Girl, Stolen by April Henry

Genre: Young Adult
Copyright: 2010
Pages: 224
Book Source: review copy courtesy of author

Sixteen year-old Cheyenne Wilder is sleeping in the back of a car while her mom fills her prescription at the pharmacy. Before Cheyenne realizes what's happening, their car is being stolen--with her inside! Griffin hadn’t meant to kidnap Cheyenne, all he needed to do was steal a car for the others. But once Griffin's dad finds out that Cheyenne’s father is the president of a powerful corporation, everything changes—now there’s a reason to keep her. What Griffin doesn’t know is that Cheyenne is not only sick with pneumonia, she is blind. How will Cheyenne survive this nightmare, and if she does, at what price?

Girl, Stolen was a tense, nail-biting read and an insightful one at that. I've read a few YA kidnapping stories recently but what makes this one unique is Cheyenne's blindness. The story is told from the alternating view points of Cheyenne and Griffin, the teen car thief and initially unwitting kidnapper. The reader sees the story unfold through Cheyenne's sightless eyes, adding a whole new level of suspense, danger and terror to an already terrifying scenario.

Through flashbacks we get an up-close look at Cheyenne's blindness and it's impact with a degree of perception that could only be acheived by means of thorough research. The adjustments, the personal growth, the emotional toll, the heightening of other senses, it's all covered with honesty and in a way that could only be described as enlightening.

I found Griffin quite likeable and ended up having no trouble feeling compassion for this young man. Considering his upbringing, he had an innate sense of right and wrong, unlike his father and rotten cohorts.

I thoroughly enjoyed this intense page turner and will definitely be checking out more of April Henry's novels ... Shockpoint one of April Henry's earlier YA novels has caught my attention, it sounds intriguing!

Visit April Henry Mysteries to find out more about the author and her work.

This month on The Eclectic Reader you can win a copy of Entice by Carrie Jones, or The Distant Hours by Kate Morton or The Lost Saint by Bree Despain. Check this blog post for details. Open Internationally.