Reviews

Illegal by Francisco X. Stork

shirleytupperfreeman's review

This is a page-turner for teens. Brother and sister, Emiliano and Sara, have crossed the border from Mexico into the US because they are being hunted. They are carrying a cell phone that their friend stole when she escaped from a human trafficking 'bad guy'. The information in the phone could bring down a widespread trafficking ring engineered by people on both sides of the border - including some highly placed government officials. Sara has turned herself in at the border in order to give Emiliano a chance at disappearing inside the US and getting the phone into the right hands.The story covers Sara's experiences in a detention facility and Emiliano's as an undocumented teen. Great story with some nuance in points of view. I had not read Disappeared, #1 and it didn't matter. I predict there will be a third book in the series

jessicareads85's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

maryehavens's review

5.0

I really thought this was going to be a trilogy. I wasn't sure how it was going to wrap up but glad it did so I could be spared the legal aftermath :)
I don't know if Stork did his research or just has a great mind but everything that happened could 100% happen. Or maybe it already has or, God help us, is currently? I would hate to think there would be that much corruption stateside but I wouldn't put it past anyone. Like Sarah says - greed, weakness, etc. there's lots of reasons why people would make choices that would lead to this kind of pain for others.
The writing was so good and kept me interested in both novels, a rarity for me since I tend to lose interest after one book. I had to know what happened!! I also think Stork does an excellent job of portraying the difficulties of immigration from multiple points of view.
Highly recommend both books for a gripping story of modern good vs. evil.

kristalall's review

4.0

A rare sequel that is even better than the first

bookworm_vevans's review

4.0

As soon as I read the title of the book and synopsis I was excited to pick up the book. I DID NOT read book 1 first, so keep that in mind.

The story starts where the brother/sister Emiliano and Sara crossed the border from Mexico into the U.S. to escape persecution, but they were still in danger. Their journey documents them navigating the U.S. legal system, police and border patrols, and clear bias of U.S. citizens. I liked the story a lot and thought it was a light, easy read for a heavy, dark topic. Emiliano's voice was particularly well written in my opinion and was most enjoyable. It was a relatable voice.

theowlhouse's review

adventurous challenging informative mysterious relaxing tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

literallykristen's review

2.0

This book was exceedingly frustrating. Everything worked out so coincidentally and so easily. I appreciate that the author wanted to get a lot of struggles and issues into the book but it didn't work.

ajaubrey1's review

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

southern_librarian's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This series gets better and better! Teens kicking butt and taking names; danger; Mexican cartels; mysteries... I couldn't stop listening. I recommend starting with Disappeared first, although I could see jumping in with this one without missing too much. Written by #ownvoices and read by #ownvoices. My only disappointment? Currently no news about a Disappeared #3, and Illegal (I felt) left the door open at the end for another book! I want to know what happens next!

sophieannabatista's review

adventurous hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.5