Official Review: Killer Potential by Aften Brook Szymanski

[rachel_bruhn]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Killer Potential" by Aften Brook Szymanski.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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As a fan of most CMTS novels, I was not disappointed with Killer Potential by Aften Brook Szymanski. In this psychological thriller, the reader gets a first-person look at the life of Yvette Gibbs, a seventeen-year-old girl. Growing up in a broken home with broken parents and broken siblings, giving shelter to numerous broken foster children, Yvette struggles to stay focused in school and make the right choices. While her family wanders down the wrong paths, Yvette tries to take care of her family and do what is right. Unfortunately, her attempts at problem solving only make things worse. With much of her memories a blur, Yvette quickly accepts that she must be guilty of the murder she has been accused of; after all, she did want the guy dead. Yvette spends her time expressing her defiance in the high-security psych ward while she shares her story.

This was a book that I just could not put down. The informal tone as Yvette shares her story makes it easy to follow and get lost in, almost as if you were sitting in the same room listening to her tell the story. I loved her rebellious, spunky attitude and grew closer to her as I learned more about her unusual past. The story makes smooth jumps between the past and the present as we learn about the events leading up to the arrest and what has happened since Yvette was placed in the psych ward. The timelines meet towards the end of the book and we find out how the story is resolved. There are a few minor editing oversights that I found, but nothing that detracted from the quality of the book.

This story is targeted towards older teens and young adults, high school to college age would be most appropriate. Yvette is seventeen for most of the story and, due to the unfortunate circumstances of the environment she has been raised in, she decides to drop out of school, get her GED, and start college. The experiences she had as a child include suicides, drug use, and more. In college, she is exposed to much of the same. Despite the negative influences around her, she strives to make better choices and set a good example for her younger brother. This is a character that any high schooler/college student could relate to, even without having the same experiences.

There is a clear message about survival and determination that readers can learn from. Despite the negative influences in her life, Yvette strives to stay focused on creating a positive future for herself. She even starts taking self-defense classes while she attends college to help her protect herself, if she ever needed to. All of her actions are done in an attempt to protect herself and her brother from the negative influences of the world. When she is arrested for murder, she hits a breaking point. She refuses to talk to anyone about what happened to her and she resorts to abusing prescription drugs to try to escape the memories that haunt her. The negative experiences in her life did not drive her to recklessness the way it did her mother, brother, and sister until she was unable to cope with the stress and she felt that no matter what she did, destruction followed her. Readers can find inspiration in her story and her journey, while learning other valuable life lessons along the way.

I think that the author only touches on the bigger picture that I see when I read this story, which is about the positives of having support in your life. Yvette pushes everyone away from her, the same way that she is pushed away from everyone in her home. Her isolation only further complicates her situation as she feels she cannot trust anyone. She fails to see a true attempt at friendship and support by a college classmate, Wilk, until it is almost too late. I think that it is the quasi-friendship with Wilk that will save Yvette in the future and I think that she realizes that she can trust Wilk at the end of her story. I wish this message was more clear to readers, as some readers would benefit from knowing the importance of trusting someone in life and not isolating during times of need.

I do not know what life experiences Aften Brook Szymanski has had, but the insight that she shows into the life of a broken teen is incredible. I am blessed to have been able to read and review such a heart-wrenching tale by an incredible author. Killer Potential definitely earns 4 out of 4 stars for me.

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Killer Potential
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Like rachel_jacks's review? Post a comment saying so!

[AA1495]

Sounds like a great book. Glad you enjoyed it so much. Thank you for the honest review!

[kimmyschemy06]

Sounds like a very interesting book. The story of Yvette Gibbs seems inspiring and encouraging and her character seems admirable. I like tough characters especially girls Good job on the review. Congratulations to Aften Brook Szymanski on such an obviously well written book.

[peprica21]

This sounds like a great book. Thank you for the review. I am a big fan of mystery and murder so this seems right up my alley.

[Wasif Ahmed]

Seems like a book i might enjoy. Great review though. And congratulations to the author for getting such a great review.

[MrsCatInTheHat]

When I saw the book title, I had to see if it was similar to a book I recently reviewed, Compelled to Murder. It seems like it is different in many ways but shares some elements of somewhat normal people finding themselves as killers. Not sure I'm ready to try another book like that but may need to, just to see how the different authors handle similar themes.