In the End

In the After #2

by Demitria Lunetta

She thought it was the end of the world... But it was only the beginning of the end.

It's been three months since Amy escaped New Hope. Since she's seen Baby, or Kay, or Rice. And she's been surviving on her own, like she did before she was "rescued" and taken to what she thought was a safe haven. Then, in the midst of foraging for supplies, her former fellow Guardian's voice rings out in her earpiece. And in a desperate tone, Kay utters the four words Any had hoped she would never hear:

Dr. Reynolds has Baby.

Now it's a race against time, for Baby is in imminent danger, her life threatened by the malevolent doctor who had helped start the end of the world. In order to save Baby, Amy will have to make her way to Fort Black, a former prison-turned-survivor colony. There she will need to find Ken—Kay's brother—for he holds the key to Baby's survival.

But before she can do any of this, she'll have to endure the darkest places—and people—of the prison. And one small slip-up could not only cost Baby and Amy their lives, but threaten the survival of he people in the After.

Demitria Lunetta has created an utterly compelling conclusion to the story she set forth in In the After.

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Zombies, Fiction, Horror

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 24, 2014

About the author

Demitria Lunetta is the author of BAD BLOOD (Delacorte Press/Random House) and the YA Sci-fi duology, IN THE AFTER and IN THE END (HarperTeen). She is also an editor and contributing author for the YA anthology, AMONG THE SHADOWS: 13 STORIES OF DARKNESS & LIGHT.

Her next novel, THE FADE, will release from Delacorte /Random House in 2018.

IN THE AFTER is an American Booksellers Association 2013 ABC Best Books for Children and an Amazon 2013 Top Twenty Teen Book.

Find her at demitrialunetta.blogspot.com, on twitter @DemitriaLunetta and on Facebook facebook/DemitriaLunettaAuthor.

Reviews

[Dear Faye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer: There may be possible spoilers if you haven't read book 1. BEWARE!

Disclaimer 2: LONG RANT ALERT

Ugh... this book.

Forgive me if you've heard me say this before, but I love zombie books. I always look forward to reading settings with these flesh-eating abominations and how the survivors would cope and deal with them. I want to see what steps they'll take in order to live normally again, how they'll manage the psychological warfare amongst each other that will inevitably come. The social collapse and how it will rise up again interest me a lot, as well as the ethics of a human person, and how low they will go when things become desperate. That's why I love reading this subgenre so much - there's so many themes to explore beyond the gore and the blood.

Unfortunately, In The End, the sequel to In The After which also serves as the end to the duology, somehow fell short. I was not very impressed with the first book, so I had hoped that the second installment would be more epic. While it certainly did give some answers with regards to the mystery of the Floraes, the main character was insufferable, the love triangle was annoying, and the pacing was awful.

In fact, if you ask me, I'd divide this book into two parts:

1.) The dragging prison arc where the same shit happens over and over again (the MC not learning from her mistakes each time), and;
2.) The ending which could just be the most rushed ending ever, while also portraying one of the most cliché villains in the worst way possible.

Just... ugh.


The Prison: Fort Black

Amy has left New Hope and has been in the wild for a few months now. She left Baby there and in the hands of Rice, hoping he will keep her safe. One day, the most predictable shit happened: Baby got taken by Dr. Reynolds, the eeeevil scientist! Well, I'm sure everybody saw that coming... how else would the plot move along, especially since Amy's world revolves around Baby now? In any case, Kay instructs her to find her brother, Ken, in Fort Black - someone who will surely help her take Baby back.

Let's talk about the positives: Fort Black is a shithole, and the book shows that grim atmosphere effectively. You can really feel the stink of desperation and starvation here, especially with how it's crammed with 2000 people, some of them criminals, in extremely close quarters. Like how a prison goes, there is usually an alpha here who makes and enforces his own law, and does things that benefit him and keep others in line. I'm not sure I'd want to be in such an environment if this were to happen in real life. You may be safe from the "zombies" outside, but one should wonder if there are far worse dangers inside the walls.

But, see, Amy knows it's dangerous. We know it's dangerous. The MC describes the place enough for us to retch in its monstrosity. However, for some unworldly reason, she seems to have lost her common sense and sense of self-preservation, and every time she does something without thinking of it first, it drives me up a wall and I can't help but feel so fucking annoyed.

1.) You wanna win the game? Then. Play. The. Fucking. Game. In this prison, the males rule. Many of them are former criminals, and it's hard to fight against such brutality. This especially does not bode well for women, who find themselves victims of such people. In order to be protected from others, you need to be "claimed" by a man, ideally a powerful one with enough connections to intimidate other even worse men away. Amy was lucky enough to meet Jacks whose uncle was the Warden, and he decided to pretend to claim her so she can be protected from the sleazebags.

However, Amy is kinda... wishy-washy with this primitive concept. She at first recognizes the value of being under Jacks' name. She's still seen as fresh meat by the disgusting inmates, and this hinders her from reaching her goal. Yet, every now and then, she argues with him about being "owned" even though both of them know it's merely a farce. She once even yelled at him about it (which could have compromised her already good situation since DUH JACKS IS THE WARDEN'S NEPHEW), to the point of running away from him which then led her to the arms of bad men who decided to take advantage of her. They almost won over her if they weren't interrupted by superpower Brenna, who, bless her heart, reminded her that she's just making her situation worse.

And I'm shaking my head here because she speaks the fucking truth. INSTEAD OF GOING AGAINST THE RULES, USE IT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE, YOU FUCKING IDIOT. YOU'RE SURROUNDED BY HUNGRY MEN WHO DON'T HAVE ANYONE, NOT EVEN THE LAW BECAUSE IT'S USELESS AT THIS POINT, TO STOP THEM FROM ACTING ON THEIR WANTS.

Jesus.

... which leads to point numero dos.

2.)  DON'T LET YOUR BRAIN GATHER DUST. USE IT. Look, I'm all for reckless girls, because that screams personality, but I like reckless girls who can use their brains. I want them to take their surroundings into consideration, and be one step ahead of everyone else, even if there's a chance of their plans failing. Unfortunately, Amy seems to have lost it somewhere.

