Review: After the End by Amy Plum

This read-along was hosted by my friend Wendy over at Wall-to-Wall Books.

Though I was never on time when it came to discussions, I was glad that I participated. I was introduced to a new book that I would have never picked up on my own. It was also a lot of fun sharing my thoughts with others who were reading the book along with me. Read-alongs are great fun!

She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future.

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

My Thoughts: Dystopian and post-apocalyptic books are some of my favorites. I could not wait to get this book started, especially that I would be reading it along with other ladies. The premise of the book caught my attention. The thought of a WWIII happening but then it turning out to be a lie was intriguing.

The plot of the book was interesting. Here we had a girl named Juneau who lived in a deserted part of Alaska living off of the land. She, along with the other youth in her clan, were lead to believe that they survived WWIII. Then all of a sudden her clan disappeared. Along with Juneau, I was confused as to what was happening and could easily feel the emotions that she went through when learning the truth. My curiosity was peaked every time something was revealed about Juneau and her clan. I speculated as to what was happening.

As much as I enjoyed the story, I found myself having a hard time connecting with the characters. I completely understood what was happening to Juneau. I thought she kicked butt for being able to handle the situations as calmly and smartly as possible. The rest of the characters I did not care much for. It took me almost to the end to like Miles. He annoyed me throughout most of the book. The other characters were not delved in as much, but I have a feeling they would be more explained in the second book. I would have liked to have seen more character development in this one, though.

It did take me a little longer to read this book than I expected, but I'm glad that I stuck to it. I became engrossed with the last 100 pages. I wanted to know what was going to happen to Juneau and I wanted to get answers to all the mysteries of the clan. The book ended with a cliffhanger, which had me wishing I had the second book.

As a whole, this was a pretty decent work. It took me a while to get into it but I ended up liking it. I liked the storyline and I liked the mystery behind Juneau and her clan. I can't wait to read the next book so I could get a better understanding. I rate it: