Horizon

Aftertime #3

by Sophie Littlefield

Cass Dollar is a survivor. She's overcome the meltdown of civilization, humans turned mindless cannibals, and the many evils of man.

But from beneath the devastated California landscape emerges a tendril of hope. A mysterious traveler arrives at New Eden with knowledge of a passageway North—a final escape from the increasingly cunning Beaters. Clutching this dream, Cass and many others decamp and follow him into the unknown.

Journeying down valleys and over barren hills, Cass remains torn between two men. One—her beloved Smoke—is not so innocent as he once was. The other keeps a primal hold on her that feels like Fate itself. And beneath it all, Cass must confront the worst of what's inside her—dark memories from when she was a Beater herself. But she, and all of the other survivors, will fight to the death for the promise of a new horizon….

Genres: Zombies, Horror, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic, Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 24, 2012

About the author

Called a “writing machine” by the New York Times and a “master storyteller” by the Midwest Book Review, Sophie Littlefield has written dozens of novels for adults and teens. She has won Anthony and RT Book Awards and been shortlisted for Edgar, Barry, Crimespree, Macavity, and Goodreads Choice Awards.

Sophie also writes under the pen name Sofia Grant.

Reviews

[Vinaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing I really respect about Sophie Littlefield is that she doesn't feel the need to end a series with the warm fuzzies.




This book is dark, dark, dark. And nope, there aren't any cookies.

I thought Rebirth was a hard book to read, but that was only until I got on the roller coaster that was Horizon. More than a week after reading this book, I still have no idea how to put my horrified admiration into words.

Most stories with broken heroines chart a well-worn path. The slow, painful journey back to normality, the mini-pitfalls that you know will eventually end in the triumph of the human spirit and all that jazz... Not so Horizon. When this book opens, Cass Dollar, who had started out the story as a symbol of hope for addicts everywhere, has fallen off the wagon and into the pit. Her life is pretty much a shambles, and she's coping with her problems by ignoring them, or by drinking them away. Not even Ruthie, her much-adored daughter, is enough to keep her on the straight and narrow. Ironically, Cass appears to be the sort of person who handles wartime better than peace. Like the Vietnam vets of old, when the guns have stopped blazing and the jungles are receding from memory and peace seems like more than just a fragile dream, she falls apart. She does not feel the necessity to be strong any longer - in the midst of a community that is as close to safe and peaceful as you can find in the Aftertime, Cass appears to lose her purpose. And nothing, not her daughter, or her illicit attraction to Dor, or the possible of Smoke is enough to keep her from falling back into old, bad habits.

This book is an exploration of depravity and degradation. How far can you sink to the bottom before you can't come up for air anymore? Nobody in the Aftertime books is particularly admirable or heroic. Most have redeeming factors, but the shades of grey dominate the canvas. In a land where everything familiar has been destroyed beyond recognition, even the most heinous of acts become commonplace. And Littlefield does not flinch from portraying the difficult choices, the dark things in the closet come out to play.

This book has one of the most un-annoying, unusual love triangles I have ever read. Most everyone knows how much I hate love triangles, so either my blind devotion to Sophie Littlefield is making me soft, or this is unique beyond my experience. I think part of the reason why the love triangle is so bearable is because Sophie Littlefield shies away from romance. Whether in Aftertime or Banished, the romance not only takes a backseat, it shyly draws the curtain and hides itself away. So Cass does not spend most of the book whinging about which of the men she is going to choose - she thinks about both of them, and her feelings for them, but in a way that is typically hers - hardheaded pragmatism combined with a deep fear of intimacy. Even as the book opens, you get a sense that the time of Smoke has already passed. It's Dor's turn now, but not in a dewy-eyed, misty kind of way, but like everything else in this book and this world, raw and overwhelming. I loved the way the conflicts in the relationship between Smoke and Cass and Dor were portrayed, gritty but compelling.

Some of the additional POVs I could have done without. I loved the glimpse into Sammi's torn and conflicted world, but the miniscule POV from Smoke seemed unnecessary, as did the abrupt switch to Red's voice. One other major gripe I had with this book was the relative absence of Ruthie from the storyline. Somehow, after the events of the previous book, I felt Ruthie was going to have a more pivotal role int he last book. Unfortunately, it felt like Ruthie played a bigger part in the first book, where she didn't even appear until the final chapters, than in this one, where she's around, but hardly acknowledged.

The ending was perfect for this story, no rainbows or unicorns, but bittersweet, filled with a fragile hope and a pragmatic view of the future and the determination to soldier on, no matter how hard the road.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Sophie Littlefield has balls of steel. She may not be the most technically skilled writer, her worldbuilding may not be perfect, but she can take you with her to the darkest of places and wring you dry and make you gasp and weep and bring you back up begging for more. And that, my friends, is what makes a truly exceptional storyteller.

A copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers via Net Galley.

[Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can I love and hate a book at the same time? Who knows. But, nevertheless, I have strong feelings of love and hate for Horizon. I noticed my feelings are pretty much the same on book 1 and book 2 in this series.

Let’s get the icky stuff out of the way

1. This is an ARC. It is an ARC with grammatical errors. It is an ARC with grammatical errors AND I noticed these errors. Conclusion- these errors could have been easily caught by an editor and/or beta reader. However, this is an ARC, so maybe, by the time this book gets published, these errors might be gone.

2. POV’s. First, I hate multiple POV’s. That is..unless you are Larissa Ione & you rock multiple POV’s. Ok, back to me hating multiple POV’s. Sammie, bless her poor confused teenage heart. She has her own POV in this book. As much as I love her (because by the end of the book I did love her), we didn’t need her POV. We also have another character (who will remain nameless since it will be a spoiler) who doesn’t need his/her (I won’t tell) own POV. I think we could have happily survived reading this book with.. gasp… three POV’s.. Cassie, Dor and Smoke. That’s all folks. Instead of having 5 POV’s, two of the views could have been told via Cassie’s impressions/thoughts instead.

3. POV’s. Yes, before you chop off my head, I know.. POV was number 2 as well. No, this is a different gripe. The way Sophie Littlefield transitioned from one POV to another POV was so confusing. One minute, I’m firmly implanted in Cassie’s fragile, bitter, guilt ridden brain, and the next, I was in Sammie’s fragile, bitter, angry brain. The beginning of the POV between Cas and Sammie often started with “She” and so I didn’t know it was a different “She”. The next thing I was doing was a little tilt of my head wondering if I missed something. Ahh, yeah.. .like a change of POV!

4. WARNING…IF YOU HAVEN’T READ BOOK 2…. IGNORE #4……………………………………. Ok, so I hate love triangles. Now this one is so damaged, and the men are so damaged, flawed, full of shit, telling half-truth’s, whatever, that the triangle is really bent and warped, rusted and ugly but damnit, it’s still a triangle. And well, I swore to hate all love triangles so I hate this triangle but, well, see below.

The Good Stuff

1. WARNING…IF YOU HAVEN’T READ BOOK 2…. IGNORE #1……………………………………. The love triangle rocked. It’s so damaged, flawed, full of shit, full of half-truth’s that it makes the love triangle unique and intriguing and not so formulaic.

2. Cas- she is so damaged that she rocks in this damaged world because well, everyone else needs to reach her damaged level to survive. She’s a survivor of life so she knows how to survive the post-apocalyptic life.

3. Sammie. I liked her. I liked her teenage angst. Surprise, surprise.

4. Ruthie. Seriously, if I don’t put her down here, I should be shot. How can you not love Ruthie?

5. Red. Not gonna tell. You’ll have to read for yourself. But, I love, love, love Red.

6. The last ¼ of the book. Really, Littlefield knows how to wrap up a story.

7. Me boohooing. Why is that a good thing? Because it tugged at my emotions. If I like a book enough to cry over a character that means it got to me.

My plea to the author- please clean up your ARC before you release it. This book has such potential, just not in the current ARC form!!!

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn! Sophie Littlefield concludes her Aftertime trilogy in the same way she delivered parts 1 and 2 – realistically and not shying away from writing about pain and loss. This is a series that will break your heart and at the same time you will remain a fan.

