A general plans to use a nobleman’s bride to teach him a lesson. After meeting her, he decides to keep her for himself.
After the End is a collection of dystopian novellas authored by AH² [Ali Hazelwood and Adriana Herrera] and some of our most beloved storytellers—the first of what we hope will be many collaborative projects. As long-term, rabid romance readers, we feel privileged to work with authors and artists who are masterful in their craft, innovative in their storytelling, and constantly bringing fresh, unique ideas to the genre.
Please note that this title is specific to a Kickstarter collection and is not currently available outside of the campaign. No set plans have been made for a wide release in any format.
Content notes/warnings: ableism, blood, death of secondary characters, dubious consent, infertility, violence
I'm Ali, and I write contemporary romcom novels about women in STEM and academia. I love cats, Nutella, and side ponytails. I'm also currently learning to crochet, so as you can tell I'm a super busy gal with an intense and exciting life!
I only use Goodreads as a reader, to review and hype books that I've loved (many of these book are ARCs received from fellow authors).
I may not be the first one to say this, but this book was not it 🧍
I dont know if these type of things are common in the omegaverse but I was astonished 🧍 (Not in a good way) so she wrote about an omega who was marrying a guy just for the sake of marrying because he was respectful towards her but she did not love him 🧍 she is mated to him and they get married 🧍 the general who the guys family hates, claims the right to have the first night with her 🧍 she is taken and keep in mind, she is a virign while he is a whorey fuckboy 🧍 the forbidden romance, i get it but at the cost of this?? 🧍they cozy up, he says he's gonna fuck her and she realizes that she does not feel scared by that thought 🧍so they boink 🧍 then it's revealed she's his mate?? 🧍 they boink in front of the guy she married 🧍 exhibitionism 🧍He's talking to her ex while boinking her🧍Also, it was boring as hell 🧍
What are we doing here, Ali?🧍
___ Let's see if the book is as good as the cover 🤭 plsplsplsplsplspls don't ruin my good 'Ali Hazelwood readss' streak 🙏🏻 ___ She's working overtime and NO ONE is complaining 🙂↕️ her switching genres with every new book 🤭 ALSO THAT COVER?! Stunning ✨
but i should have known she'd surprise and delight lmao. the reviews for this almost had me running for the hills but if you've read a dark romance before you'll be more than fine. whether or not you'll enjoy this VERY different kind of story from ms. hazelwood... guess you'll have to read it to find out.
Oh, I devoured this!! I understand now why I've seen so many negative reviews, but I fear I'm exactly the audience this was intended for... I was in the trenches during my omegaverse obsession, so this was very tame for me, but it's definitely not something everyone's going to enjoy..
I went into it completely blind and this was certainly not what I was expecting from Ali, but you know what, I loved it!! Gabriel, he's just the kind of an Alpha I love and Sofia was the epitome of go with the flow. I'm not going to say much about the book, because I don't want to spoil it, but I liked them together.
The world was developed really well, but I would've loved to see more of Gabriel and Sofia and to see their connection truly develop, but I know I can't expect much in a novella. That last scene though, that was certainly a choice, a choice I support, because why not. It was poetic justice after all..
Anyway, this was fun as hell and I enjoyed it very much!!
.·:*¨ ¨*:·.
I have no idea what this is about, but Ali writes and I have to read!! I'm a little scared, because I haven't seen great reviews, but she never let me down before, so hoping for the best 🤞
AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHJAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA This is hands down the worst romance book I got to read at least this year. Not only there is no chemistry between characters that are flat more than a wall but also the smut sucked so much. The “plot” is something a person would come out with in five minutes being deadly drunk..
This made me laugh so much So she basically confesses her feelings for him and cries bc of it, and next thing he says is
“Take my cock out”
I literally cannot omg
This book is worse than any fanfiction I read at 12 yo and none of it was so laughable At least there is no r@pe or torture- porn here, just so much cringe
Pre-read:
Statistically every ten seconds after I blink somewhere in the world there is a new Ali Hazelwood book popping out
1 ⭐️ A general plans to use a nobleman’s bride to teach him a lesson. After meeting her, he decides to keep her for himself.