This is where it feels like this arc is dragging. This part of the book is pretty much composed of this:

* Find this guy, get attacked
* Rinse and repeat

I am not kidding.



It was so tiring to see Amy doing the same mistakes over and over again and then ending up facing the same consequences, and then whining about it later. "Don't go out of the room!" *goes out anyway* *gets attacked* "Don't step out while I'm away. We'll find this person together." *goes out by herself anyway* *gets attacked* "Don't---" *goes out anyway* *gets attacked*

And this keeps happening over and over again, and it was so tiring to read the same developments being done in circles. Like okay, we get it, Amy's recklessly reckless, and everyone's out to kill her. CAN WE PLEASE MOVE ON AND, OH, DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT?

2.)  DON'T SAY SOMETHING AND THEN DO THE OPPOSITE. THAT. BLOWS. Ugh, this one pisses me off.

You see, I try not to take it against the book if it features a selfish character. All of us are selfish in our own little ways, and I get that. It makes the hero or the heroine far more relatable because it's impossible to find a person absolutely and inherently selfless (I mean, it probably happens, but still, it's probably a 1 in a million).

But it's just a load of bullcrap when you say one thing and then do the other.

Somewhere along the way, we get a few revelations, and Amy gets into a heated conversation with Jacks. She tells him how what is being done in the prison is wrong, and how it degrades human life and all that. How it's wrong to treat people like they're expendable. I admired her little speech, but when she later is willing to trade someone else's life for Baby's, even if that person gets tortured and hurt in her place, I got pissed. 

Like, wow. Did you just forget that you were talking about how everyone was valuable, and now you're saying their life isn't really worth that much compared to Baby? That you're willing to let them be hurt, possibly killed, as long as Baby's okay? WHAT THE HELL.



Don't get me wrong, I understand where Amy's coming from. I'd probably do the same for my family and friends, for anyone who's close and dear to my heart. But it would be so much better if she's upfront about this from the very start, and didn't say those things if she were going to do the opposite. That's what pissing me off.

In any case, I felt this part was very dragging and migraine-inducing. The main character was so annoying she made me want to punch a wall. Thankfully, she gets out, and goes back to New Hope...

New Hope

Now this one is probably worse than the first, despite being waaaay shorter. This part feels very rushed, because we're thrown to one event after another, all of them lacking build-up. It's like they keep having and executing these plans, but since there's no exposition or "real" conflict, it feels like things happen so smoothly and easily. Oh, we're stuck? How convenient, I know just the person! Oh, we need this particular person to get to that part of the lab? Knock, knock! Who's there? Oh, it's me, the person you're looking for! What a coincidence!

And this makes me sad a little because this part was way more interesting than the one in Fort Black. We get to see the real antagonists again, see the people we last saw in the previous book, yada yada yada, but it just doesn't feel enough. Plus the fact there were a few grievances along the way:

1.) Cliché Villain. Seriously, I remember rolling my eyes when the antagonist went on this dramatic monologue (which in that span of time could have been used to kill him, but whatever, what do I know) how he did what he did because...

because...

wait for it...

wait for it...

BECAUSE HE HAD TO CLEAN HUMANITY'S MISTAKE AND THAT A RECONSTRUCTION OF THE WORLD WAS IN ORDER!!!

Dude. That "cleanse the world" reason is just so damn overused. It's what I expect now, and I was seriously hoping there was another reason, even if it was cliché, as long as it was, you know, less cliché than that.



2.) Rushed. Ending. It doesn't help the fact that we keep getting reminded of how  crazy and  manipulative and  dangerous this antagonist was, that you'd expect there would be a drawn-out confrontation later, something explosive that would really end this shitty situation in a bang, only for him to be detained in a few pages by falling for the lamest of tricks. 

And I'm like:

"Shit, that's all it took?! WHY HASN'T ANYONE DONE IT BEFORE IF IT WAS THAT FUCKING EASY?!"

I'm just so disappointed, you know? I expected way more than that crappy climax. It was over too soon and too conveniently. It felt like I was in a mad dash to the finish line and I wasn't even able to look at my surroundings.

3.) AND. THAT. ENDING.  Some people may say that the ending was an open one. I didn't think it was an open ending because we got a concrete picture of what was going to happen (the resolution), but the problem is, the book ended just before that happened. And I feel pretty cheated, to be honest.

I don't even want to think about the "closure" of the love triangle. It was the lamest closure I've ever seen. How do I explain this? It's like she randomly chose someone between the two of them, and then left the other person to just take the hint. And you know what's worse? It doesn't feel like it was justifiable. I mean I get her reasons for choosing one over the other, but it felt like a cop-out to me. She spent a lot of time with each of them in the two books (one boy each), but it just didn't feel right somehow. She somehow chose one dude while not explaining anything to the other guy, who didn't even know he was in a love triangle in the first place.

I feel sorry for him.

Overall...

I'm disappointed. I wasn't wow-ed by the first book, but I felt that was a stronger book than this one. It's such a shame because I liked the author's writing style, but it felt like this book was running out of ideas and started recycling and ending things early. I'll still check out the Lunetta's future works, because she has a lot of promise, but I don't think I'll be putting this one in my Hall of Faves.

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this one as much as the first book. I felt like after we'd gotten the answers we did at the end of book one, this book took more of the standard post apocalyptic route and focused more on the dangers of groups of people rather than the creatures. This is something I usually love because human psychology in the event of a disaster seems fascinating. But this failed to capture the intensity and intrigue of the first book for me. However, it offered a great and satisfying conclusion to the story that I feel a lot of books in the genre never deliver. I can easily envision what the future of this world would look like.

[Giselle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok so, I was all about ready to rate this book a 4-star, and then I learn this is actually the finale. Wait, what? Ok let's rewind a bit. As a sequel, it's actually pretty darn good with some intriguing developments in the plot, and we get to see more about how survivors turned evil in the midst of the apocalypse. But then I finish the book, look up on Goodreads, and see that this is actually a duology. Whoa! No! This did not feel like a finale at all. The blunt ending is now especially crappy knowing that this is it... I am now very much disappointed. Booo! Buuut, I did enjoy being horrified while reading this, so I do give it that credit.

