ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I am not sure what to say about Razor Wire Wilderness. I wasn't familiar with this case and I don't recall what drew me in to requesting this title originally.

it took a little bit to get into this book , walking a fine line between true crime and fiction. I didnt so much how it tried to make you feel sorry for the perpetrator instead of the victim it gives alot of backstory to make you feel back for her. it very much brings light to how broken our criminal justice system is.

Life in a women’s prison is explored through the eyes of Krystal Riordan, sentenced for 30 years for not stopping her then pimp-boyfriend from beating to death a young girl. Her survival in prison is heart rending and life-altering.

This book is raw. And emotional. Sometimes depressing, sad, unfair, and yet you don't want to stop reading it. This is the story of women in the prison system and how they are treated. This book reminds me of Mars Room, and getting an inside to a life I know little about.

I went back and forth on whether or not I wanted to read this one, based on the content. I watch documentaries about prison, follow youtubers who have done time, but reading Crystal's case had me torn, based on what she was put in jail for. The problem I had with the book ended up not being the content itself, but the way it was presented confused me. It jumped around too much and was hard to follow.

This book was sent to me as an ARC on NetGalley. However all opinions are of my own.
This follows a true crime story where we try to unpick what happens. There is a series of events which come to light to help us understand the situation of Krystal. I found some of the parts harrowing and upsetting. It also shares light into prisons and how the system can really screw over some people.

I get the feeling Krystal's defense attorney had this written for her appeal.

That said, I understand how her upbringing could lead to her choices. But as someone who also grew up in a bad situation and was a mother at 16, I know you need to be responsible for your actions. You can only blame your parents for so long.

It's an interesting book but a little contrition would have gone a long way.

I was very intrigued by the premise of this book: mixing memoir and true crime and looking at the justice system as a whole. It's a big undertaking!

At times, it felt like the book was trying to do too much as once, making it harder to follow. It's a very unique writing style and it took me time to get settled into the rhythm of the book.

Krystal Riordan's case is an interesting one. I think Dickinson did a good job at showing how Krystal was victimized throughout her entire life and how that set her up as someone capable of committing a crime herself. I did a serious deep dive into the Elan school after reading this book.

This book is Krystal's story. It does not focus on the victim of the crime, Jennifer, and I think that is important for readers to know to manage expectations. There is a clear position of empathy and at times almost a romanticism towards Krystal. She does not seem to hold herself accountable for what happened to Jennifer. At first glance, this is tough to stomach. But the deep dive into her life gives context to this. I say this with the utmost respect to Jennifer's family and not to diminish the horrible crime that took her life. The look at the criminal justice system was interesting, especially as COVID entered the picture.

This is a very unique book that will appeal to readers who enjoy non-linear story telling, different takes on traditional genres and have an open mind to understanding victimization and the role played by the criminal justice system.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Books Forward for the ecopy.

I honestly don’t know how to rate this book. It’s non fiction and yet it’s written trying to make you feel sorry for the criminal instead of for the victim. It is written very gritty and no holds barred in an attempt to make you see that her life caused her behavior on that fateful day, but at no point does she show any remorse for what has happened. The author uses her relationship with the incarcerated woman and her friends to tell a story of horrendous detail including life with covid-19 in the prison system.
I was intrigued by the synopsis of the book but the writing style was awful and I was tempted to DNF a couple of times. I think I held out hope that she would at some point make it her mission to show that she was going to better herself and try and make amends for what she was involved in but that never happened.
Thanks to Netgalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

RAZOR WIRE WILDERNESS
BY STEPHANIE DICKINSON
KALLISTO GAIA PRESS
#RazorWireWilderness,#NetGalley,#StephanieDickinson,#KallistoPress
Thank you NetGalley, Stephanie Dickinson and Kallisto Gaia Press for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a memoir of Krystal Riordan, a 20 year old sentenced to 30 years in prison for failing to intervene when her boyfriend/pimp beat an 18 year old Jennifer Moore to death. She was charged as an accomplice. Krystal saw the whole event but did not intervene.
Why did she not intervene?
Was she jealous?
Only Krystal knows.
Krystal never felt mothered. Her birth mother neglected her and her adoptive mother’s strictness never made her feel loved. And took refuge in prostitution. She is a people pleaser.
Bad advice at trial, she pleaded guilty and in 2010 was sentenced to 25 years for kidnapping and 5 years for accessory after the fact.
Her life of incarceration in EMFC Clinton, New Jersey is eventful. This book is about life for women behind bars and the experiences of some inmates.
Though an intriguing read, was appalled at what goes on in the prisons. I found it difficult to follow And the ebook had many typos. The writing style with intertwining stories was confusing.
I rate it a 3 star read.

Honestly, I was absolutely disgusted by this book. I had no prior knowledge of this awful event or any of the people surrounding it, but I'm honestly appalled.

