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melstinylibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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 enjoyed reading this! This book was easy to pick up and just read, which is why I finished it so quickly.
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 thought Kalanthe’s journey was a bit weird, with the having to marry an old man and care for his children. I know this is explained, but I would’ve liked it better if they went around it another way. I did like the parallel in the end of the “before” and “after” stories. With Olsa helping Kalanthe in the “before” and Kalanthe helping Olsa in the “after”
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.
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
4/5
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.
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
5.0
5/5
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.
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
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
An excellent standalone fantasy that called to mind some of my favorite fantasy authors (David Eddings and Tamora Pierce). Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
lyoungthebookfae's review
5.0
Amazing!!!! There’s nothing else I can say! A wonderful tale of after the real adventure ends. The characters were well developed and their stories kept me reading! And I LOVED the glimpses of the actual quest and learning what happened with that story as well. I would definitely reread in the future!
rororollinginthedeep's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
librarygxrl's review
Plot and characters pretty underdeveloped and the lapses in time confused me a lot, but overall enjoyable as a lighthearted fantasy quest which was what I was looking for lol
lezreadalot's review
4.0
I knew that, unlike the night sky, we were doomed to an ending.
This was a pretty simple story, but I enjoyed it a lot for its unique premise and the style of story-telling. I do think I'd have liked this more if it weren't YA, but it was still such an interesting fantasy novel and a really good time.
It's the story of a quest to save the world, with seven brave companions going on a valiant quest to find a relic and vanquish the Old God. However, most of the story takes place after the quest is over and the world has been saved. Our main characters are two girls from the seven: Olsa, a thief, and Kalanthe, a knight apprentice. They fell in love during the quest, but now that it is over, various circumstances are keeping them apart. We do get flashbacks to the before part of the story, to show us how they got closer and more of the process of saving the world. The love story was my favourite part of this, just for how sweet and genuine and achey it was. I loved all the companions, and how they motherhenned Olsa and Kalanthe in various ways. There was interesting lore and world-building, but nothing that really gripped or amazed me. I did appreciate the diversity of the world, but I just saw the plot as a vehicle for getting to know the characters better.
Again: really really sweet romance. I loved them a lot, even if the romance didn't take up as much of the story as I'd have wanted. The inclusion of a certain little trope that I adore pretty much guaranteed that I would love this. Kudos.
dangermom's review
3.0
Great content for teens, the organization of the story was a bit too clunky. Could have been smoother.