I seriously read this whole book as a middle-book. And if it was a middle book I would be praising it. I particularly loved the writing and the atmosphere she crafted of this post-apocalyptic story - as I did in book 1. The grim, violent world that Amy now has to live in is terrifying. We finally arrive at what you hope is a safe haven, only to learn of how unsafe is actually is. It just harbors a different kind of danger. Instead of flesh-eating monsters, we've got a walled-in society ruled by criminals. Literally - it's a prison-turned-fort. I do love how realistic this world building is. I wholeheartedly believe that if the end of the world would come, a lot of people would lose their humanity and fight like savages just to survive. With no laws, no government, and people with nothing left to lose, I'm not sure who I would be more afraid of - the monsters, or the men. I think the cruel world that Demitria has portrayed here is realistic under its harsh circumstances, which makes this series all the more compelling, and especially frightening. This sequel shows us more of this brutal world as Amy travels to Fort Black to find the one person who can help her save Baby.

This is essentially the whole plot of this novel - rescuing Baby from evil scientists. Being a mother, this storyline hit me head on, emotionally, and I could really feel Amy's desperation. I completely understood her willingness to do whatever it took to save her sister. It also shows how values are put to the test when we're stuck between a rock and a hard place. Most of the book, however, is spent at Fort Black trying to find the man who can help her. While there, at Fort Black, Amy finds out more secrets behind the virus and the scientists' search for a vaccine. We also meet a new love interest (though the romance has a pretty minor role in this series), as well as some key players in this whole conspiracy. Even though we do learn a lot in this aspect, I did find the pacing could have been tighter overall. The plot drags for a while, halted by reckless decisions stemming from her stubborn nature which, although admirable (who wants to act as a "claimed woman"?), only turned her into a huge target. She could have went about this in a smarter, more efficient way. Still, I love her determination and independence throughout. When you look back to the beginning of this series, you can see how much she has grown into this strong, take-no-shit survivor. But anyways, back to the pacing, after Fort Black, all of a sudden it's this sort of race to the end where everything seems to happen at once - and without a hitch, it seems - which would not be so bad for a middle-book, but as a conclusion it definitely lacked a decent climax.

While I was all ready to give this novel 4 stars, that was when I expected there to be another installment after this. As a conclusion, In the End falls short and leaves me quite underwhelmed. Many aspects of this ending - from the romance to the fall of the villain - left me disappointed. I will keep hoping that there will eventually be a 3rd book to give us more closure than whatever this was.



Find my review of In the After here!


--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical post-apocalyptic drama fare, entertaining enough to finish, just annoying enough to remember and to be glad it's over. There were some great scenes but the dialogue wasn't great and there were a few too many overly plot convenient things.

[Claude's Bookzone · Rating 2 out of 5]

CW: Medical experiments, torture, loss of loved ones, attempted sexual assault, women treated as property

Well sadly this was not as engaging as book one.
The romance storyline felt forced, fast and, quite frankly, awkward. The menacing characters were also a bit overcooked. The conclusion was satisfying in terms of tying up the duology but in the end, this fell flat for me....see what I did there?

[Giselle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Electronic Advanced Reader Copy was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss for review. Quotes have been pulled from an ARC and may be subject to change.

In the End is one of those reads that will remind you how grateful you are to be living in reality instead of their fictional world. This world is horrid. Full of people who will kill you for your food and supplies. And most importantly the people who you once knew can be turned into monsters that kill you. The biggest truth about the Floraes was revealed in the first book, but we get more of an explanation in the sequel. This was great read full of action and I'm always up for those.

I love how fierce and strong Amy is. She protects Jacks from harm when he's the scared one. She's been out in the wild for so long protecting Baby that she knows how to take care of herself and others on instinct. Jack didn't and he was scared. His fear made him even more vulnerable. Jacks has a good heart even though I didn't trust him at first, I grew to like him as well. The prison part deftly reminded me of The Walking Dead. Maybe prisons will be the haven needed in post-apocalyptic worlds because they're used frequently and often in fictional stories like this one. The pacing and dialogue were standard and I just have to say that Amy and her synth-suit were kick ass. If she didn't have one, she wouldn't be standing upright at all. I kind of missed Baby a lot and finding out what happened to her made me sad.

Overall, this is a great duology and I highly recommend it if you're looking for a apocalyptic read..A smart apocalyptic read.

[Jennifer Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

AWWWWEEEE YIIIISSSSSS. REVIEW TO COME.



------------------------------------------------------------
JUNE 2014?!

[Minty McBunny · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really loved the first book, along with the 5th Wave it was, to me, some of the best Post-A YA out there.

For that reason, this book was a huge, crushing disappointment. Frankly, it's terrible and I can't even imagine how the author fell so far after writing such a great first novel.

Amy has completely lost her smarts and street savvy ways by the time this book starts, she is tough, but behaves like an naive idiot over and over again.

One of the things I really liked about the first book was the lack of romance. So often, the tone of these sorts of books gets dragged down to a really annoying, juvenile level by the teeny bopper love triangle aspect of each story. I liked that In The After didn't have that.

So if course here, she brings in a love interest, then halfheartedly makes Rice another one, even though previously there was just a passing mild attraction. Then 'resolves' the love triangle in a totally awkward, rushed & immature way.

The whole outcome of the Florae threat, the reasons behind it & the "bad guy" monologue are hurried, ridiculous and cliched. The pacing of the entire book is poor, repetitive and dragging through most of it, then rushed and everything packed too close together at the end.

It should have taken me one or two days to read this book but picking it up felt like a chore so it took me twice as long.

I was really looking forward to this one & it is a huge let-down. I hope Yancey's The Infinite Sea doesn't disappoint like this one did!

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I grimly confess that I was thoroughly disappointed with In the End in so many ways. The thing about is that, while I admit it was entertaining enough, it lacked the depth and quality I was really seeking. The simplicity - in the writing and characters - bothered me a bit because I was looking for something a bit more thought-provoking and complex. Many parts of the story just felt so darn easy in a way - from the many convinces to the plethora of cliches.

