Review: In The After (Demitria Lunetta)

In this heart-stopping post apocalyptic thriller from debut author Demitria Lunetta, one courageous girl must navigate a world that has been overtaken by Them—vile creatures that are rapidly devouring mankind. Perfect for fans of books like Marie Lu's Legend, In the After examines a harrowing place where day-to-day survival is never guaranteed. . . .In what seems like an instant, Amy Harris's life is changed forever. They arrive and quickly begin killing off humanity one by one. No one knows how they got here—and even worse, no one knows how to stop Them.Marooned in a high-security house, Amy manages to stay alive—and even rescues "Baby," a toddler she finds in an abandoned supermarket. For years they escape death, forging a bond as strong as sisters, until they are finally rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of survivors living on a former government research compound.On the surface, New Hope is the happy ending Amy was looking for. She's even started falling for Rice, a handsome researcher she's become close with at the facility. But then she makes a shocking discovery. And staying in New Hope could mean losing her freedom . . . or her life.With pulse-pounding narrow escapes and horrifying twists of fate, In the After is an action-packed dystopian page-turner that will keep fans guessing until each secret is revealed and every lie is uncovered.

E-book, 464 pagesExpected publication: June 25th 2013 by HarperTeen
ARC Provided by Publisher for Honest Review
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian

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Demitria Lunetta writes young adult science fiction and fantasy. A Chicago native, she holds a BA in Human Ecology and has spent countless hours studying the many ways in which people are capable of bringing about their own destruction. In case the end is near, she always carries a good book and a chocolate bar--the two items essential for post-apocalyptic survival. IN THE AFTER is her debut novel.

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I first heard of In The After on Epic Reads Tea Time. I instantly knew I wanted to read it. I am all about a dystopian with evil creatures. I also loved the cover. The cover looks so creepy and the intro “They Destroyed Before….Now We Live IN THE AFTER….umm yeah! That was totally awesome…

So the story begins with the main character describing the new world. Now I have to say that I kept trying to figure out if the main character was male or female and we don’t really find out until later in the story when her name finally appears. I did find that this distracted me a little and I couldn’t really connect with the character immediately. Now, as soon as I figured out the gender I was able to focus on the story and how things were unfolding from a female perspective. 

The new world is full of these “Creatures” that remind us of what we have always been described as aliens. They are green and have sharp teeth and of course….we are their main cuisine. I love the horror aspect of the story. Dystopian novels are my favorite genres and basically for this reason….. The survival or more the story of survival. I love how the characters overcome the odds and fight for humanity…AWESOME… 

I loved how Amy and Baby met and how Amy immediately felt a motherly protective hold over Baby. I love how they live each day learning each other and depending on each other. I also love the introduction of “other” characters and how Amy handles each situation. 

My favorite part of the book is the first couple of chapters. Eventually Baby and Amy are “saved” and taken to New Hope, a compound for survivors. (Or so we think) I immediately could tell something was up. The characters in this part of the story were kind of bland and the surprises that occurred….well let’s just say I saw them coming. I felt like the 2nd half of the book lacked a lot of storytelling and really wanted it to be incredible. 

I can’t give away the ending BUT because of the ending I am sure I will read the sequel and I just have a feeling that I will like it even more….This is a good, quick read and I would recommend it.