A review by books4days
The Afterward by E.K. Johnston
4.0
Told as a series of flashbacks to "Before," when a group of knights, a mage, and a thief managed to destroy the Old God, and "After," which finds all members of the group prospering well enough -- except Olsa, the thief, who finds she must still live on the street and steal to make a living, The Afterward is a story about what happens AFTER the epic battle has been won, but fame doesn't pay your rent. Olsa tries to deal with her post-quest life as a well-known figure, but finds it hard to break the law with such a famous face. Additionally, Olsa's dealing with her feelings for Kalanthe, a trainee knight indebted to pay for her own training and destined to make a marriage for money to pay off her debt. Though they love each other, what future is there for a knight and a thief?
This book is positively RIFE with diversity and representation-- first of all, the entire group of knights is female, and of the entire main quest group, half of them are women of color and queer women. Add to that one woman who wears a headscarf and one who suffers from PTSD, as well as great messages about interacting with people from other cultures (don't appropriate others' cultures! make the effort to pronounce someone's name correctly!), and you've got a good recipe for an inclusive book. It's a new spin on some classic sword-and-sorcery tropes, and I really enjoyed it, especially it's Alanna-esque vibes when discussing Kalanthe's training (really, the whole thing felt like it was very loosely inspired by Tamora Pierce, though I don't think that was the primary influence).
Just two small quibbles: I wanted to see more romantic backstory, and I felt like the main problems got resolved slightly too easily; however, the latter may be because I wanted just a bit more melodrama. :P
This book is positively RIFE with diversity and representation-- first of all, the entire group of knights is female, and of the entire main quest group, half of them are women of color and queer women. Add to that one woman who wears a headscarf and one who suffers from PTSD, as well as great messages about interacting with people from other cultures (don't appropriate others' cultures! make the effort to pronounce someone's name correctly!), and you've got a good recipe for an inclusive book. It's a new spin on some classic sword-and-sorcery tropes, and I really enjoyed it, especially it's Alanna-esque vibes when discussing Kalanthe's training (really, the whole thing felt like it was very loosely inspired by Tamora Pierce, though I don't think that was the primary influence).
Spoiler
Also, I loved the want/need in the scene where Kalanthe is talking to gem-holding Olsa!Just two small quibbles: I wanted to see more romantic backstory, and I felt like the main problems got resolved slightly too easily; however, the latter may be because I wanted just a bit more melodrama. :P