Reviews

The Afterward by E.K. Johnston

kristie5's review against another edition

4.0

Overall I really enjoyed The Afterward by E.K. Johnston, this was a great epic fantasy debut. I really enjoyed the characters, especially Kalanthe and the writing style and world building was amazing. Synopsis** It has been a year since the mysterious godsgem cured Cadrium’s king and ushered in what promised to be a new golden age. The heroes who brought the gem home are renowned in story and song, but for two fellows on the quest, peace and prosperity do not come easily.

Apprentice Knight Kalanthe Ironheart wasn't meant for heroism this early in life, and while she has no intention of giving up the notoriety she has earned, her reputation does not pay her bills. With time running out, Kalanthe may be forced to betray not her kingdom or her friends, but her own heart as she seeks a stable future for herself and those she loves.

Olsa Rhetsdaughter was never meant for heroism at all. Beggar, pick pocket, thief, she lived hand to mouth on the city streets until fortune--or fate--pulled her into Kalanthe's orbit. And now she's quite reluctant to leave it. Even more alarmingly, her fame has made her recognizable, which makes her profession difficult, and a choice between poverty and the noose isn't much of a choice at all.

Both girls think their paths are laid out, but the godsgem isn't quite done with them and that new golden age isn’t a sure thing yet.

bonnygreen98's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

midnight91princess's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

ams316's review against another edition

lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

megreads11's review against another edition

4.0

Too short, but lovely. Wonderful that books like this exist. And once again, I am such a sucker for high fantasy.

chimichannika's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

lpcoolgirl's review

5.0

Loved reading this book, the Afterward was cozy fantasy, and I loved these two! 

saviorcomplexdiehard's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

jamietherebelliousreader's review against another edition

3.0

3 stars. I love Johnston’s writing style. It’s so engaging and gripping. I did enjoy this book but I think the short length really hindered it. Everything feels so rushed here and I wanted more development of everything. The world, the characters, the romance, all of it needed at least a hundred more pages. I did like the way this was told in Before and After alternating timelines. That was cool and it was a smooth transition between the two. I liked the characters and the romance, while it isn’t the focus was so adorable. I adored Kalanthe and Olsa’s chemistry so much.

This was fun, it was a quick read but I wanted more from it. It felt unfinished to me and I wish there was a second book but oh well.

gawaininred's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.0

I found this book baffling. It felt like the narrative was trying to lean on a pastiche of a mythic fantasy story structure, but it was so vague it really didn’t work. The flatness of the culture and world felt really jarring - it felt like more of a hastily-constructed theater backdrop of a world, which I could have gotten behind if the focus was on the relationships of the characters, but those also fell flat and seemed underdeveloped. It felt like the book ‘yada-yada’ed over the details of 1) the evil god the quest was to defeat 2) the new gods, who are better for some reason? 3) the personalities of everyone other than the main two characters 4) the hardships of the Quest that brought them together. Somehow, this resulted in the story being told at breakneck speed and also feeling disjointed and boring. The book tackled gender and sexuality and discrimination in a way that felt entirely devoid of original context, instead being a cookie-cutter transferral of the gender and sexuality discussions of our world, which wouldn’t have bothered me as much if it didn’t feel sort of like a checkmark list of explaining that homophobia and transphobia were a thing of the past in this world, without meaningfully engaging with queerness. Most of the secondary cast felt completely interchangeable. My favorite parks were Kalanthe and Olsa navigating their relationship, but those scenes were few and far between. I also enjoyed the bits about Kalanthe learning to rule an estate; that felt like the most grounded the story got.