The Cellar
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars | 9,395 ratings
Price: 5.99
Last update: 09-09-2024
About this item
"Lily?" My stomach dropped as a tall, dark-haired man stepped into view. Had he been hiding between the trees? "No. Sorry." Gulping, I took a step back. "I'm not Lily." He shook his head, a satisfied grin on his face. "No. You are Lily." "I'm Summer. You have the wrong person."
You utter freak! I could hear my pulse crashing in my ears. How stupid to give him my real name. He continued to stare at me, smiling. It made me feel sick. "You are Lily," he repeated. Before I could blink, he threw his arms forward and grabbed me. I tried to shout, but he clasped his hand over my mouth, muffling my screams. My heart raced. I'm going to die.
For months, Summer is trapped in a cellar with the man who took her - and three other girls: Rose, Poppy, and Violet. His perfect, pure flowers. His family. But flowers can't survive long cut off from the sun, and time is running out....
Top reviews from the United States
I loved that the characters were dynamic and we understood their vulnerabilities. Summer was just courageous, strong and had the will like the other girls to survive. The characters spoke to the heart and soul of the reader and going through the novel it was such an emotional journey, you have to feel for the characters especially the other girls with Summer.
I loved how Natasha was able to create a Young Adult book that touched so close to the raw emotion of the truth. It was pure in that it showed the teens through a traumatic experience and how even though it was tough they never loss that fight.
The point of view perspective was another gripping angle within the narrative. How Natasha was able to show the point of view of Summer’s boyfriend Lewis and how he dealt with the emotion of the kidnapping. The experience with Clover’s perspective I didn’t really know how I liked. It gave great insight into the mind of someone who is unwell and has tendencies to abduct. I think Clover has emotional and is obviously dealing with some serious issues, but as a Young Adult and emotional book Clover’s perspective didn’t hit a cord as much due to my age.
Overall, I really enjoyed seeing the perspective, narrative and emotional grip of such a tell tale novel. It was written with so much heart and emotion. It is definitely recommended for those 18+ as it does deal with some horrific stories and scenes that are emotional. The embarrassment of such an important story, developed into heart and soul with angst, emotion and heartbreak. It was a truly breathtaking story and one definitely to read. I rated it a 5 Lit-Love because it hit chords, strong words that were powerful and shined light on teenagers who have the will to survive even at the toughest of times.
I won't say it's the most clever or well-written book I've ever read, but, it truly did draw me in. The plot is compelling enough, and you do become attached to the characters. I will say some parts of the plot were quite predictable and others quite repetitive, but just the same, it held my interest through the end.
Overall, I think it was a good book, and I'm glad I read it.
Summer is given the name Lilly and told how everything works. From day one all she wants is to escape. Violet is the outspoken one who is the second newest victim. She also only wants to escape. Poppy is very shy and quiet but nice. She doesn’t want to stir the pot. She’s seen too many people get hurt. Rose is the girl whose been victimized the longest. She has an odd set of emotions around their captor and she is almost looked at by the girls as a mother figure.
As the girls struggle to keep themselves together through day to day life, Summers family and devoted boyfriend are on the hunt to get their girl back.
Clover is oddly smart about covering his tracks. He chooses victims without family and above legal age. Until he chose Summer. Summer is 16 and still comes from a loving home and Clover will soon find out he chose the wrong family.
This book was very sad but very good. It was obviously very triggering and had a lot of heavy topics discussed. The author did a very good job expressing the complex emotions experienced by victims. This was the second book I’ve read by Preston, the first was The Island, and I’m happy to say I liked this one much more than the first