Count All Her Bones

Girl, Stolen #2

by April Henry

A teen girl sets out to save her former captor in this much-anticipated sequel to the young adult thriller Girl, Stolen

Six months ago, Griffin Sawyer meant to steal a car, but he never meant to steal the girl asleep in the backseat. Panicked, he took her home. His father, Roy, decided to hold Cheyenne--who is blind--for ransom. Griffin helped her escape, and now Roy is awaiting trial. As they prepare to testify, Griffin and Cheyenne reconnect and make plans to meet. But the plan goes wrong and Cheyenne gets captured by Roy's henchmen--this time for the kill. Can Cheyenne free herself? And is Griffin a pawn or a player in this deadly chase?

April Henry masterminds another edge-of-your-seat thriller in Count All Her Bones.

A Christy Ottaviano Book

"Providing plenty of background for anyone who did not read the first book, this novel offers action, with a disabled protagonist heading the white cast of characters. Cheyenne's blindness makes her an out-of-the-ordinary thriller star, particularly when emotions like confusion and self-doubt are shown, helping readers get under her skin. . . . Readers will be rooting for Cheyenne and Griffin from the edges of their seats." --Kirkus Reviews

More heart-pounding thrillers from April Henry:
The Girl I Used to Be
The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
The Night She Disappeared
Girl, Stolen

The Point Last Seen series:
The Body in the Woods
Blood Will Tell

Praise for Count All Her Bones
"A thrill ride . . .Part thriller, part romance, part adventure . . .Cheyenne a fierce, female protagonist to root for." --VOYA

"A pulse-pounding sequence . . . Readers will be rooting for Cheyenne and Griffin from the edges of their seats." --Kirkus Reviews

"This book offers the same suspense and tightly paced action as its predecessor . . ., this volume stands on its own and should be considered for any YA collection looking for contemporary suspense titles." --School Library Journal

"An exciting and satisfying conclusion to Cheyenne and Griffin's story." --Booklist

Praise for Girl, Stolen

"Be ready to be startled and inspired as the story reaches its climax. Readers will race to the end." --The Strand Magazine

"The pace is impeccable, becoming rapidly more frantic as Cheyenne realizes her chances for success are dwindling. In addition, the premise itself is powerfully realistic and compelling, with one small incident (Griffin's jumping into a car that had the keys in the ignition) snowballing into a nightmare series of events that will change everyone." --BCCB

"Henry (Torched) spins a captivating tale that shifts between Cheyenne's and Griffin's thoughts. Both are well-built, complex characters, trapped in their own ways by life's circumstances, which--paired with a relentlessly fast pace--ensures a tense read." --Publishers Weekly

"Readers will be hard-pressed to put this one down before its heart-pounding conclusion." --School Library Journal

"Spine-tingling...Reminiscent of Gail Giles' thrillers and tension-filled to the last sentence, Girl, Stolen will resonate with readers long after the cover is closed. With a thoughtful and eye-opening look at disabilities, it highlights Cheyenne and Griffin's resourcefulness and resiliency as they save themselves--and possibly each other." --BookPage

"Thoroughly exciting." --Booklist

"Grabs your attention with the first page you read. . . . Each page holds new questions that are answered in the most unexpected ways." --VOYA, 5Q review

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Thriller, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Suspense, Contemporary

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2017

About the author

I write mysteries and thrillers. I live in Portland, Oregon with my family.

If you've read one of my books, I would love to hear from you. Hearing from readers makes me eager to keep writing.

When I was 12, I sent a short story about a six-foot tall frog who loved peanut butter to Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He liked it so much he arranged to have it published in an international children's magazine.

My dream of writing went dormant until I was in my 30s, working at a corporate job, and started writing books on the side. Those first few years are now thankfully a blur. Now I'm very lucky to make a living doing what I love. I have written 27 novels for adults and teens, with more on the way. My books have been on the New York Times bestseller lists, gotten starred reviews, been picked for Booksense, translated into seven languages, been named to state reading lists, won the Anthony award and won the Oregon Book Award.

Reviews

[Isabelle Ley]

She's writing another one?!?! When was this announced? I'm so happy! I liked Cheyenne and Griffin so much, and that ending was not enough.

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really glad that in the end Cheyenne, Griffin, and Cheyenne's bodyguard all ended up okay in the end and none of them died. Well expect those who needed to like Roy's half-brother. I was glad to see that justice was service and Roy was thrown into prison for what he did to Cheyenne.

