TITLE: RIDE OR DIE
AUTHOR: Wanda Taylor
GENRE: YA
RATING:
The Sidestreets series is interesting. YA novels, very short, with a social theme message. Sometimes, they hit the mark and sometimes not so much.
Ride or Die is a good read, although as is the norm, very short. The problem with very short is that it doesn`t set up the characters nor the circumstances properly. Having said that, Ride or Die explores the sex trade without shying away from the truth.
These stories are always based in Canada and no matter how many of these I read and the fact that I know Canada and the various cities have areas you don`t want to be in, I am always surprised at how dangerous even Canada can be and I think that Taylor gives us a good taste of of dangerous Toronto can be.
The main characters are innocent and not particularly likeable. You don`t really get to understand why they are unhappy, except that they are YA - or maybe that is enough of a reason? Kanika lives with her aunt, but she is always so angry - so when she spots a guy she likes, she basically falls for him and his crap line, hook and sinker, in fact that is one of the scariest things in this book. The main characters seem to not have a brain between them and somehow let themselves fall into a bad crowd without ONE thought along the lines of "hum, maybe I should not do this?".
Once Kanika ends up a prostitute, she is miserable and hopes to escape, but even then, somehow she does not seem to get that she was plain stupid and that she got herself there. Finally, she tries to escape with mixed results and finds a couple willing to help her get home. Once home, she becomes the same unhappy and miserable girl again and tells her aunt she is moving away - at the age of sixteen.
The end is a bit ridiculous, but the part where she is held captive is quite interesting. Well written and obviously researched, this book is a good read, although the main characters need to get a brain and a clue.
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