Review: Aftermath

Aftermath by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kelley Armstrong is an author who made it onto my favourite author list at an incredible speed. I may not have read as many Kelley Armstrong books yet as I would like to be able to claim, but I’m certainly working my way through them whenever I can get my hands on another of her books. In fact, I’m planning to spend a bit of time over the next couple of months playing Kelley Armstrong catch-up, as I desperate need to dive into so many of her series.

Despite my rapid love of Kelley Armstrong, my reading so far has been limited to her adult releases. I’ve read both her paranormal work and her thriller work, and have loved both. However, her young adult books have continued to sit on my to-read list. When I saw Aftermath on offer in my local bookstore for the exact price of the number of book points I happened to have, I knew it was fate. The universe was on my side, telling me to buy the book (although, even without the points I would have grabbed it at the price it was).

If I’m being completely honest, a part of me was a bit tentative before starting Aftermath. I love Kelley Armstrong’s writing, I love mystery books, and I love young adult books. However, I avoid young adult mysteries for the most part. I often find them lacking in the depth that leaves me loving adult mysteries – something I blame on the fact I went straight into adult mysteries and never read any young adult mysteries until a much later date, when my head was already filled with much darker and more convoluted plots.

However, Kelley Armstrong gave us another winner with Aftermath. For someone who is not a big fan of young adult mystery novels, I found myself addicted to this one. Sure, there was some predictability to be found – however, it was at a higher standard than most of the young adult mystery novels I have read. I’ll gladly give Kelley Armstrong’s other young adult books a read now – both her paranormal books (books that were already on my to-read list) and mystery books.

The topic in Aftermath is one that is quite difficult to write and read about, meaning books can be very hit or miss when dealing with the topic. For the most part, I avoid books dealing with this topic for that very reason – knowing when it is done badly I find myself really annoyed. Fortunately, Kelley Armstrong more than does the topic justice. She writes a story that stands up well, one that could have used a variety of topic to create it, yet she mixes it with a topic that requires a lot of special attention. It really is a well-done story.

What we’re given is a mystery that will leave you turning the pages, friendship that will leave you desperate for more, and a story of growth that will leave you loving the characters. I really was sucked into their story, unable to put the book down once I had started. Kelley Armstrong always sucks me in deep, leaving me to devour a book, and Aftermath was no different. Well written, gripping, with wonderfully flawed characters, I found myself disappointed when the story was over.

Without a doubt, very much a book worth reading.

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