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danascully7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
snoopydoo77's review against another edition
3.0
*I received a free copy from the publisher via Bookish First and chose to leave a voluntary review. Thank you!*
3.5★
When I saw this on Bookish First and read the excerpt, I just knew it was something I would enjoy. Ans I was right... for the most part. Don't get me wrong I really liked this book and there was only one thing i disliked about it.
But we get to that in a minute, first the things I really enjoyed...... The world building was great and I really enjoyed it, it was well written and not over or underdone. It was a nice balance.
The cast of characters, judging from the cover I thought we would have gotten more than we did. But that was okay. We get the main couple and a few side characters but that are equally important to the story.
The romance was also something I enjoyed. They balanced each other out so nicely and it was so, so much fun to read. It did say a romantic high fantasy but I would say it is more romance novel set in a fantasy world. As we definitely get more romance/relationship than other fantasy stuff. But that was A OKAY with me. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
That all being said, the one part I did not enjoy as much was eh layout/ structure of the book. It was all over a before and after alternating chapters , One before next after and that made it a bit hard to follow at times and timeline a bit wacky for me . But overall, I enjoyed this book.
I rate it 3.5★ and would have rated it higher if not for the back and forth with the before and after and it be easier to follow.
lovdays's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
mellomorissa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
melstinylibrary's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I do think I would’ve liked it better if the story was just the “before” chapters. I would’ve liked if these were more elaborated on and didn’t care that much about the “after” chapters.
I also think that if the book was just the “before” chapters but longer, there was a chance to get to know the side characters better. I would’ve loved to learn more about them, their personalities and dynamics!
In short; an easy to pick up story, but I would’ve preferred if the book was just the “before” chapters.
renee_c's review against another edition
4.0
The Afterward is about what happens to the characters after they've completed the exciting adventures that YA fantasy novels usually focus on. This is a concept that I haven't seen done before, which pushed me to pick up this novel, and I don't regret it at all. The three things I enjoyed the most about The Afterward were the alternating timelines, the normalcy of the leading characters, and the diversity.
The Afterward alternates between the two leads', Kalanthe's and Olsa's, perspectives and between a year after the quest and the time of the quest. I really enjoyed the switching narratives because they slowly revealed more of each character and of what exactly happened during the quest. The two leads aren't the usual "stars" you'd see as protagonists in a YA novel; neither of them are the most respected or most skilled or most talented. Instead, the rest of the team on the quest fill those roles, and they make for a very exciting host of side characters. Yes, there are still the strong knights and the mysterious mages you find in plenty of other novels, but they are written in such a way that drew me towards them and made me eager to learn more.
Each flip between storylines and perspectives unveiled more of every character's intriguing background. And overall, The Afterward was extremely diverse and open, particularly in terms of gender identity, sexuality, and race. These factors make The Afterward a lovely read that distinguishes itself from most other YA fantasy novels out there.
Looking back, the only flaws I can think of in The Afterward are that the present timeline never picks up speed to something high-stakes, and the story was too brief for me to bond with any character in depth. But I found so much more than that in this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed watching a variety of characters and past events unfold before me, and I would highly recommend this novel to those who are looking to meet new characters that one wouldn't usually find in YA.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
5.0
This book surprised me so much! To be honest when I was going into this book I thought it would be confusing with the after and before chapter, but it worked perfectly, merging the events together in a way that made me want to read the next chapter so I could get more. I loved the romance between the two main characters as well as their POV journeys.
scarlettjade55's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
steph01924's review against another edition
5.0
lyoungthebookfae's review against another edition
5.0