The book Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson is a thrilling, adventurous, risk taking novel. It starts out with Ruth and Isabel at their mother's grave, praying that she will speak to them and protect them. They end up getting sold to horrible people, get in so much trouble, and end in a bad situation. So lets begin. Isabel and Ruth are taken on a boat by their new owners, the Lockton's, and the British aboard the ship, which is the rebels enemies. Isabel ends up meeting the son of the British leader, and they become friends, but more like kid spies. After awhile at Lockton's house, she hears news that could get her and Ruth out of there! Lockton and his friends were going to try to kill General Washington. Isabel was hoping that, that news was going to give her and Ruth freedom, but it didn't. Nothing happened for them. Except Lockton is moved to a different state, and his wife, Madam, is left with the children. Madam hates the children, so that is not good for them. Madam had decided that she didn't want Ruth anymore, so she made milk and put sleeping medicine in it, and gave it too Isabel. When Isabel woke up, Ruth was gone! She ends up getting very angry, goes to Colonel Regan to get her to be able to leave, but Madam finds her. She is in big trouble now! She is stamped with burning iron on her face to show her bad behavior of trying to run away. After all of that, Curzon becomes a soldier, and leaves Isabel. He ends up getting thrown in jail, and becomes extremely sick, that he couldn't even move. But that gave Isabel an opportunity to get him out of there! She goes up to the guard and says that he is dead, so she takes him out in a wheel barrow, and they escape to go find Ruth. But the problem is, they don't even know if she is still alive. She was sent to Nevis, and that is a place where they don't take it easy. Isabel seems to think that she would die instantly from working with the sugar cane. So her and Curzon get on a boat to go and find her.... and that is where the story stops. Cliffhanger, am I right!? But if you want to read more, get the sequel to the book called Forge!