Horizon begins months after Rebirth ended, there is a slight time lapse and the characters’ positions and relationships have changed. Ms. Littlefield drops the reader in to the book and there is a bit of catching up to figure out what is going on - -not a lot but some. Cass is still damaged, still struggling and still making mistakes. What Sophie Littlefield does so well in this trilogy is write characters who are in pain, who are damaged and who make decisions and act as damaged characters would. But she also writes characters who have tremendous potential – so in a nutshell that is Smoke, Dor, Sammi, Ruthie and Cass. They are all individuals who are hurting, who are damaged but who have amazing potential to overcome their past and do great things.

Once it gets going, Horizon is filled with action, drama (in the good way) and revelation after revelation. It was a treat to read. I recommend this series, especially for people who are okay with their characters starting off troubled and much less than perfect but who progress and change over the series. Cass (the main character) will make decisions and choices that feel like a betrayal, but they are real, they are raw and that is what made this series so great.

I really like the direction that Horizon went; I can see that it may upset many readers and fans of this series. But I loved it. I am warning you, that if you read ahead there will be spoilers.




Smoke was wonderful for Ruthie and Cass during the brief time they had together, but Cass never truly had him. Cass was never Smoke’s priority, he needed to save the world and atone for his past and Cass just didn’t fit into that. Dor I liked from the beginning, I liked him in Rebirth and the resolution of the story was very satisfactory, well at least in part. I understand this is a Harlequin book, but true love in how we experience it in our world now doesn’t seem to be able to fit in to Afertime. But what Dor and Cass have, makes sense. It works for them in Aftertime.

I did have some problems with this book, maybe I missed them and am open to hearing about that; but these missing elements bothered me. The storyline about Ruthie being “special” that was introduced in Rebirth was just completely dropped and not revisited. The first 30% of this book was very choppy and at times hard to follow due to the switches in points of view – new points of view that did not exist in the first two books. There were some holes in the storyline, for example how did the traveling party manage to fill all of their vehicles with gasoline? How did the walkers keep with up with the driving vehicles? For much of the end of the book, during the travel part – Ruthie was not included and then would suddenly be included; it just seemed odd, obviously Cass was caring for her during the trip and the care of a 3 year old on a foot travel into the mountains is not easy. Her absence seemed to be an oversight and well, just not complete. Why were the beaters adapting? Why wouldn’t the dangerous plant grow in the new location – if it had been spreading east that seems to imply it could survive colder climates.

[Jen Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could have never predicted the course this book would take. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Honestly, I feel torn over the answer. In one way, it's amazing. Sophie Littlefield isn't afraid to make some really bold choices. She stays true to her characters and her world, even when it hurts. But that's the thing... sometimes, it really hurts.

The story picks up a couple of months after the events of Rebirth, which was a little disappointing for me. A lot has happened since Cass and Dor rescued Smoke. And there were times I felt like I had missed something. Our characters are now ensconced in the camp at New Eden. Smoke is in a coma. Dor is a new relationship. And Cass is losing ground. Just like we saw her regress into her old sexual habits in the last book; she is slipping into other self-destructive behaviors here. It's hard to watch. This character is so very damaged, and it would be so easy for Littlefield to fix her. But she doesn't. Not in the predictable fashion. Not in a way that will ease readers or soothe us.

Despite outward appearances, there is still something between Cass and Dor. At times, it's hard to decide whether that's right for her or not. And once Smoke wakes up, things get even more complicated. I kept waiting for Cass to make to her choice. And waiting. And waiting. But the conflict and uncertainty linger for almost the entire story. It's almost easy to forgot this is a zombie book.

Speaking of zombies, the Beaters are evolving; they're getting smarter and threatening New Eden. That forces the community to start searching for a new home. We're reminded of the brutality of this new world and ever-present danger our characters face. The whole book is gripping. And exhausting. And heartbreaking.

It took me a while to reconnect to it all... especially in the beginning, with the time jump and unexplained events that happened between books. Some of the blanks were filled in over time, but I felt a little disjointed. The story really hit its stride about half-way in... And it pummeled me with one poignant moment after another, especially in some of the scenes between Cass and Smoke.

I wish I could find the right words to explain how I feel about how it all ended. It was not what I thought it would be. It broke my heart, as I came to the same realizations Cass did. And then as the events unfolded, I felt a knot form in my stomach that still hasn't eased. It made sense. It was honest. It ends with loss and with hope. It's an amazing series that needs to be read in its entirety. It's heavy reading, but the journey is worth it. 4 stars.

*ARC Provided by NetGalley

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Leea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cass Dollar hoarded hope with characteristic parsimony when she was awake, but since coming to New Eden her dreams were audacious, greedy, lusting for color and scent and life.

Now that I sit here, having completed this story and the ultimate journey that Cassandra Dollar survived. I can truly understand the enormity of the Aftertime Trilogy. This series moved me, it horrified me and then it reminded me of those little things in life that really matter.

In Horizon, the final book in the Aftertime Trilogy we catch up with Cass, Ruthie, Dor, Smoke and the gang in New Eden and Island in the central California Delta (Where I live :). Cass has fallen into her old habits and she working the gardens but she's lost. Lost because he choices of the past keep haunting her thoughts. She's broken and saddened because she cannot remember her time as beater and her fear is overwhelming her. But Eden is not that, this Island cannot hold the beaters back, they seem to be learning for their mistakes and this ultimately will take this rag-tag group on one last adventure up North.

In my past reviews of this series I have focused on Cass and though I feel she's an amazing character, written with such care and depth I feel that in Horizon we see others in a new light and in a way this shapes how Cass finds herself or more importantly finally comes to peace with her past and forgives herself for the road she traveled. There we're several universal themes throughout this novel:

How far will you go to survive? It seems throughout this whole Trilogy each character has had to make a choice as to how far they would let this new world take them. What to hold on to the past world? How to move forward in the future. I felt that in Horizon we get more a sense of community toward the end of this book. People banding together to help a child, women nursing others babies to survive and men standing up and fighting for what they believe. These themes are prevalent and seemed to be a forefront of this final chapter. There was non-stop action from the moment they had to leave New Eden, the path to the new settlement was not easy and many were lost along the way is some horrifying moments. In those moments after the Beaters were all gone and they had to take stock and see who was bitten and lost, those were the moments I came to loath. I had an ache in the pit of my stomach wondering which poor soul would have to be left behind or put down and who would have to do it.

Take stock in the little things. Each day the group would take a look around them and wonder how the survived the day before. Yet they got up again tomorrow and the next day, making sure to take those moments for the "little things in life." Cass has her dreams of a garden that will feed her people and nourish her soul. For others its finding a long lost daughter and making amends and for many it's just the promise of a new day. What moves me reading this final books was how Sofia Littlefield wrapped these small blissful moments in the harsh reality of the Aftertime world. This balance leant the story such real feeling, like you could almost see yourself cherishing a warm fire after a long days journey, hope in your heart, muscles tired and world and bone deep ache like nothing you have ever experienced.

In closing I leave you with my favorite moment of the book, to me this is where Cass comes to terms with her choices and past and leaves them to rest. She finally understands the fever and passion between her and Dor is not something addictive but a gift.

“Cass.” His voice was low and rough and he made her name sound like a threat.
“You’re…” He shook his head, and Cass understood that words eluded him, because her own thoughts were in disarray. Declarations of love were not for them. Gentle endearments would never pass between them. There would be no private names, no anniversaries. He would not sing her love songs or write her letters, and she would not be his helpmate, she would never wear his ring. But they would continue to find each other as long as the fire burned within them, and Cass knew the fire was at the very heart of her, that it would not dim until her life was at its end.
“You’re mine,” he said, and then he kissed her, hard. His hands slid down to pull her against him and she felt her body respond, the heat inside her unfurling as she returned his kiss. It was over in seconds. It was not the time—and yet it was always the time, and as they headed up the trail, late afternoon sun filtering through the trees to dapple everything with enchantment, Cass wondered how she could have ever not known.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Rating*
*Genre* Dystopian Fiction

*Full Review*

Horizon, by Sophie Littlefield, is the final novel in the Aftertime trilogy. As the story picks up, several months have passed and Cass Dollar is now living in a new community called New Eden with other Aftertime survivors. As a side job, she plants gardens while raising her little girl Ruthie who is slowly coming out of her silence mode. Cass is also back to drinking once again which got her in trouble before time. Cass thirsts for oblivion now that she has fallen off the wagon. She has to keep it hidden away from Ruthie however for fear that other mothers may find out and ask her to leave.

