Review: In The After by Demitria Lunetta

"In the After"

 

Author: Demitria Lunetta

Publisher: Harpercollins

Published: June 2013

*Science Fiction/Dystopian

*On order at the library

 

 

Summary:

Attack.

Not isolated.

Fate of Americans: unknown.

Amy is watching TV when the world is attacked by Them. Most of the population is overtaken, but Amy manages to survive-and even rescue "Baby," a toddler she finds in an abandoned supermarket.
Then, 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.
You''ll tear through the pulse-pounding narrow escapes and horrifying twists of fate in this thrilling debut from author Demitria Lunetta.


My Review:

Recently, I read a fast-paced page turner, In the After by Demitria Lunetta. It was a fantastic book that caught my attention despite the numerous lucrative distractions around me. If you are a fan of science fiction and coping with an apocalypse, this is your book!

Before, Amy Harris was the daughter of an environment advocate and a workaholic. After, she is caring for a toddler she calls Baby. Amy has to rapidly grow up in order to provide for two meanwhile trying to escape from Them. Them are green aliens with glowing yellow eyes, uncanny hearing, and an unquenchable appetite for human flesh; Them caused an apocalypse. The two relied on each other for companionship by communicating with a modified version of American Sign Language until they were rescued by New Hope, a post apocalyptic city dedicated to preserving the remaining members of the human species. Amy is surprised to discover that her mother, whom she thought was dead, was alive and directing this entire initiative to rebuild society. She attempts to live up to her mother’s and her community’s expectations. In New Hope the safety, security, and prosperity of the community was placed above all else, including the freedom of individuals. Curious Amy had trouble adapting to a life where propaganda and confidentiality were the foundation of society. What is the secret that New Hope is trying to hide? Why do leaders of New Hope want her dead? Will Amy choose freedom over safety?

This book kept me captivated and intrigued from the first page to the last. It was well written in the sense that the descriptions touch on all the senses and flowed together to create a perfect imaginary movie.

“I walked slowly, carefully placing each foot on the sidewalk to avoid making noise. The night was windy, which made me jumpy. Any movement of a bush or free and I froze. After constantly stalling, I had to force myself to calm down again. I didn’t want the sound of my hyperventilating to bring Them.”

The books did have some weaknesses. It was cliché and there was improper use of binomial nomenclature. They referred to the monsters as Florae sapiens when in biology no two species names can overlap. Usage of the word sapiens was scientifically inaccurate, but usage of the word Florae was incredibly witty. Flora (plural: Florae) refers to both plants and bacteria living inside of humans. This name is appropriate because the creatures resemble plants and is the result of biological warfare. In terms of rhythm, the beginning of the books was a bit slow and repetitive, and the ending was too fast. The idea for the conclusion, in my opinion, was the most interesting part of the entire story. In the sea of confusion, the ending held all of the answers. Unfortunately, it lasted only a couple of pages.

In the second and third part of the book, there are these episodes written in italics that confused me terribly. They seem to be dreams, but they also occur when she is awake. The episodes describe her treatment process in a mental institution. There is a possibility that these scenes are flashbacks to when she transitioned from the After into New Hope. Due to my lack of understanding for the purpose of these episodes, I felt like they were there to take up space, and didn’t contribute a whole lot to the plot.

I would categorize this book as a science fiction story with aspects of a utopian society. It follows the Hunger Games theme of trying to survive alone and learn how to live in a society that values productivity over individuality. The societies in both books are ruthless. New Hope used captives to test antidotes to biological weapons, while Hunger Games used children fighting for their survival as a method of entertainment. Both books also incorporate a very realistic and authentic romance.

Overall, the writer does a great job in making a believable post apocalyptic atmosphere by examining all aspects of how it functions, e.g. how humans will reproduce, how they will get their food source, and how they would defend themselves against the monsters. The protagonist is very believable. Through Amy’s actions, the reader can feel her maternal instincts, her desire for freedom, and her fear of the unknown. She embodies a beautiful and strong woman who is capable of facing the goods and evils of society without a male protector. I especially enjoyed her suitor because he was normal. He was not the unbelievably hot, super secretive, and incredibly charismatic alpha male, we normally read about. His personality is what pulls people in. He respected Amy instead of attempting to control her. He used his love and his dedication to earn her love. I would say her suitor, Rice, has to be one of the most attractive and realistic personalities in young adult literature.

