Title: After the Fire
Author: Will Hill
Genre: YA Thriller
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire - Copyright 2018
Read: November 8-10, 2018
Disclaimer: I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis from Publisher: The things I've seen are burned into me, like scars that refuse to fade.
Before, she lived inside the fence. Before, she was never allowed to leave the property, never allowed to talk to Outsiders, never allowed to speak her mind. Because Father John controlled everything―and Father John liked rules. Disobeying Father John came with terrible consequences. But there are lies behind Father John's words. Outside, there are different truths.
Then came the fire.
Review: Will Hill doesn't pull punches in After the Fire, and that's a good thing. The book begins in the chaotic environment of a siege by the government on a religious compound only referred to as The Base by the young narrator. These undiluted scene then plunge the reader into the equally disorienting madness of a hospital trauma room where the narrator is being treated, unwillingly, by doctors for burns and other injuries. The narrative then segues into our narrator--now known as Moonbeam--uncovering the details of her life within The Base, the beliefs of the Holy Church of the Lord's Legion, the rise of Father John, and the events surrounding the siege and subsequent fire through a series of therapy sessions and flashbacks.
Moonbeam proves to be a detailed narrator of her life. She candidly discusses her life within the Legion, including her own mother's lobbying of Father John to take Moonbeam as one of his Future Wives. She tells of her crush on Nate, a mysterious stranger who arrives at The Base one day, and who disappears in the night a few years later. She recounts her impressions of Luke, the first baby born inside The Base and who eventually becomes her archenemy within the Legion. She talks of her belief in Father John and the Legion, and then her questioning of everything she's been taught once her mother is Banished and branded a Heretic by Father John.
The timeline of After the Fire isn't told in a linear fashion. Moonbeam skips around while trying desperately to avoid telling everything she knows of the events that occurred during the siege and fire. Interspersed with scenes of her encounters with fellow fire survivors--including Luke--the full scope of Moonbeam's story is revealed slowly and through layers upon layers of deceit by both herself and others. When the full truth is finally revealed, Moonbeam's and the other survivors' journeys seem all the more remarkable as the reader is once again reminded that Moonbeam and her Brothers and Sisters are still only children.
Will Hill weaves a fascinating thriller that keeps you wanting to read the next page. At no point did I feel the narrative dragging or unraveling at any pace other than the one set by Hill. Definitely worthy of a solitary read but even better if chosen for a book club discussion setting.
Review at a Glance:
Concept: A+
Execution: A
Writing Style: A
Characters: A-
Reader Connection: A
Overall Grade: A-
Would I Buy This Author Again: Yes
Synopsis from Publisher: The things I've seen are burned into me, like scars that refuse to fade.
Before, she lived inside the fence. Before, she was never allowed to leave the property, never allowed to talk to Outsiders, never allowed to speak her mind. Because Father John controlled everything―and Father John liked rules. Disobeying Father John came with terrible consequences. But there are lies behind Father John's words. Outside, there are different truths.
Then came the fire.
Review: Will Hill doesn't pull punches in After the Fire, and that's a good thing. The book begins in the chaotic environment of a siege by the government on a religious compound only referred to as The Base by the young narrator. These undiluted scene then plunge the reader into the equally disorienting madness of a hospital trauma room where the narrator is being treated, unwillingly, by doctors for burns and other injuries. The narrative then segues into our narrator--now known as Moonbeam--uncovering the details of her life within The Base, the beliefs of the Holy Church of the Lord's Legion, the rise of Father John, and the events surrounding the siege and subsequent fire through a series of therapy sessions and flashbacks.
Moonbeam proves to be a detailed narrator of her life. She candidly discusses her life within the Legion, including her own mother's lobbying of Father John to take Moonbeam as one of his Future Wives. She tells of her crush on Nate, a mysterious stranger who arrives at The Base one day, and who disappears in the night a few years later. She recounts her impressions of Luke, the first baby born inside The Base and who eventually becomes her archenemy within the Legion. She talks of her belief in Father John and the Legion, and then her questioning of everything she's been taught once her mother is Banished and branded a Heretic by Father John.
The timeline of After the Fire isn't told in a linear fashion. Moonbeam skips around while trying desperately to avoid telling everything she knows of the events that occurred during the siege and fire. Interspersed with scenes of her encounters with fellow fire survivors--including Luke--the full scope of Moonbeam's story is revealed slowly and through layers upon layers of deceit by both herself and others. When the full truth is finally revealed, Moonbeam's and the other survivors' journeys seem all the more remarkable as the reader is once again reminded that Moonbeam and her Brothers and Sisters are still only children.
Will Hill weaves a fascinating thriller that keeps you wanting to read the next page. At no point did I feel the narrative dragging or unraveling at any pace other than the one set by Hill. Definitely worthy of a solitary read but even better if chosen for a book club discussion setting.
Review at a Glance:
Concept: A+
Execution: A
Writing Style: A
Characters: A-
Reader Connection: A
Overall Grade: A-
Would I Buy This Author Again: Yes
