Reviews

The Afterlife of the Party by Marlene Perez

bookloversofi's review

2.0

I want to thank NetGalley & Entangled: Teen for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly, this book wasn't made for me, I was able to enjoy some scenes that made me laugh and I can also say that the positive thing about this book is that at least it kept my interest in knowing what would happen, even so, there's not much else to highlight. The plot itself is about vampires, there are a bit of boyish bands, travel and friendship too, it has a very old-school style in terms of structure and plot, which can be a fun factor, just didn't resonate with me this time, plus it didn't help the fact that it's pretty cliche. I felt everything quite flat, there are scenes that are absurd that come out of nowhere to keep the plot moving, the characters aren't strong enough to be highlighted and sadly I don't have much to say about the descriptions or the setting since there's not much development there.



2/5 ⭐⭐

You can find more of my reviews & fun content on my blog A Book. A Thought.


The book basically follows Tansy as she tries to save her friend Skyler from a gang of vampires while trying to discover the meaning of her feelings for her other best friend Vaughn. From here they'll find themselves in impossible situations surrounded by dangers and challenges which will push Tansy to make a decision as the last sacrifice to save the lives of her friends.


I think this book ended up being too childlike for me, I don't mean that I don't enjoy books with this youthful vibe where anything can happen as long as the plot continues to move, but in this case, it didn't work for me. I think the idea itself is fun, and I was super excited to read it just because there would be vampires and that's always an entertaining factor for me, and while I did enjoy that particular point, I think the execution itself and the way in which the author has handled the development of it is something disastrous at times, I don't want to sound mean, but I really think there were many ways to take the story down an interesting path and this hasn't been my favorite. There are a lot of good ideas in the book, but I don't know, it just felt too carefree to be 100% interested in what was going on.

There's a very great lack of descriptions and this makes it difficult to locate within the story in time and space, this is not always something that personally requires to enjoy a plot, but here I do think it would have been a great touch that would probably have done a lot more for the plot. On the other hand, we also have the development of the characters, and this is probably what I liked the least about the book, the characters themselves aren't remarkable nor do they really have anything that makes them special to me, plus many attitudes, especially from Tansy, are silly, and it's okay, I understand that the characters must go wrong to carry out and grow at some point, but OMG, she was desperate for me, I don't like this character and I feel like she has had too many opportunities within the story to re-vindicate herself and she hasn't known how to take advantage of them.


I had high hopes that the book would improve in quality towards the end and at some point, I almost thought it would, but it didn't, and it fell again to end in an unsatisfactory way for me. I think one of my biggest problems with the book is that it doesn't follow a clear line when telling the story, it's like random things happen all of a sudden to make it more "exciting" I guess. I can't deny that it has a lot of twists and turns and revelations, which makes it feel a bit more interesting when reading, but even so, a book doesn't stand up on revelations alone, so after the surprise and the initial shock again falls into being even a little repetitive and cliche at times. Although I must admit that romance hasn't been one of the worst I've read, it has adorable moments, which is good.

In some way, I can see the author wants this story to be sexy and funny something like True Blood but more youthful(? Or something like that, so maybe this crazy and reckless factor that characterizes it is here on purpose and is the style the author wants to give to the book, in that case, I can see other readers enjoying it without problems, perhaps I'm not simply the target for it, since a certain part of me expected a greater development of the plot, more explanations in general, and above all a seriousness that's lost as you progress through the reading.


I'll not judge the author based on only one of her works, nor it's my intention to speak badly of her style, I believe that each writer has a unique imprint that will always work wonderfully for some readers more than for others, so I would probably be willing to give her a second chance maybe with another type of genre.

This book isn't for me, and that's clear, but even so, I think it could work if you're looking for something light to read, it may be the absurdity of its plot and the crazy actions of the characters, as well as the youthfulness of their dialogues and paranormal factors works for you at the end. Obviously, I cannot recommend it as fervently as I usually do, since it hasn't been a book that I enjoy with that intensity, but even so, this is just my opinion and I hope it doesn't stop you from trying it if you feel like it. It's clear that I was looking for a much more serious, intense, and action plot, so this book really fell short in those aspects. I still think, from my humble opinion, that it could be an interesting plot with a little more work.











