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The Short Life of Raven Monroe
Annabelle Collins' world is devastated when her 6-year-old daughter dies in a Missouri school shooting.
The shooter is the first of its kind - a black female.
16-year-old Raven Monroe.
Annabelle's grief mutates into an obsessive relationship with Raven, who dwells behind bars, unremorseful.
Desperate to find out why Raven did what she did, Annabelle races against the executioner's clock until finally the horrific motive behind the murders is revealed.
The shooter is the first of its kind - a black female.
16-year-old Raven Monroe.
Annabelle's grief mutates into an obsessive relationship with Raven, who dwells behind bars, unremorseful.
Desperate to find out why Raven did what she did, Annabelle races against the executioner's clock until finally the horrific motive behind the murders is revealed.
212 pages, Paperback
Published December 8, 2020
4 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 31, 2020
A shooting occurs at St. Agatha's Elementary. This school shooting is different: the shooter is a girl and photos of the victims are immediately widespread on the internet. Annabelle, a grieving mother of one of the victims, becomes obsessed with understanding why the shooting happened, so she takes it upon herself to visit the shooter in jail to find closure.
This story heavily relied on telling as opposed to showing in the unraveling of the story. It almost felt like I was reading a documentary on the shooting, which was interesting. I wanted to like Annabelle, as she should be a sympathetic character, but it was really hard to at first when she's visiting Raven in jail, vacillating from screaming at her in one breath and then offering to help her in the next. I can completely understand her feelings, but the writing of the scenes just felt a bit off, and I didn't really think it was right that she used her connected brother to gain access to the shooter. Ultimately, I wound up liking her and her resilience. This book was about so much more than just a school shooting. I won't say too much because I don't want to spoil anything, but this was a worthwhile read that, although short, packs quite a punch.
This story heavily relied on telling as opposed to showing in the unraveling of the story. It almost felt like I was reading a documentary on the shooting, which was interesting. I wanted to like Annabelle, as she should be a sympathetic character, but it was really hard to at first when she's visiting Raven in jail, vacillating from screaming at her in one breath and then offering to help her in the next. I can completely understand her feelings, but the writing of the scenes just felt a bit off, and I didn't really think it was right that she used her connected brother to gain access to the shooter. Ultimately, I wound up liking her and her resilience. This book was about so much more than just a school shooting. I won't say too much because I don't want to spoil anything, but this was a worthwhile read that, although short, packs quite a punch.
February 18, 2021
Amazing book!
Enjoyed reading it, drags you in and keeps you reading until the final page.
Enjoyed reading it, drags you in and keeps you reading until the final page.
April 13, 2023
Former journalist Annabelle Collins, who just so happens to be related to a person in a position of power, happens to gain prison access to the girl who murdered her daughter. From there, Annabelle makes it her mission to understand why her daughter had to die.
The blurb actually plays up the race factor of Raven Monroe (the school shooter) more than is delivered in the narrative. The quality of the writing is good enough, but I was disappointed by the lack of attention paid to Raven being the first girl school shooter, first Black school shooter, first Native American school shooter and what else have you as advertised in the blurb. Instead the story is about how shocking photographs leaked of the massacre spurred the government and public opinion of the US into long-overdue stricter gun control laws and how Annabelle deals with the grief of losing her only daughter, which is... okay... but I wish the scope had been broader and focused more on the fallout on race relations and how exactly the gun control thing played out. As it is, the gun controls feel too feel-good, convenient-happy-ending and stories about grief are a dime a dozen so this prosaic, albeit accurate, rendition really does not help the book stand out in any way, especially since it takes up so much airtime.
I guess I went in with my expectations too high especially for such a short book. Apparently this is the author's first book and it shows. I know I sound a bit harsh, but nothing was glaringly wrong with the book actually. It's okay for what it is, just not chilling, thrilling, or otherwise life-changing for me.
The blurb actually plays up the race factor of Raven Monroe (the school shooter) more than is delivered in the narrative. The quality of the writing is good enough, but I was disappointed by the lack of attention paid to Raven being the first girl school shooter, first Black school shooter, first Native American school shooter and what else have you as advertised in the blurb. Instead the story is about how shocking photographs leaked of the massacre spurred the government and public opinion of the US into long-overdue stricter gun control laws and how Annabelle deals with the grief of losing her only daughter, which is... okay... but I wish the scope had been broader and focused more on the fallout on race relations and how exactly the gun control thing played out. As it is, the gun controls feel too feel-good, convenient-happy-ending and stories about grief are a dime a dozen so this prosaic, albeit accurate, rendition really does not help the book stand out in any way, especially since it takes up so much airtime.