[Layla · Rating 3 out of 5]

~ 3.5 stars ~

I finished this in one sitting because it is a very fast and easy read. I also think I liked this one better than the first book in the series. In this one, unlike the last one, actually kept you wondering what was going to happen next and on your toes.

[Big Joe Rossi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Girl, Stolen was an amazing book and this one, Count All Her Bones was nearly as great. The story picked up soon after the escape and rescue of our heroine, Cheyenne. She is isolated at home, her dad and step mom fearful for her safety. The petite blind girl who was lucky once. She now has a bodyguard who trains her to protect herself but she takes that half heartedly. She will soon realize that was a mistake.

Griffin is living in Chicago with an aunt & uncle but misses something fierce. He will soon see her again but in a way neither wanted. Relatives of his father and a past friend are about to put forth a plan to make sure that Roy is set free and not sent to jail for good.

I loved this book. It missed a 5 star for me but not by much. I love Cheyenne as a heroine but I found her a little stupid in this book after what happened the last time. Wise up girl, listen to your bodyguard LOL.

[Wren]

I am SO EXCITED FOR THIS

[Nattie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read Girl Stolen a couple years ago and didn't really care for Cheyenne; I thought even less of her in the sequel. She said stupid things and did even stupider things than she said.

I have had it with characters who refuse to follow rules for their own good. I say let them all go out and get what is coming to them!

Cheyenne's utter recklessness nearly made this a 1-star read. What kind of person would intentionally start a fire in their home so they could sneak out? I don't care what the reason was, that is not only stupid but dangerous.

The only thing I will say in her favor is that I agreed it was wrong for the family to keep secrets from her because she was blind. They wouldn't have been able to hide a situation from her if she were sighted, so it felt like they had taken advantage.

In one chapter someone accused Cheyenne of rolling her eyes at people all the time. Cheyenne thought it was unfair to blame her for something she didn't know she was doing. Oh come on! What does being blind have to do with not knowing you're rolling your eyes? It isn't like people roll their eyes looking in a mirror, so what would you need to see?

Don't get me started on Cheyenne not wanting to say that she was 16. During a phone call with the police she was asked her age, and she said almost 17. Almost 17 is 16 you idiot! That's what I wanted to yell.

It would seem the almost seventeen-year-old was unfamiliar with biology. She deemed that someone couldn't possibly be having a baby because at 39 they were too old. I guess she somehow missed that in 2016/2017 millions of women in their late 30's and 40's are still able to have kids.

Speaking of 2016/2017, nobody says Hell To The No anymore, April Henry...so I don't think Cheyenne would be using that phrase.

The way the author writes usually irks me. She tends to write like the book is for six year olds. She over explains things that most people beyond a certain age already know, like how Facebook works. There was one character talking about how he had a Smartphone and it could go online. Seriously?

I am not ready to buy into the idea that self-driving cars are as safe as they were made out to be. I think all cars are risky, whether controlled by people or computers. Computers don't always function properly and we know that GPS does not always work the way it should.

I have nothing against blind people wanting to drive, but they were pushing the completely "safe" thing a little too hard for me.

Oh, yeah, I'm still not sure why Griffin and Cheyenne were so hot on each other.

[Raina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got to meet April Henry a few years ago, and I remember her talking about how she wasn't originally thinking she'd do a sequel to Girl, Stolen.
Now that she has, it feels like a no-brainer.

OF COURSE her parents get her a body-guard who trains her in self-defense.
Of course there's a trial.

I kind of loved that Griffin's literacy level is used as a clue in the story. Those of us who are confident in our reading do not grasp how many people there are in the world who live with a lower reading ability.

A scene or two of violence involving a dog, btw, for those of us who are especially sensitive to that.

[Pamala · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I really am now outgrowing YAs. I might have enjoyed this more had I read this 5yrs ago. Just like with the first book, this one did not bring any improvement to the characters at all.

[Kaylee D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheyenne who was kidnapped accidentally went to trail six months later and will not let her being blind set her back. Her kidnapper who accidentally took her is going against her father on trail and Cheyenne has to come up with a way to tell the jury what really happened. Many unexpected things happen during this book. She even gets threatened. This book was ok I thought it would be better. I'm excited to finish The Night She disappeared by April Henry this week! This was a quick read so if you are looking for that this would be a good book. Overall it was an ok book.

