Review: In the End by Demitria Lunetta

In the End by Demitria Lunetta

Book Two of the In the After series

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: June 24, 2014

Rating: 3 stars

Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Summary (from Goodreads):

It’s been three months since Amy escaped New Hope, and she’s been surviving on her own, like she did in the After. Until one day, her former fellow Guardian’s voice rings out in her earpiece. And in a desperate tone, Kay utters the four words Amy had hoped she would never hear: Dr. Reynolds has Baby.

Now it’s a race against time, for Baby is in imminent danger, her life threatened by the malevolent doctor who had helped start the end of the world. In order to save Baby, Amy must make her way to Fort Black, a prison-turned-survivor-colony, where she will need to find Ken, Kay’s brother. He alone holds the key to Baby’s survival.

One small slip-up on this quest could spark a downward spiral that would not only cost Baby and Amy their lives, but threaten the very survival of the people in the After.

What I Liked:

Another series, over! This was only a duo series, but still, look at me, finishing those series! Commitment is a wonderful thing. I didn't like this book as much as I liked the first book, but I'm glad I read this one. I almost didn't bother with an advanced copy!

Amy is heading to Fort Black. Kay's brother Ken is there, and Amy is hoping that Ken will help her, because Doctor Reynolds has Baby. Reynolds is experimenting on Baby, and Amy is hoping that Ken will protect Baby from Reynolds (since Ken is also a doctor and researcher). But Fort Black isn't exactly a paradise compared to New Hope.

There are three parts to this book, but really, there are too: Fort Black, and New Hope. Fort Black isn't like New Hope, but it isn't amazing, either. There really isn't a government, but there is a Warden, and his word is law. Yet, everyone must fend for themselves. There are very few women in Fort Black, so immediately, Amy is claimed by Jackson, the Warden's nephew. Jacks is a really good person, but he is tough, strong, respected. I definitely liked Jacks a lot - he always had Amy's interests in mind, despite not knowing her for very long.

So Amy lives in Fort Black for a while, looking for Ken. At first, it's like chasing ghosts, because no one has seen Ken. Meanwhile, it seems like everyone is trying to kill or hurt Amy. I think the author started to go in circles, honestly, and I was not amused. But I kept reading.

 Amy leaves Fort Black when she finds out that Baby is doing really badly. All the blood loss (the doctors are drawing blood for research) is making her sick and lifeless. So Amy has it in her mind to take down New Hope, save Fort Black (which is in chaos) - but first, save Baby. If Baby can be saved.

The plot wasn't something I really enjoyed, especially once Amy goes back to New Hope. But I liked the romance! I can't say much about it, but I'm happy with the direction that Lunetta took the romance. Even if the boy only seemed like a love interest, he was as excellent love interest, and a really great character.

See below for what I did not really like! There were some things.

What I Did Not Like:

I mentioned that I wasn't a fan of the plot. I felt like the author kept going in circles, when Amy was at Fort Black. Looking for Ken, some tries to jump Amy. Looking for Ken, someone attacks Amy. Jacks protects Amy, Jacks defends Amy, Jacks is a perfect person. But literally, the Fort Black part of the story goes around and around and around. 

And that's the majority of the book. When we get to New Hope, things happen quickly. Attempt to rescue Baby, waitwaitwait, then the climax. I wasn't really impressed with the structure of this book, nor was I impressed with the plot.

It felt like Lunetta was grasping for straws, honestly. The curveball thrown in the beginning, about Baby being taken by Doctor Reynolds, seemed really forced. I definitely rolled my eyes when I read that. Could it be more cliche?! Or predictable?! Or forced?! I knew it wouldn't be long before Baby would be taken by Doctor Reynolds - and it's amazing how the author made that the whole story in this book.

Also, way to throw a somewhat love triangle in this series. The series is only TWO BOOKS LONG, and yet, Lunetta includes a love triangle in this series. In my opinion, it's pretty obvious where Lunetta is going with the romance, and I'm happy with the boy that Amy chose, but still. Seriously?! One book spent with one boy, one book spent with another... no. No thank you.

The "scare" factor was missing. I didn't feel like terror, the fear, the paranoia that I felt in the first book, involving the creatures. The Florae dominate the plot in the first book, but it didn't seem as important in this book as the first book. Baby was more important. Honestly, is one person more important than the survival of hundreds? Thousands? I know it seems like a difficult choice, but it's not.

I think in general, this book just wasn't impressive. The first book wow-ed me, but this one was a bit of a letdown, honestly. I had some pretty high standards for this book, but it just felt forced and cliche. Meh.

