Book Review: AMBER ALERT by Sara Schoen

Title: Amber Alert
Author: Sara Schoen
Category/Genre: Young Adult Thriller
My Star Rating: 4/5

Goodreads Blurb:
  Anna was taken...

Taken from her home to live out a sick game that a guy has been playing for the last ten years.

With no certainty that anyone is looking for her, and seemingly hours away from home, she's forced to play housewife with a man that has had twelve other 'wives'.

Each of them now dead...

With 12 rules and the obvious exits blocked, from the previous girls attempts to flee. Is Anna's only way out to play along and become a 'loving wife'? Or will she die during the chase?

Would anyone even know what happened to her?

Or would she be labeled as a runaway?

And where is she in the first place?

Mature Content Warning. Recommended for ages 17+ due to violence and sensitive subject matter.

My Review:

It's pretty obvious this book was written by a very young, inexperienced author. At first, the rumblings of every editor I've ever worked with screamed at every typo, comma splice and passive sentence that glared at me from the page, but as I went on the authors voice stood out and became part of the book's charm. The story reads exactly as it is: a young adult novel written by a young adult. This is a gripping, thrilling tale. I could. not. put. it. down. There was no sleep to be had until I found out how things would turn out for Anna. Granted, maybe some of the particulars should have been fixed. For example, when a rape victim emerges from the middle of the woods, they aren't going to allow one of the officers to just take her home because his daughter is attached to her. No, they're going to take her underage behind to the hospital. I can forgive the mistakes though, simply because I was so engrossed by the story itself. I'm not surprised this book was picked up by a publisher, it deserves recognition for the emotional attachment is demands. That said, I'm a little surprised a publisher put it out there with out taking the time to run it by an editor (or three, as the publishers I write for do). Bottom line: Talented author, book needs polishing.