[Alex Nonymous · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book because I genuinely didn't understand why Girl, Stolen needed a sequel and it turns out, it didn't.

This book isn't necessarily bad, but its also a whole lot of nothing. The synopsis on the back of the book doesn't kick off until really late in the story (with almost everything before it being recaps of what happened in the first book) and is resolved comically quickly. None of the characters develop in any real substantial, real way either so I honestly don't get what this book is for, especially since Henry is still seeing success in this genre so I'm hesitant to say that returning to Girl, Stolen was a cash grab.

I would give this a flat out average rating since this book was a whole lot of nothing, but Girl, Stolen ends with a really well handled unanswered question the reader can draw their own conclusions from that this book obviously has to give an answer on so while this book wasn't bad, it did make its predecessor worse which I think warrants a lower rating.

[Aubrey Castonguay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books to read

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger warnings: violence, kidnapping, gun violence, blood, fire, serious injury to an animal.

This is the sequel to Girl Stolen, which I read and enjoyed back in 2015 when I was doing my Diverse Books Project. April Henry writes very simple, easy-to-read YA thrillers that actually appeal to teens because they jump straight into the action and don't waste too much time on things like character development. Instead, it's kind of like watching an episode of a TV show - you get little snippets of character depth but the main focus is the crime of the week. In this one, it's six months on from Girl Stolen and the trial is coming up.

Cutting between Cheyenne and Griffin is a great way to keep the story fast-paced and I like both of them as characters. I particularly like that Cheyenne's reaction to being kidnapped the first time around was "Right. I need to learn some self defence", which she puts to very good use in the course of the story.

Basically? I read this in about 90 minutes and was perfectly satisfied with what I got.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another fantastic story from April Henry. Her books are always INCREDIBLY popular with my students and this will be no exception. Girl, Stolen was one of my personal favorites from her, and this conclusion felt authentic and was a satisfying continuation of that story. I highly recommend it.

Cheyenne is getting ready to testify in the trial against Ray, her kidnapper. As the date gets closer, she feels more and more stifled by her parents and her "keeper," a new bodyguard named Jaydra. Hoping to meet up with Griffin, the boy she has a complicated past with (he is Ray's son after all), she sneaks out to meet him. But Ray's half-brother is out to make sure she never testifies and that the trial never happens.

Highly recommend.

[Sarah Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read but the plot was very predictable. Every person who got injured in the book miraculously healed even when they definitely should have been dead. But I like the way Griffin and Cheyenne got their happy ending.

[Iris Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second time I have read this book and it does not disappoint. April Henry books are my favorite because of the suspense and thrill. I feel like a lot of the time, the second book is not a good as the first but with April Henry books, that is not the case for me. I like the second book just as much or even more than the first.

[Peyton Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as the first one

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar to the first novel in this arc, it is a quick read, fast paced and to the point. It follows Cheyenne through an anticipated court case facing Griffen, Roy and TJ for the crimes committed. Except it is a race to silence those testifying against Roy. For the majority of the novel's beginning, we follow Cheyenne through her life after the kidnapping with occasional snippets to Griffen, Roy and TJ.

I really wanted more from this novel after reading it. I wish there was more story to follow. It was slow paced to begin with and focused on the recovery of Cheyenne, as much as she had grown on me as a character, it wasn't anything that caught my attention. I found myself in result more caught up with the way the author described and wrote. Details where I found they weren't necessarily necessary and not enough where I wished they would have been.

I found myself waiting for what seemed like too long for something to happen. I will say, when something finally happened, It was exciting. Although I felt like I could anticipated what was going to happen next, it was exciting to see what choices the Cheyenne and Griffin were going to make and how they were going to act on them. I definitely would not change anything about the ending!