The plotline is certainly interesting enough - even if it isn't the most original. I always enjoy a good post-apocalyptic / zombie story, and after the cliffhanger the first book left readers on, I'll admit I was curious to see how everything would end.

Unfortunately, I felt that the plotline in the second book went way downhill from that in the first book because it was bombarded multiple YA cliches that I could have preferred to have been eliminated - instalove, a love triangle and we all know who she's going to choose anyway! and a highly cliche villain whose motivation was that by destroying humanity, he was also helping humanity at the same time.

I'm having a serious sense of deja vu here...

The thing that annoyed me most, however, was how convenient it all was. There would barely be a struggle when challenges arose in the plot for our protagonist to tackle. If she was in trouble, someone would come to her aid. If she was scared, someone would come to comfort her. If she was about to get in trouble, she would be saved. It was really irking because I felt that Amy never really accomplished anything by herself per se.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend this specifically, and I was a bit disappointed in all honesty. If you really enjoyed the first book, you might enjoy this more than I did, but with the plot conveniences and love triangle and cliche villain, I found it too simple for my tastes; even if it was good entertainment quality.

[Christine S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

In The End Is the sequel to In The After so before reading this, I highly suggest reading that before reading this review because I dont want to spoil it. In The End Starts off as Amy on her journey to Fort Black. Amy gets a message from her earpiece from Kay, saying that Baby is in trouble and the only way to save her is to find Kay's brother, Ken. When she makes it there, Amy find that it is not the same as New Hope. At all. The guards there are creepy, the people there are crazy, it is not in any way orderly, and the women BELONG to the men! Amy doesn't like Fort Black very much, but the Doc's son, Jacks, decides to take her in. It seems that nobody knows who Ken is, no matter how many people she asks. She thinks this is weird, considering that Fort Black is big, but not that big. But she keeps looking, and after a couple of weeks, she asks Doc if he knew him. He does! Doc said he would send him over soon. But while all this is happening, the creepy guard with a criminal record keeps following her, and he seems to be everywhere. WHen finally Ken comes in to her and Jacks cell,

[BlushedBindings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rated first book 5 stars. (My sister bought this for me as a surprise so excited)
I re-read In The After right before starting the sequel. This book picks up right where the first book leaves off which I really like. I have to admit I am going through Baby withdraw and when they talk about things with Baby I wish it was more detail bc that seems to be more interesting than what Amy is going through. I do love the contrast of societies from one book to another. I do like the first book more and was holding a high standard for this book. The second book breezes over character development and concentrates more on pretty boring awkward conversations between Amy and Jacks. Don't get me wrong I still really liked this book just not as much as the first and this book could have easily been split in two and more developed. I also was surprised there wasn't parallel stories like in the first book (Amy being in the special area of New Hope). I was looking forward to switching to what Baby was going through back to Amy that would have been perfect and so cool. It's hard bc you get so attached to the characters in the first book so I don't really care about Jacks and other new characters. I'm finding myself resenting Amy for some of her actions bc I have such loyalty to the original characters.

[Jilly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have you ever been talking to someone about something going on in your life and then they turn it around to them and their problems? The main character in this book, Amy, is one of those people. She needs to get back to "Baby", the girl from the first book, and is very single-minded in her purpose. In fact, she is so single-minded that she becomes kind of an insensitive brat about it. Here's a few examples:

"I found evidence that...had my parents killed.." I pull away, "Are you sure I can't get in to see Baby?"

I'm still shaken by his attempted suicide(moments ago), but if we want to get to Baby, we have to keep moving...

I feel a twinge of guilt at being willing to sell Brenna out to save Baby...

She's like this the whole book. It's very annoying.

Other than the fact that Amy went from being an amazing survivor in the first book to a broken record and whiner in this one, the other big change is the fact that we know what the Florae are now. I think I liked it better when they were thought to be aliens. It was more exciting then, wondering what would happen next. Once the first book revealed the truth, I think it might have been better to finish up the story. I felt like this one was really just reaching for something else to say. And, it didn't work very well.

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vu que j'avais adoré le premier, j'en attendais beaucoup... malheureusement, il n'a pas été à la hauteur de mes attentes même si la lecture a été sympathique. Je l'ai trouvé plus plat, moins unique et haletant. Dommage !

[Mauoijenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

No. Nope. No way.
Sorry. My feelings no one else's.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have this GR tag called setting-research-fail. It describes what happens when an author, say a native of Chicago named Demitria Lunetta, decides to write a book in a place that is not her home, say the great state of Texas. Oh, she could research her setting or she could just hodge podge some crap together and hope that no one notices. Any guesses what Lunetta did? Sigh. So let’s establish setting. We are told (Pg. 74) that Fort Black is located an about an hour’s drive from Amarillo (60-75 mi depending on speed), and that Amy is an eight-hour moderate walk from Fort Black (~32 miles, pg. 18). Let’s assume, based on weather conditions, that when Jacks left Amarillo he went south to Planview. Okay, let’s additionally assume that Amy also went South and is in the outskirts of Lubbock. Does anyone know what this region is called? It’s the Llano Estacado, and it looks like this.



Why is this an issue? Well, let’s establish time. Amy mentions quite specifically that it’s early spring. While spring does come earlier in Texas than Vancouver, it’s still quite likely to get hit by ice storms for the first half of February (ask me about the time I was iced-in in Lubbock on Valentine’s Day, all on my lonesome. Okay, I made delicious breakfast burritos). Early spring is really March, and while it gets warm, it’s not like water sizzling on asphalt warm (Pg. 1). “The month of March is characterized by rising daily high temperatures, with daily highs increasing from 63°F to 70°F over the course of the month, exceeding 84°F or dropping below 48°F only one day in ten.” Ref

Does that sound anything like, “It’s early spring in the place that used to be Texas, it gets oppressively hot early in the year.” Maybe I’m crazy, but spring is the only reasonably confortable time in Texas with the temperatures in the 70s and 80s. Not to worry though, because this crazy girl just found “an orange tree, full of fruit” (Pg. 3). Haha, yes, Texas can grow orange trees, but not in the High Plains. Lunetta has a BA in Ecology, but has apparently doesn’t heed hardiness zone charts : “Orange trees grow outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 11, and in zone 9 with winter protection. Below USDA zone 8, grow citrus in containers and bring them indoors during cold weather.” Ref Let’s see where Lubbock falls on there. Oh, whoops, it’s 7b. Ref; the untended orange tree froze to death over the winter.

