After the End

1.5 Stars
Wow. Wow. That was...a huge pile of disappointment. Steamy pile of disappointment. Wow.

So yes, the beginning of this book was basically the whole premise of The Village, but without the creepiness factor. Holy moly. Why did I keep reading this. First off, I thought that movie was a steamy pile of horse shit. So why would I like this book? I dunno, I like to torture myself. I just kept chugging forward. Thinking, this will get better. I know it will. Yes. But did it? No. And now I'm fucking annoyed with this book, and mostly myself for reading when I kept thinking I dont like this.

OH, and that romance? Just... not for me.

There is another book, but I have no desire to read it, I honestly do not fucking care what happens! That is saying something.

I'll be honest, After the End was a struggle for me to finish. The beginning held promise, despite the fact that it felt like something had been done before. Juneau was an intriguing character. Brought up in the Alaskan Wilderness, made to believe that she was one of few survivors of the last world war, and able to connect with the “Yara” or the Earth itself to do magic. All of this had the power to sweep me up and carry me through the story. I was like a little child with her hands in the air, waiting to picked up. Sadly, that never happened and I was left disappointed.

I think the biggest flaw with this story is the dual POV it tries to hold onto. The story shifts between Juneau and Miles, but it doesn't really need to. Juneau's story would hold water on its own. She is the one who has a magical connection to the “Yara”, or the Earth. She is the one who is being hunted for reasons unknown. She is the one who has survival skills and who has a remotely interesting story. Miles? Miles is a spoiled boy from the city, with a rich, evil father, who just wants to prove himself. His chapters are terribly boring, and honestly don't add much to the story at all. I feel like this was the main thing that slowed this read down.

My other issue was just with continuity. Juneau comes from the Alaskan Wilderness and is thrown into a world she didn't believe existed. Suddenly there is money to deal with, cars to drive, McDonalds to eat, and so many other things that are shockingly new. Magically, she adjusts in a matter of pages. The girl who at first shied away from cars on the street, is suddenly able to drive one. Can someone please tell me how she knew what the peddles were? She also somehow can distinguish money, buy clothes in a GAP, and know how to buy a ferry ticket. Is anyone else as confused as I am? I was so frustrated.

Finally, is the simple fact that this story just doesn't really go anywhere. It's a constant pattern of running and camping. Fleeing and an attempt at back story. I was left so bored by the middle of the book that I no longer wanted to know why Juneau was being chased, I just wanted her to finally find her clan so things could move forward. Add in yet another abrupt ending, masquerading as a cliffhanger, and I was just tired.

I may be the first to really review this! Yay! Let me just say that I had not read Amy Plum before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The premise sounded great, if a little similar to Running Out of Time. Well, throw all of that out of the window. This is a very original read. I think it would be best if I just point out some stuff: Juneau is one of the bravest, coolest lead characters I have read in awhile. Because we are in her head pretty often, I feel like I really know her and she is a great guide through all of the mystical stuff. I'm a sucker for a survival story, a story about characters on the run, and off grid living. All of that is here and much, much more. Like magic! And sled dogs! And ravens named Poe! I read this in a night, and I couldn't put it down.
Now, the bad: 1. The romance makes no sense (I can't stand when characters on the run have time to fall in love-please. Don't you think there are more important things to be worrying about when being chased by bad guys with guns?) Miles is in no way an equal to Juneau, and his attraction to her seems to surprise him the most because of her stocky build, short stature, and boy hair. HMM. 2. The bad guys are really undefined. Seriously, the sides here are so scrambled, I can't tell which team anyone plays for-except maybe the sled dogs. 3. The title. I cannot seem to remember the name of this book-even while reading it. It's just not sticking in my mind. So, I will now refer to it as “the new Amy Plum book”. 4. It's part of a series, or a trilogy. Whatevs. This sucker does not really end, and now starts the LOOOONG wait for the sequel. That means I will be back in the situation in which I either have to reread the first one or muddle through, because I do not care HOW big of a fan a reader is of a series-no one can remember everything that happens in a book for a year and a half to two years.

So, overall, a good read that is high on action and doesn't drag. Juneau is pretty kick ass without being full of herself. It's a good read.