I received this book for free from The Sold Gold Reviewers Program in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Wow. I didn’t really know the darkness I was getting myself into when I started this. I mean, it’s obviously an issue book. It also had to be pretty dark if it’s about a girl who cuts, but I didn’t expect it to be dark on so many levels. This is one that’s been on my to-read list for a very long time, and I’m glad I found an opportunity to get to it.
Scars is about Kendra, a teen struggling with the sexual abuse she experienced as a child. With the help of her therapist and a new friend, she tries to access buried memories to remember who her abuser was. Somehow, her abuser knows and he’ll do anything to keep her from remembering.
Let me begin by confirming that Scars is extremely dark and heavy. You should probably prepare yourself for that before you begin reading or listening. I was aware of the subject matter before beginning, but what really makes Scars as dark as it is are all the details. Kendra is experiencing a lot of emotional and psychological trauma. I’m not ashamed to say that I cried a few times, and I felt horrified at other times. She’s so strong though, even if she doesn’t realize. Surviving the kinds of things she went through is nothing less than amazing. There are numerous children and teens never make it through this kind of abuse. There are some other details that are shocking and awful, but I don’t want to spoil the wonderful way in which they’re revealed. Rainfield does such a great job with the pacing of this book. I was very invested in the characters and the plot. My one complaint has to do with the writing. There was no real room for processing. Instead, Rainfield spelled everything out for the reader; I would have enjoyed coming to my own conclusions a little more.
The narration was good. Not exceptional, but still worth the listen. Emily Bauer was definitely emotionally invested and does a great job with delivery and syntax. The downside is that the production quality wasn’t quite up to par. I don’t usually notice things like this, but an words with an “s” sounded harsh to me. I suppose the problem could have been my headphones, but I’ve never noticed anything like that before using them.
I recommend this book to readers who like gritty issue books. This book is appropriate for readers ages 16 and up.
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OVERALL IMPRESSION: I flew so fast through this book. It is intense, scary, and amazing. When I was reading this, I felt like I was there with Sarah. I felt her struggle, her fear and desperation as well as her bravery. This book made me want to pick up everything Cheryl Rainfield has ever written.
