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A review by _ckarys
Aftermath by Courtney Beals
4.0
Aftermath is a story that unites many elements that I love with others that I’m always a bit iffy about. Together, however, everything worked really well!
Reading this story, I couldn’t help but be reminded of dystopian settings such as The Hunger Games The story follows twins sisters, Lyla and Lilly, who live in what we could consider a dystopian version of our Earth, now conquered by dangerous beings from another realm that they call Takers. The twins have lost their mother during the conquest, and now live with their grandparents, learning to fight and living off scraps to survive. The balance of their life is tipped when the twins discover their grandmother’s corpse and that their grandfather has gone missing. But what’s more is that they are visited by their father, whom they believed dead, who tells them of another dimension from which the villain of the story, the one who murdered their mother and destroyed the world as they knew it, comes from. Furthermore, Lyla and Lilly also hail from this world, being half witches. These events set off the story, taking the sisters into the world of Armoria to train alongside those who are building a resistance against the Demorites (aka the Takers).
Though I’m not always 100% sold on dystopian novels, this sort of setting really worked well for Aftermath and created a great atmosphere. I really enjoyed the world-building and was very fascinated by the concept of the two dimensions.
The characters were really well-rounded. I especially loved the bond between the twins, Lyla and Lilly. Their personalities balanced well and it really reminded me in ways of my bond with my sister, with whom you most likely know I’m very close. It’s always a nice treat to find strong familiar bonds in a story, something that we don’t find enough in books nowadays.
I was very intrigued by Lyla’s mysterious dreams. She recurrently dreams about the night of their mother’s death at the hands of Damien, the story’s villain. Damien, who is able to communicate with Lyla in her dream state, and wants her for her powers. Now, I bet you know where this is going *wiggles finger at you* But I cannot disappoint you. Yes, I was very intrigued by the mysterious and dangerous Damien. Dark hair, bright eyes…you know me, I have a weakness, and I was reminded of one of my favorite villains reading about him. (In this household we venerate the Starless Saint, the one and only Darkling from the Grisha trilogy). I really want to know all there is to know about this character!
The thing I didn’t enjoy much was the romance, specifically that between Lyla and Graham. Yes, Graham was very handsome, but I was not sold on his Prince Charming aura, and though he and Lyla don’t immediately act on their attraction, the immediate lovestruck thoughts she had for him really didn’t impress me with everything else that was happening—which sometimes seemed to come second in her mind to her romantic feelings. I’m more than happy to have an instant attraction between characters, but I always prefer feelings to progress slower and I would have liked to see that in this book.
Apart from the little romance incident, I really enjoyed the story! I can’t wait to see what else this world has in store for us in the next book. I recommend Aftermath to lovers of YA fantasy and dystopian. Thank you to the author for sending me a copy!
Reading this story, I couldn’t help but be reminded of dystopian settings such as The Hunger Games The story follows twins sisters, Lyla and Lilly, who live in what we could consider a dystopian version of our Earth, now conquered by dangerous beings from another realm that they call Takers. The twins have lost their mother during the conquest, and now live with their grandparents, learning to fight and living off scraps to survive. The balance of their life is tipped when the twins discover their grandmother’s corpse and that their grandfather has gone missing. But what’s more is that they are visited by their father, whom they believed dead, who tells them of another dimension from which the villain of the story, the one who murdered their mother and destroyed the world as they knew it, comes from. Furthermore, Lyla and Lilly also hail from this world, being half witches. These events set off the story, taking the sisters into the world of Armoria to train alongside those who are building a resistance against the Demorites (aka the Takers).
Though I’m not always 100% sold on dystopian novels, this sort of setting really worked well for Aftermath and created a great atmosphere. I really enjoyed the world-building and was very fascinated by the concept of the two dimensions.
The characters were really well-rounded. I especially loved the bond between the twins, Lyla and Lilly. Their personalities balanced well and it really reminded me in ways of my bond with my sister, with whom you most likely know I’m very close. It’s always a nice treat to find strong familiar bonds in a story, something that we don’t find enough in books nowadays.
I was very intrigued by Lyla’s mysterious dreams. She recurrently dreams about the night of their mother’s death at the hands of Damien, the story’s villain. Damien, who is able to communicate with Lyla in her dream state, and wants her for her powers. Now, I bet you know where this is going *wiggles finger at you* But I cannot disappoint you. Yes, I was very intrigued by the mysterious and dangerous Damien. Dark hair, bright eyes…you know me, I have a weakness, and I was reminded of one of my favorite villains reading about him. (In this household we venerate the Starless Saint, the one and only Darkling from the Grisha trilogy). I really want to know all there is to know about this character!
The thing I didn’t enjoy much was the romance, specifically that between Lyla and Graham. Yes, Graham was very handsome, but I was not sold on his Prince Charming aura, and though he and Lyla don’t immediately act on their attraction, the immediate lovestruck thoughts she had for him really didn’t impress me with everything else that was happening—which sometimes seemed to come second in her mind to her romantic feelings. I’m more than happy to have an instant attraction between characters, but I always prefer feelings to progress slower and I would have liked to see that in this book.
Apart from the little romance incident, I really enjoyed the story! I can’t wait to see what else this world has in store for us in the next book. I recommend Aftermath to lovers of YA fantasy and dystopian. Thank you to the author for sending me a copy!