I have some pretty talented friends. No, seriously. And they do all kinds of things. One writes comic books for Dark Horse. One is a stuntman. Another has her own clothing line. Musicians. Artists. Dancers. The list goes on and on. I also have plenty of standup comedian friends (I kinda should be. It’s what I do {THAT’S WHAT I DO!!! [Mark Henry, anyone? <Anyone? Bueller?>]}). So it was neat when I found out that one of my standup comedian friends also made that jump into the realm of “pretty talented friends.” I’m talking about Carolyn Lee Adams and her first novel, Ruthless, being released on July 14th by Simon & Schuster.
Ruthless is a young adult novel. However, it isn’t like the litany of other YA novels (if you couldn’t piece it together, YA stands for “Young Adult”) that have been released in recent years. It doesn’t involve some sort of dystopian future where the government lords over its citizens with an iron fist. It doesn’t have some kind of epic love triangle between a human girl and supernatural beasts. It’s about one girl’s struggle for her own survival in a very real and very scary place…..the real world.
We are immediately thrust into the story when teenage champion horse rider, Ruth Carver, abruptly awakens in a tremendous amount of pain in the back of a stranger’s pickup truck with no memories of how she got there. The truck belongs to a big burly man who believes it is his mission in life to teach girls a lesson in obedience. Through a harrowing set of circumstances, Ruth finds herself naked and running for her life through the woods of the Blue Ridge Mountains in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Ruth isn’t just the target of a psychopathic sadist with a gun, she’s also battling hunger, a previously sustained concussion, a broken arm, and the elements. It all makes for a rather harrowing experience for both Ruth and the reader. The story is told from Ruth’s first person perspective (which does a terrific job of filling you with anxiety every time there’s another close call) as well as through a combination of flashbacks to the life of not just our heroine but also our villain. Why did this man begin to view all women as the enemy? How did a young girl grow to be as tough and hardened to be able to battle this man? Adams guides readers through these backstories in mini vignettes at the end of each chapter.
The book is a fantastic read. And for those worrying about it being a “young adult” book (and therefore too childish for their astute adult tastes), I will say this….there’s a scene with masturbation (Yeah. That DEFINITELY wasn’t in The Hunger Games books). In the end, Ruthless tells the tale of something far more awful than vampires and werewolves and tyrannical governments. It tells the story of how terrible and nasty actual people can be. People are the real monsters. But also, there are people, like Ruth, that are willing to fight back against those monsters, to bring them to justice, to be more than just a victim.
RUTHLESS by CAROLYN LEE ADAMS is available for preorder in both hardback and for your Amazon Kindle on Amazon’s website as well as on the Simon & Schuster website.
3.5 out of 4 stars.
Ruthless is a young adult novel. However, it isn’t like the litany of other YA novels (if you couldn’t piece it together, YA stands for “Young Adult”) that have been released in recent years. It doesn’t involve some sort of dystopian future where the government lords over its citizens with an iron fist. It doesn’t have some kind of epic love triangle between a human girl and supernatural beasts. It’s about one girl’s struggle for her own survival in a very real and very scary place…..the real world.
We are immediately thrust into the story when teenage champion horse rider, Ruth Carver, abruptly awakens in a tremendous amount of pain in the back of a stranger’s pickup truck with no memories of how she got there. The truck belongs to a big burly man who believes it is his mission in life to teach girls a lesson in obedience. Through a harrowing set of circumstances, Ruth finds herself naked and running for her life through the woods of the Blue Ridge Mountains in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Ruth isn’t just the target of a psychopathic sadist with a gun, she’s also battling hunger, a previously sustained concussion, a broken arm, and the elements. It all makes for a rather harrowing experience for both Ruth and the reader. The story is told from Ruth’s first person perspective (which does a terrific job of filling you with anxiety every time there’s another close call) as well as through a combination of flashbacks to the life of not just our heroine but also our villain. Why did this man begin to view all women as the enemy? How did a young girl grow to be as tough and hardened to be able to battle this man? Adams guides readers through these backstories in mini vignettes at the end of each chapter.
The book is a fantastic read. And for those worrying about it being a “young adult” book (and therefore too childish for their astute adult tastes), I will say this….there’s a scene with masturbation (Yeah. That DEFINITELY wasn’t in The Hunger Games books). In the end, Ruthless tells the tale of something far more awful than vampires and werewolves and tyrannical governments. It tells the story of how terrible and nasty actual people can be. People are the real monsters. But also, there are people, like Ruth, that are willing to fight back against those monsters, to bring them to justice, to be more than just a victim.
RUTHLESS by CAROLYN LEE ADAMS is available for preorder in both hardback and for your Amazon Kindle on Amazon’s website as well as on the Simon & Schuster website.
3.5 out of 4 stars.
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