This is in many ways a hard book to read because of what happens to the women in the story. It is however important to realize how much some women go through. It is very graphic in some scenes as the author seeks to help you understand the true tragedy of what the women went through. ( )

The subject matter is a tough one – human trafficking into sex slaves. The author even included a note in the front of the book stating that the content and descriptions may not be suitable for young readers. He’s probably right to include the warning as a few scenes are pretty graphic. If you can get past that though, it is a great book.

The story begins in North Korea where two young, innocent girls live in an orphanage and work in a clothing factory. They are about to age out of the orphanage when their lives take a horrible turn in the wrong direction. They are taken to South Korea and sold into the sex trade. Their innocence and freedoms are stripped from them and they must find ways to adapt to survive. Or at least try to. It is a heart wrenching story that makes you count your blessings multiple times throughout. And even though it is hard to read, you don’t want to stop reading because you need to know how it ends. You don’t want to give up on them. You don’t want to give up hope. ( )

I didn't know what to expect from this book, but found it to be a well-written and moving novel about North Korean women who are sold into the sexual slavery trade in South Korea. They are eventually transported to America in a shipping container, barely surviving, and some of them escape the trade. It rings true, making me think the author, a man, has met someone with this background. ( )

Oh, this book is so sad! I was sobbing by the end. ( )

Really 3.5 stars, but I felt like rounding up. This book caught my eye because of my obsession with North Korea. And I think the author does a great job with the setting, and with its effect on Gyong-Ho in particular. (One sometimes gets the feeling that Jones was so interested in Gyong-Ho he forgot to develop his other characters, especially Cho.) But the dark plot tends toward melodrama at times, and the quasi-happy ending feels unearned. ( )