Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

When Alice was ten years old, she was kidnapped by a stranger, a man named Ray. Of course then, her name wasn’t Alice. She was a little girl with friends, family, and a life, but now she has lost it all in exchange for Ray. For five years, Alice has endured physical, mental, and sexual abuse, but there’s nothing she can do about it. She has no way of escape from this life, not even death, or else the family from her old life, her life before Ray, will be killed. Alice is stuck in the empty life Ray has created for her, forced to be a little girl even as she grows up physically. But when it becomes apparent that Alice’s body is no longer that of the little girl Ray wants, Ray surprisingly doesn’t kill Alice. Instead, he orders Alice to find him a new little girl for him to love. Can Alice follow through with this horrible command, and does she think this will finally free her from this forsaken life? And if she does find a new girl to replace herself, will she be able to live with it?

Living Dead Girl is a truly haunting and unforgettable story. It’s about a girl who’s trapped both in a cruel physical environment and a mental cage. Alice’s story is such a sad one because of how she changed due to the abuse she was subjected to. Alice’s feelings and emotions, though limited due to the damage caused to her by Ray, are so vivid and make the reader want to save or help her in any way possible because of her vulnerability. This story confronts an issue not addressed in any other book I have read, the very real threat of kidnap, rape, abuse, and murder. It is so unique that this story has been written from the perspective of the victim, yet so incredibly sad at the same time. It really makes you hate the sociopaths in the world such as Ray that are able to commit such atrocities such as these. Living Dead Girl is emotionally raw, shockingly good, and a book that can only be experienced through reading the story for yourself.

While it’s not right to like a story such as this, I think Living Dead Girl should be read by everyone, if not for enjoyment then to inform readers. It is a short but fast read, beautifully written and impossible to ever forget.

Rating: 4.5

Review copy from author Elizabeth Scott