Any Second by Kevin Emerson @kcemerson @RHCBEducators #bookreview #YA #thriller

Title: Any Second

Author: Kevin Emerson

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: November 20, 2018

Page Count: 400

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

Marieke Nijkamp’s This is Where it Ends meets Kathleen Glasgow’s Girl in Pieces in a gripping novel that explores the depths of trauma and the strength it takes to rise again. Perfect for readers of Ellen Hopkins.

Five years after being kidnapped, Elian’s captor sends him into the mall–with a bomb strapped to his chest.

Across the mall is Maya, a girl whose crippling anxiety holds her prisoner in its own way.

Whether it’s chance or fate, Maya keeps Eli from ending them all. And now nothing is the same. Drawn together by their dark pasts, Maya and Eli know it takes only seconds for their entire worlds to change. But time will tell if meeting each other will change them for better or worse.

Any Second by Kevin Emerson is a young adult thriller. First off I will say that with some of the content in this one I would recommend it to the more mature crowd. While nothing is overly graphic there are sexual situations, drinking, and of course the violence involved.

The story in this book is one that is sadly far too realistic these days which is a big reason I jumped at reading it. The book begins with the two main characters, Eli and Maya, both being involved in their own ways in an attempt at a suicide bombing. With all of the horrific shootings, bombings and other things hitting our newscasts every night I can’t help but be drawn to a tale that takes a closer look.

In Any Second Eli had been kidnapped and tortured for years before he was sent into the mall with a bomb strapped to his chest. Maya on the other had has her own anxious personality but when she sees Eli she goes to try to stop him and becomes the hero. Once readers know that event that they shared the book then fast forwards 10 months to pick up with them in their lives afterwards.

Now I’m calling this one a thriller because it does have an exciting beginning and an exciting end but a lot of the middle section crosses over into more of a contemporary with the where are they now and the characters lives. Still knowing how deeply flawed both were just getting to know them was still thrilling in many way though too. I always get quite hooked when getting a closer look at how the lives of those involved in something like this event are affected and this book was no exception.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online: 

Goodreads  /   Amazon

About the author:

Kevin Emerson is the author of numerous novels for young adults and children, including Breakout, Last Day on Mars, and the Exile series. His books have been published in ten countries. A former science teacher, Kevin is also a singer and drummer. He lives in Seattle with his wife and two children. He has won a spelling bee and lost a beauty pageant, and he once appeared in a Swedish television commercial. Visit Kevin on Twitter and Instagram at @kcemerson or on his website kevinemerson.net.