1.92k reviews for:

Crank

Ellen Hopkins

3.92 AVERAGE


Again, I can't believe that parents let their children read this type of literature... and I guess it's good for them to do so, because they have this resilence that they have to build up.... and teaching them about life is all about learning different things and I guess this is the point... (maybe)....I'm really unsure on this one.

Raw and powerful read. Being instead Kristina/Bree's head made it all the more realistic. It was scary, but good.
dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Older man is the cause, crank is the trigger and Bree is let lose!

With that, the story begins
and the roller coaster ride is on.
Bree IMO was hiding in Kristina all along
and when she was hit with Chemical X (sorry power puff girl reference)
all hell breaks lose! The characters are well represented.
The story takes us up on a ride of destruction
almost till the end. I could feel
myself saying oh no..Kristina don't oh god!

Spoiler When a bad consequence finally happens it's like..what are you gonna do now?

A good story that feels all to realistic.
medium-paced

An amazing, quick read. Quite devastating reading about this young girl whos life is spiraling out of control. It is crazy how quickly it happens and knowing it is based on the author's daughter makes it all the more heartbreaking. Certain chapters or poems were so good I just read them over and over before I could move on. I'm not a poet nor someone who reads poetry. I just kept seeing this book in the teen fiction section so finally I picked it up and I am so glad I did.
adventurous dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Drugs are bad. Got it.

Crank is the story of Kristina/Bree and the Monster (read: Speed).

It's all from her perspective as she begins romanticizing how it makes her fly.. then becoming absolutely addicted.. ruining family and friendship relationships along the way.. This book was very important to me in 2005, dark as it was. I had never been allowed access to anything so dark and it called to me, spoke to me. Not the drug use, just the darkness. I didn't know then how her vivid description of sexual assault, the male's reaction after and the female's reaction and thoughts ... They GET. IT. In ways that are so difficult to understand to those who have never experienced it. I, myself, did not experience such trauma until 2010.. but this book from my youth.. this dark near memoir written in verse poetry form has stayed with me all of these years and I thought it was time to visit Kristina/Bree again.. as they had such a hand in shaping Dani/Red ♥️

I was honestly kind of disappointed in this book. Ellen Hopkins is one of my favorite authors, so I was sure I would like this book. I never felt connected to Kristina in the way I did with the characters in her other books. I also felt like the story had too many repetitive aspects to be its own unique book (rape, traveling to a relative's for the summer, falling in love over the summer, etc.)