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djredhawk's review
4.0
Another take off from the traditional zombie myth - these zombies are called Beaters (Body Eaters) and are NOT dead! They've been infected with a disease that rotted out their minds, but they still live and breath. Excellent! To top it off, eco-terrorist attacks have really screwed up the California landscape, and it's every man (and woman) for him(her)self.
This is all backdrop for Cass Dollar. She's been separated from her toddler, Ruthie, and must find her. Cass' search will take her all over this barren landscape, starting when she wakes up in the wilderness with no memory of what happened that took Ruthie away from her.
This is all backdrop for Cass Dollar. She's been separated from her toddler, Ruthie, and must find her. Cass' search will take her all over this barren landscape, starting when she wakes up in the wilderness with no memory of what happened that took Ruthie away from her.
meshuggeknitter's review
3.0
An enjoyable read, but I was interested enough in the story to read the sequels.
maryganska's review against another edition
4.0
I am loving this book. I seriously can't put it down. Post civilization crash California with weird zombie creatures? Yes please. I love this; it is a lot different than the other dystopian/post-apocalyptic books I've started to get into lately. Also, it was a free Nookbook, which makes it even MORE awesome.
EDIT:
Ok, so I finished this book. I think it was a strong start to a potential series, and I'm hoping that the next book comes out soon so I can continue reading about Cass, Smoke, and Ruthie!
EDIT:
Ok, so I finished this book. I think it was a strong start to a potential series, and I'm hoping that the next book comes out soon so I can continue reading about Cass, Smoke, and Ruthie!
joyousreads132's review
5.0
A biochemical weapon was unleashed upon mankind, ending civilization in the worst possible way. Plant life died and animals were killed. Zombies roamed the earth and those who survived were hunted and turned. Cass woke up in desolate California—alone, bloodied and full of bite marks all over her body. She has no memory of what had happened after the Beaters took her but the one thing she was sure of was that her daughter Ruthie was gone and that she would fight with all she has to get her back.
Cass, the main character is probably the most damaged heroine I’ve ever read in a while. Alcohol and sex addiction were only two of the demons she constantly fought against. Add that state of mind to the fact that she’d just reconciled with her daughter after Cass’ own mother took her, only to be separated from her again after a group of zombies dragged her away, I would’ve just given up and let the zombies have a Cass a la carte. But she didn’t give up, even after finding out that she became one of the Beaters and recovered. Then she met Smoke. Fierce, intense, protective and suddenly she didn’t feel so alone. Their love story is definitely not about romance. It's about survival and protecting those you have left. After all, how do you find romance in a scary world where you’re not only fighting the flesh-eating monsters but groups of people with their own agendas and beliefs—extreme, in the case of the Covenant (a group of women religious extremists who drink the blood of Beaters). The sex between these two was intense—almost violent at times.
I’ve always been a sucker for zombie novels. And I’ve been itching to read this book for a while. Sophie Littlefield wrote this garish tale with such lucid emotions and vivid depiction of the world after a disaster of Armageddon proportion. There’s just something about how she portrayed her zombies. The way they would try to do mundane, random things, although clumsy, was poignant to me. Like how they would sleep (they still do) embracing each other; the couple of Beaters who were trying to load bricks on a wheelbarrow. But no matter what, they’re still creatures with a penchant for fresh flesh and like rabid animals, they'll come after you.
This book had me hooked and if not for real life interrupting all the time, I'd have probably gobbled this up in one sitting.
Cass, the main character is probably the most damaged heroine I’ve ever read in a while. Alcohol and sex addiction were only two of the demons she constantly fought against. Add that state of mind to the fact that she’d just reconciled with her daughter after Cass’ own mother took her, only to be separated from her again after a group of zombies dragged her away, I would’ve just given up and let the zombies have a Cass a la carte. But she didn’t give up, even after finding out that she became one of the Beaters and recovered. Then she met Smoke. Fierce, intense, protective and suddenly she didn’t feel so alone. Their love story is definitely not about romance. It's about survival and protecting those you have left. After all, how do you find romance in a scary world where you’re not only fighting the flesh-eating monsters but groups of people with their own agendas and beliefs—extreme, in the case of the Covenant (a group of women religious extremists who drink the blood of Beaters). The sex between these two was intense—almost violent at times.