Well that’s fine, after she finished her ghost oranges, she goes back to her tree house, which is described as “The tree house is large, larger than my room in the Ward, with two giant glass windows [LOL, red dirt dust storms], one facing the house, one facing the field. Seems silly to have glass windows in a tree house, but judging from the mansion up front, the family had money to spare…. the tree house is hard to spot in the mess of leaves and branches.” This is nothing short of hysterical. One, with effort and water, can grow trees in Lubbock. They are not the kind of trees that have a mess of leaves in spring or likely to support a whole damn tree house. Here’s a selection of overgrown trees from Lubbock and a couple of pictures from the area.



We do have tree houses in this part of Texas; they look like this:



And have to stand up to this:



Write what you know is a cliché for a reason. If you're not writing what you know, Google is your friend. Oh, I know I just spent all this time picking apart her setting, but as a native, it was obnoxious. Surely when we get past that, this is an awesomely-written novel. Hmm, first line of dialogue from a Texan, “Whewy, boys. That was a close one! Think you coulda taken ‘em out a little sooner?” Seriously? Fuck you. (Link is to legit West Texas accent).

________________________________

So I finished the book after all that ranting. Though it's ostensibly 432 pages those pages are in giant-size font, so it's a relatively short book. I think I'm still irritated by how dumbly imagined and plotted this book is. The character never thinks through any of her actions. She knows she's headed to Fort Black, which is some kind of Wild West town, but she's not like, "Oh, I have all this rare and cool guardian gear, maybe I shouldn't flash it around." She was freaked out the first time she saw people in synth-suits, but she marches right up to the wall of Fort Black without bothering to tuck her space gear under some regular clothes, and it still doesn't occur to her cover it until another character points out it's an issue.

Speaking of the synth-suits, what a terrible case of plot armor. Nothing can happen to this girl because she's in a suit that bounces bullets, stabbing knives, and florae claws. Isn't it fortunate that when Marcus needs to be killed later he had his hood down? How am I supposed to care whether or not Amy is in danger when she's coated in a sheen of whatever.

Oh Fort Black, let's skip over the fact that it's a poorly-imagined, badly-researched cliché, and go to the part where people get tattoos for their black pox status. Tattooing the carriers makes sense, but tattooing people that tested clean is ineffective, as their status can shift at any time with exposure.

I think what's strange to me is that I didn't realize initially that this was a duology, so if Lunetta wanted to waste her time on the wash, rinse, repeat cycle at Fort Black, it wasn't exciting, but it wasn't that awful, but um, no, this was all she had, and that's where she was spending her narrative coin. When she finally decides to head back to New Hope, there are 100 giant-font pages left. What could the author accomplish in that amount of time? The answer is a really weak wrap-up of everything she's introduced to this point. Foes are vanquished, families reunited, love interests tossed over, and a vaccine located in that tiny amount of space, and it seems so half-assed.

I rated In the After highly because I thought that Lunetta needed polish, but that she could become a good writer. This sophomore effort shows that she is unwilling or unable to address flaws in her logic, or do appropriate research, or pace her books in an engaging way. I'm not reading anything else from her.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts were way better then the first. But i loved the first part of the first book so much. And i didn’t got that here. So its more a 2,5 stars.

[Kaitlyn K. 8B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good! Hope there is a 3rd one!

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 to 4 Stars
2013 for me, was full of the awesome. Those reads from debut authors that completely stole the show and swept me away with their wonderful story telling abilities and the worlds they created. Authors that made me take a step out of my comfort zone and try new genres and sub-genres that I never thought I would be interested in before.

Authors that in fact, changed my opinions about those genres because of their mad writing skills.

Lunetta was one such author. I adored her debut novel and just couldn't get enough of it. I loved everything about it, from the monsters, to the villains and I even love the love interest, albeit how little there was of one. There was just something about the twists and turns and the desperate times that the characters lived in that I ate up and was left looking around for more. It was a nonstop adventure ride and I got an adrenaline rush from it and I wasn't ready for it to be over.

When I had the chance to read In the End, you bet I jumped at that it. I couldn't wait to dive right in and see what adventures Amy would be on to next and how she was going to right all the wrongs from the first book.

I have so many mixed feelings about this one. I loved it and I hated it. I wanted to devour it and I wanted to take my time reading it. I couldn't wait to get to the end and yet I didn't want the end to come.

I loved Amy but I wanted to shake her for putting herself in so many dangerous situations, simply because she had to question everything around her. She knew what she was getting into and she dived head first. Sometimes it was a good thing and others, not so much and I wanted to yell at her to knock it off already. She put herself out there a little too much. A little too dangerously. She is on the run, in hiding in an already super dangerous world, the last thing you need to be doing, is getting noticed by people that are already dangerous and in a position of power. Gah!

Who I did (unexpectedly) love throughout the story was Jacks. He saves Amy from herself (I say herself because the girl can get herself into more trouble by being impatient and stupid thank anything else, so yes, herself) more times than I can count and even though he knows nothing about her, he helps her the best he can even though he knows by doing so he is putting his own life in danger. He is softness in a hardened life and lets face it, you gotta love him for that alone.

I wasn't sure how this would end, if there would be a real ending, a real solution to all that happened in the first book and all that was occurring in this one, in fact about 80% in, I was nervous that maybe there wouldn't be an ending, that it would be left so open ended that I would be saddened and frustrated by it all and want to call it quits.

And while the ending is more of a promise of the hope that is to come, they are resolutions and there are those promises that you know will be fulfilled.

Was I happy with the way the author brought it all together? Actually, yes, I was and I am glad that it ended realistically, with still a lot that needed to be fixed and changed and undone. It would have fetl right if it had all been packaged up in a neat and tidy package. The world and population are devastated and things are hard and still will be for years to come but it doesn't mean there won't be a happily ever after eventually and I like that it didn't show up one but rather hinted at it. It felt right.

