#Review: IN THE AFTER by Demitria Lunetta

IN THE AFTER

Author: Demitria Lunetta
Series: In The After #1
Source: Purchased from BookOutlet
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: June 25, 2013
Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary:
They hear the most silent of footsteps.
They are faster than anything you've ever seen.
And They won't stop chasing you...until you are dead.

Amy is watching TV when it happens, when the world is attacked by Them. These vile creatures are rapidly devouring mankind. Most of the population is overtaken, but Amy manages to escape—and even rescue “Baby,” a toddler left behind in the chaos. Marooned in Amy’s house, the girls do everything they can to survive—and avoid Them at all costs.

After years of hiding, they are miraculously rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of survivors living in a former government research compound. While at first the colony seems like a dream with plenty of food, safety, and shelter, New Hope slowly reveals that it is far from ideal. And Amy soon realizes that unless things change, she’ll lose Baby—and much more.

Rebellious, courageous, and tender, this unforgettable duo will have you on the edge of your seat as you tear through the pulse-pounding narrow escapes and horrifying twists of fate in this thrilling debut from author Demitria Lunetta.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

I really liked this one. I thought it was a little bit predictable but I was also okay with that. I liked the set up and how things came to pass. But I definitely liked the writing style in the first section better than in the next two. However, this novel really stands out in my mind of YA post-apocalpytic narrative and I would recommend it if you are looking for another dystopian novel.

I thought the flashback/present writing style of section two and three was a little off putting. It didn't really help me connect to the story more -- it actually made me feel more disconnected from it because of the constant switching.

As well, I wasn't a huge fan of the fact that the Ward was shown with such negative connotations. I wrote a post about positive therapy depictions in YA Fiction on Aphonic Sarah which is run by the lovely Sarah so if you are looking for books that feature positive therapy depictions, this book is not for you.

However, I was enamoured with this book. I liked how everything played out and I was really curious as to what the "big reveal" would be (I was correct). I thought that the idea behind it was really solid and I think it was something that has been done but also added something new to the narrative. I was a big fan of how this could be plausible in the future. This *could* happen if we aren't careful with biological warfare. And I loved that Amy was really involved in what it meant morally and how far humans were willing to go to save humanity.

I thought the moral conflicts in this one re: killing and the women getting pregnant were super interesting but definitely not developed enough. I would have liked just a bit more time spent on them so that we could really get a feel for the end times in this. But I also think part of that is due to how those last two sections were written. We weren't given enough time in either narrative to really get centred in a specific storyline before being shifted to something else. Therefore, there wasn't enough time to really have these discussions.

I liked the bond that Amy formed with Baby and that she was so willing to protect her. I also liked that this didn't mean she wasn't able to bond with Adam -- even though we only got limited screentime with him. I think it was really great that she was able to still connect with people even though she was so isolated from the world.

I thought that there were a lot of kickass females in this one but it still felt like no one really got the screentime they deserved. I would have liked more scenes with Amy and Kay. I thought Kay was a great mentor for Amy and it was really great to have them interact in a way that we didn't really get to see with Amy and her Mother. I think there were a lot of dynamics that could have been explored in this one that didn't really get their time to shine because of the writing style.

Overall, I really recommend this one. I enjoyed my reading of it and think that this adds to the narrative of post-apocalyptic YA novels. If you are looking for something a little different that has a lot of action but also has you questioning everything you learn along the way, this one is for you.