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popthebutterfly 's review for:
Secret Keeper
by Jane Alvey Harris
Rating: 2.5/5
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (mentions of child molestation, language, sexual content)
Pages: 342
Author Website
Amazon Link
Disclaimer: I received this book courtesy of KidLitExchange. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: What if the worst thing isn't that they don't believe you? What if the worst thing is that they just don't care? Seventeen year-old Emily has accepted the truth of her past trauma and made peace with her battered egos. She's won the first battle...barely...but the war in her psyche still rages. The same day Mom is released from rehab and Emily finishes detox, Dad announces he's ready to be a family again, throwing Emily into panic. Determined to protect her younger brothers and sister from Dad, she gathers the strength to do the hardest thing she's ever done: speak her Secret. But it isn't enough. Nobody will intervene. Emily is more alone and helpless than ever. Her therapist suggests that the key to resolving her crises lies within the mysterious First Realm, where Emily has access to her Fae abilities and where she can find her Champion…the one person with enough power to end the destructive cycle of abuse and help Emily transform from victim to survivor. Desperate for guidance, Emily returns to the First Realm only to discover the Seven Kingdoms in total chaos. She has just a few days to find her Champion before Dad comes for her. Can she complete her task and return to the Second Realm in time to save her family, or will her dreaded premonition turn out to be true: that she is her own worst enemy?
We return to Emily after an exciting first book. Her story continues where we left off, but this time when she thinks things will go okay, they don’t. Things spiral again for our heroine, but will we see her rise from the ashes? Personally I thought the story was okay. The characters were expertly developed and the world building was wonderful. The author also has a natural talent for writing as it was simply amazing. I also have to praise the book again on discussing mental illness and having a somewhat realistic take on what PTSD and trauma can look like in a young girl’s brain.
However, I didn’t think this book was as good as the first book. The “real” story seemed really slow and the cliffhanger conclusion was disappointing. I didn’t feel like the story was connecting to me outside of First Realm. I also had issues with the “real” story. I’m pretty sure Emily’s detox center is in Nevada. If not please correct me. In Nevada the statue of limitations is 10 years for child sex cases according to their official website. They also have mandatory reporting laws in place in the state. The fact that Emily “couldn’t” report the case because it was “too old” should not have been an issue and her “counselor” Nancy should have reported the case to the police ASAP. Even if a case is “too old” the police will still investigate the case. I’ve worked in juvenile court systems and I know that if there is any inkling that a child is in danger of being placed with a parent who sexually abused them or abused them in any fashion then the police and CPS will step in to handle the situation and remove the children until a full investigation can be conducted with the children and within the home. Furthermore, which I failed to point out in the first review but have since looked into for this one, the father should not have been able to even drive to California from wherever he designated as his home because of his parole. He would have had to obtain a certificate of release from the supervision officer, should have obtained a job within the first few weeks of his parole, and he should have not been eligible to start his own business as he would have also had restitution he would have had to pay because of his offense of securities fraud. As a 17 year old I would have also suspected Emily of knowing about his parole status. She could have called his parole officer to tell him about the molestation and the father would have been charged with violation of parole. She could have also just informed the police herself since Nancy was not able to follow mandatory reporting laws. And if she was too afraid, she could have phoned an anonymous tip into CPS and reported through there. The workers would have responded and spoke to Emily where she could have made her allegations and then the children would have been taken out of the home. While the children might have been split up into foster homes I believe Emily would have preferred that over the possibility of them being in the home with a sexually deviant father. I know that stuff like what happened in the book happens in real life, but it’s very very rare. And for so many things to go wrong all at once? Not having one adult in the situation speak up? Not having the justice system work? That creates a very unlikely story.
Verdict: A good fantasy story, but an unbelievable realistic story.
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (mentions of child molestation, language, sexual content)
Pages: 342
Author Website
Amazon Link
Disclaimer: I received this book courtesy of KidLitExchange. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: What if the worst thing isn't that they don't believe you? What if the worst thing is that they just don't care? Seventeen year-old Emily has accepted the truth of her past trauma and made peace with her battered egos. She's won the first battle...barely...but the war in her psyche still rages. The same day Mom is released from rehab and Emily finishes detox, Dad announces he's ready to be a family again, throwing Emily into panic. Determined to protect her younger brothers and sister from Dad, she gathers the strength to do the hardest thing she's ever done: speak her Secret. But it isn't enough. Nobody will intervene. Emily is more alone and helpless than ever. Her therapist suggests that the key to resolving her crises lies within the mysterious First Realm, where Emily has access to her Fae abilities and where she can find her Champion…the one person with enough power to end the destructive cycle of abuse and help Emily transform from victim to survivor. Desperate for guidance, Emily returns to the First Realm only to discover the Seven Kingdoms in total chaos. She has just a few days to find her Champion before Dad comes for her. Can she complete her task and return to the Second Realm in time to save her family, or will her dreaded premonition turn out to be true: that she is her own worst enemy?
We return to Emily after an exciting first book. Her story continues where we left off, but this time when she thinks things will go okay, they don’t. Things spiral again for our heroine, but will we see her rise from the ashes? Personally I thought the story was okay. The characters were expertly developed and the world building was wonderful. The author also has a natural talent for writing as it was simply amazing. I also have to praise the book again on discussing mental illness and having a somewhat realistic take on what PTSD and trauma can look like in a young girl’s brain.
However, I didn’t think this book was as good as the first book. The “real” story seemed really slow and the cliffhanger conclusion was disappointing. I didn’t feel like the story was connecting to me outside of First Realm. I also had issues with the “real” story. I’m pretty sure Emily’s detox center is in Nevada. If not please correct me. In Nevada the statue of limitations is 10 years for child sex cases according to their official website. They also have mandatory reporting laws in place in the state. The fact that Emily “couldn’t” report the case because it was “too old” should not have been an issue and her “counselor” Nancy should have reported the case to the police ASAP. Even if a case is “too old” the police will still investigate the case. I’ve worked in juvenile court systems and I know that if there is any inkling that a child is in danger of being placed with a parent who sexually abused them or abused them in any fashion then the police and CPS will step in to handle the situation and remove the children until a full investigation can be conducted with the children and within the home. Furthermore, which I failed to point out in the first review but have since looked into for this one, the father should not have been able to even drive to California from wherever he designated as his home because of his parole. He would have had to obtain a certificate of release from the supervision officer, should have obtained a job within the first few weeks of his parole, and he should have not been eligible to start his own business as he would have also had restitution he would have had to pay because of his offense of securities fraud. As a 17 year old I would have also suspected Emily of knowing about his parole status. She could have called his parole officer to tell him about the molestation and the father would have been charged with violation of parole. She could have also just informed the police herself since Nancy was not able to follow mandatory reporting laws. And if she was too afraid, she could have phoned an anonymous tip into CPS and reported through there. The workers would have responded and spoke to Emily where she could have made her allegations and then the children would have been taken out of the home. While the children might have been split up into foster homes I believe Emily would have preferred that over the possibility of them being in the home with a sexually deviant father. I know that stuff like what happened in the book happens in real life, but it’s very very rare. And for so many things to go wrong all at once? Not having one adult in the situation speak up? Not having the justice system work? That creates a very unlikely story.
Verdict: A good fantasy story, but an unbelievable realistic story.