[Zemira Warner]

I'm just gonna come out and say it. I've skimmed this book with pride! I couldn't deal with 4 attempts of rape which were happening in the first 28%. I skimmed it with no shame and regret. I didn't miss anything vital. While skimming I stumbled upon another rape attempt. See! I can't miss it even when I'm not paying attention.

Also, this girl is not very smart. If a trusting guy tells you to stay inside the jail cell so you wouldn't get raped and murdered, YOU FREAKING STAY THERE!!! This girl gets snatched every and I mean EVERY TIME she gets outside the room without the Boss Boy. I would've lock the bars, sit my ass in a corner and hold the knife real close in case someone did find a way to get it.

I really don't know what to say. This duology was on the right track with those two girls being all quiet and ecology friendly then BAM! They're in some creepy facility. Then the torture scenes with lobotomies and electroshock therapy.

I don't even know how to rate this book.

Gif representing me while reading this book:

[Alicia Garnier · Rating 4 out of 5]

[CHRONIQUE] La fin d'un dyptique génial !

==> http://moody-takeabook.com/2015/05/13...

[Bookphile · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't remember being overwhelmed by the previous installment, but I know I did like it. I think that was mostly because of the relationship between Amy and Baby and their struggle to survive, but I wasn't sure about the direction things took once they got to New Hope. I think that's why I didn't care for this novel all that much. The spark of Baby's and Amy's relationship was missing. More complete review to come.

Full review:

This book was extremely disappointing to me. I didn't think it was terrible, but I remember being impressed with and interested in the first book, two things that didn't happen much here. I think a large part of this hinges on my having liked the setting of the first better than the setting of this book. Throw in a couple of groan-worthy plot contrivances, and it mitigated my enjoyment of the conclusion of this tale. I will, however, give it points for being only two books instead of the pointless, drawn-out trilogies that have been all the rage for some time now. Spoilers to follow.

I think what made the story ultimately resonate less with me is that the dynamic of it changed so much. I was fascinated by the first book's depiction of Amy's struggles to survive in her post-apocalyptic world, and the bond she forges with Baby. True, the end portions of that book did upend this formula and send Amy off into another part of the world, and I think that was what was the story's ultimate undoing for me. Baby barely registers in this book, and I felt her absence a great deal.

Next up, the obligatory love triangle. You know that expression about too much of a good thing? It's not that I hate the love triangle on principle. When it's done well, it can add a lot to a story. What I hate is that YA lit jumped all over that particular trope and beat it to death, then continued to flog it even as it was long past the point of resuscitation. Needless to say, I was not happy when I saw it coming on with this book, where Amy becomes pointlessly torn between two boys, attractions that I frankly found inexplicable as neither one of them felt particularly crush-worthy to me.

I should state up front that I don't much like Jacks. Something about his character felt creepy to me. It's not that I wanted to assign him guilt by association, but I didn't like the way he fit into the world of Fort Black. On the one hand, I understand that there was little he could do to change things, but on the other I had this icky feeling that he was kind of a collaborator. There were some undertones to the way he treated Amy that I just didn't like. I can see how he would be a product of his environment, but I hated the whole women as property subplot mostly because Jacks' reaction to it felt off to me. Rather than coming off as protective, a lot of his actions toward Amy felt too much to me like he thought there might be something to the concept of keeping women as belongings.

The other problem with Jacks is he is the ostensible bad boy who's tormented inside. I know this character type plays well, but it's not one I find attractive, so I am always bewildered by the idea that I'm supposed to be head-over-heels about a character like that. That particular aspect of my disappointment boils down to preferences, so there's nothing technically wrong with it in the book. But I feel like YA lit and romance-heavy novels have a tendency to wallow in this type of character far too much, and I think it is potentially quite damaging. It's not that I believe literature is meant to be instructive, but popular culture constantly throws out these unhealthy relationships and characters and makes it seem as if the power of a good woman's love is enough to transform them. While obviously people should be there to care for those they love, no one has an obligation to "fix" anyone else, and it bothers me when pop culture presents this as the ultimate kind of romance. There was something infantilizing in the way Jacks treated Amy and I could not get beyond it.

My biggest beef of all, though, is with Tank. I hated him as a character--and not just because he's the bad guy that everyone is meant to hate. Yes, I can buy that people like him would exist in a messed-up world like that, but he had plot convenience written all over him. From the moment Amy first encountered him, I knew where that particular aspect of the story was headed. Since Amy is a smart and pragmatic character for the most part, it was utterly ridiculous to me that she didn't ensure that Tank wouldn't be a problem to her in the future. Every time this happens in post-apocalyptic settings (be they movies, books, etc.), I want to scream. When you live in a kill-or-be-killed world, there's no reason for such extreme stupidity. I hated Tank because he wasn't so much a character as a secondary plot device, and for me that particular plot device failed on all levels, leaving me annoyed with and disgusted by the lack of sense Amy displays.

That wasn't the first time Amy disappointed me, though. Throughout the book, she does numerous stupid, impulsive things, to the extent that I found myself wondering how I could still be reading about the same young woman who had managed to keep not only herself but a child alive back in Chicago. It's good for characters to be flawed and make mistakes as it makes them relatable, but it's not good when they fly off half-cocked and do things that would make anyone with a lick of sense and an ounce of self-preservation scream. Amy does this. Repeatedly. I liked her in the first book, found her such a strong character, but in this one she felt like your generic clueless YA heroine.

I should know by now that when I'm kind of on the fence about a YA series, I should quit while I'm ahead. I very much liked the first part of the first book, but things started going downhill in the end half, and I should have paid closer attention. When an ending is as weak as I found this one, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth about the series as a whole.

[Badseedgirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not necessarily a bad book, but was ultimately a forgettable book. Like, I read it a week ago and now can't remember the ending. I do remember that I basically enjoyed the book but.... Meh.

[Kristin (Blood,Sweat and Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some light spoilers Below

In the End is the sequel and conclusion to Demitira Lunetta's In the After series. While I originally was very happy with the idea of this being a duology I now eat those words after being deeply unsatisfied by the way in which it turned out.

