her explosive trial brings one new disaster after another? A courtroom thriller like no other.

MY THOUGHTS: 

I read the first book in this series and enjoyed it. There were a couple of things in it that got under my skin but overall it was a good read. This is the sequel and it's another very good one.

Emily has had a horrible series of troubles. Her mother and sister were assaulted and murdered in the first book. Emily barely escaped. She was on the streets and finally taken in my a very smart and caring man. To say she got revenge on the ones that did what was done in the first book is to put it mildly. She is a very strong and resilient young girl. But she does go through a lot. Some pretty bad things almost happened to her but she escaped. Now she will have to face the consequences of that. Even though we know it's not her fault. She acted in pure self defense. Only doing what she had no other choice but to do.

Now Emily is on trial and we root for her all over again. The prosecutor is a horrible, crooked, sorry excuse for a human being. He doesn't care why Emily did what she did. He just wants to win no matter what. Will she get justice for all the things that happened to her in her young life or will she get life? Can things possibly keep getting worse for her?

This book continues Emily's story and will have you weeping in part. Very angry in other parts. And definitely rooting for her overall. She's so easy to love. No matter what she does it's for survival. This book will pull at your heartstrings. No doubt about that.

Thank you #netgally, #dorianbox, #frictionpress for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

4/5 stars and a high recommendation. Be warned it will make you cry and hold your breath a lot.