Cass is one of those characters that is as far from perfect as one can get. Yes, okay, so she survived being turned into a Beater, and somehow found her humanity was still within reach. She does a good enough job with Ruthie, but her relationship issues with not only Dor, but with Smoke as well, are mind boggling. You know that she loves them both, which of course leads to the dreaded and hated 3-way love triangle that I loathe like over cooked liver.

Cass also gets a surprising reunion with her once missing father who also just happens to have found his way to New Eden. Unfortunately, their reunion is pretty much on the back page because of everything else that happens including a near massacre at a shopping mall, and traveling north to find a community where Beaters don’t tread.

Dor McFall has become a relative nobody in this new community. No longer is he in charge or telling others what to do. He instead joins crews building the community as well as other essential jobs. His one grace is that his daughter Sammi was rescued by Smoke, Cass, and Dor, and brought back to New Eden with them.

Sammi has her own issues she has to deal, including the fact that she was nearly forced into an unwanted pregnancy by the Rebuilders who also killed her mother. She has to come to terms with the fact that her father seems to once again be playing the field with both Victoria the perfect, and Cass, the disturbed and troubled.

As for Smoke aka Edward Allen Schaffer, he remains in a coma after the awful beating he took at the hands of the Rebuilders. He slowly regains his ability to be a value to the survivors and once again believes he is picking up with his relationship with Cass. For me, the Smoke tale is one of heart break and serious mistakes in his past which he has been trying to correct. Readers finally figure out what has driven Smoke so hard and it’s a real shocker.

What’s worse for the survivors of Aftertime is that it seems the Beaters, aka Zombies, are becoming more aware of their abilities to the point of almost understanding and moving in concert with each other. This causes tremendous problems for the survivors of New Eden.
*Thoughts*

1. Please by all that is righteous in the world fix the obvious errors before this book is released! The changing of the POV's was incoherent at times, and there was even a point where one character was confused with the other phonetically. As I write this review (12/29/2011), I’m hoping that these things have since been found and cleaned up before release.

2. The ending of this series will blow you away. I am speechless right now. Littlefield knows how to tell a story, there is no debate in that. Her world is set in the year 2022 where the Aftertimes have wreaked havoc on the survivors across America.

3. As I have said so many times now that it’s gets tired of saying it, Love triangles are like the fungus that grows in-between floor boards and shower stalls that just won't go away no matter how hard you scrub, or use powerful cleaners. They are like that obnoxious neighbor who plays his/her music so loud that it rattles your very soul and makes you numb to do anything else. I absolutely hate them and curse the day they were made to be normal in any genre. Most likely, however, there are those who will eat it up because of who the characters are and what they have gone through since the Aftertimes began.

4. There is a major surprise character (Cass’s father) that shows up in this book. Yes, he was once an asshat and left her behind, but, when the time came to standing up and showing his cards and taking responsibility, it was a very emotional moment and goes a very long way of redeeming his errors in my eyes and in the characters he ended up saving.

5. Could this story have been any better? That remains to be seen if the publisher, author, and editors catch all the mistakes before it is released. Here is my fervent wish that someone in the group reads these reviews.


*ARC Provided by NetGalley

*This is the third book in the Aftertime series; Releases January 24, 2012

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Review originally posted for Book Lovers Inc)

Okay, so first things first. There is simply no way I can adequately convey how much this book–and by extension, this trilogy–bowled me over and amazed me. What I mean by that is that the book has so many elements and minor details and memorable bits that I would have to write an full-on essay in order to convey my thoughts.

That said, I’ll say this: Horizon was a magnificent trilogy ender. It had the elements that made the first two Aftertime books so powerful: epic plot, grim and chilling situations, highly nuanced characters, and a solid thread of realism–the last of which is remarkable, the book’s being a post-apocalyptic paranormal tale.

This story takes up only some months after Rebirth ends (review here) and no more than a year out from the first book, Aftertime (review here). Taken together (as they must), the three stories chronicle the harrowing journey of one Cass Dollar as she struggles to survive not just the external threats of a post-apocolyptic landscape, but also the internal scars of a long, hard, traumatic life, lived when society was “Before.”

The characters, particularly Cass, don’t pretend to be heroes. They’re survivors, intensely flawed and prone to grave mistakes and inadequacies….but as Littlefield writes them, they’re beautiful–at the very least, fascinating. (Well…Sammi, the petulant teenager who has some narrative time in the book, tested my damn patience ^_^, but in truth, even her character was honest, a realistic reflection of youthful frustration and growth). The author never once shies away from putting her main cast through fairly impossible situations, and it’s something that kept my eyes glued to the page and had me thinking about the characters well after finishing the book.

This specific installment closed out the trilogy with balance and a clear connection to the books that came before it. Much of Horizon‘s strength does come from those two books, so I would highly recommend reading those first before starting this one. Horizon is full of revelations that won’t have the same impact without the context.

Along those lines, the connections between characters were so very complex, so multi-layered…the characters hurt each other, they love each other, and it’s hard to swallow sometimes but it’s real and honest. This book is not “a romance,” but the romantic elements were stellar, providing more nuance than one might find in any given book fully classified as “romance.”

As with books one and two, this story has a sharp sense of visuals that lend to a high chill factor. The zombies (“Beaters”) are back with a vengeance, and every action scene is intense, creepy, vivid. Another area where the author doesn’t shy away from detail. ^_^

Now, I originally had this book set at a rating of 4.5, owing mostly to the fact that the first quarter of the book for some reason was harder to get into, and to the fact that some of the mechanics of the tale pulled me out of the illusion a handful of times. But I couldn’t keep my rating as it was. This book deserves a five for being unique, riveting, exciting, powerful, and totally memorable. I actually went back and reread much of the trilogy right after finishing this book, because I knew any other book that I read would be a bust, through no fault of it’s own. ^_^ Compared to anything outside of the trilogy, it’s phenomenal.

If you like dystopians; if you like zombies; if you like anything that is highly intense… do yourself a favor and pick up this book and the two that precede it. Horizon is the perfect end to a perfect series that will stay with you for a very, very long time.

Note on the ARC vs. Final copy
I've seen some reviews very correctly observe a considerable amount of mechanical issues found in the ARC version of this book. I just wanted to note that I read half of the ARC, stopped due to these issues, and bought a final, post-release copy when it became available. I then read the whole final copy, and compared the two (based on notations in the ARC). The vast majority of the mechanical stuff (grammar, punctuation, spelling, usage, etc.) has been cleaned up. I wonder if a different copy editor was used, or if perhaps the editorial process was rushed, because the end product did still feel a teensy bit different from the previous books. Ultimately not a big deal, particularly in the final version of the book. But wanted to reassure those who'd read the ARC. ^_^

[Kristin (MyBookishWays Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/01/...

Cass Dollar and her young daughter Ruthie have settled into an uneasy existence at New Eden, after the events of Rebirth left her lover, Smoke, in a coma. She continues her affair with Dor, and is dedicated to Ruthie, her garden of new growth, and kaysev, which is essential to the food supply of New Eden.

Soon, the Beaters start to show an unnerving proclivity to learn things such as group hunting (of humans, of course) and even swimming,so the residents of New Eden must flee their home. When another group swoops in on horseback to help, with stories of a safe enclave to the north, the structure of New Eden is threatened, and loyalties are tested as they make their way, hopefully, to safety and a new life.

