One Kick by Chelsea Cain
Posted: 07 Mar 2015, 11:34
If you like crime thrillers, mysteries and strong women, One Kick by Chelsea Cain is for you! Kick Lannigan is abducted as a child and forced into the child porn industry. We first meet Kick as a confused child. Without giving too much away, the prologue sets up the at times dark tone for the rest of the novel. The first chapter picks up years later, and we meet a very different Kick. Her experiences have hardened her. She does everything possible to ensure she will never be anyone's victim ever again. As hard as Kick is, she has the ability to love and be loved by others. Cain does a great job balancing the hard and soft aspects of Kick. Kick has an order to her life that comes crashing down when she must return to the world that ruined her life. Someone is abducting children, and only she can provide the knowledge it will take to find them.
The secondary characters are just as intriguing as Kick. Jamie is Kick's "brother". He understands her in a way no one else can. He provides comedic relief at times, although not intentionally. His quirky and protective nature allows readers to connect easily with him. Bishop is a dark, secretive man. His first appearance makes it clear he is not quite a friend to Kick, but he is set up as the possible romantic interest. He seems to want to help Kick, but his demeanor and actions make the reader question his motives at every turn of the page. He becomes Kick's partner of sorts, but he never really reveals the whole truth, making the partnership quite strenuous.
One Kick is a thrill ride from start to finish. Cain does an excellent job slowly peeling back the layers of the plot to expertly reveal important information at exactly the right time, which is when readers do not see it coming. The way minor details weave back into the plot shows Cain's skills as a writer. The ending of the novel sets up nicely for a sequel. I will definitely pick it up the day of its release!
The secondary characters are just as intriguing as Kick. Jamie is Kick's "brother". He understands her in a way no one else can. He provides comedic relief at times, although not intentionally. His quirky and protective nature allows readers to connect easily with him. Bishop is a dark, secretive man. His first appearance makes it clear he is not quite a friend to Kick, but he is set up as the possible romantic interest. He seems to want to help Kick, but his demeanor and actions make the reader question his motives at every turn of the page. He becomes Kick's partner of sorts, but he never really reveals the whole truth, making the partnership quite strenuous.
One Kick is a thrill ride from start to finish. Cain does an excellent job slowly peeling back the layers of the plot to expertly reveal important information at exactly the right time, which is when readers do not see it coming. The way minor details weave back into the plot shows Cain's skills as a writer. The ending of the novel sets up nicely for a sequel. I will definitely pick it up the day of its release!