I’ve always been a sucker for zombie novels. And I’ve been itching to read this book for a while. Sophie Littlefield wrote this garish tale with such lucid emotions and vivid depiction of the world after a disaster of Armageddon proportion. There’s just something about how she portrayed her zombies. The way they would try to do mundane, random things, although clumsy, was poignant to me. Like how they would sleep (they still do) embracing each other; the couple of Beaters who were trying to load bricks on a wheelbarrow. But no matter what, they’re still creatures with a penchant for fresh flesh and like rabid animals, they'll come after you.
This book had me hooked and if not for real life interrupting all the time, I'd have probably gobbled this up in one sitting.
miajmu's review
1.0
I had heard good things about this, but it didn't work for me. Almost the entire story was told in flashbacks and that was when the interesting things happened! The characters were unsympathetic and I found I just didn't care what happened to them.
hlizmarie's review
3.0
I received this book through Amazon Vine.
Aftertime is the story of Cass who's living in the years after a zombie apocalypse. She had managed to find safety for her and her young child only to lose her concentration for just a short moment and get attacked by the zombies, or Beaters as they're called in the book. She wakes up with little memory of what happened to her in the attack and determined to get her daughter back. I found this book to be a really excellent mix of action and reflection. The Beaters are their own natural enemy and are slowly becoming more dangerous as time goes on. Some of the other survivors who've banded together provide comfort and support but unfortunately there are others who prey on people's fear and weaknesses and use their power as a weapon against people rather than to raise them up. And then there are the crazy zealots in the "convent" who've turned to the cult of faith to bury their fears and trauma. Some are saviors and others offer different kinds of death or prison. Through it all you hear Cass' voice in bits and pieces explaining who she was as a teen, what motivated her choices and closed her off from the world, how she became a mom and then lost her daughter not once but twice and then how she tries to re-form herself after the attack. Her emotions are at the forefront of this novel in a deep and moving way. The writing is exceptional and flowed so cleanly and smoothly from the outside world to inside Cass' thoughts. Even the moments of violence and gore, which are graphic and horrible, are written beautifully. This is an emotional, physical, action-packed, edge of your seat ride!
Aftertime is the story of Cass who's living in the years after a zombie apocalypse. She had managed to find safety for her and her young child only to lose her concentration for just a short moment and get attacked by the zombies, or Beaters as they're called in the book. She wakes up with little memory of what happened to her in the attack and determined to get her daughter back. I found this book to be a really excellent mix of action and reflection. The Beaters are their own natural enemy and are slowly becoming more dangerous as time goes on. Some of the other survivors who've banded together provide comfort and support but unfortunately there are others who prey on people's fear and weaknesses and use their power as a weapon against people rather than to raise them up. And then there are the crazy zealots in the "convent" who've turned to the cult of faith to bury their fears and trauma. Some are saviors and others offer different kinds of death or prison. Through it all you hear Cass' voice in bits and pieces explaining who she was as a teen, what motivated her choices and closed her off from the world, how she became a mom and then lost her daughter not once but twice and then how she tries to re-form herself after the attack. Her emotions are at the forefront of this novel in a deep and moving way. The writing is exceptional and flowed so cleanly and smoothly from the outside world to inside Cass' thoughts. Even the moments of violence and gore, which are graphic and horrible, are written beautifully. This is an emotional, physical, action-packed, edge of your seat ride!
lynseyisreading's review
3.0
Disclaimer: This is my first real post apocalyptic novel so I have little to use as comparison material. The only other book I can think of that I've read that's in any way a Post Apocalyptic is 'The Host' by Stephanie Meyer, but that's more Sci Fi- alien take-over, than apocalypse.
Anywho. I think I should perhaps have left a little time to go by before trying to review this as I'm a bit confused about how I feel about it and I literally only finished it minutes ago, so this will probably read more like a brain fart than a review, but bear with me.
I definitely liked certain aspects of it. Overall, Littlefield's writing is solid. My only real issue in that department was the stuttering, stumbling dialogue and the overuse of "you know". Maybe this was another affect of the apocalypse; not only did people start eating each other for breakfast, but it also made them forget how to form coherent sentences. Shame, really.
It was also very atmospheric. The zombies were incredibly creepy and the descriptions of their behaviour sent shivers down the spine. The pacing, as well, was not too bad. Although there were a couple of instances of zoning out, but I was usually brought quickly back to attention. The characterisation for the main character and some of the secondary characters was also good, but others felt a little cardboardy to me.
So that's what I liked. Now for the Not So Much.
