Reviews

This book was really a 3 1/2 story but cause I cant do halves I bumped it up to 4 cause it really dissevered the half star or being bumped up. This was an even paced novel that outlined a dystopian world. For a first book the characters are amazing and the world building (new society) was well planned out. The only downfall was the events were predictable, but there are still some hidden treasures within this story that grabs hold of you and keeps you interested in it like any good first book has. I look forward to continuing this series

laura_vee's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

writings_of_a_reader's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

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.

I was really glued to In the After during the first part of the book when it was sort of like reading a mash up of I am Legend and Falling Skies. Amy is left on her own after everyone around her has been killed by "Them". The news has reported that they are aliens who have landed to take over the earth. Soon there is no more news and as far as Amy can tell no other people. She observes how the aliens behave and figure out how to hide from them and get around them. I thought it was different that they were day time creatures instead of night time creatures and I liked that about the story.

One day while scavenging for food in a grocery store Amy finds a 3 or 4 year old child who she names Baby. There is never an explanation as to how Baby got there in the first place, although we learn some other important things about her later. I kind of thought this was a hole in the story. I loved Amy and Baby and I think their relationship is one thing that made the book work so well. However, in part two the post-apocalyptic survival story turned into a dystopian society story. From then on I thought it lacked something. The interaction between Amy and Baby became sparse and we are introduced to a lot of other characters that I really didn't care about.

Spoiler

I saw the origin of Them from a mile away, but was really hoping that I was wrong. I wish they had really been aliens and not infected humans. In that aspect it was a lot like the creatures in I am Legend, only these were green with big claws and fangs. It was also like a million zombie stories that are already out there. I just really wanted to be reading an alien book. I thought some of the explanation for how they came about was kind of stupid, and a bit of a stretch that someone would have been dumb enough to cut themselves on a slide that contained a virus like that. I'm pretty sure they take all kinds of precautions when dealing with things like that.

Amy was mostly pretty smart while she was living on her own, but after she was brought to New Hope I thought she kind of stopped being smart and started doing some really stupid things. Knowing that the doctor didn't trust her and had his eye on her, you would think she would have been quieter about her suspicions and rebel in a more covert manner. Unfortunately she makes stupid mistake after stupid mistake for the whole rest of the book.

Spoiler

Even in leaving at the end she is making a stupid mistake, because she doesn't take Baby with her, and the doctor had already pretty much told her he knows baby is the one thing she cares about. Amy could have just walked out of New Hope at any time, there are no walls to keep any of them in, but she doesn't because she convinces herself that giving up some of her freedom is worth the safety that New Hope gives her, which of course brought to my mind the famous quote by Benjamin Franklin. "They who give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Unfortunately Amy doesn't leave when she should and then she is unable to until her friends finally break her out.

While I liked this book ok, I wish it had ended with this one instead of being a duology. At this time I feel like one book is enough so I'm not planning on reading the next one.

Review also posted at Writings of a Reader

emleemay's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

Two stars, eh? Looks like it must be a negative review, right? In this case, though, this isn't that much of a negative review. Rather, these are the reasons why I didn't love this book and the reasons why I think a whole bunch of other people probably will. So...

There's this book you might have heard about lately. It's called [b:The 5th Wave|16101128|The 5th Wave (The Fifth Wave, #1)|Rick Yancey|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359853842s/16101128.jpg|19187812]. I know, I know, they've been so quiet about it, really toned down the promotion to about a thousand rotating banner ads on goodreads. So, maybe you haven't heard of it. Well, I LOVED this book. For a whole bunch of reasons that you can find elsewhere if you so wish. However, as more and more people find their way towards it after the book's release date in early May, it's becoming apparent that some people really didn't like it.

Just kidding. You know me, I never waste an opportunity to drop a couple of gifs.

But because I like to ponder and philosophise on other people's reading habits and tastes and the big questions like "what is it about this book that made us view it so differently?", "If a book falls off my shelf while I'm not in the room - does it make a sound? And, more importantly, is it weird to kiss it better when I get home?", "Is there life after series completion?", "Are we human or are we reader?" and "To read or to read longer?" Perhaps I shall never know the answers. But, after reading this book, I think there's a good chance that the less you liked [b:The 5th Wave|16101128|The 5th Wave (The Fifth Wave, #1)|Rick Yancey|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359853842s/16101128.jpg|19187812], the more you will like [b:In the After|12157407| In the After |Demitria Lunetta|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351415769s/12157407.jpg|17128269].

“I found Baby shortly after the world failed, when I still believed things would return to normal. I no longer hold that hope. Nothing this broken can ever be fixed.”

