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A review by k_lenn
Aftermath by Kelley Armstrong
3.0
2.5 stars. That wasn't what I was expecting and I'm disappointed.
The synopsis drew me in immediately. We always tend to view murderers as monsters who shouldn't be missed, but it's not as easy or simple as that. They had entire lives and loved ones before they did the unthinkable. We never hear about those innocent loved ones though, especially without projecting blame onto them. ("How did you not notice they were up to something?" "Couldn't you have stopped this?!")
The idea of a book that explores the thoughts of people who mourn for murderers while also acknowledging the horrific pain and terror they caused was really interesting. That kinda just goes out the window here, though. (Obviously not talking about the people who idolize murderers and mourn after the fact, but rather the people who loved them before they committed any crimes. Family members, childhood friends, etc.)
It's also kind of... out there and unbelievable. The adults are incapable of doing anything properly, the performance art installation is weird as hell, and I wrongly assumed the whole story would be less focused on the romance side of the story. But it's YA, so maybe I should have seen that coming.
Can't say it wasn't entertaining, though. I also can't help but assume "All Time Five" is the book's version of All Time Low, and I loved that.
The synopsis drew me in immediately. We always tend to view murderers as monsters who shouldn't be missed, but it's not as easy or simple as that. They had entire lives and loved ones before they did the unthinkable. We never hear about those innocent loved ones though, especially without projecting blame onto them. ("How did you not notice they were up to something?" "Couldn't you have stopped this?!")
The idea of a book that explores the thoughts of people who mourn for murderers while also acknowledging the horrific pain and terror they caused was really interesting. That kinda just goes out the window here, though. (Obviously not talking about the people who idolize murderers and mourn after the fact, but rather the people who loved them before they committed any crimes. Family members, childhood friends, etc.)
Spoiler
It becomes obvious pretty early on, but Skye isn't the sister of a school shooter. She's the sister of a victim. We get to see a bit of her mourning and feeling guilty for what her brother "did", but then he turns out to be a hero and the whole story just loses what made it so unique and interesting. We can't even see that complicated 'mourning a murderer' thing play out with Tiffany because she turns out to be a huge part of the plan.It's also kind of... out there and unbelievable. The adults are incapable of doing anything properly, the performance art installation is weird as hell, and I wrongly assumed the whole story would be less focused on the romance side of the story. But it's YA, so maybe I should have seen that coming.
Can't say it wasn't entertaining, though. I also can't help but assume "All Time Five" is the book's version of All Time Low, and I loved that.