Escaped by J.C. Mells.
Release Date: May 20, 2013
Publisher: Self through Amazon.
Rating:

The Summary: Oscar Alvarez de Sevilla was living the American dream. Attending a prestigious law school in New York City and madly in love with the girl downstairs, who he was pretty much going to marry as soon as he graduated. Everything was going as planned and life was good.

Twelve years later he is the centerpiece in a daring plan to help two young girls escape from the ruthless psychopath who has had them locked up for most of their lives. The same man for whom Oscar has been working for several years now.

His actions will guarantee he will be dead in less than a year, regardless of whether or not he and the girls are recaptured.

How did things go so wrong?

The Review:
I picked this up a few days after I finished Pierced. This novella lends a bit more back story to the events that lead up to what happens in Pierced. Escaped is a dual story, with the narrator, Oscar, telling how he aided Pierce and Mia’s escape and the story of his love, Sarah. I liked this story a lot. The duality between the two plot lines was interesting to me. Oscar would recall something between him, Reyes and Sarah and it would be reflected in the present time actions of Pierce’s and Mia’s escape. It was really great to see how Oscar builds trust and friendship with Reyes, and how heavily both Oscar and the girls depend on him.

Escaped is well written, fast paced and rich in details. It gives more history, and more insight into what’s going on, and why Pierce and Mia are so determined to escape from Dorian. Oscar is a great narrator, and a good protagonist who only wants to have the people around him safe. Be it two people younger than him, one who he’s madly in love with–two people that Oscar is willing to protect from their own father, or two younger girls, one who is so much more than she seems. He’s a strong character, and one that I enjoyed reading about. His final actions and request and the end of this novella made me tear up. Despite the length of this, I really felt a connection with Oscar. I would like to know more about Reyes especially since he’s so much of a ghost character in Pierced.

Though the events in Pierced take place after Escaped, read Pierced first. Escaped will spoil one of the massive plot points in Pierced. The novella doesn’t rehash the events that Pierce mentions when she’s talking about her and Mia’s escape. Escaped is a story in and of itself and one worth reading. Pierced for me has a larger pull, but Escaped is still a wild ride, and something that lingers in my head.

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