Cass has been through so, so much, and Horizon is probably the toughest on her. No, it definitely is. Cass is struggling, again, with sobriety, and in this terrifying new world, full of Beaters (the cannibalistic infected) and human dangers, alcohol is a slippery slope; one which Cass will find herself sliding down more and more each day, but she’s determined to pull out of it, not only for Ruthie’s sake, but for her own. Cass, not the warmest and fuzziest of women to begin with, has trouble connecting to others in the camp, and keeps to herself as much as possible. This may have a little bit to do with the fact that she was actually one of the infected once, but recovered, and as a result, is something just a bit more than human. One of the things I loved most about Horizon is that finally, Cass is beginning to actually like herself. Everything has been about her daughter, which is, of course, a good thing, but there’s always been a vein of self loathing in Cass, but that’s finally being replaced by hope and a will to live. The love triangle between Cass, Smoke, and Dor is heart wrenching, especially since Cass can’t seem to let go of the fact that Smoke left her to avenge a past transgression. Has Dor taken his place in her heart? I’ll leave that one for you, but I will say that not only is Horizon Cass’ story, of course, we also get to know Sammi, Dor’s daughter, quite a bit better, which I really enjoyed. There is not one simple character in these novels. They are full of rich and fully developed people as well as an environment thick with hardship and almost constant danger. There are a few jaw droppers in this one, and some mysteries from the past novels are wrapped up, to nice effect. Ms. Littlefield’s writing is as taut, raw, and soul wrenching as always, and she doesn’t flinch from hard truths. She also doesn’t skimp on the action (and yes, that definitely means zombies), and keeps the tension ratcheted up to a deafening scale. If you’ve already discovered this series, you’ll love Horizon just as much as Aftertime and Rebirth, and if you haven’t, I envy you the ability to read the series straight through, because it’s so, so good. The author has captured magic in a bottle with this series, and I highly recommend it!

[AH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why is it that in zombie books, the humans never seem to run out of bullets?

All kidding aside, what an incredible ending to a great series! Set in a world devastated by biological warfare, the human population subsists on a plant called Kaysev. Unfortunately, the wrong strain of the plan was released and the blue-leafed variety caused people to turn into zombies. These zombies or Beaters as they are called in the book are one of the threats to our survivors.

The Beaters are not the only threat. Groups of survivalists abound, each with their own agendas and levels of violence. Society has become dangerous and groups of people band together for protection.
Cass and her daughter, Dor, and Smoke have hunkered down in New Eden. While the situation seems idyllic, Cass is relapsing back to her old self; her addictions have returned. Cass is not well liked by the female population of this community. She often acts selfishly and because of her addiction has become careless.

Of course, all good things come to an end and New Eden is threatened by Beaters. The small community packs up to head North with another group of settlers. The journey is long and dangerous, and their escorts are not what they seem to be.

It felt as if each character was tortured or damaged by an event in their past. Finally, those events are revealed and was I ever surprised. The ending was perfect and I did need a few tissues.
I feel the need to address the love triangle. I understand that many readers hate love triangles, but this has got to be one of the best handled love triangle I have read. Cass must choose between Smoke and Dor and she loves them both. In the end, I believe that she made a good choice.

While I enjoyed this series, there were a few things that bothered me about this book. The story is told in multiple points of view: Cass, Dor, Smoke, Sammi, and another character. The points of view are not clearly identified and I found that I had to flip back and forth to figure out whose voice was used. It made for an abrupt and distracting read. I also found Sammi’s voice to be a little annoying. I could not understand why she was so angsty, especially after the events of Rebirth.

The Aftertime series is an engaging read. I highly recommend it. I can’t wait to try Sophie Littlefield’s other books.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Books for a review copy of this book.

Review posted on Badass Book Reviews.

[Anjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm completely new to Sophie Littlefield. I didn't know what to expect from her, I assumed that the Aftertime Trilogy were dystopian novels, awesome ones at that due to its popularity on goodreads. So when I requested an arc of Horizon on Netgalley, I really didn't have any bars set.

And so I got my first Sophie Littlefield novel, obviously, if I'm going to review this, I was going to do it right. I started with Aftertime (Book One) and I love love LOVED it! I did NOT know that this trilogy was adult dystopia. I'm a happy person but I like it when things get a little dark and twisty now and then. Love is easy, pain however, is not. It's a raw, intense emotion that most people just wouldn't know what to do with.

Cass is a failure. Even in a post-apocalyptic world, she's a failure. She's failed as a mother, she was a recovering alcoholic but I guess the recovering part doesn't apply in Horizon. Not really. She's fallen off the wagon and if that's not enough, after years of sleeping around, now she's got intimacy issues. She's extremely flawed and she makes an excellent protagonist!

So moving on, as usual, 'love' isn't a significant part of the story. It's basically sitting on the sidelines, hungover and trying to keep up with the race. I'm not sure if I'm making any sense. I ramble when I'm excited. Sorry. Sometimes, it's good..almost necessary to read about a messy relationship/love triangle that screams damaged! Smoke or Dor? I can't decide but I find myself not so surprisingly leaning towards Dor.

Again, I could've done without the multiple POVs but I don't care much right now because well, Sophie Littlefield is AWESOME.

Horizon is hands down the best out of all the three books! Okay so I didn't like the multiple POVs so much but the rest of it is just frickin' awesome! Sophie Littlefield is not afraid to go dark and deep into things that make your skin crawl. Who needs easy? Drag me through shit just so I feel . Oh and a happy ending? Depends on what you think it means.

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have now read this entire trilogy and it poses a problem for me. Obviously I liked it well enough to read through all three books. I have to say that they all were easy reads and that the plot twists came fast and furious. It felt believable as an apocalyptic future. But I just couldn't be comfortable with the heroine of the story. After the first 2 or 3 chapters I was itching to smack her. She manufactured most of her problems out of her self-loathing and sicky need to punish herself. She could analyze the same kinds of problems in others, but stubbornly refused to recognize her own homemade stumbling blocks. She was presented as intelligent and self-aware, but also self-deceiving and manipulative. This is an accurate portrayal of the addictive personality, but just as these traits are destructive of family and friend relationships, they are hard on the reader, too. It's simply harder to care what is going to happen to a character you don't like. For a while, I almost didn't care if the flesh-eating zombies got her. However the secondary characters were likeable and their predicament (how to survive and find security in a zombie-filled wasteland) was compelling. I think I would recommend it with the reservation that there is some fairly distasteful sex and a lot of gruesome violence and a general air of grim nastiness in these tales. These are not meant for the faint of heart or the prissy of mind.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cass Dollar and the inhabitants of New Eden, a place secluded from the Beater threat by a lake, soon discover their haven a hell as the Beaters evolve and become organised. Unable to swim, the Beaters should’ve posed no threat to New Eden, however their slow evolution means water is no barrier and Cass is once again thrust into the violent post apocalyptic world where fighting is the only means for survival.

The conclusion to the Aftertime series is less violent and suspenseful than the previous books with Littlefield focusing more on Cass and her relationship with Dor and Smoke and their combined struggle to find a new settlement following New Eden being compromised.

There are a few moments of standard zombie horror, the most notable being an altercation with the recently turned inside a fortified mall, that aside, there’s little of Romero in Aftertime. For the most part, HORIZON is about the survivors and the monsters man turns into – greed and violence become all consuming as a course towards a new home is plotted safe from the hungry mouths of the Beaters.

HORIZON is a different book to AFTERTIME and REBIRTH as Cass and her family try to establish a ‘normal’ list amid the ruins of the world before. It’s my least favourite of the series but still a must for those who have read both AFTERTIME and REBITH.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: An Aftertime Novel
Category: Fantasy

"Bottom line: The Aftertime trilogy is Littlefield’s magnum opus – just a timeless, towering work of apocalyptic fiction. And although this saga is a “must read” for fans of apocalyptic fiction and zombie fiction, I believe it transcends genre fiction and would appeal to anyone who reads fiction. This trio of novels gets my highest possible level of recommendation." from a blog post by paulgoatallen B&NCommunitity

[Sarahdactyl ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

♥ Find my reviews on Blogger ~ Reviews by Bookish Sarah

- - -

4.5 stars

*Spoilery if you haven't read the first 2 books in the Aftertime series!*

Horizon picks up a couple months after the ending of Rebirth. Cass, along with Ruthie, Dor, Sammi, & a still-injured Smoke - are all in a new settlement called New Eden. Some things have changed, but others are still the same. Cass & Dor still share a passion beyond words - even though Dor is in a relationship with a woman named Valerie, Smoke rests in a coma, Sammi is hanging with a couple of pyromaniacs, Ruthie is no longer mute, & I won't even mention the shocking new character in the series.

New Eden seems like the perfect setting to try and make a home in this post-apocalyptic world. The fact that it's a small cluster if islands makes this so. The Beaters cannot cross the water, and therefore it's easy to feel safe there, easy to guard.