The reason I liked [b:The 5th Wave|16101128|The 5th Wave (The Fifth Wave, #1)|Rick Yancey|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359853842s/16101128.jpg|19187812] and this one not so much is because I'm not the biggest fan of traditional science fiction. I feel a lack of connection with the characters and a lack of sympathy for their situation. Yancey's tale is not about aliens, but humanity. A lot of it is made up of flashbacks of the characters' lives, building up a gradual picture of who they are, why they continue to fight in a world where hope is almost non-existent, and what makes them survive against the odds. [b:In the After|12157407| In the After |Demitria Lunetta|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351415769s/12157407.jpg|17128269], on the other hand, is an action-packed story that drops us right into the center of the action straight away.

No time is wasted on pretty words, build-up and lengthy flashbacks (though we do get a few, obviously, to explain some of what happened). The aliens are not cleverly-disguised as humans, using distrust as a weapon, these creatures are the old kind. Monstrous, rabid, driven by a crazed desire for human flesh... perfect for fans of what I keep calling traditional sci-fi because I don't know how else to explain it. However, this is part of where the book starts to lose me and why Yancey's approach will always appeal to me more. Because: what is it that separates these creatures from zombies or vampires or "insert other evil supernatural creature here"? Nothing that I can see. But if you like your villains full-stop-totally-nasty, then step this way.

Much of the basic story is similar to the one in [b:The 5th Wave|16101128|The 5th Wave (The Fifth Wave, #1)|Rick Yancey|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359853842s/16101128.jpg|19187812]. Aliens attack, female protagonist must fend for herself, strong sibling-like relationship, parents personalities behind the reasons for certain survival skills, main characters searching for a safe place where obviously some shit is going to go down and everything is not as it first appears. Yada, yada. I saw the twists coming in both books but I think it took more away from [b:In the After|12157407| In the After |Demitria Lunetta|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351415769s/12157407.jpg|17128269], which relied on the action and plot to drive it. But, that being said, I've read several reviews on GR by readers who were surprised.

I also know some had a problem with the writing in [b:The 5th Wave|16101128|The 5th Wave (The Fifth Wave, #1)|Rick Yancey|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359853842s/16101128.jpg|19187812] but I loved that soft, melancholy, end-of-the-world tone which it had. I found the writing here to more simplistic - though, not necessarily in a bad way - and more focused on the action, rather than the thoughts and feelings of the characters. There were some fantastic scenes that I'm sure will get other readers' pulses racing, like the supermarket scene that reminded me so much of the kitchen scene with the velociraptors(I think) from Jurassic Park - and if you don't know what scene I'm talking about, then you clearly haven't watched it enough. That scene gave me nightmares for years.

So, to conclude, I would say that if you were disappointed by [b:The 5th Wave|16101128|The 5th Wave (The Fifth Wave, #1)|Rick Yancey|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359853842s/16101128.jpg|19187812] and the loud hype-parade following it around, do not worry! 2013 may yet bring you the exciting, fast-paced, alien invasion read you were hoping for. Yes, this very well could be it.

katcanwrite's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

~~Review TBW (To be written!)~~

I don't know why, but I was on a zombie kick this week. I started off with [b:Warm Bodies|7619057|Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies, #1)|Isaac Marion|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1323400027s/7619057.jpg|10090210], and that was a lot of fun. I'd been thinking about zombies a lot recently--I'm still stewing of Walking Dead (and how I never finished season 2 on Netflix), and I had just seen , so I thought, why not read this one too?

Also, it's a new book, and (slight accidental hipster that I am) I like to read new books ASAP if they seem like something I'm interested in.

Also, yet another potentially kick-butt 17 year old female protagonist...I'd like to see where she goes!

Ultimately, I was really excited with this book. The monsters were FABULOUS, and the surprise twists are pretty fun.

Spoiler

Some are kind of guessable(aka, the major one), but somehow that didn't ruin the surprise for me because I wanted to see Amy get there herself.

Also, about halfway through, the story starts being told in two parallel strains: one that I will call "Future" for Amy, and one that I will call "Present." The "Future" line takes place in italics, and it always ends like, "I wonder what Rice will do," and the following "Present" line picks up with "Rice and I..." in the "Present." At first I thought I'd hate that pacing/style, but I actually really liked it when the two "times" began to converge. Very cool.

You can tell that this is set up to be a series, and for once, I don't mind. I look forward to seeing where Lunetta takes Amy (and us!) next.

ashley_clark's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

3.5

not a work of art but very fun although the second half was a little slow

catherine_mack's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Another great choice for readers looking for their next read after The Hunger Games. This dystopian/survival story has a strong female protagonist, lots of action and the author manages tension well; never giving away too much too soon or too little to keep us hooked.

I'm not a fan of flashbacks juxtaposed with current events, too often it's just a poor way to shove in chunks of backstory, but the author's handling and intent makes it work very well in this story.

Looks like the sequel's already out, Better get in quick before they sell the rights to some film company.

More...