One of my biggest issues with the story is it read like a middle book not one that was supposed to wrap up the series. The ending was completely rushed and the "bad guy" subdued so easily that it's a wonder why they didn't just do that in the first place. Even his reasons for the entire pandemic had me rolling my eyes. How many stories now have a mad scientist starting an apocalypse because they take issue with the path society is taking? I mean geeze, really?? That's what you came up with??

Another thing I took issue with was the unnecessary love triangle. Again this takes place at the end and poor Rice is just left clueless because Amy has her knickers in a twist for the other guy. Sure, I guess I can understand why she chose Jacks since he protected her in the prison but then again, how much did he turn a blind eye to because he was desperately scared of what existed beyond the walls? He wouldn't even leave to ensure Amy remain safe or to help her in her search for Baby. Sure on the other hand one can argue Rice didn't leave New Hope either but at least he had important research and was keeping as best an eye on Baby as he could while Amy was gone.

Lastly, I really disliked Amy in this one. Every single time someone would tell her to stay she'd do the opposite. She also knew she was supposed to act as Jack's girlfriend but instead she goes around acting all annoyed with having to be "claimed by a man" despite knowing this is how society functions in Fort Black. Also predictably this naturally puts her in many uncomfortable and dangerous situations that could've easily been avoided had she just followed the rules as asked.

Now despite my issues, I did like a few things about In the End.

First off, I really liked Brenna. She was spunky and I liked her no nonsense attitude when it came to the goings on at Fort Black. Also it was genuinely nice to see a Lesbian character even if you never actually get to see her act upon her feelings with the girl she liked.

Secondly, I liked that we did get to see New Hope again. I was afraid she might never head back with how much time was being spent inside Fort Black. We also got to see how much had changed now that Dr. Reynolds had dove off the proverbial deep end. Although all the "normal" citizens were still clueless and that did bug me a bit.

Lastly, I really liked Fort Black. It was depressing as hell and a place even in an Apocalypse I wouldn't want to be. Yet, despite all the horrors a real community was formed and in it friendships. I found it interesting to see how people made themselves useful and kept themselves fed despite lack of currency or any real job market and no it wasn't just by pimping out the women to the overabundance of men as I sort of expected it would be.


Final Thoughts
Despite my many issues with In the End I'm happy that I ultimately read this series. Amy's bond with baby was so genuine and the uniqueness of the florae and how they took over the country really made these books memorable. Although it must be said that I can't help but hope the Author re-examines the story and decides to write a proper conclusion to the series because the one we received simply did not cut it. Heck, at the very least I'd be happy with a companion novella from baby's pov a couple of years down the road to get us all up to speed on things.

With that being said, I'll be rating In the End by Demitria Lunetta ★★★.

Reviewed originally @Blood,Sweat and Books
*Copy reviewed provided by Edelweiss. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in an which way for providing them.

[Isa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

ARC provided by HarperTeen through Edelweiss


TW: RAPE


After having escaped from New Hope, Amy receives a message from Kay: Dr. Reynolds has Baby. He has discovered what she is, and is using her for his experiments, leaving her weaker and weaker.
Amy's only hope of recovering Baby is Ken, Kay's brother, who is also a researcher who Amy needs to convince to want Baby for his experiments.
But Ken is in Fort Black.

I loved the way this book started. Lunetta really made the reader feel Amy's loneliness. If Amy and Baby seemed isolated before, it's nothing compared to what Amy is now, without Baby: she signs to no one, holding silent conversations as if Baby were still there. But all that was bearable - as long as Baby was safe.

Fort Black was masterfully written. The social dynamics, the whole way it was structured, the feeling of being prey in the midst of predators. Amy is being stalked by Tank, a serial rapist and murderer, who will stop at nothing to add her to his "collection". All Amy has is Jacks. Jacks is the Warden's nephew and a tattoo artist who had been studying prison tattoos before his journey to study the art of Polynesian tattoos when The After happened and he was stuck in Fort Black.

I was feeling reluctant about this aspect of the book. I thought one of the greatest strengths of In the After was its lack of cluttering romance in a world with little time - if priorities are set straight - for things of the sort. The end of In the After, with the introduction of Rice as a love interest was the only weak point of that book.
I needn't have worried. Lunetta keeps Amy set on her only goal: to save Baby. Everything else... maybe it could be nice, some day, when things are better, but she doesn't have time for that now.

Why is this so rare is post-apocalyptic dystopias?
Off the top of my head there's The Hunger Games and there's In the After.
I find it kind of insulting when I see female protagonists in the crumbling remains of civilization, trying to overthrow the new Big Brother governments, and fight whatever horrors the Apocalypse brought, giving about 90% of their attention to the dreamy boy or boys.
No! Girls are smart! And in emergency situations we have our priorities straight: SURVIVE! Everything else can come later, when things are safer.
So I'm taking this moment to thank Lunetta for focusing on what's important, while still giving us a dash of romance.

While In the After was mostly about the oppressive feeling of isolation, In the End is about the oppressive feeling of being caged in a place where women are property. I found it to be more disturbing, but just as good, if not better.
There are a lot of action scenes, this taking place in a prison where the prisoners have (mostly) free run of the place.
And, of course, there's the all present urgency of saving Baby.

The only reason this is getting 4.5 stars instead of 5 is because I found the ending not completely resolved. The things depicted weren't certain. It brought closure to most everything, but some things were left a bit vague. I'm not saying a HEA was needed, but regarding the cure, things needed to be at a more advanced stage to give the reader the closure needed.

Still, it was an absolutely amazing book! Everything I could have hoped after having read In The After!
And I hope Lunetta has some new project lined up, because I love her writing and can't wait for more!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the End was a high speed, action packed thriller that I absolutely enjoyed, with a mixture of science fiction, dystopia, adventure and suspense, with just a touch of romance.

I have to say one thing first though- this series reminds me a LOT of the movie World War Z. Zombies- or this book's case, aliens who are actually people infected with a disease, check! They can't sense you unless you make noise, check! A race to find the cure, check! Hardened survivors, check! Really, all we need is for Brad Pitt to suddenly appear for it to be complete.

But anyway. First, I'll talk about the plot. It picks up right after In the After. Amy is now heading towards Fort Black, looking for Ken Oh, Kay's brother. And this seems to be the main point of the first good 60% of the book or so. Find Ken Oh, because he seems to be a ghost. For me, the plot wasn't that strong- Ken wasn't that big of a help in rescuing Baby- but it was just all the action and mystery surrounding Fort Black that filled up the first half of the book. So overall? Plot isn't that strong, but the action makes up for it and makes the book a fast read.

And now the characters- Amy, inspite of her girlygirl name, is one tough cookie. Seriously, she's badass; capable of overpowering grown men twice her size... Which make things kind of unbelievable. And honestly, she was kind of hard to connect with. And she also has a new love interest- Jacks, who seems to good to be true in Fort Black. I have to say, this sort of bothered me. It seemed like the romance was forced- I mean look, in New Hope, she just so happens to be welcomed by Rice, the cute scientist who just happens to be around her age- and now the same thing happens in Fort Black, though Jacks is the more tattooed and tough version Rice? And she falls for both of them? Though I'm glad the love triangle wasn't really focused on- really, around 2 pages before the end of the book, she makes up her mind in one paragraph. (Refreshing change from all those heroines who spend paragraphs moaning about her love for both guys.)

The Rating
Four stars. Quick read which will appeal to fans of action and adventure. Not a very deep or complicated plot, and a very light romance, but very enjoyable, especially if you love kickass heroines, and very fast paced!

[Nara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, let's start with the bad things: I really didn't like how the ending was so open. I suppose you could see where things were probably going to go, but Lunetta didn't show us where things actually went. WHYYYY. I probably wouldn't have minded if the main story wasn't completely resolved (since it's kind of difficult to do that in post-apocalyptic/dystopian books) but the thing that annoyed me was that the romance wasn't resolved. There was a love triangle, and while it was quite obvious who she ended up with, the author didn't show it to us. And also didn't explain how Amy got out of the triangle i.e. what Amy said to the other guy. WHYYYY. Another point- I do think that the ending was a bit rushed, but that was secondary to the whole open ending thing.

However, I did like how Amy was entirely focused on her goal for the whole book. She wasn't derailed by a random hot guy, she wasn't (too) shaken by the psychopath living in the vicinity, she wasn't suppressed by the environment of the male dominated Fort Black- the whole time, she continued her search for the person who could help Baby. I feel like that ought to be a cause for celebration.

The world building in this series is pretty decent. In this book, it was especially so in setting up Fort Black. Fort Black just sounded like such a terrible place to live. All the females have to be tattooed with the names of their male "claimers" in order to be protected from sexual assault/rape and since the majority of people in Fort Black were prisoners before the fall of society, it honestly just sounded like a scary environment. Imagine being locked up with murderers and rapists and thieves (which I suppose aren't as bad lol).

All in all, a pretty solid (albeit slightly unsatisfying) conclusion. This duology is certainly one that I'd recommend to fans of gritty post-apocalyptics.

Ratings
Overall: 9/10
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 4/5

[Adriana C · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the End is the second and final book of this duology (I thought it was a trilogy) and although the development of it was good although a bit slow, I feel that the ending was open ended and with some loose ends.

Amy escaped New Hope with Kay´s help and was left near another settlement of known survivors - Fort Black, but Amy didn´t go there to seek refuge, so she has lived the past few months alone, that is until Kay communicates with her ​​and gives her the news that Baby has been captured by Dr. Reynolds and her life is in danger; so she has to go to Fort Black and request the help of Kay's brother - Ken, whom is a scientist and could help her get Baby. Once in Fort Black she discovers that this used to be a prison and many of its residents were prisoners there and life is not easy there, much less a girl without protection.

I liked the character of Amy in the previous book, because she was cautious, intelligent and stealthy something necessary to live in a post-apocalyptic world, but in this book she was too reckless, impetuous and she exposed herself to great danger in her eagerness to get as soon as possible with Baby (her adopted sister), meanwhile the post-apocalyptic world brings out the worst in people, imagine arriving to live to Fort Black which used to be a prison, where there aren´t many rules and most residents are male. There she meets Jacks a nice guy, her offers to help her and saves her more than once.

Overall, the plot was okay, the main character drove me mad for all the dangerous situations to which she exposed herself, but the plot has plenty of action, some suspense, intrigue and had me doubting the intentions of some of the characters, there is some romance, but I felt a bit slow at times. It has an open ending that was somewhat abrupt.

[Galleane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cette suite est très bonne. On retrouve les mêmes ingrédients utilisés dans le premier tome : des monstres qui font bien flipper, des situations stressantes, qui sont parfois un peu trop logiques, ou encore à d'autres moments surprenants. Les personnages sont tout aussi barrés, pourris et j'en passe et l'héroïne en veut toujours autant et ne se laisse pas faire, mais alors pas du tout. La fin est un poil brusque, mais tout se finit de manière à contenter le lecteur. Un très bon diptyque, avec de bons personnages, avec du rythme, ses moments de joie et de peine, avec des monstres pas beaux et bien affreux. De quoi passer un moment de lecture qui vous fera passer par toutes sortes d'émotions et vous fera vivre une aventure mouvementée.

Ma chronique complète : http://bloggalleane.blogspot.fr/2015/...

[Astoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I think where the first book was a little bit slow after the first part, In the End just kept picking up. There is no dull moments and the new characters are interesting and likable as well as hate-able(Tank, The Warden and Doc. Jacks was an interesting addition to the book).

I am really glad Jacks was introduced.

There is a little bit of romance here, Amy's priority isn't being happy, or finding love. Her priority is Baby. She just happened to find love along the way, but even so, saving Baby was what kept driving her trough the book.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an action packed book that was just fantastic. There was this dark suspense about it which made you want to get to the next page and so on and so on and then you end up finishing it in one sitting. I wish this was a three book series, not that I thought that it was lacking anything I just wish we had a chance to explore some more relationships such as Amy with Jacks, Rice, and her mother. Otherwise this was honestly a great series and hope that Demitria continues to write more!