Overall, it was not what I expected but I enjoyed it as a sequel.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Professional review, written for WASHYARG:

It has been six months since Griffin accidentally stole a car without realizing that a blind girl named Cheyenne was in the back. Six months since the kidnapping ordeal that resulted in his father’s arrest. Roy is awaiting trial, and Griffin is supposed to testify against his own father. Meanwhile, Cheyenne’s father has gone full helicopter parent on her. A bodyguard named Jaydra is with her everywhere she goes. Cheyenne, however, can’t Griffin out of her head. There’s something about him – it seems like he really sees her beyond her disability. In fact, she’s been communicating with Griffin over Facebook. When Griffin messages Cheyenne and tells her she’s thinking about suicide, she breaks every rule in her father’s book and goes after him, which propels her into danger she could only imagine. In this follow-up to her 2010 novel, Girl, Stolen, April Henry creates an action-packed thriller that is every bit as suspenseful and intense as the first installment. The danger is palpable, and Henry has obviously done extensive research into self-defense techniques, weaponry, first aid, lock-picking, and more. The villains are truly terrifying, and the characters are fully-fleshed out even amongst the non-stop action.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 STARS

Cheyenne and Griffin prepare to testify against his father for her kidnapping in this sequel to GIRL STOLEN. At her father’s insistence, they haven’t communicated in months when Griffin contacts her on Facebook. Because Cheyenne is wealthy, she has all the latest gadgets for the blind, including access to a driverless car.

I couldn’t connect to Cheyenne and didn’t enjoy COUNT ALL HER BONES. April Henry told, didn’t show, the story from Cheyenne’s, Griffin’s and one of the kidnapper’s third person points of view. The story lacked tension, even during the kidnapping scenes.

While most of the characters had interesting backstories I couldn’t connect to any. My favorite character was kickass bodyguard Jaydra.

COUNT ALL HER BONES is one of those books I wouldn’t mind reading if free, but not worth purchasing.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was okay, I guess. I didn´t find it as great as Girl, Stolen though. The story went so fast I could hardly tell what happened.

Okay, TJ´s now in a mental hospital for killing Jimbo, that is understandable. But shouldn´t he be in jail? That would have made it way more realistic.

And also, who is this Dwayne character? We never hear about him in Girl, Stolen. He´s supposed to be Roy´s close half-brother but seems nothing like Roy.

In conclusion, I found this nothing like its predecessor.

[Valerie Visconti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Count All Her Bones is a mystery novel, which is a sequel to Girl, Stolen. This book is a very intense journey while It follows a 17-year-old girl, Cheyenne. She is battling her kidnapper in court. While doing so she gets kidnapped once again, but this time hungry for blood.
The story begins 6 months after Cheyenne has returned home from being kidnapped and held for ransom. Griffin, the unintentional kidnapper but also the person who saved her, and Cheyenne had a special connecting when she was kidnapped. Griffin saved her life and so he and Cheyenne wanted to meet up and get to know each other outside of a home with people trying to kill her. But, this backfires and Cheyenne is kidnapped once again but not just for ransom this time, for the kill. It all comes down to the wire when a one-second decision can either kill you or not.
My favorite part of the book was at the end when everyone was back to normal and happy, on one of the best days of the year. “It was the morning of Christmas Eve, and in some ways, it had been liked every Christmas season Cheyenne had ever known.”
I would give this book 4 stars, it could be a slight bit odd at some points but still a great book. I would recommend middle schoolers this book because it is a happy but suspenseful story.

[Jan Raspen · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is so rare that I read a sequel. I think this is the second sequel I've read all year (Thunderhead was the only other one), and there is obviously a reason for this. As a librarian, it is my job to get kids into books, and once they find a book they like, they keep track of the rest of the books in the series, or other books by that author, on their own.

Anyway, I'd read Girl, Stolen several years ago and April Henry is speaking at our state librarians' conference next month, so I thought I'd show support and dive into the sequel. I needed to re-acquaint myself with the characters, particularly the bad guys. I could not remember who was related to who and how, so that was a little bit of a challenge. This sequel was not all that compelling: the main character, Cheyenne, thinks she's messaging her kidnapper (now boyfriend), Griffin, on Facebook (what kids are using FB, I don't know), but she's actually texting one of his nefarious relatives who, once again, kidnaps her and holds her for ransom. Using the miracle of a piece of metal, she escapes from her captors and frees Griffin.

I can only hope this is the end of this series, because if Cheyenne manages to get kidnapped a third time, it will be bordering on a soap-opera-like world.

