Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Review of The Kilwade Tragedy


Welcome to the blog tour for The Kilwade Tragedy by Terry Keys. This a powerful story that is worth reading, especially if you have any involvement with teenagers in your life. Please enjoy an excerpt and then read on for my thoughts and opinions on the novel. There's also a giveaway at the end.

The Kilwade Tragedy

by Terry Keys
Genre: YA Fiction
Release Date: Aug 6, 2019

Summary:

Terry Keys, USA Today bestselling author of Lie No More and The Missing pens his most captivating book to date. This is the heart-breaking story about a small-town boy who’d taken everything from everyone until he could take no more. 

Seventeen-year-old Blaze Planter is a Jr. at Kilwade, High School. 
His parents have recently divorced. 
His grades are slipping. 
His anger is growing with each day. 
Relationships with his closest friends are failing. 
Secrets about his life are being uncovered. 
No one understands what he is going through. 
And everyone who has betrayed him needs to be taught a lesson. 
So now he stands with the one friend that has never betrayed him. 
The one friend that does what he asks every time he squeezes the trigger. 
The only friend that he can depend on. 
Tragedies don’t just happen. The signs are simply overlooked every day until it’s too late. 

After the read be sure to review the author’s note where resources for additional help are listed. There are also discussion questions to generate conversation & get adults and students talking.







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Excerpt from The Kilwade Tragedy -
“Honestly man, I can’t see two hours ahead right now, bro. This really hurts.”
“You listen to me. You’re going to be the best man in my wedding you hear me? And I’m going to be the best man in yours. And next year were going to Hawaii just like we talked about. The next year we’ll do our U.S road trip – none of this stupid high school shit changes any of that. You hear me?”
Blaze held his head down. He shook as he cried. Mark put his arms around him and fought back tears himself.
“You promise me that you’re not leaving me with these jerks, Blaze. I been watching Dr. Phil I know how this works.”
He smiled a little at the Dr. Phil joke but still said nothing. He just cried harder.
“I said, promise me.”
Blaze nodded in agreement.
“One hour at a time, one day at a time. All this is temporary. The only thing permanent is me and you, bro,” Mark said.
His heart was beating even faster now. “There’s one more thing - I need to tell someone.”


**My thoughts**
This is definitely not a book for everyone. But I think it is an important one for any adult who has any interaction with teens to read. And I think it is a good one for teens to read and discuss with each other and especially with adults.

Blaze is a troubled teen. His parents recently got divorced. He has to work to help support his family now. His grades are starting to slip. He is picked on mercilessly at school and online. His relationship with his longtime girlfriend is starting to get shaky. And what used to be just fun, recreational drinking and pot smoking is now becoming an addiction and a coping mechanism. And he just can't seem to do anything right in the eyes of all the adults around him.

These traits sound sadly too familiar with a lot of the youth of today. Many are dealing with at least one, some multiple, and some even more problems. This book demonstrates how a teen can get lost and overwhelmed and not know what to do to fix things. And sadly, his subtle cries for help are ignored or brushed off by pretty much everyone in his life. The bullying gets worse, to the point of being criminal. And a lot of the adults miss so many opportunities to really help Blaze.

It is not an easy story to read as you follow Blaze into those dark depths. It is even harder to read if you happen to have known a teen who was fighting demons and then his story ended in a tragedy.

I think it is a good story for adults to read to remind us to be aware of what is going on with our kids and to not simply brush off weird or different behaviors. We need to pay attention, to listen, and to help or seek help.

It could also be good for teens to read, with adult supervision and discussion, to remind them how to not be jerks to each other and that it is okay to seek help for a friend who appears to be faltering. The author does provide several discussion questions at the end, along with many resource links.

The author provides extensive commentary about the story and the state of the world today, both before and after the story. To me, that seemed a little excessive and could detract some would-be readers. I would have chosen one place or the other and melded the two parts together.

The only aspect of the story I really did not care for was two traumatic revelations that occurred toward the end of the story to pretty much push Blaze the rest of the way over the edge. While they truly are traumatizing and other problems that these kids often face, they felt a little contrived and forced in this instance, almost like an afterthought. I felt like the story up to that point was doing an excellent job of depicting his downward spiral and was enough on its own to propel him toward the end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and have given my own unbiased thoughts and opinions on this novel.


About the Author
Terry Keys is an award-winning novelist, songwriter, and poet. He writes for Examiner.com and works as a project manager in the oil and gas industry. A native of Rosharon, Texas, Keys spends his free time hunting, fishing, and working out. He lives in Dickinson, Texas, with his wife and two children. Please visit his website at http://www.terrykeysbooks.com 

2017 NIEA award winner for Chained Guilt.



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