Of course, that's until the Beaters surprise the group with their seemingly never-ending resourcefulness and the Edenites are forced to leave their sanctuary in search of a safer place to live.

- - -

Okay, I hate to say this, but I do have one teensy tiny complaint about Horizon. I was not happy that we missed so much. This big hunk of time flew by between Rebirth and this installment - Things were ten shades of messed up. I don't even understand the POINT of Valerie. Why is she even there? Why on Earth did Dor want to be with her? Ugh. I just hate that this big question mark lies in my brain about that situation. Also, the ARC is packed with grammatical errors. OODLES of them.

Other than that minor detail, Sophie Littlefield has done it again. She's blown me away with yet another installment in the Aftertime series. As usual, I could barely put it down. I spent Christmas day finishing this book. :) It was just that great!

The love triangle is as bitter and intense as ever. I enjoyed the turmoil going on in Cass' mind the entire time. I really had no idea who she was going to choose. I have to say I am 100% happy with the outcome. I won't give it away, but it is very dramatic!

One thing I have to say I loved about this installment was the fact that there was so much action with the Beaters. They were everywhere in this book! I missed them in Rebirth. Littlefield definitely made up for it with this one. Those buggers are all over the stinkin' place! It's full of the gore that I adore. ♥

The plot is ever entertaining. The drama, the violence, the intensity, the hope for a better future. I've enjoyed everything about this series, and this installment was no exception. There seriously seems to be a never ending supply of plot twists! Horizon is packed with revelations of all sorts, and I have to say - I didn't see any of them coming. Very impressive!

All I need to say overall, is that if you enjoyed Aftertime and/or Rebirth, this book will literally knock you off your feet. It's full of everything you could ever want in a novel like this. Action, intensity, gore, drama, betrayal, love, hope, etc. Not to mention, the ending is a shocker. You just have to read it!

I'm pretty baffled as to whether or not this installment is the end of the series, but I certainly hope it's not. It seems it could go either way. 50/50.

*Contains adult content - definitely not suitable for minors*

- - -

ARC source: NetGalley
Publisher: Harlequin

[Cronache di Betelgeuse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recensione pubblicata su Cronache di Betelgeuse

E’ con un po’ di dispiacere che si legge il capitolo finale della serie, sapendo che presto non potremo più leggere le avventure di Cass, del redivivo Smoke e dell’intrepido Dor. La storia presenta però i giusti colpi di scena e momenti di tensione, accompagnandoti alla conclusione senza lasciarti troppo l’amaro in bocca. Alcuni punti rimangono criptici, senza ricevere una spiegazione, mentre altri si incastrano alla perfezione con la trama.

Cass si ritrova in un mare di guai, nonostante la comunità che ha accolto lei e sua figlia sia quasi perfetta. Hanno cibo e un posto sicuro dove dormire, ma la nuova situazione sembra destabilizzarla. Ruthie può finalmente crescere in un ambiente tranquillo, ma le carcasse non si rassegnano. Come avevamo assistito già nel libro precedente, stanno diventando sempre più intraprendenti e intelligenti. Se non si è pronti ad affrontare un nemico instancabile e sempre affamato, allora si hanno ben poche speranze di sopravvivere.

Dor e Smoke sono il punto di forza del romanzo, con le loro doti e le loro debolezze. Dor si ritroverà ad affrontare per la prima volta una situazione in cui non avrà tutto sotto controllo. Da un lato ci sarà sua figlia, con cui dovrà tentare di ricucire il rapporto, dall’altro invece troviamo proprio Cass, che gli fa battere il cuore come nessun’altra donna. Smoke invece è ancora in lotta contro il mondo, nonostante capisca che con il suo comportamento ha rovinato il rapporto con la protagonista. Il suo corpo deve superare le ferite subite, ma la sua mente non ha mai smesso di immaginare un mondo migliore, in cui vuole giocare una parte importante. Se trovate affascinante questo personaggio, troverete una rivelazione importante che lo riguarda. L’attesa per risolvere il triangolo amoroso sarà lunga e con vari ripensamenti, ma io posso ritenermi soddisfatta per la scelta finale.

La storia presenta diversi colpi di scena, che minano la stabilità che ai pensava fosse assodata. Il pericolo principale non proviene però dalle carcasse, ma dalle idee sbagliate della gente. Nel viaggio intrapreso da Cass conosceremo diversi approcci alle difficoltà, ma quello scelto dalla protagonista è decisamente il migliore.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time I read a book from this series it makes me think if I could survive what the character are going through in the book, sadly I don't think I could, and it makes me admire them even more, even the weak ones. I also think, maybe hope is a better sentiment, that these people finally get to a situation where they can start to rebuild life, but instead things seem to go from bad to worse.

New Eden has it's problems, but the people feel safe and things seem to be going well. Cass doesn't seem to be adjusting to this very well, she has started drinking again, disgusting herself, and she is still carrying on with Dor and that makes her feel like she is slapping Smoke in the proverbial face.

In this tumultuous time Cass makes a few discovers that jar her thinking, that of the past and the present. Key people tell her secrets that make her understand then and their actions and allow her to understand her own actions. There were so many times during the book that I felt sorry for Cass. She really was between a rock and a hard place. I think part of her problems is that so often she thinks she should act a certain way, but that really isn't her. She needs to face who she is and what she wants and accept herself, bad parts and all. I think by the end she has come more to that sentiment and it gives me hope for her and all the others.

[Lis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ending to the trilogy. I savored this one because I wasn't quite ready to see it end. There were a few character surprises in the last installment. The beaters/zombies are getting smarter and the island is no longer safe. Cass is still fighting the demons of her past and trying to work thru her issues. It's survival of the fittest and the smartest but Smoke is still in bad shape. Tough decisions, fearing to trust the wrong person and facing new challenges back on the road.

[Marcela (BookaholicCat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ½ Stars

Horizon is the third and last book in the Aftertime Trilogy by Sophie Littlefield.

Let me tell you a story before I start with my review. When I got Horizon I didn’t know it was part of a trilogy, after realizing this I started to ask around if it was necessary to read previous books and all the answers I got were rotund yeses. Ok, after that I knew what I have to do; if I'm being honest I wasn’t too happy to add two extra books to my already insane TBR. But now, after reading them all, I’m very glad I did it, not only because all the books were great but because without previous books Horizon wouldn’t have made any sense.
Another thing I didn’t know was that this book was far from being the YA dystopian I thought it was. Yes, it’s a dystopian, but a very adult one.

Cass, Dor, Simmi, Ruthie and Smoke are living at New Eden, the refugee camp where they last arrived in Rebirth (second book).
Three months have passed, Cass has come a long way but now she’s going downhill. She is drinking again and her actions are not only affecting her but are starting to affect others. People are noticing her erratic behavior and are keeping their distance from her. Smoke has been in a coma for over three months, this is also taking a toll on Cass. Dor is in a relationship with a woman he met in New Eden named Valerie, but still he is having an secret affair with Cass. Simmi has a group of friends her age and is relatively happy. Ruthie is improving day by day, she’s talking, playing and living almost a normal life for a child her age.

Everything is going well, New Eden is located in a complex of islands surrounded by water thus inaccessible to Beaters (zombies). With Cass help they are growing plants, food in not scarce and under the circumstances life is good. Smoke wakes up from his coma, he’s still very weak but improving day by day. Cass is happy he is awake but now her feelings are in turmoil, she loves Smoke but she can’t forget he abandoned her and Ruthie to avenge his friends, he left without even say goodbye. Also she can’t negate the attraction she feels for Dor.
Beaters are becoming smarter and more organized, they are learning from the mistakes of other Beaters and soon they are learning to swim. Because of this New Eden is not the safe heaven it was and New Edenites including Cass and her gang need to abandon it and look for a safer place where they can start a new life again.
During their exodus and group of horse riders come to their aid. They come from the East with stories of a safe camp up North, were not Beaters nor blue-leafed Kaysev exists. After some general consensus they start their journey up North to this new land of hope, a journey full of dangers, with many Beaters encounters and other dangers along their way.

Horizon as previous books in this series was a heart wrenching one. Cass is a very flawed character, she is broken and trying to put her pieces together, she struggles everyday and fails as much as she succeeds. She feels so real is painful to see her suffer. Despite all her mistakes she is better and page after page she is slowly getting better, her road ahead is a hard one, she will always have to fight with herself because she’s her worst enemy. She will never be perfect, but I have hope she will be ok.
There is a love triangle between Cass, Smoke and Dor, but with everything that is happening there is not time for love. It’s more like Cass is in a standby, analyzing her life and who is really the person she wants in her life; coming to that realization even though it was hard to watch and I was rooting for Dor, I can say it felt honest and I was happy with her decision and they whys behind it.
Dor is a force to reckon, he is playing the underdog in New Eden, he doesn’t want to created problems between the groups but when there was a need for a leader who knew how to lead he was there. He gave everything and puts his life in danger to save others many times. His love and admiration for Cass is noticeable, he sees her as she really is and still loves her and wants her because he also see the good in her.
We learn more about Smoke's past and they why of his many actions, this made me understand him more and see he can’t change who he is, he does what he does because he needs it as a atonement to himself even if that means sacrificing his life for others. He also loves Cass, in his way and as much as that allows him. He knows something happened between Cass and Dor while he was away but he’s willing to forget and forgive because in a way he understands he was responsible.
Even though I wanted to slap Simmi more than once I understood her behavior, she is a teenager dealing with so many things at the same time that is easy to understand her and forgive her. I liked that she thought about her actions are realized she was doing something wrong, I also liked that she came around in time of need.
New and surprising characters are introduced, characters that will give Cass some light about her days when she was a Beater.

The end as the whole book was a heart wrenching one but in my opinion the best it could have. It wasn’t an easy and happy one but it was the right one.

Its amazing cast, a great world building, a fast pace and well structured plot made of Horizon a great read. Don’t expect fluffy love and butterflies, Horizon is dark, gritty, full of gore and drama, with lots of hard moments that will break your heart, but despite all this Horizon is a book of hope.

These books were my first by Mrs. Littlefield and I can guarantee you they won’t be my last. Horizon and Aftertime Trilogy in general will have an special place in my heart and my bookcase. If you like dystopian, apocalyptic and zombie literature these books are for you.

[Henri Moreaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

So the story of Cass, Smoke, Dor, Ruthie, Sammi & Co continues, a fragile truce between the participants in the Cass-Smoke-Dor love triangle begins after Smoke awakens from his coma and Cass is caught by Dor's daughter performing relations with Dor. Yeah, not your average post apocalyptic novel.

The whole love triangle thing that's been going on for the three books doesn't add much to the story from my perspective and in a way detracts from what otherwise was a pretty decent tale of a group of survivors battling it out against the odds, monsters & others survivors.

This being the finale book in the series wrapped up the story pretty well, although the introduction of new characters to advance the plot to the finale was a little cliche. Overall, it was alright.

[Lisarenee · Rating 5 out of 5]

We've all got our burdens to bear. Some are worse than others. So is the case with Cass. In the Before time, Cass struggled with both an alcohol and sexual addiction. Sexually abused by her stepfather for years, she was just overcoming her addictions and coming to terms with what happened to her when the apocalypse hit. In 'Aftertime', she seemed to be recovered, but relapses are sometimes part of the course to recovery. While she didn't sink as low as she did in the Before time, Cass will need to meet her inner demons full on, and this time do it not just for her daughter. She'll need to do it for herself.

At the end of 'Rebirth', Cass and Dor managed to rescue both Smoke and Sammi from the Rebuilders. The rescue had landed everyone in a new predicament. They found themselves at the mercy of a new group of survivors whose status--friendly or hostile--was unknown. Thankfully the group, who lived in a settlement called New Eden, was well organized and welcomed them into their midst.

In 'Horizon', Cass will need to come to terms with what Smoke did and whether or not she can forgive and forget. Plus, the relationship is further complicated by what happened between her and Dor. She'll have to decide if Smoke truly is the man for her, but before that can happen, Smoke will need to come out of the coma he fell into. 'Horizon' starts up two months after 'Rebirth' left off and the Beaters are becoming smarter and their attacks more organized. Just as everyone is starting to feel like things are starting to get back to some sort of normalcy, that false feeling of security is blown to bits as the survivors are forced to run once again for their lives.

I truly love this series, and if this truly is the last book, I will be extremely sad. I love how the book was nothing like I expected and the emotional connection to the characters was so real. The threat of becoming a Beater is still a constant threat either by the bite of a Beater or the eating of blueleaf which still creeps into the gardens of the survivors.

Cass, as I stated before, has fallen off the wagon. Hurt by Smoke's betrayal and trying to deal with the fact he's in a comma, she's reverted to some of her old bad habits. She's begun drinking again, and the affair that she and Dor were supposed to end once their rescue mission was complete is still going on in secret. Cass has slowly reverted into herself and is becoming withdrawn. In 'Aftertime', she worried what she'd done in those lost days between when the Beaters dragged her off and the day she found herself aimlessly wandering on her own. That is something that still haunts her thoughts and is yet another thing that drives her to drown out some of her pain at the bottom of a bottle. In 'Horizon', we finally find out what events took place in that blocked out time period. Plus, we find out what happened to her real dad, the one who left her and her mother all those years ago.

There is so much going on in this book. New Eden is very different from the Box and Cass has a hard time adjusting. I think she's filled with guilt and self loathing and just feels like her life is out of control. The only thing that keeps her even remotely grounded is her daughter Ruthie. I love how in this book we don't only see how Cass is affected, but how the teens such as Sammi are as well. There is a lot of action and many twists, turns and surprises I didn't see coming. I loved this one as much as the first book in the series.

Why is the book titled 'Horizon'? Well, while there are several mentions of the horizon in the book, none of them truly seem to define the title. If I had to take a stab at why 'Horizon' was picked as a title, I would have guessed it was because Cass and the rest of New Eden are traveling East toward the horizon. Plus, if you look up the definition of horizon one of its definitions is 'range of perception or experience' and the perception of those from New Eden is that the East is what holds the best chance of survival. Yet, the true answer as to why the title was picked lies in the official book synopsis where it's stated, 'But she, and all of the other survivors, will fight to the death for the promise of a new horizon….' Thereby, they're looking for a new beginning like the dawn of a new day which incidentally, starts in the east with the rising of the sun and can be noted on the Horizon. I'm loving the title.

I felt it had a great blend of action and drama. If you love the series so far, I doubt you'll be disappointed. This one focused so much more on the main story then on the romance, even though there is romance intertwined throughout, that I'm opting not to rate it on my romance rating scale. Overall, this book gets 5 out of 5 roses.

Order of series:


To read more of my reviews, please visit my blog at www.seducedbyabook.com

[Laura Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this book is not just another fairytale. It embraces the not so good parts about humanity without glorifying it. Some parts were a little long winded for my taste but impressed overall with the series.

[Shanna Tidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love the series! Do yourself a favor and read it!