The world-building, quite naturally, is extremely bleak. There is little joy to be found except perhaps the joy found in communities forming and people bonding together in such desperate times. On top of this bleakness, though, you've also got Cass, the lead character, who is like a one-woman disaster novel all by herself. She's a total mess. She's a former addict, a former victim of child abuse, a former victim of zombie abuse. And it's because of all this that she's now become the type of person that rejects any and all acts of kindness on the assumption that she doesn't deserve any. She will purge and punish herself often if anything is remotely going well in her life. This, on top of the Post Apocalyptic setting, was just too much for me.
I think I needed someone who was less of a hot mess to carry me through my first sojourn into the genre. Someone to root for and maybe a relationship to follow, one that formed despite the horrendous conditions. But I didn't. I got Cass. And a "romantic interest" that was as flat as a pancake. The two sexual encounters in this book were the most unromantic couplings I've ever read. And apart from that I saw little evidence of a relationship. He was just there. And I don't even know why he was there, that was another issue. He just decided to tag along for no apparent reason..... Weird.
So, this is now a bit of a pickle. Did I not like it all that much because I don't like the genre? Or is it just this particular book/series/characters that I didn't gel with? I'm afraid I think it might be the latter. I have no great desire to read the next one but I will keep my eye out for any others in the PA field that have more of a "together" lead character to follow.
All in all, this adds up to a wishy-washy, neither here nor there, three stars. Nom, nom, nom.
Anywho. I think I should perhaps have left a little time to go by before trying to review this as I'm a bit confused about how I feel about it and I literally only finished it minutes ago, so this will probably read more like a brain fart than a review, but bear with me.
I definitely liked certain aspects of it. Overall, Littlefield's writing is solid. My only real issue in that department was the stuttering, stumbling dialogue and the overuse of "you know". Maybe this was another affect of the apocalypse; not only did people start eating each other for breakfast, but it also made them forget how to form coherent sentences. Shame, really.
It was also very atmospheric. The zombies were incredibly creepy and the descriptions of their behaviour sent shivers down the spine. The pacing, as well, was not too bad. Although there were a couple of instances of zoning out, but I was usually brought quickly back to attention. The characterisation for the main character and some of the secondary characters was also good, but others felt a little cardboardy to me.
So that's what I liked. Now for the Not So Much.
The world-building, quite naturally, is extremely bleak. There is little joy to be found except perhaps the joy found in communities forming and people bonding together in such desperate times. On top of this bleakness, though, you've also got Cass, the lead character, who is like a one-woman disaster novel all by herself. She's a total mess. She's a former addict, a former victim of child abuse, a former victim of zombie abuse. And it's because of all this that she's now become the type of person that rejects any and all acts of kindness on the assumption that she doesn't deserve any. She will purge and punish herself often if anything is remotely going well in her life. This, on top of the Post Apocalyptic setting, was just too much for me.
I think I needed someone who was less of a hot mess to carry me through my first sojourn into the genre. Someone to root for and maybe a relationship to follow, one that formed despite the horrendous conditions. But I didn't. I got Cass. And a "romantic interest" that was as flat as a pancake. The two sexual encounters in this book were the most unromantic couplings I've ever read. And apart from that I saw little evidence of a relationship. He was just there. And I don't even know why he was there, that was another issue. He just decided to tag along for no apparent reason..... Weird.
So, this is now a bit of a pickle. Did I not like it all that much because I don't like the genre? Or is it just this particular book/series/characters that I didn't gel with? I'm afraid I think it might be the latter. I have no great desire to read the next one but I will keep my eye out for any others in the PA field that have more of a "together" lead character to follow.
All in all, this adds up to a wishy-washy, neither here nor there, three stars. Nom, nom, nom.
lizzy_22's review against another edition
2.0
I've read zombie books done infinitely better with characters I've cared about 1,000 times more. I don't really know why I pushed through this book since I was rolling my eyes through most of it. Over wrought and unnecessarily (in my opinion) gruesome this is one series I won't be continuing on with.
bookishnicole's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this story. I got both this book and the sequel as Advanced Readers and loved the idea of it. There are a lot of missing gaps but all those gaps gradually get filled in and I hope that this carries on through the next book as well. Its an interesting new take on zombie books which is a nice change up to the usual mindless expectations for zombies.
hoping4more's review
5.0
I Am Legend meets The Postman with a healthy dose of love story - this book had me completely hooked and begging for more!