It’s all over the news. It’s debated. It’s discussed. It’s horrifying. What am I talking about?
School shootings.
AFTERMATH focuses on school shootings, mainly the aftermath (Yes, I know it’s really obvious). It’s gritty, it’s tough, and it’ll tug on your heartstrings. (Not to mention Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors, ever. I haven’t yet met a book written by her that I didn’t like.) Add AFTERMATH to your to read list asap.
Aftermath
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Release Date: May 22, 2018
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Summary:
Three years after losing her brother Luka in a school shooting, Skye Gilchrist is moving home. But there’s no sympathy for Skye and her family because Luka wasn’t a victim; he was a shooter.
Jesse Mandal knows all too well that the scars of the past don’t heal easily. The shooting cost Jesse his brother and his best friend – Skye.
Ripped apart by tragedy, Jesse and Skye can’t resist reopening the mysteries of their past. But old wounds hide darker secrets. And the closer Skye and Jesse get to the truth of what happened that day, the closer they get to a new killer.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
What I Liked
Aftermath is super intense. Right from the start, we were immediately thrust into the story. I felt Skye’s pain regarding what had happened, Jesse’s pain, and understood the reactions of the students in their school. I was aghast about the many things suddenly occurring (purposely vague because SPOILERS), understanding how and why the person affected was in denial, and just wanting everything to be okay for him/her. Overall, I was going through the book so fast, wanting to know who was behind these horrible things, and suspecting EVERYONE in sight.
I also really like that Kelley Armstrong kept Aftermath from being political at all, which, as I’m sure you’ve probably all guessed, is really hard to do with today’s political environment. We just saw how the event affected everyone’s families, how the students reacted to the event, and how the adults dealt with the aftermath.
What I Didn’t Like
Aftermath is told from two different characters’ point of view: Skye and Jesse. Skye’s chapters are written in the first person point of view, but for some reason, Jesse’s chapters are written from the third person point of view. It got confusing for me as I transitioned from reading Skye’s chapters to reading Jesse’s chapters (and vice versa) – it sometimes disrupted my flow and I had to read several things over again to get into the story again.
Overall
Aftermath is no doubt a book that’ll stay with you long after you’ve read it. If you’re looking to read a strong thriller, definitely check Aftermath out.
Thanks for the insightful review. This is on my TBR list. It’s a heartbreaking subject.
Tammy Dahle recently posted…“LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE” IS GOING TO BE A MOVIE!
Eee, great review Kelly :) So glad you liked this book. I cannot wait to read it too. Just waiting for my pre-order to arrive :D It seems heartbreaking and important and awesome and think I’ll love it lots too.
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