First Thoughts 03/10/21

I was hopeful that it will get better as the story progressed but it didn't. I think this is the kind of book that is a hit or miss for me and this time, unfortunately, it was a miss.
I think the idea is fun and has a lot of possibilities to explore, but I felt it too immature in terms of the character voices which are quite flat as well, and the scenes are somewhat absurd. It reminded me a bit of Riverdale but paranormal, I don't know why lol, it's that kind of plot that you know is kind of everywhere & absurd, but I understand that it has moments that can be enjoyed.
Still this wasn't for me.

thindbooks's review

2.0

*This book was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

This was not my type of book sadly. This book is about Tansy who goes to the party with her best friend, Skylar, who is now sired to a vampire. Tansy and Vaughn go on a trip to get her back and try to bring the vampires down. The writing for this book was just not for me. I felt that the plot structure wasn't done well and that the story was kind of everywhere. There wasn't much of a world-building or anything but small pieces of information here and there. I didn't like the pacing and felt that it was rushed. I was hooked at the beginning of the story but towards page 50, I started to lose interest. There were some scenes in the book that I enjoyed like the trip Tansy and Vaughn took together to find Skylar.

I didn't feel much connection with the characters in this book. For me, I thought Tansy was annoying and she could have saved her best friend multiple times throughout the story. I did enjoy Vaughn but not so much through the romance for the couple in this book was cute. There were many side characters that just popped in and out of the book though I wish they were more involved. The biggest problem for me in this book was that the antagonist wasn't really an antagonist. He acted like a kid at some time and the major antagonist was taken down easily even though he showed up in the last 30 pages.

This wasn't my type of book even though it had vampires and witches which I enjoyed in a paranormal book. I guess I was expecting more of a book like House of Night or The Vampire Diaries. There were some minor things I enjoyed about the book but other than that it wasn't my read for 2021. I was super excited for this book but sadly it just wasn't my type of reading.

leapearlreads's review against another edition

2.0

Sadly disappointing. The writing did not flow well and I felt like it jumped around, missing some details I really wanted. I ended up skimming most of the book which I'm bummed about...the premise sounded so intriguing, but the story just didn't hit that mark.
I think it just needed to be fleshed out more, maybe with some character development it would've changed the whole story for the better. There's potential, it just needs some work, in my opinion.

I hate giving such a crappy rating, but reading this book was a genuine struggle for me.


Thank you Entangled publishing via NetGalley for providing the e-copy to read and honestly review.

mili_on_a_book_adventure's review

3.0

This book was provided by Netgally and Entangled Teen for an honest review. All of the thought and opinions are my own.

This book was a little confusing to me until I realized that it is in fact a YA book.

I liked that the main plot line is what we would do for our friends and how far that is. I had trouble with the pacing and too many subplots thrown in but it pulled me in the story and kept me reading. Tho not my favorite book of this genre I enjoyed reading it and will definitely keep my eye up on sequels in the future.

bookwife's review

4.0

This was such a fun book to read. I got this book at 8 at night and stayed up way past bed time (I have kids so yes I have a bed time) to read almost the whole thing in one night.

The book starts with Tansy going to a party with a couple of her friends, Skylar and Vaughn. The party wasn't exactly what Tansy was expecting... Turns out the band has more than playing music on the menu for the night. The Drainers are vampires and Skylar is enthralled. Tansy and Vaughn chase the band around so they can help Skylar break the link to the lead singer, Travis.

I loved Tansy and Vaughn. I liked their chemistry and their awkwardness when it came to starting a relationship. I also really loved all they went through to help out Skylar. Because she was kind of a brat.

I am excited to see what happens next. This book ended with a pretty big change in Tansy's life and I can't wait to see how she handles it!

chloexx's review

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

annsbibliotherapy's review

4.0

A party, a drumstick, and an executioner ohh my Tansy has had one heck of a few days. What starts as Sky dragging her to see the guy she likes and his band play turns into... well you'll just have to read the book.

I love a good campy vampire book, the more snark the better and this one has it in spades. With zingy one-liners aplenty, this is a unique take on both the vampire and witch genres and I enjoyed every page of it.

Characters you either love, hate, or want to leave stranded in the desert, young love, a friendship that can overcome anything, and the love of family both biological and found gives us a well-rounded group that you can't help but root for.

While there were some utterly heartbreaking moments, there was that whole bat thing, and some of the characters may get on your nerves a tad bit it all goes into the overall experience of the story and in my opinion, we needed all of the ups and downs to get to where we were at the end.

I can't wait to start the second book and see what trouble Tansy, Sky, Vaughn, and everyone involved in this battle of good versus evil can get themselves into next.

angelsbookstaloves's review

2.0

I looooove reading about vampires. I don't read enough with them! This was a very intense read. I enjoyed so much about it!

I will say, there were a few things that kinda annoyed me (which is why the rating is lower) BUT, I still loved it! I am excited for the next book.

libbysjoutnal's review

1.0

Dnf

kelsiebenko's review

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5 ⭐️