When I initially finished this book, I was left feeling confused and unsure whether I enjoyed this book or just wanted it to be over. Now, I know that sounds terrible, but it’s not because this book is so dark.
Jake Livingston is one of the few Black kids that attends the prestigious (majority white) St. Clair Prep. Jake is known for being a loner and a bit strange. This is mainly due to the fact that he’s able to see replays of the moments of ghosts, which…would weigh on anyone. Not to mention make you question all of reality.
There’s one ghost in particular that is adamant about haunting Jake and that’s Sawyer. Sawyer shot and killed six kids at a local high school before turning the gun on himself. Sawyer is back for revenge, and Jake must do whatever he can to make it out all.
This story alternates between Jake’s and Sawyer’s POV, which really highlights how drastically different they are. While both come from meager backgrounds, their decisions and paths couldn’t be any more different.
I’ll be honest, there were times that I found Sawyer’s POV utterly infuriating because at no point did I want to feel any type of sympathy for this kid that decided to be another high school mass murderer. That being said, getting the intimate insight into Sawyer is ultimately needed for Jake even if I wanted to throw Sawyer off a cliff.
The author does a great job of creating an atmosphere that gave off a constant state of unease as well as throwing in some surprising horror elements that I really enjoyed.
While this isn’t a book that I can say “OMG yes I loved every minute”, it still has me questioning everything that I read, so I’ll definitely be looking out for more of Douglass’ books in the future.
Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
Jake Livingston is one of the few Black kids that attends the prestigious (majority white) St. Clair Prep. Jake is known for being a loner and a bit strange. This is mainly due to the fact that he’s able to see replays of the moments of ghosts, which…would weigh on anyone. Not to mention make you question all of reality.
There’s one ghost in particular that is adamant about haunting Jake and that’s Sawyer. Sawyer shot and killed six kids at a local high school before turning the gun on himself. Sawyer is back for revenge, and Jake must do whatever he can to make it out all.
This story alternates between Jake’s and Sawyer’s POV, which really highlights how drastically different they are. While both come from meager backgrounds, their decisions and paths couldn’t be any more different.
I’ll be honest, there were times that I found Sawyer’s POV utterly infuriating because at no point did I want to feel any type of sympathy for this kid that decided to be another high school mass murderer. That being said, getting the intimate insight into Sawyer is ultimately needed for Jake even if I wanted to throw Sawyer off a cliff.
The author does a great job of creating an atmosphere that gave off a constant state of unease as well as throwing in some surprising horror elements that I really enjoyed.
While this isn’t a book that I can say “OMG yes I loved every minute”, it still has me questioning everything that I read, so I’ll definitely be looking out for more of Douglass’ books in the future.
Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.