A Very Timely Book // AFTERMATH by Kelley Armstrong

AFTERMATH
by Kelley Armstrong
Age Range: 12 - 17 years
Grade Level: 7 - 9
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers (May 22, 2018)
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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.

DISCLAIMER: Aftermath is a book that is crucial in this current world. It shows a new perspective on these horrible school shootings, the family of someone who participated in a school shooting. The main character is the sister, and so because of her connection to the shooter, is condemned shamelessly by society despite her innocence. Please do not write this book off as a shooter sympathetic book because I assure you it does not see violence in a sympathetic light.

This book is amazing, and extremely relevant. It shows two different perspectives, both people who lost a family member during a school shooting, but in different ways. Skye is heartbroken, still struggling with guilt and trying to not feel her brother's loss while Jesse completely changed after his brother died still feeling angry and betrayed by Skye. While all this is going on, there is a chilling mystery that slowly uncovers itself throughout the book, leaving the reader shocked and with a new perspective.

I think what I most liked about this book, is that it sheds light on so many different, and often overlooked issues at the same time. It tackles grief, depression, guilt, bullying, and most importantly the school shootings. This book will touch the hearts of many people who need to know what is going on from the perspective of someone living through this, instead of just someone reporting on the news screen.

*Thanks to Penguin Random House for sending us a copy for honest review.