“He reminds me of the boys I went to school with Before. Not the jocks or the popular kids. The geeky ones who looked a little socially uncomfortable, but you always knew they were going to go to Harvard and change the world.”

“He smiled crookedly, softening his striking features and wild blonde hair making him look kind. He looked familiar with his sharp features and wild blond hair. When I noticed a pair of glasses shoved in his white coat…”

Happy Reading,

Betty
Teen Reviewer

Teen Review: Rush by Eve Silver

 

"Rush"

Author: Eve Silver

Publisher: Harpercollins

Published: June 2013

Available at the library: On order

*Aliens, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Synopsis:

So what's the game now?
This, or the life I used to know?
 
Miki Jones's carefully controlled life spirals into chaos after she's run down in the street, left broken and bloody. She wakes up fully healed in a place called the lobby-pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game in which she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures.
 
There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Every moment of the game is kill or be killed, and Miki has only the questionable guidance of Jackson Tate, the team's alluring and secretive leader. He evades her questions, holds himself aloof from the others, and claims it's every player for himself. But when he puts himself at risk to watch Miki's back, he leaves her both frustrated and fascinated. Jackson says the game isn't really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival. And the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn't. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.

My Review:

 

The book I have recently read and reviewed was Rush by Eve Silver, a fantasy novel taking place in our current time period in an unspecified place, most likely North America. It follows Miki, a teenaged female living a normal life. Suddenly one heroic choice, saving a classmates sister from being hit by a truck, changes her life, her relationships and could change the world. She and child-hood friend Luka are transported to a place called “The Lobby” where they meet Richelle, Tyrone and our love interest, Jackson Tate. These kids and hundreds of others were predestined to fight a terrifying and beautiful alien race, the Drau. The rest of the team calls this a game and that’s how Miki treats it. Then the game becomes fatal quickly, and the weight of their situation finally hits her, full force. Struggling with this deadly challenge, a best friend quickly becoming distant, her own grief and the infuriating yet special Jackson Tate, Miki’s life presents a formidable challenge. The plot was exciting yet easy to follow, a harmonious mixture.

            The book wastes no time getting to the meat of this story, the game. Within the first pages we’ve met Miki, her best friends and learned enough about her life that we already feel connected to the character but there are still mysteries to solve about her. The book was able to maintain interest throughout but it didn’t have too many major events that the reader became confused or felt the book was trying to distract them with excitement. It had enough twists to aid the story and they were logical but not predictable. It was a very strong piece of writing with very few faults.

            As mentioned earlier, this book had exceedingly good writing. Not only was it an original concept, it was an original concept executed well. Starting off with the writing itself, the passages were descriptive enough to paint a clear picture but still let the reader imagine some things. They used a wide range of vocabulary appropriate to the age level it was geared towards, especially for the character’s emotions. For example, instead of saying “She didn’t like the taste” it would say something like “She detested the sharp, bitter taste with a vehement passion”. It really helped the reader empathise with the characters, giving a better reading experience. The author also used great detail in describing settings such as Miki’s home. You got a clear mental map of everything, further immersing yourself. Moving on to the characters themselves, there was one thing that caught my eye first. Not only is there a strong, realistic female protagonist, she’s of Asian descent. A lot of times when there is a female protagonist in a modern novel, she’s Caucasian. Having a character representing minorities is always a plus. Miki’s personality was likeable with a good back story. I’m against using tragedies simply for the sake of giving characters a tragic back story. I felt the story did it to add meaning and it didn’t feel like a cheap gimmick. The characters also developed over the course of the story and you see your first judgements overturned. The only complaint I could possibly have is sometimes it can use repetitive phrases. It would still have good vocabulary but it would be identical to something the character said in the previous chapter. It wasn’t a big problem, just a small thing.

In conclusion, I give this book five out five stars for excellent development and execution. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the fantasy genre or who is looking for a relatable female protagonist in a leadership role.

Happy Reading,

Abby
Teen Reviewer