Review: In the After by Demitria Lunetta

Title: In The After
Author: Demitris Lunetta
Series: In the After
Book #: 1
Pages: 400
Reading Level:YA
Book Rating: .5
Goodreads Rating: 4.12
T.B.Published: June 25th, 2013.

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.

Taschima's POV:

The other day all the lights in my apartment went out. I was in the middle of playing Mario Party with two other of my friends (I was kicking ass) and suddenly the world went black. Total corner-of-our-city black out. This situation is already scary on it's own but it's even more terrifying when you have read books like In The After. All I could think  to myself was "don't make a noise or they will find you and kill you. Take quiet breaths, don't turn on the lights (Ipad, phone, etc). Be very still." In The After will definitely make you afraid of the dark once more. I also thought that if they had come to Earth my friend would be one of the first ones to go, she had all electronic lights on and was talking loudly on her phone. One less human in the world. This is what In the After is like, it stays with you way after you have read it, making you question how exactly you would turn out if out of this world creatures were to invade your planet and kill all the noisy people in the world. I really enjoyed the book and it's characters. I read it in one sitting, it was just that addicting.

In The After can be divided into two parts. The first is the finding out about the creatures, the day to day of how to survive what feels like the end of the world, finding Baby, getting used to the idea that nothing is never going to be the same (the Before part of life is over, and now you have to get used to the After). The second part is after they are "saved" and what this entails. I really enjoyed both parts. I specially enjoyed the "creatures" description. They are fast like vampires and have great hearing, green looking like our make believe aliens, and they are day dwellers. The creatures are sort of blind and so they hunt in the day light, though some seem to come out at night as well if the dinner bell rings. I loved these creatures! I like how the author takes all these characteristics of other monsters and manages to create her own piece of nightmare.

The characters are all enjoyable. Amy is relatable, we get to see how she adapts to the new way of life and how her skin thickens with the passing of time. I also enjoyed Baby, though by being so young she can sometimes piss you off when the puts her trust where she isn't supposed to. Other secondary characters I enjoyes were the ex pop star turned Guardian (their own kind of post-apocalyptic warriors) and really most of te Guardians. It reminded me a little of the Dhampirs in Vampire Academy, their bond and commitment to being the best in order to defend those around them. There's not much romance, it doesn't take front row and the guy she is "interested" in wasn't spectacular (he is geeky and lovable but we didn't get to know him too well, and he needs to grow a backbone).

The ending was surprising and exciting. The way the author broke it down was enjoyable, kind of like finding pieces of the puzzle. The twists were unpredictable but made so much sense. It really answers a lot of questions you have about these creatures that came out of the blue but don't seem overly smart, just instinct driven.  I will definitely be reading the sequel to In The After, it's high in my wishlist since the ending left the doors open to a very exciting sequel.


ARC provided by publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.