The Girl in Cell 49B by Dorian Box
Emily Calby #2

Excellent – wasn’t sure how the author would come up with a winner again, but this was equally stunning as book one in the series! This book begins three years after book one ends and we find Emily/Alice sixteen and acting out in a way that sees her end up in big trouble.

What I liked:
* Emily: older, perhaps wiser, damaged, suffering trauma from the loss experienced in book one of the series, finds herself in another difficult situation. I love her tenacity, strength, and resilience as well as her ability to accomplish what she sets her mind to.
* Lucas: still a bulwark and there for Emily no matter what. He didn’t have significant page time, but his presence was “there” and felt throughout.
* Rebecca: Emily/Alice’s cellmate, quiet, abused, a survivor, kind, a good friend to Emily, a survivor. I felt for her and hoped she would come out okay eventually.
* Paula: Emily’s public defender and a good woman.
* The judge hearing the case against Emily – seemed a good man.
* Dulcie: daughter of an evil man – she played a pivotal role in this story.
* CO Longmont and Librarian Mava: two good people in the jail Emily found herself in.
* The way the court case and the story finally worked out.
* The future Emily believes she will focus on
* Wondering if there will be a book three to look forward to.

What I didn’t like:
* Leslie Tierney: prosecutor, vindictive, cruel, all about the win, not a person I admired at all.
* Twiggs and some of his cohort staff at the juvenile prison – users and abusers that had no business in the jobs they held – did like that they were dealt with eventually.

Did I like this book? Definitely
Would I read more by this author? Without a doubt

Thank you to NetGalley and Friction Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars ( )

Emily Calby has been through a lot and come out the other side ferocious. When two men killed her mother and sister, she ran. But three years and several dead bodies later, she's learned everything she needs to know about self-defense, except for what to do when you get arrested for murder.

She's quickly extradited and whisked off to a terrible juvenile detention center, where guards abuse prisoners, and she struggles to find her place. But Emily builds up her list of allies - her cell mate, sensitive, damaged Rebecca; a kind female guard; and her public defender, Paula - and would do anything to protect them.

The murder case had good twists and turns, keeping your interest. I loved how Emily used her intelligence to help further her own case despite the lack of resources available to her. Emily's final actions were a shocking conclusion to this page turner.

This is technically the second book in a series, but it worked just fine as a standalone novel.

Thank you to BookishFirst for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )