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After the Red Rain
A postapocalyptic novel with a cinematic twist from New York Times bestseller Barry Lyga, actor Peter Facinelli, and producer Robert DeFranco.
On the ruined planet Earth, where 50 billion people are confined to megacities and resources are scarce, Deedra has been handed a bleak and mundane existence by the Magistrate she works so hard for. But one day she comes across a beautiful boy named Rose struggling to cross the river--a boy with a secretive past and special abilities, who is somehow able to find comfort and life from their dying planet.
But just as the two form a bond, it is quickly torn apart after the Magistrate's son is murdered and Rose becomes the prime suspect. Little do Deedra and Rose know how much their relationship will affect the fate of everyone who lives on the planet.
On the ruined planet Earth, where 50 billion people are confined to megacities and resources are scarce, Deedra has been handed a bleak and mundane existence by the Magistrate she works so hard for. But one day she comes across a beautiful boy named Rose struggling to cross the river--a boy with a secretive past and special abilities, who is somehow able to find comfort and life from their dying planet.
But just as the two form a bond, it is quickly torn apart after the Magistrate's son is murdered and Rose becomes the prime suspect. Little do Deedra and Rose know how much their relationship will affect the fate of everyone who lives on the planet.
392 pages, Hardcover
First published August 4, 2015
43 people are currently reading
2503 people want to read
About the author
Barry Lyga
71 books2,186 followersBarry Lyga is a recovering comic book geek. According to Kirkus, he's also a "YA rebel-author." Somehow, the two just don't seem to go together to him.
When he was a kid, everyone told him that comic books were garbage and would rot his brain, but he had the last laugh. Raised on a steady diet of comics, he worked in the comic book industry for ten years, but now writes full-time because, well, wouldn't you?
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl is his first novel. Unsoul'd is his latest. There are a whole bunch in between, featuring everything from the aftermath of child abuse to pre-teens with superpowers to serial killers. He clearly does not know how to stick to one subject.
When he was a kid, everyone told him that comic books were garbage and would rot his brain, but he had the last laugh. Raised on a steady diet of comics, he worked in the comic book industry for ten years, but now writes full-time because, well, wouldn't you?
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl is his first novel. Unsoul'd is his latest. There are a whole bunch in between, featuring everything from the aftermath of child abuse to pre-teens with superpowers to serial killers. He clearly does not know how to stick to one subject.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
April 2, 2015
(my very first photoset! also, no spoilers.)
As a reviewer, I don't think I'm particularly picky as in how a book should be written, but I do have a criteria that all books should reach, for me to be able to give 3 stars:
1) The first 10 pages should pass the Bechdel Test
2) No love triangle
3) No instant declarations of love
4) No belittling women who openly express their sexuality
5) Have an actual plot that makes sense
6) Be in someway original
It shouldn't be so hard to meet these six points, but I'm constantly confused how many YA novels fail to make the mark. Am I setting standards too high, I wonder as I slap 1 or 2 stars on books— especially dystopian ones. Perhaps except for Catching Fire, I've never really enjoyed reading the particular genre in YA; I mean, Orwell and Murakami? Yes please!
So I was pleasantly surprised After The Red Rain brought something new and readable to YA dystopia, and met my standards.
+
AtRR is post-apocalyptic , set in a far away period of time where the world was so toxic it has killed off staggeringly large amounts of human population. By now, almost all animals and plants are extinct, perhaps except for some straggly weeds and cockroaches that inhabit ruined buildings.
Due to the massive shortage of food, the governments' main goal are to develop technology able to mass produce food from animal cells they have kept, lab grown and genetically modified from the DNA. It's the only source of food, if you don't want to eat mutant rats that scurry around in junkyards.
Then again, everyone in all Territories are hungry- the government only supplies you food if you work for them, be it in factories (as most citizens do) or as government officials. In a world where food is either issued to you or... rats, many a hungry person scavenge the streets in hope of finding or trading something more to eat.
And our protagonist, Deedra, is a scavenger whenever she has time after working in her day job with her best friend. They frequent the borders of Ludo Territory (each territory is named after their Magistrate) and try to find valuable metal scraps. One day she sees a boy so beautiful that she mistakes him to be a girl, right until he decides to
I really enjoyed Deedra and Rose's narration; Deedra, unlike other dystopian heroines, does not have a ability that sets her as different, nor is she ridiculously driven by a righteous fury (or naivety) to dismantle the government. She's fantastically independent without being headstrong and tries to puzzle out the clashing information she's told by everybody.
Rose, oh beautiful, so-gorgeous-everyone-mistook-you-as-a-girl Rose, I disliked you from the start when you followed Deedra back home. Then I realised why, and it turns out you are so nice and sweet I may have fallen slightly in love with you. You weren't another YA love interest with a tortured past that enjoys witholding important information from our heroine. The way you weren't a selfish jerk and even valued other people's lives more your own is applaud worthy.
Being myself, I certainly do have some gripes. The prose itself is nothing memorable, sometimes choppy with several short sentences after each other. This works fairly well with action scenes, but awkward when it come to descriptions or conversations.
One of the villains, the magistrate of their territory was a over-the-top caricature either for comic relief or just bad characterisation, the sort that is impatient and dimly sly and has a tendency to bang the wall to punctuate every sentence. I found the Inspector a much better anti-hero figure, as at least he seems more like a real person than an archetype.
They also fall in love- but past the half way mark, which I grudgingly concede as acceptable since afterwards some rather over the top incidents happen and I suppose the only way to justify it is if they're in love? I am grateful that Deedra and Rose don't paw off each other's face or declare their love to the world every five minutes.
Read AtRR for good characterisations of teenagers that actually act like decent human beings, a new concept that works in a post apocalyptical setting, and a quick fun read if you're feeling philosophical. There are several issues and thought provoking messages that makes you blink and wonder while reading, which are key even at this contemporary setting.
3.5 Stars, but deserves a round up to 4 here.
April 8, 2015
Rating: 1.5 Stars
This book is one of the most ridiculous novels I've read to date and I'm kind of shocked Lyga was apart of this project. Everything is pretty shoddy here from the world building to the characters to the barely there plot. This book seems like an attempt to just jump aboard the "dystopia with a strong heroine" bandwagon and there's not much to like here at all. Review to come much closer to publication date.
This book is one of the most ridiculous novels I've read to date and I'm kind of shocked Lyga was apart of this project. Everything is pretty shoddy here from the world building to the characters to the barely there plot. This book seems like an attempt to just jump aboard the "dystopia with a strong heroine" bandwagon and there's not much to like here at all. Review to come much closer to publication date.
December 14, 2015
Não é um livro terrível. Mas pensando no que eu poderia dizer de bom sobre ele, não conseguir listar nada. É um livro Meh. Acho q ele é tão meh que não consigo nem levar a sério os problemas óbvios que ele tem, como personagens unidimensionais, construção de mundo inexistente, um ritmo estranho que é lerdo até a metade e depois parece o Transformers por tantas cenas de ação, vilões, fugas, capturas, fugas de novo... É quase caricato. Sem contar na relação instantânea do casal q como sempre, quando é construída dessa forma, me tira da história. Não consigo simpatizar ou entender uma conexão que veio do nada. O pior é q poderia ser interessante. Se eles investissem numa boa protagonista e em conflitos mais densos. Esse livro tem cara de q quer ser trilogia, não sei se vai rolar, mas não pretendo continuar.
August 5, 2015
After the Red Rain is a dystopian, which we're all familiar with, but I found the premise to be really original -- if a bit weird.
Deedra exists. That's what most people do in this post-apocalyptic version of the earth. Everything has been destroyed. There's almost no sun. She must drag herself to work in a factory every day to receive her rations -- genetically engineered food. She also spends a great deal of time scavenging for things. No one knows much about the past, except everyone believes things now are much better than they used to be before the Red Rain. Huh. It's hard to believe that all traces of human history have been hidden from the general population.
During one of these adventures, she sees a boy trying to swim across a dangerous river. He gets into trouble and Deedra saves him. His name is Rose. He's very different, and Deedra is strangely attracted to him. They get separated when the "take cover" alarm is sounded, and Deedra and her friend must hide. She thinks she will never see Rose again. But that isn't the case.
As Deedra gets to know Rose, she realizes that there's something very different about him. Eventually he tells her his secret, but I'm not going to tell you what it is. It's very unique -- and strange -- and I'm not sure I like it. Rose tries to convince Deedra that the world used to be a much better place, and that it's possible for things to get better. Bad things happen, and Rose is accused of murder. Deedra tries to figure out a way to save him.
There are more elements to the story that add some interest. After the Red Rain just didn't wow me. I found it kind of boring. I think it's because I just didn't buy into the premise. After the Red Rain seems to be a set up for a series. And probably a movie. I haven't decided if I'll continue with it.
After the Red Rain will interest die-hard dystopian fans for sure. I enjoyed the book, but even with some unique elements, I just didn't love it.
Deedra exists. That's what most people do in this post-apocalyptic version of the earth. Everything has been destroyed. There's almost no sun. She must drag herself to work in a factory every day to receive her rations -- genetically engineered food. She also spends a great deal of time scavenging for things. No one knows much about the past, except everyone believes things now are much better than they used to be before the Red Rain. Huh. It's hard to believe that all traces of human history have been hidden from the general population.
During one of these adventures, she sees a boy trying to swim across a dangerous river. He gets into trouble and Deedra saves him. His name is Rose. He's very different, and Deedra is strangely attracted to him. They get separated when the "take cover" alarm is sounded, and Deedra and her friend must hide. She thinks she will never see Rose again. But that isn't the case.
As Deedra gets to know Rose, she realizes that there's something very different about him. Eventually he tells her his secret, but I'm not going to tell you what it is. It's very unique -- and strange -- and I'm not sure I like it. Rose tries to convince Deedra that the world used to be a much better place, and that it's possible for things to get better. Bad things happen, and Rose is accused of murder. Deedra tries to figure out a way to save him.
There are more elements to the story that add some interest. After the Red Rain just didn't wow me. I found it kind of boring. I think it's because I just didn't buy into the premise. After the Red Rain seems to be a set up for a series. And probably a movie. I haven't decided if I'll continue with it.
After the Red Rain will interest die-hard dystopian fans for sure. I enjoyed the book, but even with some unique elements, I just didn't love it.
July 29, 2015
What do you get when you take two Hollywood execs and a YA author and throw them together to write a book? You get The Hunger Games or Divergent if they were done by Michael Bay. Especially when you take three grown men and ask them to write a teenage girl as the main character.
I feel like the plotting process for After the Red Rain involved a bunch of old guys in suits sitting around a table and picking the most "popular" aspects of YA literature. "Oh, it has to be a dystopian!" one cries, while another adds in, "Yes, and the main character should be stoic and strong, and probably an orphan!" And after they get the basics, they say, "Well, girls really like pretty boys, so let's make sure the love interest can be played by someone who was once a teen pop star," and, "The green/recycling movement is a hot topic right now, so let's make that a focus."
What I'm saying is, it's not a bad novel, it's just not a good one. Much like a Michael Bay movie, you know it's not quality entertainment, but you enjoy it nonetheless.
Read the rest of the review on Just Love @ Wordpress!
I feel like the plotting process for After the Red Rain involved a bunch of old guys in suits sitting around a table and picking the most "popular" aspects of YA literature. "Oh, it has to be a dystopian!" one cries, while another adds in, "Yes, and the main character should be stoic and strong, and probably an orphan!" And after they get the basics, they say, "Well, girls really like pretty boys, so let's make sure the love interest can be played by someone who was once a teen pop star," and, "The green/recycling movement is a hot topic right now, so let's make that a focus."
What I'm saying is, it's not a bad novel, it's just not a good one. Much like a Michael Bay movie, you know it's not quality entertainment, but you enjoy it nonetheless.
Read the rest of the review on Just Love @ Wordpress!
August 5, 2015
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I was a little uncertain about this book from the start. I’ve never read Barry Lyga before, and the dystopian angle didn’t sound particularly new. However, it was so hyped at BEA that I decided to snag a copy from Netgalley. Unfortunately, I should have considered my earlier reservations. After the Red Rain is a mess of a book. Yet it begins with such a thrilling, poignant moment: a man in a strange factory of corpses, risking life and limb to save an infant from the grinding machines. He gives her a strange, secret gift. I was intrigued. I was ready for something Matrix-like and dark.
It’s quite apparent that the teenage girl we meet in the next chapter, Deedra, is that baby. Her world is a dead world, a world so toxic that 50 billion people died off in a matter of years, and the 50 billion who remain live in starvation and squalor. They also live in fear of the Red Rain, the quasi-mythical event that destroyed half their kind. While skeptical that 50 billion people could reasonably survive on a scorched planet (we’re at 7 billion right now, if that helps), I enjoyed the sort of whimsical terror of Deedra’s world, a world divided into territories ruled by dangerous, omnipotent autocrats. A world of hopelessness.
That’s where the book begins to unravel–pretty much instantly. Deedra has a day off from her factory job and is out scrap-collecting with her friend–whose name I forgot, which should tell you about how important she is to this book–when she sees a beautiful girl across the river. Only the girl is actually just a ridiculously beautiful boy who calls himself Rose. He insinuates himself into Deedra’s community and joins her at the factory. He believes in the Red Rain, even though Deedra and many others think it’s mere superstition. He smells like heaven and wears a strange green coat. His unsettling mix of innocence and perception terrify the higher-ups and put him on their radar. When the territory leader’s son is murdered, Rose becomes their prime suspect.
And that’s sort of the book. Rose and Deedra talk about the world and philosophical things. Deedra falls in love with Rose because he’s oh-so-beautiful and perceptive and just a freaking ray of sunshine in a bleak world. Deedra learns of Rose’s secrets and joins forces with an ambitious doctor, who believes that Rose’s abilities may save the world, to protect Rose from execution for a crime he didn’t commit. You’d think this would all be fairly interesting, except that the writing is mediocre, the characters are flat, and the plot ambles along so slowly that I found myself skimming through nearly the whole last half.
In part, this book lost me with its absurdity. I won’t spoil the secret of Rose’s abilities to you. Let’s just say that it was the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in a while. I began to suspect the truth early on, then thought to myself, “No, of course not. That’s just silly.” And then I found out it was real, and there was just no way to suspend disbelief. It rankled me in that way that things do when you can tell the authors are trying too hard to be clever. And failing. Badly.
Then, of course, there’s the freaking Red Rain. They weren’t kidding about the “After” part. Even though there are hints of something dangerous going on in the territory, even though the Red Rain is tossed around a few times, it quickly takes a side seat in favor of the Romeo and Juliet love story and the plot to save Rose. I couldn’t get on board with the romance at all. One, Deedra is annoying. Two, Rose is exceptionally annoying. They read as very naive (assuming you think Deedra has a personality at all) and their romance crescendos quickly. It’s page after page of sappy dialogue and unbelievable action scenes, culminating in a saccharine ending that couldn’t have come too soon.
Somewhere near that ending, you learn what the Red Rain actually was. It’s discussed for a couple of sentences before it becomes completely unimportant and is never mentioned again. And so, what could have been a relatively interesting take on dystopia and the problem of human survival in an overpopulated world became a laughable science-fiction love story worthy of Bella and Edward. Coincidence that Peter Facinelli was involved?
I need to go read some Cormac McCarthy to cleanse my palate.
I was a little uncertain about this book from the start. I’ve never read Barry Lyga before, and the dystopian angle didn’t sound particularly new. However, it was so hyped at BEA that I decided to snag a copy from Netgalley. Unfortunately, I should have considered my earlier reservations. After the Red Rain is a mess of a book. Yet it begins with such a thrilling, poignant moment: a man in a strange factory of corpses, risking life and limb to save an infant from the grinding machines. He gives her a strange, secret gift. I was intrigued. I was ready for something Matrix-like and dark.
It’s quite apparent that the teenage girl we meet in the next chapter, Deedra, is that baby. Her world is a dead world, a world so toxic that 50 billion people died off in a matter of years, and the 50 billion who remain live in starvation and squalor. They also live in fear of the Red Rain, the quasi-mythical event that destroyed half their kind. While skeptical that 50 billion people could reasonably survive on a scorched planet (we’re at 7 billion right now, if that helps), I enjoyed the sort of whimsical terror of Deedra’s world, a world divided into territories ruled by dangerous, omnipotent autocrats. A world of hopelessness.
That’s where the book begins to unravel–pretty much instantly. Deedra has a day off from her factory job and is out scrap-collecting with her friend–whose name I forgot, which should tell you about how important she is to this book–when she sees a beautiful girl across the river. Only the girl is actually just a ridiculously beautiful boy who calls himself Rose. He insinuates himself into Deedra’s community and joins her at the factory. He believes in the Red Rain, even though Deedra and many others think it’s mere superstition. He smells like heaven and wears a strange green coat. His unsettling mix of innocence and perception terrify the higher-ups and put him on their radar. When the territory leader’s son is murdered, Rose becomes their prime suspect.
And that’s sort of the book. Rose and Deedra talk about the world and philosophical things. Deedra falls in love with Rose because he’s oh-so-beautiful and perceptive and just a freaking ray of sunshine in a bleak world. Deedra learns of Rose’s secrets and joins forces with an ambitious doctor, who believes that Rose’s abilities may save the world, to protect Rose from execution for a crime he didn’t commit. You’d think this would all be fairly interesting, except that the writing is mediocre, the characters are flat, and the plot ambles along so slowly that I found myself skimming through nearly the whole last half.
In part, this book lost me with its absurdity. I won’t spoil the secret of Rose’s abilities to you. Let’s just say that it was the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in a while. I began to suspect the truth early on, then thought to myself, “No, of course not. That’s just silly.” And then I found out it was real, and there was just no way to suspend disbelief. It rankled me in that way that things do when you can tell the authors are trying too hard to be clever. And failing. Badly.
Then, of course, there’s the freaking Red Rain. They weren’t kidding about the “After” part. Even though there are hints of something dangerous going on in the territory, even though the Red Rain is tossed around a few times, it quickly takes a side seat in favor of the Romeo and Juliet love story and the plot to save Rose. I couldn’t get on board with the romance at all. One, Deedra is annoying. Two, Rose is exceptionally annoying. They read as very naive (assuming you think Deedra has a personality at all) and their romance crescendos quickly. It’s page after page of sappy dialogue and unbelievable action scenes, culminating in a saccharine ending that couldn’t have come too soon.
Somewhere near that ending, you learn what the Red Rain actually was. It’s discussed for a couple of sentences before it becomes completely unimportant and is never mentioned again. And so, what could have been a relatively interesting take on dystopia and the problem of human survival in an overpopulated world became a laughable science-fiction love story worthy of Bella and Edward. Coincidence that Peter Facinelli was involved?
I need to go read some Cormac McCarthy to cleanse my palate.
August 24, 2015
I won this book via Goodreads First Reads!
The storyline was semi-original. Dystopian – earth being wiped out… yada yada. Did anyone else think of Wall-E when reading this? Rose is the plant Wall-E carries around and Deedra is like Wall-E, out picking up junk?
Anyway…
Deedra was annoying. She went from not caring to caring… oh wait she doesn’t care again. Don’t you think someone who has been on her own for so long would be more mature? Or more of a badass? She would be used to making tough decisions? I wasn’t feeling it with her.
Overall the book was boring. And a half boy half flower is laughable weird.
Would I read another book by this author? Maybe
The storyline was semi-original. Dystopian – earth being wiped out… yada yada. Did anyone else think of Wall-E when reading this? Rose is the plant Wall-E carries around and Deedra is like Wall-E, out picking up junk?
Anyway…
Deedra was annoying. She went from not caring to caring… oh wait she doesn’t care again. Don’t you think someone who has been on her own for so long would be more mature? Or more of a badass? She would be used to making tough decisions? I wasn’t feeling it with her.
Overall the book was boring. And a half boy half flower is laughable weird.
Would I read another book by this author? Maybe
August 4, 2015
3.5 Stars
Head over to the HEA blog to see the full interview with the authors! Here's the first question
Tell us about Deedra and Rose!
Barry: Deedra has the capacity for bravery and selflessness in a world that only rewards greed and naked self-interest. She's not a superhero or a warrior — her strength comes from her innate curiosity and her willingness to step back and observe and learn. Rose, meanwhile, is the one unsullied, unbroken thing in a world that's crumbling underfoot. He's decent and kind, and while he's powerful, he would rather avoid a fight than win one. They make quite a pair!
Robert: Rose is a nomad, on a journey to find answers, where Deedra is resigned to her fate and lives a relatively confined life. They share a bond over feeling like outsiders and lack of understanding of where they came from. Rose's curiosity awakens Deedra's curiosity and puts them on a path of change while driving them into harm's way.
Peter: In a way, Deedra and Rose are your typical teenagers struggling with issues of identity and individuality and love. But in the midst of your teenage angst imagine having the weight of the world on your shoulders on top of everything else. You discover something about how society is structured, and you have to decide: Are you going to stand up for what's right or follow the herd? I hope these characters encourage readers to really have the courage to be different and use their voices to initiate changes in and deeper thinking about our world and society.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyev...
Head over to the HEA blog to see the full interview with the authors! Here's the first question
Tell us about Deedra and Rose!
Barry: Deedra has the capacity for bravery and selflessness in a world that only rewards greed and naked self-interest. She's not a superhero or a warrior — her strength comes from her innate curiosity and her willingness to step back and observe and learn. Rose, meanwhile, is the one unsullied, unbroken thing in a world that's crumbling underfoot. He's decent and kind, and while he's powerful, he would rather avoid a fight than win one. They make quite a pair!
Robert: Rose is a nomad, on a journey to find answers, where Deedra is resigned to her fate and lives a relatively confined life. They share a bond over feeling like outsiders and lack of understanding of where they came from. Rose's curiosity awakens Deedra's curiosity and puts them on a path of change while driving them into harm's way.
Peter: In a way, Deedra and Rose are your typical teenagers struggling with issues of identity and individuality and love. But in the midst of your teenage angst imagine having the weight of the world on your shoulders on top of everything else. You discover something about how society is structured, and you have to decide: Are you going to stand up for what's right or follow the herd? I hope these characters encourage readers to really have the courage to be different and use their voices to initiate changes in and deeper thinking about our world and society.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyev...
March 15, 2015
As an avid reader of YA novels and a longtime fan of Barry Lyga’s writings, I was eagerly anticipating his creative take on After The Red Rain, written in collaboration with Peter Facinelli & Rob DeFranco. I was not disappointed in how this novel developed the dystopian world in which the main characters, Rose and Deedra, find themselves. Character development was strong throughout the novel. There is a smooth evolution and unfolding of the storyline in the beginning of the novel, including a mystery which sets the tone for the remainder of the story. The buildup brings you to action, plot twists and unexpected turns while propelling you onto an emotional roller coaster ride to the end. This book brought to life a thought provoking story with powerful messages such as do not become complacent with life and the way things are, never stop asking questions and don’t accept things blindly. An excellent read which also touches on social issues in a way that makes you think about and analyze what is being presented to you. This book has depth and speaks about concerns that encounter our planet even today. I found it symbolic and distinctive in its writing and message. It leaves you with unanswered questions which will hopefully lead into a sequel.
August 4, 2015
Dark look into the far future
AFTER THE RED RAIN is a dark, dreary look at a far distant dystopian future. People have forgotten the details but in the far past, half the world's population - 50 billion people - were wiped off the face of the earth.
In the future, everyone accepts the status quo - power hungry magistrates, deadly air and water conditions, everyone except the elite being on starvation diets. The endless cities are rubble with people living in the ruins. Protagonist Deedra Ward lives in a tiny apartment and works at a factory, assembling parts to earn food ration coupons.
One day, while out scavenging, she saves a beautiful young man named Rose and her life is changed forever.
I liked the idea behind the story. It just lost a lot in translating it to the page. There were many spots where the story dragged. And I just wasn't convinced about the romantic turns the story took.
I wanted more worldbuilding in the tale, more details about the people and the whys of the apocalypse. And I wanted more character development of the main characters - they were pretty one dimensional.
It was readable but rather boring.
NOTE: I received this book from Little Brown Books for Young Readers through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.
AFTER THE RED RAIN is a dark, dreary look at a far distant dystopian future. People have forgotten the details but in the far past, half the world's population - 50 billion people - were wiped off the face of the earth.
In the future, everyone accepts the status quo - power hungry magistrates, deadly air and water conditions, everyone except the elite being on starvation diets. The endless cities are rubble with people living in the ruins. Protagonist Deedra Ward lives in a tiny apartment and works at a factory, assembling parts to earn food ration coupons.
One day, while out scavenging, she saves a beautiful young man named Rose and her life is changed forever.
I liked the idea behind the story. It just lost a lot in translating it to the page. There were many spots where the story dragged. And I just wasn't convinced about the romantic turns the story took.
I wanted more worldbuilding in the tale, more details about the people and the whys of the apocalypse. And I wanted more character development of the main characters - they were pretty one dimensional.
It was readable but rather boring.
NOTE: I received this book from Little Brown Books for Young Readers through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.
July 5, 2020
Y’all, this one is bad. Shockingly bad. How could this be so disappointing? I was skeptical of a book having three authors, but with Barry Lyga being one of them I figured at least ⅓ of this book would be awesome! Lyga is one of my favorite YA writers, his “I Hunt Killers,” trilogy is not only brilliant, but it’s a go-to recommendation in my classroom to boys who say they do not like to read. Peter Facinelli plays the Cullen clan patriarch in the Twilight series, so you know he knows what good literature is. And Robert DeFranco, well, he’s handsome according to his IDBM picture.
The fatal flaw of this almost 400 pages tale is it is simply boring. Long passages of banal description of unimportant tasks. Secondly the two main characters Deedra and Rose are as boring as everything else in this book and their instant “Romeo and Juliet” passionate love affair is contrived and unbelievable. Rose’s origin and story are overly complicated and in the end, just plain silly.
Aside from trying to cash in on the past popularity of YA Dystopian novels, there is no need for this book to have that world for its settings, especially since none of the three authors ever do anything with that world to make it unique or interesting. One would have to make only a few tweaks and this story could have easily been set in today’s times and still been just as pointless and boring.
Skip this one! Go read Lyga’s other works or re-watch the Twilight movies if you want to see these authors doing something well!
The fatal flaw of this almost 400 pages tale is it is simply boring. Long passages of banal description of unimportant tasks. Secondly the two main characters Deedra and Rose are as boring as everything else in this book and their instant “Romeo and Juliet” passionate love affair is contrived and unbelievable. Rose’s origin and story are overly complicated and in the end, just plain silly.
Aside from trying to cash in on the past popularity of YA Dystopian novels, there is no need for this book to have that world for its settings, especially since none of the three authors ever do anything with that world to make it unique or interesting. One would have to make only a few tweaks and this story could have easily been set in today’s times and still been just as pointless and boring.
Skip this one! Go read Lyga’s other works or re-watch the Twilight movies if you want to see these authors doing something well!
September 27, 2017
When this book started I was really into it, then it took a strange turn and as much as I really wanted to love this book because I am a Barry Lyga fan, I couldn't quite let myself go there. It was a good story but a little out there. I don't quite know how I feel. Though it is good that it is a stand alone because I really don't know where they would go from here.
Meh
Meh
March 6, 2023
this book has ways which are above average, but also has some ways which does not satisfy the quotas of myself as a reader.
August 5, 2015
This book was pretty interesting right from the start. After the Red Rain tells the story of boy meets girl in a world beyond hope. It also exploits the idea that it is amazing what you can get used to.
Deedra Ward’s life is pretty bleak. As an orphan, she has only had herself to rely on. She lives in the Ludo territory and is under constant surveillance. She is almost out of resources by the end of the month. Air quality is poor. Food is genetically modified and scare. She goes to work everyday in a factory where they make air filters. Her work earns her rent and rations. While scavenging the ruins by the shore Deedra spies a boy crossing the river. It seems impossible since the river is the divide between territories and very polluted. She pulls him out of the water without thought for herself and the two have an instant connection. He disappears and Deedra goes back to her life. Things are different the minute he shows up at the factory to work along side her. He is faster than others. With Rose in her life Deedra’s world gets much larger as she starts to question the things she has always come to accept as unchangeable in her life. What she doesn’t know is that Rose is harboring a secret about his true nature. It could save or destroy her world.
Gah! How can I possibly tell you about this story without ruining it for you. I am going to start by telling you that I enjoyed this story right away. The territory that Deedra lives in is horribly depressing. Deedra is a good girl. She is a ward of the state and doesn’t question the rules set before her. Deedra and the people of Ludo territory live in the runes of a city. At some point, the red rain came and wiped out civilization as we know it. Plants and animals are almost non-existent. It seems like too many people for such a small space. The introduction of the boy named Rose into Deedra’s world really sheds hope for her. Rose is this mysterious person. Entering Ludo territory is forbidden, so right away she sees Rose as a person alone, like herself and she wants to help him.
The truth about Rose is that he may be genetically engineered. When the magistrate’s son gets murdered Rose is the prime suspect. This little rift in Ludo territory separates Deedra and Rose. Their relationship grows as they miss each other, realizing what they might mean for each other.
This story has everything it needs to be a good dystopian tale. It has an orphan girl, a mysterious boy, a bleak existence for the people, good world building, an almost romance, and the promise of more to come. Everything was going great until about 1/3 in when instead of staying in Deedra’s POV, we start getting into random people’s heads. I can forgive this because I was still really interested in the base story. I just found this to be such an odd move. Things were going so well. I started really looking critically into the story and I’ll admit that parts of this fell apart for me.
This book has the work of three individuals in it. I get that the author wanted to give credit where it might be due, but I could feel the story trying to go other places. Some of the sentence structure started to irk me as well. I understand that it might be a stretch for these three men to understand the inner workings of a young girls heart, but her inner dialogue didn’t flow well for me. The cast of characters worked a little too well for convenience. The right people come along at just the right time.
But, there was some wisdom in this book. I can’t deny that the mystery of Rose kept me flipping pages as Deedra and Rose starts to actually figure things out. I enjoyed their slow burn sort of romance. It was an instant connection, but the romance didn’t even begin until past the half-way mark. This story touches on real feelings and consequences to living without thought for the future.
I struggled with rating this and was almost tempted to give it 3.5 stars (then i remembered that i DON’T do half stars and rated up). I enjoyed most of this story and I will probably check out the sequel when (and if) it comes out. There were quite a few unanswered questions and without a sequel, well, that just sucks. I don’t care what actors may have had a hand in this one, I found this story very entertaining.
Deedra Ward’s life is pretty bleak. As an orphan, she has only had herself to rely on. She lives in the Ludo territory and is under constant surveillance. She is almost out of resources by the end of the month. Air quality is poor. Food is genetically modified and scare. She goes to work everyday in a factory where they make air filters. Her work earns her rent and rations. While scavenging the ruins by the shore Deedra spies a boy crossing the river. It seems impossible since the river is the divide between territories and very polluted. She pulls him out of the water without thought for herself and the two have an instant connection. He disappears and Deedra goes back to her life. Things are different the minute he shows up at the factory to work along side her. He is faster than others. With Rose in her life Deedra’s world gets much larger as she starts to question the things she has always come to accept as unchangeable in her life. What she doesn’t know is that Rose is harboring a secret about his true nature. It could save or destroy her world.
Gah! How can I possibly tell you about this story without ruining it for you. I am going to start by telling you that I enjoyed this story right away. The territory that Deedra lives in is horribly depressing. Deedra is a good girl. She is a ward of the state and doesn’t question the rules set before her. Deedra and the people of Ludo territory live in the runes of a city. At some point, the red rain came and wiped out civilization as we know it. Plants and animals are almost non-existent. It seems like too many people for such a small space. The introduction of the boy named Rose into Deedra’s world really sheds hope for her. Rose is this mysterious person. Entering Ludo territory is forbidden, so right away she sees Rose as a person alone, like herself and she wants to help him.
The truth about Rose is that he may be genetically engineered. When the magistrate’s son gets murdered Rose is the prime suspect. This little rift in Ludo territory separates Deedra and Rose. Their relationship grows as they miss each other, realizing what they might mean for each other.
This story has everything it needs to be a good dystopian tale. It has an orphan girl, a mysterious boy, a bleak existence for the people, good world building, an almost romance, and the promise of more to come. Everything was going great until about 1/3 in when instead of staying in Deedra’s POV, we start getting into random people’s heads. I can forgive this because I was still really interested in the base story. I just found this to be such an odd move. Things were going so well. I started really looking critically into the story and I’ll admit that parts of this fell apart for me.
This book has the work of three individuals in it. I get that the author wanted to give credit where it might be due, but I could feel the story trying to go other places. Some of the sentence structure started to irk me as well. I understand that it might be a stretch for these three men to understand the inner workings of a young girls heart, but her inner dialogue didn’t flow well for me. The cast of characters worked a little too well for convenience. The right people come along at just the right time.
But, there was some wisdom in this book. I can’t deny that the mystery of Rose kept me flipping pages as Deedra and Rose starts to actually figure things out. I enjoyed their slow burn sort of romance. It was an instant connection, but the romance didn’t even begin until past the half-way mark. This story touches on real feelings and consequences to living without thought for the future.
I struggled with rating this and was almost tempted to give it 3.5 stars (then i remembered that i DON’T do half stars and rated up). I enjoyed most of this story and I will probably check out the sequel when (and if) it comes out. There were quite a few unanswered questions and without a sequel, well, that just sucks. I don’t care what actors may have had a hand in this one, I found this story very entertaining.
March 11, 2015
I received my e-ARC from Netgalley. In return, I offer my honest review.
"After The Red Rain" is an attempt at a unique view of the post-apocalypse genre. For the most part, it accomplishes what it initially sets out to do. Deedra, our primary protagonist, knows nothing of the world before what she currently experiences. In her world, the internet is made up of Wikis, which all offer conflicting viewpoints and information about history. For Deedra, she chooses to not care, because she believes things were probably worse than they are now. In short, trees, grass, plants, and happiness were always scarce, so she chooses to worry about her here and now.
For that, I applaud the novel in taking a fresh look at a character's beginnings. Barry Lyga said recently, in a webinar for Booklist called MythMasters, that he wanted to explore a world where most people had no idea what things were like before whatever apocalyptic event happened. The novel does excel in creating this world. There is a sense of hopelessness in the people that inhabit this world, but they take it in stride and deal with it.
Rose, our other protagonist, is a mysterious young man who had been wandering this world for an unknown amount of time. He is androgynous in a way that leans him toward a feminine appearance from afar. He is a kind soul, and spends a great amount of energy valuing life on principle. There are action scenes in this novel where he goes to some length protecting the very people who mean him harm. It is refreshing to read about a character like that, especially a male one.
Overall, I thought the world building was great and mostly believable. While I do find it hard to believe that trees, grass, and animals are rare given that the human race seems to be going fairly strong by the population count given in the ARC, I didn't let it bother me too much. I would have liked to see the characters scavenging more and seeing more of how they cope in this world.
My main issue with this title is in two things: the characterization of certain people and a seemingly pointless death. In terms of characterization, Deedra's character took a backseat to Rose's around the 30-40% mark. Where she started as being self-motivated and curious, her attention turned and focuses in on Rose entirely after a while. It was irritating as suddenly her whole being revolved around this young man. While I understand how awesome and powerful first love can be, it didn't seem very realistic. Some of the antagonists in this novel came off as really stupid due to the needs of the plot, particularly during interrogation and action scenes. Additionally, Rose does something very out of character at the very end of this book. I will not spoil it, but it was something I couldn't imagine him ever doing.
Finally, the pointless death of a character, who shall go unmentioned, did not elicit pain or sadness in me, but outrage and confusion. Their death occurred off screen, and my anger was more at the authors pulling the trigger for seemingly no reason. While in the text, it is clear why this person died, it still came off as pointless and there for a quick tear jerk.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, and I think there is definitely content here many would enjoy. Teens are likely to eat up this book if they are devout readers of the post-apocalypse genre. I would definitely recommend this to the teens at my library that are looking for something different in their post-apoc YA reads. That being said, this novel left many things unanswered and is setting up for a possible sequel. The good news is the main conflict in this novel is definitely resolved, but those that like to have all the pieces to the puzzle might be off-put by the ending.
"After The Red Rain" is an attempt at a unique view of the post-apocalypse genre. For the most part, it accomplishes what it initially sets out to do. Deedra, our primary protagonist, knows nothing of the world before what she currently experiences. In her world, the internet is made up of Wikis, which all offer conflicting viewpoints and information about history. For Deedra, she chooses to not care, because she believes things were probably worse than they are now. In short, trees, grass, plants, and happiness were always scarce, so she chooses to worry about her here and now.
For that, I applaud the novel in taking a fresh look at a character's beginnings. Barry Lyga said recently, in a webinar for Booklist called MythMasters, that he wanted to explore a world where most people had no idea what things were like before whatever apocalyptic event happened. The novel does excel in creating this world. There is a sense of hopelessness in the people that inhabit this world, but they take it in stride and deal with it.
Rose, our other protagonist, is a mysterious young man who had been wandering this world for an unknown amount of time. He is androgynous in a way that leans him toward a feminine appearance from afar. He is a kind soul, and spends a great amount of energy valuing life on principle. There are action scenes in this novel where he goes to some length protecting the very people who mean him harm. It is refreshing to read about a character like that, especially a male one.
Overall, I thought the world building was great and mostly believable. While I do find it hard to believe that trees, grass, and animals are rare given that the human race seems to be going fairly strong by the population count given in the ARC, I didn't let it bother me too much. I would have liked to see the characters scavenging more and seeing more of how they cope in this world.
My main issue with this title is in two things: the characterization of certain people and a seemingly pointless death. In terms of characterization, Deedra's character took a backseat to Rose's around the 30-40% mark. Where she started as being self-motivated and curious, her attention turned and focuses in on Rose entirely after a while. It was irritating as suddenly her whole being revolved around this young man. While I understand how awesome and powerful first love can be, it didn't seem very realistic. Some of the antagonists in this novel came off as really stupid due to the needs of the plot, particularly during interrogation and action scenes. Additionally, Rose does something very out of character at the very end of this book. I will not spoil it, but it was something I couldn't imagine him ever doing.
Finally, the pointless death of a character, who shall go unmentioned, did not elicit pain or sadness in me, but outrage and confusion. Their death occurred off screen, and my anger was more at the authors pulling the trigger for seemingly no reason. While in the text, it is clear why this person died, it still came off as pointless and there for a quick tear jerk.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, and I think there is definitely content here many would enjoy. Teens are likely to eat up this book if they are devout readers of the post-apocalypse genre. I would definitely recommend this to the teens at my library that are looking for something different in their post-apoc YA reads. That being said, this novel left many things unanswered and is setting up for a possible sequel. The good news is the main conflict in this novel is definitely resolved, but those that like to have all the pieces to the puzzle might be off-put by the ending.
July 9, 2016
Okay so I have no idea how to rate this book because while reading it, I loved it but now, once it's over, I don't think it's good.
On one hand, it was an absolute pleasure to read. I haven't read a dystopian in ages so I relished falling into a dark world with heroes and villains, where there's a mission and we watch plans unravel. Deedra was pretty cool. I didn't feel that she was quite developed as much as she could have been maybe but it worked. Rose was a cliche but he was endearing and okay I definitely fell for him and his moral sense. That's what I look for in a man.
On the other hand, is everything else. I feel like I don't know anything about this universe really. I have so many unanswered questions, starting with that beginning scene (what was that), continuing to the necklace (STOP DANGLING THE TRUTH), followed by the limits of Rose's powers (apparently nonexistent), and ending with that annoying ending (that solves nothing).
The writing worked for me. Sure, it wasn't incredibly complex and admittedly, I did skim occasionally (maybe some of my earlier questions were answered). Nonetheless, I was compelled to read this which is already great, considering the size of my dnf pile.
I suppose I felt like this was a bit of a cookie cutter plot. We're gonna take this orphaned brave chick and she's going to fall in love with this beautiful guy and it's going to be great until they fight against the authorities and then against a guy you wouldn't expect is a villain. The youth will love this!
I like the nature theme. I think being green is so important and I did get goosebumps during that last scene. These authors make their point and it is an important one. I just wish everything else would have been done better. This book was almost 5 stars for me until that ending.
what I'm taking with me
• Rose is a gender neutral name.
• A ya will never ever kill a main character.
• Plants are v cool.
• Humans suck.
On one hand, it was an absolute pleasure to read. I haven't read a dystopian in ages so I relished falling into a dark world with heroes and villains, where there's a mission and we watch plans unravel. Deedra was pretty cool. I didn't feel that she was quite developed as much as she could have been maybe but it worked. Rose was a cliche but he was endearing and okay I definitely fell for him and his moral sense. That's what I look for in a man.
On the other hand, is everything else. I feel like I don't know anything about this universe really. I have so many unanswered questions, starting with that beginning scene (what was that), continuing to the necklace (STOP DANGLING THE TRUTH), followed by the limits of Rose's powers (apparently nonexistent), and ending with that annoying ending (that solves nothing).
The writing worked for me. Sure, it wasn't incredibly complex and admittedly, I did skim occasionally (maybe some of my earlier questions were answered). Nonetheless, I was compelled to read this which is already great, considering the size of my dnf pile.
I suppose I felt like this was a bit of a cookie cutter plot. We're gonna take this orphaned brave chick and she's going to fall in love with this beautiful guy and it's going to be great until they fight against the authorities and then against a guy you wouldn't expect is a villain. The youth will love this!
I like the nature theme. I think being green is so important and I did get goosebumps during that last scene. These authors make their point and it is an important one. I just wish everything else would have been done better. This book was almost 5 stars for me until that ending.
what I'm taking with me
• Rose is a gender neutral name.
• A ya will never ever kill a main character.
• Plants are v cool.
• Humans suck.
December 22, 2016
I really liked the idea of the book. It was well written and every character had a distinct personality. AND I LOVED ROSE UYGFHUJLKDF. But there were some things unexplained, and some typos (like misspelling Deedra's name. Lol.), and there was some language and literature references that made me go 'huh'? But I loved it nonetheless~
August 21, 2015
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was strange and rather boring. The world building is not anything new or exciting. The characters were either bland (Deedra) or so bizarre (Rose) that readers will have a hard time connecting to them, resulting in indifference to their fates. Little beyond Deedra's discomfort with her scar is universal enough to really draw readers in and allow them to see themselves in her shoes. The decision to develop a hero with such innocuous and weird abilities was puzzling -- Rose's mutation was, frankly, laughable. I won't be the only reader thinking about Little Shop of Horrors, especially near the end. Also, No, you cannot give a character a coat or tea made from the shed or pruned parts of her romantic interest and call it romantic. It is creepy, as is the stalking aspect of Rose's personality. Pacing, too, was a problem. It was not consistently action packed, nor was the time used to develop a romantic relationship that will engage readers -- even Deedra admitted she knew little about Rose, so how were readers suppose to care about him? I enjoy this genre, and I wanted this book to work, but After the Red Rain didn't bring anything new to the table and I had a hard time taking it seriously. I wouldn't have read past the 30% mark if I hadn't felt compelled to follow through on the obligation that comes with a request of an ARC.
March 15, 2015
I was not fazed by the fact that this book had actor, Peter Facinelli's name connected to it. I was more interested in the postapocalyptic aspect of this book. The pre and post genre is still hot and picking up steam in the book world and I am thrilled about this fact.
So anyways back to the book. The world that Deedra and Rose resided in was very vivid and believable. I could picture that this is what the world would look like if it was destroyed. Deedra is a strong, independent female heroine. Than there is Rose. While his name may indicate a feminine flower Rose is anything but feminine. He was very complex and intriguing. The way that he spoke and interacted made me really connect with him. Rose and Deedra reminded me of another couple that I liked from author Isaac Marion's book, Warm Bodies. If you have read Warm Bodies then you will get what I mean. While this is not a zombie book, the way that Rose came into his own skin and the emotions that he felt was like the same way as "R" in Warm Bodies. The ending was a good one.
So anyways back to the book. The world that Deedra and Rose resided in was very vivid and believable. I could picture that this is what the world would look like if it was destroyed. Deedra is a strong, independent female heroine. Than there is Rose. While his name may indicate a feminine flower Rose is anything but feminine. He was very complex and intriguing. The way that he spoke and interacted made me really connect with him. Rose and Deedra reminded me of another couple that I liked from author Isaac Marion's book, Warm Bodies. If you have read Warm Bodies then you will get what I mean. While this is not a zombie book, the way that Rose came into his own skin and the emotions that he felt was like the same way as "R" in Warm Bodies. The ending was a good one.
September 12, 2015
9th&up
Sometime in Earth's bleak future, Deedra lives (if you can call it that) a hardscrabble life and doesn't even dare to dream that things can get better. When she meets a strange and beautiful boy who calls himself Rose, Deedra learns that maybe there is hope for the future- but much must be sacrificed along the way.
ATRR might have benefitted from being edited down to a shorter length, and the hero's abilities were a bit too farcical for me to fully lose myself in the tale, but...the book was still entertaining and could find an eager audience in teens that still have an appetite for post-apocolyptic stories with a go green style bent.
This novel was obtained at BEA15 in exchange for an honest review.
Grade recommendation due to an attempted rape scenario thread, not graphic but disturbing and repeatedly referenced in the narrative.
Sometime in Earth's bleak future, Deedra lives (if you can call it that) a hardscrabble life and doesn't even dare to dream that things can get better. When she meets a strange and beautiful boy who calls himself Rose, Deedra learns that maybe there is hope for the future- but much must be sacrificed along the way.
ATRR might have benefitted from being edited down to a shorter length, and the hero's abilities were a bit too farcical for me to fully lose myself in the tale, but...the book was still entertaining and could find an eager audience in teens that still have an appetite for post-apocolyptic stories with a go green style bent.
This novel was obtained at BEA15 in exchange for an honest review.
Grade recommendation due to an attempted rape scenario thread, not graphic but disturbing and repeatedly referenced in the narrative.
July 19, 2015
Nope.
The story dragged with way too much mystery for the future dystopian world where there are scarce resources that leave many to scavenge unless you want to work for the government that will supply you with enough food to survive, but only to survive, and food is essentially genetically modified and cross-cut between vegetables and animals that don't exist. Billions have died so there aren't many people left and now Deedra, the heroine, meets a boy named Rose.
Not interested because it took too long to get THERE.
The story dragged with way too much mystery for the future dystopian world where there are scarce resources that leave many to scavenge unless you want to work for the government that will supply you with enough food to survive, but only to survive, and food is essentially genetically modified and cross-cut between vegetables and animals that don't exist. Billions have died so there aren't many people left and now Deedra, the heroine, meets a boy named Rose.
Not interested because it took too long to get THERE.
October 17, 2015
Interesting read about an orphaned girl growing up in one of those desolate towns being controlled by the "capital" of sorts. She meets Rose. A beautiful boy with extraordinary powers. We learn why the red rain really happened. Why Rose is so unique; how he just awoke one day in a cemetery surrounded by flowers. Flowers & most greens don't exist in this new world, all foods are synthetic. They manage to escape together with hopes of creating a better world.
June 9, 2015
I loved this book - it was an attention grabber right from the very start! The author (s) did an amazing job of drawing the reader into the story and never letting them go. I loved the dynamics between the characters and didn't see the twists, turns, loops and curves that the author threw into the story. It was unpredictable and fun and I am looking forward to the next book!
September 14, 2015
Was a pretty damn good book. Had a major chick flick theme to it but also had a great adventure to it and thrill! But also had a weird/cool twist to the things! I'm
Not going to spoil anything because that's just bs but I want to lol but it's definitely worth the read
Not going to spoil anything because that's just bs but I want to lol but it's definitely worth the read
July 27, 2015
Reviewed on Reading Teen
October 7, 2015
The word "beautiful" showed up in almost every description. I think that annoyed and distracted me from everything else. I had to finish though and all I can say is thank goodness it's finally over.
September 17, 2016
rose is the best person in the book
July 17, 2025
2.25 ⭐️
Oh man this book was a mess. The prologue had me interested I’m not gonna lie but everything fell apart after like chapter 2 for me. I’ll start with our lovely protagonist who’s name I’ve already forgotten (mild spoilers)
Homegirl is a wet blanket. She has literally no awareness of anything and is incredibly self obsessed. It makes no sense why the MMC (who I’ll get to in a sec) was even interested in her in the first place. She, after almost being sexually assaulted a month prior, thought it was appropriate to kiss bro in his sleep for the first time and was pissed when he was startled and rejected her?? Like ?? The audacity of this bitch. I don’t understand how she thought a move like that would be okay, and why the authors (3 men btw) thought it would be okay as well. And, something I still have yet to understand, in the same scene he decided he trusts her enough to share his “biggest secret” and the first thing she did was exploit it for fun even when she saw what a toll it was taking on him to do so.
She just has no care for the people around her. She treats her “best friend” like nothing, the girl is barely mentioned throughout the story. I’m not sure if this is bc the authors collectively forgot about the only other woman written into the story or like … Anyways after her “best friend” gets fucking SHOT, she doesn’t visit her in the hospital and goes a week after her release before even checking in. She doesn’t even have a good excuse for not checking in, she says she’s “too busy” but like… girl you’re skipping work and choosing to stay up all hours of the night with this weird man you barely know and borderline hated at the beginning of the book. Check in on your friend ho (this is prior to getting her and her family murked- actually she straight gets all of them killed and has 1 passing thought ab it)
Idk and the MMC is just not a believable character. His design is the only reason I am giving this an extra star bc the fight scenes with him in it are sick as hell. However his relationship w the FMC absolutely makes no sense. His reasoning for sticking by her is that she’s the first to offer help to him without needing anything in return, which would be believeable had he not come across thousands of people on his journey. THOUSANDS and ur telling me not 1 was helpful out of the kindness of their heart? Idk like I really find that hard to believe. And also bro really said “omg she’s nice to me?? Yeah let’s stalk her ass and tell her all my secrets”
Idk the plot/society they live in on the whole is just not believable to me either. The entire story hinges on the assumption that humans are dumber than a box of rocks and not curious or coherent enough to ask questions. There’s no teenagers doing stupid shit after curfew, no drinks out late at night, no celebrations or recreational activities whatsoever. Everyone just obeys and fades into the background, even though there’s supposedly a million people in this small territory, and 50 BILLION left on the planet. Not one person thinks to break a rule or be nice to others. I’m sorry but like curiosity literally killed the cat there’s no way in hell civilization would actually be set up like this.
And -backtracking sorry- supposedly 1 million people are confined to this 1 small territory. It is not written to feel that way. The writing makes the whole territory feel desolate and devoid of life, which in a way it is, but it’s also written as if it’s devoid of human life. The imagery is just incredibly lacking, it didn’t feel claustrophobic or overpopulated. The main character lives in a single room bc it’s supposedly so overcrowded, but there’s this one scene that just negates that. A scientist has sprawling living quarters bc he just thought to check the rooms around his and nobody happened to be living in them. And then FMC was like.. hmm I could do the same I never even thought to look ! Idk it just felt really convenient for the plot and contradictory to the way the worldbuilding was set up
Also the evil man is just big crybaby whiny tantrum manchild it was like comically bad I hated his character so much bc it was just a sloppy build. The conflict was sloppy too and what’s sad is that the idea was there. This could have been a great book if the writers were better. There’s literally death machines that grind people up to reduce overpopulation like how metal is that but that is not the main conflict nooooooo the main conflict is that daddy overlord is mad that his rapist son was killed and wants to use that as an excuse to start a war with a neighboring territory who we as readers never even got to interact with. Idk it was just really disappointing.
Moral of the story: omg nature so beautiful and imperfect and resilient and humanity is the absolute rot scum of the earth except for the bitch who got her best friend and her whole family literally fucking killed while she was high off Molly, she’s a star and gets a pass
Oh man this book was a mess. The prologue had me interested I’m not gonna lie but everything fell apart after like chapter 2 for me. I’ll start with our lovely protagonist who’s name I’ve already forgotten (mild spoilers)
Homegirl is a wet blanket. She has literally no awareness of anything and is incredibly self obsessed. It makes no sense why the MMC (who I’ll get to in a sec) was even interested in her in the first place. She, after almost being sexually assaulted a month prior, thought it was appropriate to kiss bro in his sleep for the first time and was pissed when he was startled and rejected her?? Like ?? The audacity of this bitch. I don’t understand how she thought a move like that would be okay, and why the authors (3 men btw) thought it would be okay as well. And, something I still have yet to understand, in the same scene he decided he trusts her enough to share his “biggest secret” and the first thing she did was exploit it for fun even when she saw what a toll it was taking on him to do so.
She just has no care for the people around her. She treats her “best friend” like nothing, the girl is barely mentioned throughout the story. I’m not sure if this is bc the authors collectively forgot about the only other woman written into the story or like … Anyways after her “best friend” gets fucking SHOT, she doesn’t visit her in the hospital and goes a week after her release before even checking in. She doesn’t even have a good excuse for not checking in, she says she’s “too busy” but like… girl you’re skipping work and choosing to stay up all hours of the night with this weird man you barely know and borderline hated at the beginning of the book. Check in on your friend ho (this is prior to getting her and her family murked- actually she straight gets all of them killed and has 1 passing thought ab it)
Idk and the MMC is just not a believable character. His design is the only reason I am giving this an extra star bc the fight scenes with him in it are sick as hell. However his relationship w the FMC absolutely makes no sense. His reasoning for sticking by her is that she’s the first to offer help to him without needing anything in return, which would be believeable had he not come across thousands of people on his journey. THOUSANDS and ur telling me not 1 was helpful out of the kindness of their heart? Idk like I really find that hard to believe. And also bro really said “omg she’s nice to me?? Yeah let’s stalk her ass and tell her all my secrets”
Idk the plot/society they live in on the whole is just not believable to me either. The entire story hinges on the assumption that humans are dumber than a box of rocks and not curious or coherent enough to ask questions. There’s no teenagers doing stupid shit after curfew, no drinks out late at night, no celebrations or recreational activities whatsoever. Everyone just obeys and fades into the background, even though there’s supposedly a million people in this small territory, and 50 BILLION left on the planet. Not one person thinks to break a rule or be nice to others. I’m sorry but like curiosity literally killed the cat there’s no way in hell civilization would actually be set up like this.
And -backtracking sorry- supposedly 1 million people are confined to this 1 small territory. It is not written to feel that way. The writing makes the whole territory feel desolate and devoid of life, which in a way it is, but it’s also written as if it’s devoid of human life. The imagery is just incredibly lacking, it didn’t feel claustrophobic or overpopulated. The main character lives in a single room bc it’s supposedly so overcrowded, but there’s this one scene that just negates that. A scientist has sprawling living quarters bc he just thought to check the rooms around his and nobody happened to be living in them. And then FMC was like.. hmm I could do the same I never even thought to look ! Idk it just felt really convenient for the plot and contradictory to the way the worldbuilding was set up
Also the evil man is just big crybaby whiny tantrum manchild it was like comically bad I hated his character so much bc it was just a sloppy build. The conflict was sloppy too and what’s sad is that the idea was there. This could have been a great book if the writers were better. There’s literally death machines that grind people up to reduce overpopulation like how metal is that but that is not the main conflict nooooooo the main conflict is that daddy overlord is mad that his rapist son was killed and wants to use that as an excuse to start a war with a neighboring territory who we as readers never even got to interact with. Idk it was just really disappointing.
Moral of the story: omg nature so beautiful and imperfect and resilient and humanity is the absolute rot scum of the earth except for the bitch who got her best friend and her whole family literally fucking killed while she was high off Molly, she’s a star and gets a pass
October 10, 2018
Released on August 4 of 2015, After the Red Rain is a Science Fiction Dystopian novel written by Barry Lyga, with Peter Facinelli and Robert DeFranco. I've never read any other books written by Lyga, however, I found After the Red Rain to be an interesting novel, full of interesting concepts and mysteries, and I wish there was more to the story.
Within the world of After the Red Rain, some fifty billion people are crammed into large, heavily militarized cities. Each and every day, the majority of these people work in factories, do their best to combat starvation, dehydration, and disease, and make sense of their lives. Deedra is one such person, a young woman with an unusual past, dreary present, and unknown future. However, one day, she is thrown off of her original path in life when a strange boy, one who goes by the name of Rose, comes out of nowhere, on his own journey full of questions, mysteries, and problems. When the two meet, a series of strange events begins to unfold, and it falls upon them to help each other, if not everyone else.
In the end, I loved this story. While ideas such as protagonists with mysterious pasts and the younger generation fighting against the older in a dystopia has most definitely been overused, I personally feel that this story did okay. The characters Deedra and Rose did have a little growth by the end of the story, the former learning about a tiny snippet of the true history of the world, and the later learning that he could and would have to fight others to do what he believed was just. The antagonists, Dr. Dimbali, Markard, and Max Ludo, are slightly three-dimensional, however I do feel that their characters could have been expanded upon more effectively. Max, having just lost his son, is even more violent than he normally would be, bent on discovering and destroying whoever did it. His relationship with his son was a strange one: it sounds as if the two of them despised each other. Yet, he has such a strong emotional reaction to his death. It's too bad that the reasons for this weren't explored more before the ending. Meanwhile, I found Dr. Dimbali to be much more of a flat character, a combo of the "needs of the many over the needs of the few" and "I don't have to outrun the bear, just you," mentality. His reasons for wanting to "save" everyone are very simple and underwhelming, with no real weight to them. While his character was certainly interesting, I didn't relate to him whatsoever. Unlike Dr. Dimbali, I definitely could step into the shoes of Markard and feel what he was feeling. The man spent his portion of the book doing his job pretty well, except for when Max and Dimbali interrupted one way or another. Many of his ideas could most definitely work, if they weren't thrown away and replaced by emotion-based ones. There where parts of the book where he really seemed to regret his actions, and when he saw some good in the world, he almost seemed to realize at least part of the value of it all. In the end, I'm pretty sure that Markard was an average person, a little selfish, a little cowardly, doing what he could to get by, but taking into account his surroundings. I feel that he was a good opposing force, and sadly underused.
