Review: After the End by Amy Plum

Find on Amazon

Add to Goodreads

Published May 6th 2014 by HarperTeen

336 Pages

Source: Self-Purchased

My Rating: 4 Stars

From Goodreads:

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.


My Thoughts

This was quite the unique book! I really wasn’t sure what to expect going into it, really. I’d read the synopsis of course, but steered clear of reviews because I didn’t want to know any more. I wanted to be surprised, and read it without being clouded by anyone else’s thoughts. I liked the Alaska bit, but knowing we weren’t going to be there for long, I didn’t get too attached.

Basically, as the story unfolds, you have a lot of stuff going on, and if you read the synopsis, you’ll know none of it is of a dystopian nature. You have survival, lies, complicated relationships, mystery, witty banter, Yara (you’ll have to read to figure all that out!), and a pretty intense road trip. And a cliffhanger, don’t forget the cliffhanger.

What I liked: This was different. I felt like finally, finally a book I had not read components of before. This was truly original. Juneau was awesome as the female protagonist. She was just amazing: Strong, clever, witty, and of course, utterly confused. The author did such a remarkable job of actually convincing me that Juneau didn’t have a clue, was completely sheltered. Miles was a mess. But you kind of know he can be reformed, that he is not doomed to be an immature brat forever. Amy Plum did another great job at accurately depicting how someone would react to meeting Juneau.  Their relationship was so fun to watch play out. There was no ridiculous insta-love, just a lot of mutual disdain and confusion, which finally gave way to them each giving in a bit and learning to trust.  I loved the survival aspect, and I am a sucker for a road trip, so that was enjoyable too. And I feel like there is so much more I want to know, so I am definitely going to be waiting for the second book to see if any of my theories prove accurate!

What I didn’t: It isn’t that I didn’t like the Yara stuff, it’s just that I am on the fence about it. I know it is a big component to the story, but I am so closed-minded about the “mystical” sort of thing, that I found myself not believing it (which, perhaps, isn’t a bad thing). And there were a few times (not many, but a few) that I was just kind of thinking that the book could move along a bit faster than it was. But overall, it was incredibly enjoyable, and I am really looking forward to the sequel!

I feel like this is the start of an awesome series!

Posted May 16, 2014 by Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight in Review / 1 Comment

Divider

One response to “Review: After the End by Amy Plum

Leave a Reply