Review: In the After by Demitria Lunetta

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on June 12, 2013 | 7 Comments


Review: In the After by Demitria LunettaIn the After by Demitria Lunetta
Series: In the After #1
Published by HarperTeen (6.25.2013)
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Format: eARC, 400 pages
Source: Edelweiss
Buy on Amazon


4.5 Stars

They hear the most silent of footsteps.
They are faster than anything you've ever seen.
And They won't stop chasing you...until you are dead.

Amy is watching TV when it happens, when the world is attacked by Them. These vile creatures are rapidly devouring mankind. Most of the population is overtaken, but Amy manages to escape—and even rescue “Baby,” a toddler left behind in the chaos. Marooned in Amy’s house, the girls do everything they can to survive—and avoid Them at all costs.

After years of hiding, they are miraculously rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of survivors living in a former government research compound. While at first the colony seems like a dream with plenty of food, safety, and shelter, New Hope slowly reveals that it is far from ideal. And Amy soon realizes that unless things change, she’ll lose Baby—and much more.

Rebellious, courageous, and tender, this unforgettable duo will have you on the edge of your seat as you tear through the pulse-pounding narrow escapes and horrifying twists of fate in this thrilling debut from author Demitria Lunetta.

My thoughts

Before was reality; the After, a nightmare.

 In the After was fabulous! The world that Lunetta painted drew me in and I loved it!

I think the driving point in this book was the relationship between Amy and Baby. It was beautiful and real and had me rooting for them to succeed. Amy was very protective of Baby, but Baby was perfectly capable of holding her own as well. I absolutely LOVED the fact that they spoke in sign language! They had their own modified version and could hold entire conversations with nothing but their hands; even when they couldn’t see they could sign into each other’s hands. It was awesome! So there were very few quotations in the first half of the book because the conversations were all in italics. I can’t think of a single other book like that! Very cool.

Another important part: Them. Totally creepy, mindless killing machines. They flock to light and even the smallest sound. How terrible would it be to live in silence? To not even be able to whisper? And sometimes it really struck me how different the world was when Baby was concerned: i.e. She didn’t know what a horse was. It’s something you don’t really think about, and I think that made the world building even better because the author included small things like that.

I have to admit that Amy kind of annoyed me at times. She was rather arrogant and many times I just wanted to slap her. 

So much of who I used to be was about being good in school and having friends who were good in school. We were, to put it simply, arrogant little know-it-alls. But I miss that.

You miss being a bitch? Okay, sure. Just the way she talked about herself and her life Before was enough to make me sure that I would have hated her. And the way she regarded Amber annoyed me, too (even though Amber kinda deserved it). Just because Amber didn’t know how to survive, Amy looked at her as being lesser and unworthy of life. 

…having to deal with a self-centered dimwit can have deadly consequences.

Wow. I mean, I get it. It’s about survival of the fittest. But damn, get off your high horse. The girl can learn. Yet despite all that arrogance, she couldn’t figure things out. View Spoiler »

Rice was okay, but he didn’t have much of a personality. He was kinda just there for me. And the romance didn’t do much for me, either…but thankfully it didn’t play a very large role in the story.

You always have to give up some freedoms to live in any society.

New Hope was a full blown dystopian society. I suppose to live in harmony in a post-apocalyptic world there’d have to be some sort of control, but this town took it to the extreme. Pregnancy is a requirement, and you have no choice who you have children with. If you didn’t conform, you were drugged and thrown in a mental ward. It was insane! 

In the last half, the story was laced with intermittent flashbacks. It made it super intriguing because all you get is snippets of Amy being in the hospital, drugged to oblivion for some horrible misdemeanor that she supposedly committed. But you have no idea what it is because even she doesn’t know! It was brilliantly done and had me gobbling up the story to find answers.

And oh boy, did I get answers. There’s a major twist in the story! I never would have guessed going into this novel. View Spoiler » I was completely broadsided, and it was awesome! Lunetta sure knows how to throw her readers for a loop.

Favorite character: Kay. She was badass!

Overall Assessment

Plot: 5/5
Writing style: 4.5/5
Originality: 4.5/5
Characters: 4/5
World-building: 5/5
Pace: 5/5
Cover: 4.5/5
Overall rating: 4.5/5

Jessi (Geo)

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7 responses to “Review: In the After by Demitria Lunetta

  1. Inky

    I have to admit that I skimmed this review, because I’m going to read it soon, but I’m so glad to see that you liked it!!! I’m so ready for another thriller. :) I love unique writing. The no quotations makes me think of Blood Red Road, even though it’s not the same! That’s so cool! I’m really excited to give this one a shot.
    <33333 Inky

  2. Ohh awesome review!! Kind of a bummer that Amy was annoying sometimes, but I’m glad you enjoyed the book. I totally need to read this… I’m a horrible reviewer who hasn’t read her copy yet.. Lol. I’m getting so far behind!! D:

  3. Nikki Wang

    OMG YAAAAAYYYYY!!!!! I totally just got an ARC of this from a friend ( and possibly won a hardback. Weird luck) AND I WAS IFFY BUT NOW I THINK I SHALL LOVE. And a lot of characters are super annoying sometimes but amazing every other sometime lol

  4. Melanie Z

    Amy and Baby sound like they have a magnificent relationship. But I’m not liking the sound of Amy being arrogant. It’s something that always pisses me off.
    Amazeballs review, Jessi! <33 (I WILL REPLY TO YOUR EMAIL SOON! i hope…)

  5. Taherah

    In the After looks awesome! Well the characters sound annoying but I the world looks amazing (not in that sense) but the way it was written! Looking forward to reading it :)

  6. What a wonderful review! I couldn’t have said it better myself – I agree with everything you’ve mentioned here! Like you, I simply adored Baby and Amy’s relationship. I hope that they’re reunited in the 2nd book. :D

    Looking forward to reading more of your reviews! Happy reading! :D

    ~Zoe

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