Fallout by Ellen Hopkins

I avoided Ellen Hopkins for a while because I wasn't a huge fan of how she writes in verse form. Then I found Crank in a thrift store and picked it up and read it in one night. The books look huge, but they're actually a fast read because of the verse form. And it's not nearly as annoying as you'd expect.

Fallout is Ellen Hopkin's newest YA novel. It's sort of a sequel to
both Crank and Glass, but instead of the main character being Kristina, they focus on three of her children who are now teenagers and have been effected by her drug abuse.

Hunter was the son that Kristina had Crank. His dad raped Kristina and he was eventually adopted by her parents. Now he's 19 and having problems with his girlfriend. Autumn lives with her paternal grandfather and aunt. She is trying to deal with her father trying to come back into her life at the same time her aunt is leaving her to get married. Summer has been passed around between foster homes her whole life until she decides to run away with her boyfriend.

I liked:

-A drug addict would TOTALLY name her kids "Summer" and "Autumn".

-How realistic these characters are. Kristina is still on drugs and it's still effecting everyone in her life, including her children at this point. It's so sad to read, but these characters really come to life.


I didn't like:

-I didn't like Fallout quite as much as some of Hopkins' other novels. It was slightly slower moving, but still very good nonetheless.

Verdict:
4.5/5 stars. Amazing book.