[Brianna Birmingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Count all her bones by April Henry.
I believe the theme is: Although some bad things happen, they can always be turned into good, positive results.
I loved this book because the setting was current day. Count all her bones is the sequel to Girl, stolen. It is a thrilling, crime filled book about a 17 year old blind girl named Cheyenne who gets kidnapped and has to find a way to escape. I love this novel because April Henry uses such descriptive words and details although the main character is blind and it helps me see really where I am even if Cheyenne and I can’t see it. The characters were really believable and I guess that’s why it’s realistic fiction. April really knows when you’re getting bored and wakes you up quickly. SPOILERS DO NOT READ AHEAD UNLESS YOU ARE READY FOR THE SPOILERS.
An example of this is when April is describing the scene of the car and the outside. I was ready to skip and read ahead, but then Cheyenne got kidnapped and I felt like reading every single line again. I Highly recommend this book to young adults and teens. If you like a thrilling, heart warming, survival, and romance, then you will LOVE this book.

[Revlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Count All Her Bones is a book that is told from many perspectives. The one perspective that I found most interesting was Cheyennes. She told the story in a way no one else did. Since she is blind she relies on her other senses that get I guess you can say got amplified. I liked how she’s had so much detail and I could see myself standing there watching the scene happen. I liked the book mainly because it was a mystery and that is the genre that catches my attention more easily. I gave this book a ⅘ stars because it was very intriguing. It had a great story and most of the characters played a huge role in the story.
Somethings that didn’t really like was that there were only a couple of settings when the perspectives changed between each chapter. Once you get to the end it was like half of the book was focused on one setting. They could have given more character to Griffin because I felt like he was just there and had only little to add to the story and did one thing to help give the story more context. One more thing that could have been different was the turning point. The actions that led up seemed too straight forward and you could easily guess what was going to happen. But with all this said and done, I still enjoyed the book. Count All Her Bones was a page-turner and I recommend it to a lot of teenagers.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found it very interesting that when Girl, Stolen came out, the author had no intention of writing a second book. I think I enjoyed this one more than the first so I am very happy she changed her mind.

We often read mystery novels in which we never get to see what happens after the case is solved, but this gives an inside view of what it is like to be stuck while waiting for trial. We often think that once the bad guy is caught that everyone can go on with their lives but this is not the case because the wheels of justice grind slowly at times.

While Cheyenne and Griffin wait for his father to be charged with kidnapping, they have already agreed to not see each other because it would be bad for the outcome. And even though he helped her escape can she really trust him because of how they met? While Cheyenne is busy trying to move on with her life she is also learning to not become a victim again because her blindness makes her a target. Hopefully she will never have to use what she is learning but if she does, will she be ready?

Another fast-paced mystery by April Henry that is sure to please!

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry is a mystery writer for the reluctant reader. I have passed plenty of books off of hers to unenthusiastic readers who then become fans.

While I didn’t realize that this was a sequel it had enough meat to be understood without the additional context. It’s Cheyenne’s issues being watched 24/7 now but wanting to see Griffin who has apparently reached out to her while the trial begins.

The fact that Cheyenne is blind does not make this an issue book- instead it is a facet of Cheyenne like Griffin’s family dysfunction and enriches the story creating a deeper connection between character and reader.

[Jasmin Salgado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Count All Her Bones by April Henry is one of those books where you start reading it and you never want to stop. This book isn't my favorite but it isn't bad either. I rate this 4 stars because I thought it was horror, but half way through the book I realized I was a love story. I would definitely recommend this book to people that like love stories with a scary backstory before actual love story part.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this as much as the first book, unfortunately. Cheyenne acts incredibly stupid and reckless and it just didn't make sense comparing how she acted in the first novel. I also didn't buy the romance - it happened too quickly. On top of that, the pacing was off - in almost half of the book, nothing really happens. Then the pace suddenly picks up and everything is resolved within the last 5% of the book. That's so unfortunate.

[Kobi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel but it was a bit too slow for my liking. The elevated technology intrigued me and Cheyennes strong character controls the story. Overall, I thought the characters made a somewhat slow story come to life.

[Alyssa F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it took forever for the book to become interesting. This book left me wanting more after every page. It ended each chapter with twists and turns and seeing the story from different perspectives. Such as Tj and Griffin. This story causes Cheyenne and Griffin’s relationship to become stronger through out the book and it to be tested. For they go through times where they need to trust each other. This book makes it so that you just want to see Cheyenne with a happy ending for once and for all. This book was a great conclusion to the story that started it all. I definitely recommend reading it after you read Girl Stolen the first book in the series if you want to see more of Cheyenne and Griffin.