UPDATE 25/01/2021 - Review added

Still an enjoyable 3.5 Stars for me

CW: Kidnapping, blood, gun violence, dogs slaughtered, hunting/killing/preparing animals for eating, medical experiments

Well that was interesting but quite slow moving. The thing is, the slow parts were actually necessary as they were where Juneau experienced personal growth and where the relationship between Juneau and Miles developed. I actually enjoyed these parts, however I can understand, given the exciting premise, that some Readers would have preferred a faster paced action. I liked the bickering and the fact that Juneau thought Miles was an incredibly useless person with his lack of survival skills etc. Both the main characters were relatable and likeable. Juneau was a particularly engaging character with her strength, confidence and general awesomeness. Amy certainly left us on the edge of our seats with that ending so I look forward to seeing what happens in book two.

PS: Amy, bring back the gorgeous huskies. Thank you.

UPDATE: 24/01/2021 - Rereading before I read book two.

3.5 Stars ( )

When I heard that Amy Plum had a new fantasy/sci-fi novel coming out this year, I was extremely excited. I absolutely adored her Revenants series so when I got After the End, I couldn't wait to delve into it. However, After the End was not what I was expecting at all, and I admit that I'm slightly disappointed by it.

The Plot: The main character, Juneau, has been lied to her whole life. She's been taught that a World War III has destroyed every thing, and her clan in Alaska is one of the few remaining people. But this all changes when her clan leader is kidnap and everyone else disappears, Juneau journeys off on a rescue mission when she realizes that the world is still intact and there was no war in the first place (something the readers already know before-hand). The premise of this story was really unique and it had tons of potential, but it lacked something that just didn't make me love it. I really enjoy Amy Plum's writing style and while I read it in one sitting, it never completely hooked me. Two things I really liked though were the fantasy aspects featuring the Yara and the dual POV's.

The Characters: I'm still not very sure how I feel about Juneau. In all honesty I'm kind of "meh" about not just Juneau, but all of the characters. Well, I definitely liked Miles more but I never connected to them at all. They seemed kind of bland to me, besides Juneau having a link with the Yara. The romance between was also conflicting for me. While I love romance in my novels, I didn't feel the chemistry between the two. It all seemed kind of rushed, but I still appreciated it being there if that makes any sense.

Overall, After the End was a "meh" novel for me. But I would still recommend it to fans of Amy Plum in hopes of them liking it more than I did. It might not have been my cup of tea, but I can definitely see other people enjoying this novel. ( )

I didn't read reviews or synopsis before starting this book .... Surprise!!

After the End is pretty original. I assumed it's another YA post apocalyptic fiction. The story starts with a girl living off the grid in Alaska wilderness with her clan. Away from destroyed and unlivable cities resulting from nuclear radiation from WW3 or is it.... ( )

Not AT ALL what I thought it would be, but I liked it so much. ( )

A teen girl named Juneau lives in Alaska (yup, really). Post-apocalyptic Alaska, or so she believes. Turns out, the adults of her community have pulled a Village-esque ruse on the younger generation. There was no World War III, and the rest of the world is quite livable and functional and, unlike Juneau's community, modern. When her clan disappears, she ventures out to find them.

I wasn't a fan of The Village, but this book lets you know on the back cover that "everything she'd been told her entire life was a lie," which seemed more interesting and less manipulative. I must confess the cover wooed me, too. I love a beautiful sky. What I don't love--plot coincidences, flat characters, and overwritten prose.

The meeting of Juneau and Miles (the other point-of-view character) is only one of many contrived events in this story. Whatever Juneau needs to continue her journey is magically provided for her the moment she needs it. Sometimes literally magically, as she uses her connection to the "superorganism" of nature to do random things like camouflage herself, short out an iPhone, keep a car from starting (until later when she wants it to start), read the memories of a raven that flew over her pursuers, etc. A plot can't create suspense when a character is able to override the very rules of nature without any real consequences or limitations.

As for the characters, I never cared. Not for a minute. Miles is a spoiled rich kid stereotype who seems to be acting out for no purpose other than his father is a distant rich businessman stereotype. Juneau's many Mary Sue qualities only further highlight Miles's many dull, incompetent qualities. The romance between them is forced and shallow and mostly comprised of Juneau's feeling electrical sparks when they touch. The motivations for Miles's actions are left undeveloped.

The prose is overwritten to a maddening degree. Every line of dialogue in this entire book has a dialogue tag. Maybe literally every line. And Juneau and Miles say things mostly with adverbs. They also rebut, protest, mumble, clarify, insist, confirm, moan, offer. The narration is first person, but both characters frequently think their thoughts "to themselves." (For example, p. 154, Yes, you can! I reassure myself.) In addition to these eyesores, the prose needs general trimming. This book could have been twenty percent shorter without cutting any scenes.

A few of the plot revelations are intriguing setups for the second book. Unfortunately, Miles and Juneau's road trip drags on so long, the rewards they (and the reader) get at the end are far too little too late, especially given the other flaws in the book. And the last scene is an eye-roll of a cliffhanger that, rather than baiting me to give the second book a chance, severed any interest I had left.

After the End offers a beautiful cover and an interesting premise but, for me, nothing more than that. ( )