[Krys · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was alright of course it didn't have the first book magic that 'Aftertime' had but I thought it was a lot better than 'Rebirth'. Littlefield had this annoying habit of having the characters involved in a conversation and then taking an element of that conversation and going off to tell a back story, usually from Before, that had nothing to do with anything. Well it did but when she drifted it ruined the effect of the original conversation...In 'Horizon' she did that a heck of a lot less and I am grateful. When she focused on the plot/storyline it helped me focus on them too which was great 'cause this has to be the craziest out of the three. Crazy as in the most happens in this book. A bunch of people died (some for no apparent reason other than Littlefield's apparent need to kill off characters), a bunch of people almost (should have) died, certain characters *cough* Sammi *cough* got on my last nerve, and things went boom boom literally. There was no need to make one of the Edenites a pyromaniac. Actually there was a while group of them and they blew up like two buildings and made one very large bomb. What the hell? Littlefield didn't even go into WHY they had become pyromaniacs or when they jumped off the deep end into the pool of crazy and started making home-made bombs. Seriously why would anyone do that, especially Aftertime? I mean the mastermind after the explosion on the island died long before it was proven he did it and the second kid who blew something up was excluded from the group. In a time when every one, every resource is needed why would they practically kick him out? Couldn't they have given him a firm slap on the wrists or something? If they believed him too dangerous they should have kicked him out for real or killed him. Just a small thing that bugged the crap out of me. Another thing that just pissed all over this book for me at times was SAMMI. Okay seriously so she was all cute and daring in the first two books but after seeing her mother killed in front of her, her kinda boyfriend and his brothers killed in front of her and abandonment issues with her father from Before she becomes this kid trying to be and adult. So just because you lose a few people who were close to you and you bashed in the heads of a few Zoms doesn't give you a medal that gives you the right to act like a total BITCH. Yeah a couple bad things happened to her but think of all the shiz Cat has gone through, and Dor, even Ruthie and Smoke have been through more SHIT than Sammi. Do you see them acting like they're all hard and tortured? HELL NO. They just suck it up and deal whether it's with taking control of everything around you, drowning yourself in the bottle and world of sex, or taking on the world in a desperate suicide mission to atone for a horrid mistake. All of this is better than acting like a moody CHILD who feels the need to smoke kaysev cigarettes to 'forget her problems'. WHAT PROBLEMS?!?!?!?!?!?!? And when she sees her dad with Cass she just flips out and goes bat shit nuts and starts trying to sabotage Cass' acceptance into Eden. I don't understand what the problem is, honestly. So yeah that is a little gross seeing your dad with his paws all over someone other than his 'girlfriend'. But seriously who doesn't have sex Aftertime? Even if it's not with who you'd think that is one thing that will never go away because it's a coping mechanism and it releases stress. She was even thinking about having sex with her boyfriend before he DIED. It's not even any of her business what the adults do with their lives and she should not WANT to know because then you find out things like this. Anyway she was the only reason I took so long to finish this book because every time I got to a part where it was from her perspective I had to stop, steel myself, and continue on 'cause she just pissed me off SO MUCH. I still don't like her very much even after I've finished the book. Just...NO. Oh and about Smoke all I can say is NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. And that it was very random what happened to him, seriously. I mean I'm not quite sure if his wound was fatal or not. It was all just nutterbutter that last two chapters...The ending was rather abrupt and I felt it kind of left me hanging like and....? I mean I know Littlefield was going for short and sweet and of course everyone has to end their book with some inspirational oh wow *sighs happily* handful of paragraphs but it doesn't feel like it's over for me. Ha eventually it will kick in though. So I give this book a full 4 stars and I would definitely recommend it for those who want a head smashin', Zombie killing, blood sizzling, foul language using...uhhh ran out of good "-ing" words...adult novel


^^ Enjoy and then rant about it in your reviews.
-LOL (Lots Of Love) KrysKrys S.

[Amber Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this series.

[Blood Rose Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in Sophie Littlefield's Dystopian series, you will need (you SHOULD read) the first two books in the series, Aftertime and Rebirth, before picking up this book.

Cassandra Dollar is a survivor and according to her this may be her one redeeming aspect. She has survived what few have, an attack by a beater and the many evils of mankind. With her daughter Ruthie now safe and beginning to thrive in the settlement they have found, Cass find herself falling into a familiar pattern of destruction. She is unable to out run the past and present as much as she tries. The world is still falling apart, with the ever evolving Beaters and the lack of safety from her fellow man, a stranger arrives with Hope. Hope of a new life north, but it will require a long hard journey, where there is no guarantee of safety or that everyone will make it there alive.

I cannot say enough how much I enjoy this series, I think that all the books have been great reads and each one did not disappoint. Each time I get a novel in this series, I am unable to put it down. Littlefield has a great ability for creating interesting stories, memorable characters and amazing world building. This book definitely has more Beater action than the second book, so if you were missing the Beaters from Rebirth, don't worry, there is a lot more in this novel.

I like that Littlefield gives the Beaters the ability of to learn. They are not smart, very far from it but they have what I think of as a Neanderthal smart. The Beaters learn by trying something, or watching another Beater trying something to learn from that Beater's mistakes. I also like that Littlfield gives Beaters who have been recently turned and those who have been turned for a long time different strengths and weaknesses, this makes them more unpredictable.

I know that there are people who read this series who do not like Cass, I personally like her. I like her flaws, her grit, her will to survive. I appreciate that Littlefield does not let Cass forget about her addiction to alcohol. I think that she is one of the most real characters that I have ever read in a paranomal series. I think the issues that she struggles with can be related to by many people, whether it is all or one of them. In this book you get to learn a little bit more about Cass's past as well as her time while she was a Beater. The one aspect in this book about Cass's character that I did not enjoy was that Cass's has begun to feel sorry for herself and this begins to over shadow other aspects of Cass's character that I like as well as some aspects of the story.

In this novel you also get to know more about Dor and Smoke, which is great, as you get to learn more and more about the men in Cass's life I think the reader begins to have their own opinion of who they think Cass should be with. There is the triangle dynamic within this book which I am sure will have you cheering for your favorite man (mine personally is Dor). Although there may be a triangle there is very little romance in this book. There are also some chapters and paragraphs from Sammi's point of view. I could see Littlefield doing a series (maybe a YA series) based around Sammi as she grows up in Aftertime. I personally found Sammi's point of views a little hard to relate to and her anger toward Cass was confusing and I do not feel like it was fully explained as to way she was so mad at Cass. This is why I think that a book from Sammi's point of view would have been better suited for a YA book youth are more likely to understand Sammi.

If you are reading zombie novels or want to read zombie novels, I suggest that you start here, you will not be disappointed. Littlefield has the ability to make you experience every emotion while you read and have you hanging on every word in this dystopian world. I am looking forward to reading more and more by Littlefield.

Enjoy!!!!

[Kt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally posted on my blog: A Book Obsession..

Everything about Cass's life revolves around surviving, be it from the men who preyed on her as a child, or the fall of civilization that brought on the beaters, or even another moment of sobriety. Things should have become easier despite the conditions of Aftertime now that she has found a seemingly safe haven from the Beaters. Only it isn't. The beaters have started to evolve and are no longer the mindless beings they once were. Their only hope lies a group of travelers that promise safety in a settlement too far north for the beaters to survive in the cold. However, even that seems like a pipe dream. As she continues to struggle with her addictions, she is also torn between two men who have come to mean almost everything to her. Even so, all those horrors are nothing compared to the inner torment she lives with everyday. She will have to fight tooth and nail to find the much needed chance at life for her and her daughter, even if it means sacrificing it all.

In so many books the heroine makes a miraculous change for the better and never looks back, but that is not Cass. To be honest, that type of turnaround would have severely cheapened the story, and I am so glad Sophie Littlefield continued to avoid tinting things with rose colored glasses. Being an addict, life will never come easy to Cass, she will always have that constant inner struggle no matter how long she stays sober. It is only as she starts to find self-worth and forgiveness that she starts to choose sobriety for herself rather than for anyone else, that she finally starts to win her struggle. There will still be times that she falls off the bandwagon, and fall she does in Horizon. Yet it watching that struggle and fight for every precious forward moment gained that really makes it all hit home.

There is an outward appearance of a love triangle, yet it wasn't really about romance, but more of a journey towards Cass finding herself. This isn't your typical story of angst and constant debate over two men. After the way Cass reacted to finding Smoke I had thought things would have ended between her and Dor, and yet there is still a strong connection, almost compulsion that pulls her to him. It almost seems as if he is he drug, and considering her addiction problems, you can only imagine just how strong of a force that is. She is utterly torn between them, but at the root the struggle is more about accepting herself and what she needs. Her sense of obligation to the man who first gave her love, as well as social acceptance keeps her torn from the man who she truly burns for, even if it is only a raw and bare boned infatuation.

Horizon was not what I was expecting, but it was exactly what I needed. I had thought I wanted to see a perfect happy ever after for these characters that have suffered so much, but I was so wrong. I may feel like I was put in a blender under the puree setting, but that made everything so much more real to me in the end. It is the depth of raw emotion that makes this series, and this installment most of all, so compelling. I literally was on the edge of the seat the entire time, and my fingernails are going to take a very long time to recover from the damage. It would have been so easy for the story to have gone another way with things somehow getting miraculously fixed and tied up neatly with a bow, yet Sophie Littlefield stayed true to the story and characters by giving them an ending that showed hope, but with absolutely no guarantees. Nothing else would fit for Aftertime. So I cannot thank Ms. Littlefield enough for giving this story that I know will stick with me for a very long time.

