[Kodie’s Review]: The Cost of Knowing By Brittney Morris

Sixteen-year-old Alex Rufus is trying his best. He tries to be the best employee he can be at the local ice cream shop; the best boyfriend he can be to his amazing girlfriend, Talia; the best protector he can be over his little brother, Isaiah. But as much as Alex tries, he often comes up short.

It’s hard to for him to be present when every time he touches an object or person, Alex sees into its future. When he touches a scoop, he has a vision of him using it to scoop ice cream. When he touches his car, he sees it years from now, totaled and underwater. When he touches Talia, he sees them at the precipice of breaking up, and that terrifies him. Alex feels these visions are a curse, distracting him, making him anxious and unable to live an ordinary life.

And when Alex touches a photo that gives him a vision of his brother’s imminent death, everything changes.

With Alex now in a race against time, death, and circumstances, he and Isaiah must grapple with their past, their future, and what it means to be a young Black man in America in the present.

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris was such an emotional read. From our first introduction to the main character, Alex, you are immediately drawn to him. Alex has had a rough childhood, losing his parents a few years ago, and now lives with his Aunt and brother. Alex was also cursed with the ability to see the future of things or people when he touches them, and unfortunately saw the death of his best friend before it happened and was unable to stop it.

Now riddled with anxiety, and not wanting to see what may happen with his family, Alex has pushed everyone away. When he unknowingly touches something showing the imminent death of his brother, Alex decides to do everything he can to change the future, despite that never working in the past.

Navigating racial tensions, anxieties, and grief, this book takes you on a very real and emotional journey, one everyone should take the time to read.

Kodie

Hi I’m Kodie! I am a longtime book lover, and aspiring author! I’ve been obsessed with escaping the real world through books since the moment I learned how to read. Whether it was Junie B Jones, Laura Ingalls, or as I got older Harry Potter and the like, I have dived head first into these new worlds and never looked back. Journey with me through all of my reads on my Instagram, Just Two Scrollmates!