I felt that this book was written okay. Some of the shifts in point of view were slightly confusing, and a few characters weren't seen enough to form an attachment to, or were two dimensional. However, there were some good things as well. I was pleasantly surprised when, by the end of the story, several questions that were asked throughout weren't answered. I love this because it means that I get to speculate and make up my own answers and versions of the truth in the story.
Having read this book, I most definitely recommend reading it. This story wasn't at all what I was expecting, and I'm pretty happy what it turned out to be in reality. Throughout, questions are asked, some you here in any ethical debate, others, things so simple that you might not ever think about them. The world, along with the things that inhabit it are described pretty well, and help paint a picture in your mind. Over all, an okay read!
Within the world of After the Red Rain, some fifty billion people are crammed into large, heavily militarized cities. Each and every day, the majority of these people work in factories, do their best to combat starvation, dehydration, and disease, and make sense of their lives. Deedra is one such person, a young woman with an unusual past, dreary present, and unknown future. However, one day, she is thrown off of her original path in life when a strange boy, one who goes by the name of Rose, comes out of nowhere, on his own journey full of questions, mysteries, and problems. When the two meet, a series of strange events begins to unfold, and it falls upon them to help each other, if not everyone else.
In the end, I loved this story. While ideas such as protagonists with mysterious pasts and the younger generation fighting against the older in a dystopia has most definitely been overused, I personally feel that this story did okay. The characters Deedra and Rose did have a little growth by the end of the story, the former learning about a tiny snippet of the true history of the world, and the later learning that he could and would have to fight others to do what he believed was just. The antagonists, Dr. Dimbali, Markard, and Max Ludo, are slightly three-dimensional, however I do feel that their characters could have been expanded upon more effectively. Max, having just lost his son, is even more violent than he normally would be, bent on discovering and destroying whoever did it. His relationship with his son was a strange one: it sounds as if the two of them despised each other. Yet, he has such a strong emotional reaction to his death. It's too bad that the reasons for this weren't explored more before the ending. Meanwhile, I found Dr. Dimbali to be much more of a flat character, a combo of the "needs of the many over the needs of the few" and "I don't have to outrun the bear, just you," mentality. His reasons for wanting to "save" everyone are very simple and underwhelming, with no real weight to them. While his character was certainly interesting, I didn't relate to him whatsoever. Unlike Dr. Dimbali, I definitely could step into the shoes of Markard and feel what he was feeling. The man spent his portion of the book doing his job pretty well, except for when Max and Dimbali interrupted one way or another. Many of his ideas could most definitely work, if they weren't thrown away and replaced by emotion-based ones. There where parts of the book where he really seemed to regret his actions, and when he saw some good in the world, he almost seemed to realize at least part of the value of it all. In the end, I'm pretty sure that Markard was an average person, a little selfish, a little cowardly, doing what he could to get by, but taking into account his surroundings. I feel that he was a good opposing force, and sadly underused.
I felt that this book was written okay. Some of the shifts in point of view were slightly confusing, and a few characters weren't seen enough to form an attachment to, or were two dimensional. However, there were some good things as well. I was pleasantly surprised when, by the end of the story, several questions that were asked throughout weren't answered. I love this because it means that I get to speculate and make up my own answers and versions of the truth in the story.
Having read this book, I most definitely recommend reading it. This story wasn't at all what I was expecting, and I'm pretty happy what it turned out to be in reality. Throughout, questions are asked, some you here in any ethical debate, others, things so simple that you might not ever think about them. The world, along with the things that inhabit it are described pretty well, and help paint a picture in your mind. Over all, an okay read!
August 12, 2017
After the Red Rain, written by Barry Lyga, Peter Facinelli, and Robert DeFranco, is a thrilling science-fiction novel. It is a treat of unpredictability and suspense in every chapter of the story. The world-building and the atmosphere is well given in the novel.
The novel has a dystopian setting; the earth was ruined by the red rain, which it killed about half of the human population. There, life was difficult because the resources were scarce and it had environmental issues such as pollution. Most of the people lived in poverty. The narrator, Deedra lived each day with a shelter, some food, and drinkable water by a stroke of luck and her job; she worked under the Magistrate. Deedra is the heroine in the story, who is independent and strong; both physically and mentally. Furthermore, she is an orphan and was treated awful by her mysterious “ugly” scar on her shoulder. The scar was the key in discovering the past.
One day, she stumbled upon a beautiful boy named Rose, and they quickly made a friendship bond. Rose is a mysterious person with a secretive past. It was later found out that he was an unusual being with special abilities. Suddenly, the death of the Magistrate’s son torn apart the friendship by Rose as a primarily suspect. Deedra had to chose if Rose was innocent or was the assassin. She couldn’t stop thinking of him and decided to solve the mystery to prove Rose’s innocence. Together, they learned the hidden truth of the ruined earth as the story goes on.
There are a lot of themes that I found but I would like to explain the major themes that stood out: friendship and courage/fear. Friendship was important in the story. Friends are a person’s most valuable possession, which Deedra shared a indestructible bond with Rose. They supported and care for each other, so losing Rose would make her life into despair. The famous quote by Mark Twain: “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, and not the absence of fear” is which I find it appropriate for explaining the theme of courage/fear. Fear had always come about when Deedra had to make tough decisions. When Rose was in danger of guiltiness, she did not know what to do. She had the choice to rebel the Magistrate with Rose, which the possibility of escaping from the territory would be unlikely, and the severe consequences that they might face. In the other hand she could break the bond; forget everything and just revert the old plain shadows with the other typical people.
In my opinion, the novel was great. It was interesting about Rose’s special abilities were based scientifically-at first I’ve thought it was a fantasy novel. I found the plot development slow, which I found myself skimming sometimes (but it’s just me), I highly recommend this book to the age of 12+ who has high standards of a great book; strong character development, a plot worth remembering etc. Overall, this action-pack, lovable science fiction novel is a must-read book.
The novel has a dystopian setting; the earth was ruined by the red rain, which it killed about half of the human population. There, life was difficult because the resources were scarce and it had environmental issues such as pollution. Most of the people lived in poverty. The narrator, Deedra lived each day with a shelter, some food, and drinkable water by a stroke of luck and her job; she worked under the Magistrate. Deedra is the heroine in the story, who is independent and strong; both physically and mentally. Furthermore, she is an orphan and was treated awful by her mysterious “ugly” scar on her shoulder. The scar was the key in discovering the past.
One day, she stumbled upon a beautiful boy named Rose, and they quickly made a friendship bond. Rose is a mysterious person with a secretive past. It was later found out that he was an unusual being with special abilities. Suddenly, the death of the Magistrate’s son torn apart the friendship by Rose as a primarily suspect. Deedra had to chose if Rose was innocent or was the assassin. She couldn’t stop thinking of him and decided to solve the mystery to prove Rose’s innocence. Together, they learned the hidden truth of the ruined earth as the story goes on.
There are a lot of themes that I found but I would like to explain the major themes that stood out: friendship and courage/fear. Friendship was important in the story. Friends are a person’s most valuable possession, which Deedra shared a indestructible bond with Rose. They supported and care for each other, so losing Rose would make her life into despair. The famous quote by Mark Twain: “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, and not the absence of fear” is which I find it appropriate for explaining the theme of courage/fear. Fear had always come about when Deedra had to make tough decisions. When Rose was in danger of guiltiness, she did not know what to do. She had the choice to rebel the Magistrate with Rose, which the possibility of escaping from the territory would be unlikely, and the severe consequences that they might face. In the other hand she could break the bond; forget everything and just revert the old plain shadows with the other typical people.
In my opinion, the novel was great. It was interesting about Rose’s special abilities were based scientifically-at first I’ve thought it was a fantasy novel. I found the plot development slow, which I found myself skimming sometimes (but it’s just me), I highly recommend this book to the age of 12+ who has high standards of a great book; strong character development, a plot worth remembering etc. Overall, this action-pack, lovable science fiction novel is a must-read book.
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