[Mandy Moody · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED it.
Higher than a 4...just not QUITE good enough to be a 5 star.
Horizon was a beautiful ending to the Aftertime trilogy. I thought it was the strongest book in the series and loved the direction Littlefield took with the story.

We pick up about 2 months after the end of Rebirth. Cass, Ruthie, Dor, Smoke, Sammi and the other pregnant girls have made it to New Eden, a safe community in California.
The beginning of this book was everything I loved about the other 2 installments, thrown right in my face. It was as if the author was shaking me, asking "do you still love the "reality" of this???"

There is no happy ending. Our little party may be safe - for now - but they are nowhere near Happily Ever After.
Smoke is comatose. Dor has shacked up with do-gooder-barbie. Sammi is depressed and angry. Cass is drinking again. Only Ruthie is healing in this safe place - loved by her mother and able to play with other children. Ruthie actually factors very little into Horizon, but I found that understandable. Her safety and happiness is still the motivation for everything Cass does, but this last book in the series is about CASS. Not her relationships, but the way those relationships effect her.

The Aftertime love-triangle continued to shine for all the things it was NOT - cheesy, superficial or filled with starry eyes and moist lips. This triangle is different.
First, the two men are both highly desirable...at least to me. Both are strong and smart and neither will wither away if Cass doesn't choose them. They are both possessive, protective and willing to kill for what's theirs. They are both natural leaders - in their element in this Aftertime world. Both are willing to make the tough, unpopular decisions when it's necessary. Those are their similarities.
The differences...Smoke makes Cass a better person. He expects her to be good, and so she is. He is good with Ruthie - a father to her. Smoke is also tortured by his past, determined to do penance for a sin he keeps secret. Cass fears he'll always choose retribution over her.
Dor is self serving and ruthless, but his "selfish" nature extends to those around him. Dor lets Cass be who she is - helps her accept herself - rather than making her strive to be something better. Dor is a good father, a good provider, a good lover...but he'll never be warm and fuzzy.
Either man would be a good choice for Cass. I've found my loyalties to these two men switching several times during the trilogy, but by the end, Cass made the choice I would have made, too.

I loved the progression of this book. I loved the journey our characters took, the revelations along the way. I loved the characters - old and new. I loved the pacing, it kept me on the edge of my seat.
Most of all, I loved the intensity.
I've read countless books where authors try to write intensity like this into their stories...and I've often gotten to the middle of the scene, realized it was supposed to be exciting, and thought that the book really would have benefited from a movie soundtrack - just a little background music to let me know something big was coming.
Little field didn't need any soundtrack. Not by a long shot.
I found myself holding my breath, flipping the pages as quickly as I could...terrified, dying to know what was coming next...
And she did it time and time again. And it never got old.

The ending of this book was like a big exhalation. Not a sigh of relief, mind you...because nothing is over. Much is just beginning. Just that huff of air you let out when you know you've got a momentary respite before even more is thrown at you.
LOVE.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cass Dollar is a survivor. She has survived addiction, cannibalistic zombies (called beaters) attacking her, turning into a cannabalistic zombie, losing her daughter, and fighting until finding her again. Now Cass is living in a fairly comfortable life in a community called New Eden of fairly friendly people. She doesn't have to fight every day or worry about someone taking her daughter or keep looking over her shoulder. Everything seems to be going fine except she keeps sleeping with Dor despite Smoke being in a coma and she's started drinking again. Everything comes crashing down when beaters start to swarm the shores of the river bordering New Eden and slowly learn to swim. The inhabitants know they are no longer safe and are forced to travel through a dangerous wasteland full of beaters and unsavory people alike. Can Cass's group overcome their weaknesses and survive to be able to find someplace safe to live?

This is the third book in the Aftertime series and it's still going strong. Cass Dollar is one of my favorite zombie apocalypse characters because of her strengths, her weakness, and her humanity. She was attacked by beaters when she first got her daughter back because she was an addict deemed unfit to have custody. She has no idea what she did when affected by the beater fever, but she has a huge amount of guilt over who she may have hurt. Now, Cass does physical labor to keep her mind off her troubles in addition to some drinking at night when she's not responsible for anyone. She has doubts and sometimes doesn't feel she deserves such a comfortable life. I admire her strength and her ability to persevere through everything: being a beater, addiction, relapse, and everything this post-apocalyptic life can throw at her. She's also one of the most physically capable people to take on the beaters. New Haven has gotten too comfortable and very few people have the skills she and Dor have to protect themselves. Cass isn't the best or most virtuous person, but she does her best. Most of the people in this world are shades of grey rather than stark black and white.

The beaters are frightening creatures who aren't strictly dead, but can sustain crazy amounts of damage to their bodies before succumbing to their wounds. They eat people, themselves, and each other (but only in extreme situations). They don't change too much or at a fast rate, but they slowly learn from their comrades mistakes until they can do things like swim and ambush a group of humans. Their nests are disgusting to behold and their appearance gets less and less human as they age. As always, the disease is transmitted through bites or fluid exchange. The beaters are brutal creatures that match this brutal world.

Two things bothered me about the book. One is Cass's total lack of caring that she saw the beaters in huge numbers AND saw them learning to swim without telling anyone. They could have done something to save their haven rather than having a few people die and then relocate when it became too dangerous. I also thought it was weird that she didn't harbor any guilt about that either. The other is the love triangle situation. It's actually a pretty unique one because both men are well characterized and very different. However, I thought her choice was clear pretty early on and it just seemed to drag out too long after that. Other than that, Horizon is an enjoyable but dark read. There are no sappy happy endings for these characters and I appreciate that Sophie Littlefield keeps that realism consistent throughout the series.

[Scooper Speaks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite Lines: "She did not yet know the limits of her strength, but she was ready to be tested, and tested again. She would be tempted and discouraged and broken, but she would come back each time, into this world that had been bequeathed to them, into the dangers that threatened them and the joys that waited, buried but not impossible, for them to unearth and cherish." (p. 400, egalley)

Horizon is the final book in Sophie Littlefield's dystopian Aftertime series. If you haven't read books one and two (Aftertime and Rebirth) do NOT attempt to read Horizon.

I'm almost at a loss on how to write this review. If you've checked out my previous reviews of books one and two you know I REALLY liked them. They are dark and gritty and push the limits. I alternate between disgust, acceptance and wonder at all the recovering addict and single mother heroine does in order to survive in a world gone mad. I've followed her on her journey to recover her daughter and finding her self-worth. I've watched her risk it all to save a man. I've been sick in my stomach with worry about the depths Cass has fallen and rooted for her to make it just one more day sober. All of that comes to an end in Horizon, but not until the final page is written.

Horizon shows a Cass struggling to survive. The stress of "normal" living has knocked her out of sober living. She wants to be a better person so badly, but her need to escape the stresses of life have chased her into sneak meetings with Dor and alcohol. Meanwhile the man Cass risked it all for is struggling to survive the torture inflicted upon him during the events of book two. Littlefield has done an excellent job writing an indecisive character who has had nothing but bad heaped upon her for years. I felt Cass's pain and revolt throughout the story. Emotionally this book wore me out. I wanted to rest when I finished it and that's how you know it's worth reading. I needed to think about it, not to decide if I liked it, but to ponder on everything that happened.

Watching Cass figure out if she wants to be in a relationship and with who, along with the way the men treated her, had me nervous that Cass would self-destruct. Watching her pull up her big girl panties and make hard decisions, made me proud of the woman she could be. Even better was the way all the plot lines were wrapped up. Sure one, was unexpected and almost too easy, but I'm so happy it was included. I don't know of any better way that familial plot could have been addressed, so I'll brush by it.

Horizon, like Aftertime and Rebirth, is a hard book to read. I don't see myself re-reading it often, but I will revisit it. There is something about the trilogy that speaks to me. When the world is devastated, there will be good and bad people who survive. There may even be zombies. But the human will to survive is a powerful thing. Littlefield brings a glimpse of hope to a world beyond destruction. It's not a feel good experience. However, it is keeper bookshelf material. It's something to remind you that there is more than fluff in the urban fantasy/paranormal/dystopian field. It's a trilogy written by a grown woman for adults. It's not pretty, but it's so worth reading. Off the top of my head, it's the only zombie series that I consistently recommend.

Scooper Speaks