Jackie’s Reading Corner

SYNOPSIS

How far would you go to save a child that isn’t yours?

You don’t know who they are. You don’t know why they’re hunting her. But you know she’s in danger.

What do you do?

When teacher Jenni Wales sees 15 year old Destiny’s black eye, she’s immediately worried. Destiny isn’t your average student: she’s smart, genius IQ smart, and she’s in care. But concern turns to fear when Jenni witnesses an attempt to abduct Jenni from school.

Who are these men and what can Destiny know to make them hunt her?

With those around her not taking the threat seriously, Jenni does the only thing she can think of to keep Destiny safe: she takes her.

MY REVIEW

Jenni is a teacher, she’s fairly new to this role, having previously been in the army. She suffers with a condition that makes it difficult to understand empathy, and read people’s feelings as well as showing feelings herself. But when she sees a pupil in her class Destiny with a black eye, she asks her about it. Destiny has been in care for most of her life, her mother a drug addict, who has never looked after her daughter as a mother should, never protected her daughter, so she ended up in the system. A system that is sadly short staffed, short funded and unable to keep track of every child.

What had Jenni seen of her mother’s death by when she was only 3 years old? Has this affected her life, she loves her father, but is it a close relationship, with them both seeming so reserved.

Things ramp up from here on and what Jenni sees and perceived to be Destiny in danger may not be the right thing! Jenni just wants to help. She had failed someone when in the army she had promised to bring him home alive, he died. She is worried that this is what will happen to Destiny and she is determined not to let that happen.

But is everything always as we see it. Destiny has been abused her whole life, is she being abused now? Is Jenni seeing what she wants to see? Or is there more to this?

The headmaster George tries to tell Jenni there is only so much they can do, when he sees Jenni with Destiny in her car later he wonders what is going on, and follows.

Who is Aleksander really to Destiny? Is she safe? There are so many aspects to this story that draws you in, what you believe at first is changed and then you have doubts as to what is happening.

I am not sure how I felt about the characters, Destiny you have sympathy for, abused from a very young age, passed from home to home, put in a secure home, but she still runs away. How can you have feelings and empathy if you have never been shown any in your life. Jenni thinks she is helping but is she? Is she just seeing what she wants to see? Is she suffering from some kind of PTSD.

I thought the writing of this book was well thought out, the plot worked, with the twists and turns. I look forward to reading more by this author. It is thought provoking and at times a very addictive and tense read. I give this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I would like to thank #pigeonholeHQ for letting me read this book along with others and #zaffre publishers. This review is in my own words and my own opinions, honest fair and unbiased.