I guess I went in with my expectations too high especially for such a short book. Apparently this is the author's first book and it shows. I know I sound a bit harsh, but nothing was glaringly wrong with the book actually. It's okay for what it is, just not chilling, thrilling, or otherwise life-changing for me.
January 24, 2021
𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀, 𝗼𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱, 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁. [...] 𝗪𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱; 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲; 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆.[...] 𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝘀𝘂𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗻𝘀. "
The Short Life of Raven Monroe is a little over 200 pages; a small book that carries big weight. I read it in one sitting but had enough thoughts for the whole night; so small yet so powerful.
The story takes place in your ordinary American town where nothing much happens. People are aware of school shootings. It did happen in the past; it's not a novelty. One day, a school shooting occurs at St. Agatha' s elementary school. This time, the shooter is a 16 year old Native American/ Puerto Rican girl named Raven Monroe. Many lives are shattered and families broken. Annabelle, the mother of 4 year old girl who was killed during the shooting at school, is determined to find out why Raven did this. WHY is the main question here.
This book will bring up many questions. I can see it being an ice breaker to such difficult and debatable topics like violence in society, gun laws and bullying. I have to say, I'm happy to see authors writing about it. Publicity it what it needs.
The Short Life of Raven Monroe is a little over 200 pages; a small book that carries big weight. I read it in one sitting but had enough thoughts for the whole night; so small yet so powerful.
The story takes place in your ordinary American town where nothing much happens. People are aware of school shootings. It did happen in the past; it's not a novelty. One day, a school shooting occurs at St. Agatha' s elementary school. This time, the shooter is a 16 year old Native American/ Puerto Rican girl named Raven Monroe. Many lives are shattered and families broken. Annabelle, the mother of 4 year old girl who was killed during the shooting at school, is determined to find out why Raven did this. WHY is the main question here.
This book will bring up many questions. I can see it being an ice breaker to such difficult and debatable topics like violence in society, gun laws and bullying. I have to say, I'm happy to see authors writing about it. Publicity it what it needs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2020
Tbh, I was pretty sceptical about this book. Like Shan Wee writing about gun violence in America? Really?
While I did find the style of writing to be simple and easy to get through, it was a little too...haphazard? Like there were unnecessary information when the characters could have been developed better.
I did cry cause it is about a mother losing her kid and yet having compassion for the perpetrator and a young girl who ultimately wanted to end gun violence.
I do thing the idea that this one girl, through her killing of young kids and ensuring the graphic pictures of her act go viral would be able to change gun control laws in America, quite....absurd. Maybe I’m a sceptic or too cynical about the America I know of but as we’ve seen throughout all the violence and innocent lives lost cause of their gun control laws or lack thereof, gun control in America is not only political but financial and the people who profit from this would not let it be changed so easily.
I do think despite it feeling unrealistic, Shan still did a decent job with the subject matter. Very hopeful and idealistic.
While I did find the style of writing to be simple and easy to get through, it was a little too...haphazard? Like there were unnecessary information when the characters could have been developed better.
I did cry cause it is about a mother losing her kid and yet having compassion for the perpetrator and a young girl who ultimately wanted to end gun violence.
I do thing the idea that this one girl, through her killing of young kids and ensuring the graphic pictures of her act go viral would be able to change gun control laws in America, quite....absurd. Maybe I’m a sceptic or too cynical about the America I know of but as we’ve seen throughout all the violence and innocent lives lost cause of their gun control laws or lack thereof, gun control in America is not only political but financial and the people who profit from this would not let it be changed so easily.
I do think despite it feeling unrealistic, Shan still did a decent job with the subject matter. Very hopeful and idealistic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2022
4.5, this was surprisingly really good ,, i was hovering btw 3.5 & 4 at first, but then last 30 pages or so bumped the rating up
its hard to review this book without giving spoilers, but it's essentially about gun violence laws in america ,, def dont read too much into the intentions and outcomes that this novel displays. it may be slightly unrealistic but i think it's an interesting concept !
its hard to review this book without giving spoilers, but it's essentially about gun violence laws in america ,, def dont read too much into the intentions and outcomes that this novel displays. it may be slightly unrealistic but i think it's an interesting concept !
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews