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A review by litwithleigh
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
3.0
Thank you Tandem Collective Global and Penguin Random House Canada for my gifted copy. IYKYK my reviews are always honest.
Writing: 3.5/5 | Plot: 3/5 | Ending: 2.5/5
THE PLOT
17-year-old Kiara, left to her own devices without help from her older brother, turns to prostitution to make ends meet.
MY OPINION
This was a difficult read because it was a deluge of traumatic events. Prostitution, abuse of all forms, death, murder, etc... Not to mention the dirty cops. Kiara never got a break. And on top of that, she became a stand-in mom to Trevor while his real mom hit the block looking for a fix.
Keeping in mind that Leila Mottley was only 17 years old when she started writing this, I think she has potential to be a great writer. There were several introspective quotes throughout this story, but sometimes it was trying too hard to be deep. I think this can be attributed to the author's age—teenagers can have moments of lucid brilliance sandwiched between notions that dating an older man is totally normal because "I'm really mature."
I found the ending particularly weak. After such a compelling story about the horrors Kiara faces as a young prostitute and the fallout from the OPD scandal, the author forces things to end on a high note. But instead of closing the book with hope, I found myself feeling uneasy, wondering: what TF is gonna happen to Kiara now!!? She can't be on the streets anymore because she's too famous for her own good. And what about lil Trevor, shuttled off to some foster care family?? Who will he grow up to be?? And Marcus??? There were so many frayed edges. I felt like Kiara was in deeper shit by the end of the whole ordeal.
All in all, an impressive undertaking by a young author. At 17 I was skipping a record breaking number of classes LOL. I definitely wasn't selling my manuscript at an auction to publishers all over the world lol.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: at times, thoughtful, poetic prose, enjoyed the fictionalized version of the OPD scandal
Cons: did not feel authentic at times—some major themes left unexplored after being briefly mentioned, ending was contrived, at times overwritten and awkward
Writing: 3.5/5 | Plot: 3/5 | Ending: 2.5/5
THE PLOT
17-year-old Kiara, left to her own devices without help from her older brother, turns to prostitution to make ends meet.
MY OPINION
This was a difficult read because it was a deluge of traumatic events. Prostitution, abuse of all forms, death, murder, etc... Not to mention the dirty cops. Kiara never got a break. And on top of that, she became a stand-in mom to Trevor while his real mom hit the block looking for a fix.
Keeping in mind that Leila Mottley was only 17 years old when she started writing this, I think she has potential to be a great writer. There were several introspective quotes throughout this story, but sometimes it was trying too hard to be deep. I think this can be attributed to the author's age—teenagers can have moments of lucid brilliance sandwiched between notions that dating an older man is totally normal because "I'm really mature."
I found the ending particularly weak. After such a compelling story about the horrors Kiara faces as a young prostitute and the fallout from the OPD scandal, the author forces things to end on a high note. But instead of closing the book with hope, I found myself feeling uneasy, wondering: what TF is gonna happen to Kiara now!!? She can't be on the streets anymore because she's too famous for her own good. And what about lil Trevor, shuttled off to some foster care family?? Who will he grow up to be?? And Marcus??? There were so many frayed edges. I felt like Kiara was in deeper shit by the end of the whole ordeal.
All in all, an impressive undertaking by a young author. At 17 I was skipping a record breaking number of classes LOL. I definitely wasn't selling my manuscript at an auction to publishers all over the world lol.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: at times, thoughtful, poetic prose, enjoyed the fictionalized version of the OPD scandal
Cons: did not feel authentic at times—some major themes left unexplored after being briefly mentioned, ending was contrived, at times overwritten and awkward