Review: After the End by Amy Plum

Author: Amy Plum
Series: After The End #1
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: May 6, 2014



She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future.
World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

Review

After the End follows the story of a girl named Juneau who one day comes to the earth shattering realization that her entire existence has been a lie. Alone and being hunted, Juneau sets out to find her place in the world and to look for those whom she's lost. What Juneau finds however, will change her life forever. 

One of the few things I liked about After the Ending was the blending of Native American mysticism and Science Fiction. Believe it or not, I actually like Juneau having powers and the idea of the Yara being behind it all was interesting as well.  

Another thing I liked was the ending. I won't give it away but it definitely left me curious to know more. In fact, it was almost good enough to make me want to read the sequel despite my better judgment to the contrary.

Now even though I did read and finish After the End, that's not to say that I didn't find more than a couple of faults with the overall story and here's why:

First off, one of the most frustrating things about After the End was how long everything took to come to a head. To say this book had a pacing issue would be an understatement. The beginning started out incredibly fast paced and kept me glued to the page but once were out of the Alaskan Frontier it felt like things came to a grinding halt only to churn away almost sloth like until the action pack ending.

Secondly, I wish we had spent more time in Alaska before the big reveal. Had events unfolded later on in the story it might have changed the outcome of how I ultimately reviewed this book. For me, the story that was most interesting was that of Juneau and her peers. Once the time jumps and dual perspectives kicked in everything just sorta fell apart story wise for me.


Lastly, I really hated the inclusion of a romantic plot between the characters. It felt forced, was unnecessary and I didn't buy it. I really wish Authors would realize that it is OK to have characters remain friends. Not every book needs a romance between the leads. 


Final Thoughts
After the End could of been a great read and had it stuck to one viewpoint it probably would have been. Amy Plum is no doubt a great writer but at the same time the disjointedness of the plot, the constant flashbacks and flashforwards, not to mention the unnecessary inclusion of a romantic plot made this book a miss for me. Am I disappointed? Yes. Would it put me off reading from this Author again? No. Would I recommend After the End? A very slim maybe. I just can't in good conscience recommend something that left me feeling so hollow upon finishing. Even the ending, which I liked, wasn't enough to save this one for me.

With that being said, I'll be rating After the End by Amy Plum ★★.

 *Copy provided by Publisher.  All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in an which way  for providing them.

About the Author
Amy Plum is the author of the International Bestsellers DIE FOR ME (Indie Next List pick, Romance Times top pick, and recipient of a starred review from School Library Journal), UNTIL I DIE, and IF I SHOULD DIE. The books have been translated into eleven foreign languages. The trilogy is accompanied by an eNovella entitled DIE FOR HER.

Amy grew up in Birmingham, Alabama before venturing further afield to Chicago, Paris, London and New York. An art historian by training, she can be found on most days either daydreaming or writing (or both) in a Parisian cafĂ©. Visit her at http://www.amyplumbooks.com and check out Revenant Central on Youtube for videos and extras. 

Comments

  1. No…EVERY book needs a romance. It's the law! lol Just kidding. But it sure seems like that sometimes.

    Sounds like maybe this os more a setup book for the rest of the series. SOunds ok but nothing I would rush to read.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aye, it does. I guess I could see it being written as a setup but that doesn't mean that the book couldn't feel satisfying and complete despite being so.

    ReplyDelete

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