Would I Recommend It:

If you read the first book, be sure to read this one as well! It's not AMAZING, but it's definitely worth the read, for closure. Book one left much to be discovered. But if you haven't read book one, then ehh, don't bother with this series. You could skip these two and not be missing out.

Rating:

3 stars. Something wasn't there, comparing this book to the first book. What sucked me into the first book - the energy, the fear, the survival mode - wasn't quite there in this book. However, it was a pretty good sequel and conclusion novel. I'm glad I read this one, especially for closure!

Author Blog | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

Review: In the After by Demitria Lunetta

In the After by Demitria Lunetta

Book One of the In the After series

Publisher: Harper Teen

Publication Date: June 25, 2013

Rating: 4 stars

Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Summary (from Goodreads):

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.

What I Liked:

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, to be quite honest. I've had an eARC for months, and never could seem to bring myself to read it. The synopsis was a little chilling, and I don't really do well with post-apocalyptic reads or the end of the world or those sorts of thing.

But I enjoyed this book! Half of the book is spent in the world, and the other half is spent at New Hope. I liked this balance of the book. Some books spend very little time on the "outside", and way too much time in the dystopian world. I'm glad we got to see so much of Amy's world "After", and then we get so much from New Hope.

Amy's narration is very different from what is expected of most YA books. She knows the world before it was overrun by Them, and she survives the perils of the world After. Her voice is so unique! I admire her ability to survive, and how she used her surroundings to work to her advantage (the fence, grocery, basement, etc.). 

I thought the addition of Baby was an interesting one. Baby is a toddler that Amy found in the grocery. Amy takes in Baby, and they live together in the After - for three years I believe. Amy and Baby do not speak, for fear of attracting Them, so Baby never retains the ability to speak (though Amy can). Instead, they come up with a modified version of sign language, and are able to sign into each other's hands.

I was never bored while reading this book - there is no way anyone could be bored, with so much action page after page! There were some boring passages that I glossed over, but nothing too long or detrimental to the story. The plot of the story is somewhat confusing, but in the After, and at New Hope. In the After, Amy describes both Before, and then she describes After. At New Hope, it switches between what is currently happening at New Hope, and what is in italics - something that we will get to see by the end of the book, that hasn't happened yet. I know, it sounds confusing even after I've read the book. But once you read the entire book, everything comes together.

If you couldn't tell already, New Hope is a dystopian society. Basically, people gravitated to this abandoned college campus and started building a carefully constructed society. It's weird there, because they have school, and work, but they also have forced impregnation and testing on Them (the creatures). It's implied from the introduction of New Hope that it is a dystopian society, and it really is.

There is a hint of romance, but nothing romantic really happens, and I don't have a ton of hope for this romance. I really don't think Amy and Rice are the greatest pair together, and they definitely do not have the strongest chemistry or attraction or romance. I guess the author didn't do a good enough job of convincing me that the romance is something. Because it felt really... meh.

I had a hunch, just from reading the synopsis, what the creatures were and where they came from and whatnot. My hunch was correct. It's so scary to think that this is something that could actually happen! The concept is very, very plausible. Think biological warfare.

The ending is expected, as soon as Amy and Baby reaches New Hope. I didn't expect the twist with Baby and her skills. I did expect Amy to do what she did at the very end. But I expected someone (not saying who) to come with her. But that's okay! We shall see in the next book.

What I Did Not Like:

I think I already mentioned this, but in the first part of the book, there were some passages that were slightly boring, and I skipped over them. Readers don't need to know so much about Before, or After. It gives the novel really solid worldbuilding, but then, for me, it makes the book less interesting because I get bored with huge paragraphs and no dialogue.

I also didn't like how the romance was almost non-existent. It's like the author waved it in front of our face and then hid it behind her back. I really felt nothing towards Rice and Amy. Their relationship, romantically, seemed very forced.

I was confused with the switches in the second half of the book. Obviously, there was a reason why the parts in italics were in italics. But it took me two of those italic passages for me to figure out that those passages were in the future (sort of). A cool aspect of the book, but a confusing one.

Would I Recommend It:

Yes, I would! I'm so pleased that I liked this book, but kind of annoyed that I didn't read it sooner. It's scary to think what could happen to our world!

Rating:

4 stars. It's not necessarily an OMG-huge-favorite-of-mine, but I really, really liked this book - a lot more than I was expecting! I mean that in the best way possible!

Author Blog | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!