The whole book is a complete sob story, trying to impress upon the reader a feeling of sympathy towards Krystal - while completely turning a blind eye to the true completely innocent victim; Jennifer

Not only does this fill me with rage for the actual victim and her many loved ones, but it also angers me for those women who truly are caught in the clutches of dangerous people and are forced to witness horrific things while in fear of their own lives.
Don't be fooled, Krystal was NOT one of these women.

Just because you have had a terrible life, that does not excuse you from the despicable choices you make. The author even tries to win sympathy by telling you that Krystal cooperated with the authorities and told them where young Jennifer's body lay.. just despicable.

The judge had it right - "There's only one victim here."

Typically true stories don’t play out like this one. The author takes us on Krystals journey. Krystal is prison, due to helping her boyfriend kill someone. We hear about all jail entitles for her. We meet her friend Lucy, who does happen to get out. Not to mention the author does write about her life in the book too. Hopefully Krystal gets out and Lucy can stay out and be a mom to her children.

I did not enjoy reading this book at all. I read on ebook and the layout was awful. I was making the pages bigger just to read it. I couldn't finish the book due to this. What I did read was interesting but I wasn't overjoyed by the style of writing. It was very formal based and educational like. I found myself disinterested very early on. I was looking forward to learning inmates story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was very intrigued by the summary of the book but I had a awfully hard time following the story. The writing style did not work for me. It seems like it was an interesting case but I easily got sidetracked and it took me much longer to get through this book. But that's all just my opinion. To Make it with a grain of salt. To others, the writing style may be a great thing.

This book is gritty, yet beautifully written. Much of it is about Krystal Riordan’s time in prison for being part of the murder of a teenage Jennifer Moore. Krystal’s boyfriend beat the girl to death in their nasty hotel room in front of her. It shares a lot of prison interaction and gives a glimpse of what it’s like for Krystal. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Stephanie Dickinson, and the publisher.

Thank you NetGalley, Stephanie Dickinson and Kallisto Gaia Press for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest, when I first started reading this book I honestly didn't think I was going to like it. The topic of the story certainly intrigued me being a True Crime buff and all but the writing style of this very creative author was confusing me as she has a very unique way of writing. Soon I got into her rhythm and away I went.

The book interweaves the true stories of mainly three people, the author, the "main" character Krystal Riordan and her best friend Lucy. The book is raw and emotional - this is not your typical True Crime book and it is told in such a way that by the time you are finished you will wish all True Crime is written this intimately.

I truly loved this book and wish both Krystal and Lucy nothing but the best. A must read for any type of reader!

Stephanie Dickinson’s Razor Wire Wilderness is a brutal and heart-breaking account of women living in the prison system and their hard-luck stories. At times hard to read, the novel is also hard to put down as the reader navigates through these inmates’ private lives and experiences.
It’s amazing how the author was able to keep in contact with these inmates for over fifteen years.

The novel starts with Krystal Riordan, and I had hoped the entire book would have focused just on her story. I felt a strong connection and empathy toward this inmate, witnessing her troubled childhood, which led to her incarceration. Born to a prostitute and a drug dealer, Krystal goes to live with an adoptive family. But her new parents are strict and unable to handle a teenage Krystal. They also are unaware of Krystal’s seizures and the molesting by her uncle.

So, they place her in Elan, a place for troubled kids where she spends her teen years, surviving insults, abuse, and pain. The institution eventually closed after forty years in 2011 due to child abuse. After graduating, she lured into the life of an escort and prostitute. Krystal becomes obsessed with her pimp, falling in love, becoming pregnant, and finally an accessory to the murder of a teenage girl. Life shifts again, and eighteen-year-old Krystal is sentenced to 30 years at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women (Maximum Compound) in New Jersey. The novel continues with Krystal’s journey and her interaction with other inmates.

The reader is both intrigued and disgusted with life at MC, often siding with Krystal’s plight. Razor Wire Wilderness is a well-written description of inmates’ backstories and the prison experience. I thank NetGalley for letting me review it.

I could easily tell that this Stephanie Dickinson is very passionate about her work and it was wonderful to see that passion in her writing. The insight into the life of a prisoner was so interesting to read about and the passages about life in prison had me absolutely gripped to the story. As a person who is very interested in true crime this was an intriguing read!

The writing was so passionate which I loved however I would have enjoyed to see a little bit more clarity about what is being spoken about as I was a little confused at times. I would get lost in the story and ultimately find my way back but it would be nice to have that clarity to help make the story even stronger.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm still not 100% sure what I think about this book. The writing was kind of all over the place honestly. I almost feel like they romanticized the prisoner's story a tad too much as well.

It wasn't my favorite read, but it was interesting hearing more of a personalized experience of the prison system.

Brutal and thoroughly researched. A painful read at times, but that was necessary given the subject.

Kudos to Stephanie Dickinson - this is a great achievement.