The only thing I knew before reading was the one-line description above AND that it was an omegaverse. A shame, however, that this novella ended up being such a flop.
The MMC, Gabriel, is a general. By ranking, he's the most important person. However, he's also a commoner that is repeatedly harmed by his enemy, the Larsens—an affluent noble family that regularly opposes him and only care about furthering their elitist ideals. His response to this shared animosity? Gabriel uses his rights as general to claim the "first night" of the COMPLETELY UNRELATED FMC whose sole "wrongdoing" was marrying into the Larsen family.
Let me make something clear: Gabriel was 100% prepared to RAPE the FMC, Sofia, even while under the impression that she was having a love union with a Larsen son. In his eyes, Sofia was an inconsequential collateral damage in a scheme to take down their family.
The SOLE REASON he doesn't rape her is because he finds her "different from all other omegas" and pragmatic when alone in his bedchambers. Sofia's reactions are so unexpected, with her saying, "I was planning on reselling this expensive dress, so let me take it off instead of you ripping it off my body" to the point where he doesn't end up touching her that first night. Basically, through not having a meltdown/freaking out she catches his fancy because “why girl no cry after being forced into my bed?” *Caveman voice*
These two fall in love over the span of 24-48 hours to the point where Gabriel's devotedly pronouncing, "You own me. All I have is yours now."BLECH.
To summarize: Because she's not like other omegas and "smells amazing" (omega pheromones; if you've read any ABO, you know what I'm talking about.) They proceed to fall in love. Had she reacted the way Gabriel had anticipated when he demanded her first night? He would've RAPED her even if she resisted. End of story.
It shouldn't be a surprise that I don't recommend this book. First is a rushed and nonsensical "love" that's justified through Sofia developing feelings in the middle of this "First Night" unrefusable order. *I had to lower my rating because wtf was I thinking rating it so high when I found the storyline so icky?! The characters weren't even likable!
Other review of the After the End novellas collection: M.A.Y.A. (1 ⭐️)
General takes revenge on a nobleman by CLAIMING HIS WIFE!!👰🏼♀️⚔️ And he doesn’t mind an audience either…
“She was always meant to be mine.”
In a this post apocalyptic bunker under the sea OMEGAVERSE power struggles are high. In an act of revenge General Gabriel decided to invoke the Right of the First Night and claims an enemy’s new wife.
My favorites:
🌊 mmc goes from “I will use her for revenge” to “are you a perfect weapon engineered to weaken me” real fast
🌊 he marks her!
🌊 claiming with the audience AND HE FLAUNTS IT!!! I’m sorry Ali I wasn’t familiar with your game……..
I really enjoyed the edge of darkness of being at someone’s mercy! Sofia was an independent Omega that really blossomed in Gabriel’s possessive presence.
Surprisingly low smut BUT THAT ONE SCENE did blow my mind 🔥🔥 I wished there was more interaction between the main characters but alas it was only a short novella.
possessive mmc forced proximity virgin fmc who hurt you omegaverse dystopian HEA
i can’t believe my broke ass pledged $45 only to find out my favorite author (the one who always made a point about consent being in spicy scenes) decided on writing a mmc that is a chauvinistic rapist who uses the fmc for his own personal gain. there was zero romance, he sexually assaults her and i’m meant to like it…?
[1.9⭐] 𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 es una novela corta de ciencia ficción distópica con romance escrita por Ali Hazelwood y publicada en 2025. La historia nos presenta a Sofía, una omega cuyo futuro parece estar decidido cuando va a contraer matrimonio con un noble. Sin embargo, sus planes cambian por completo cuando el general Gabriel irrumpe para reclamar el antiguo derecho de la primera noche.
Creo que lo que más me frustró de este libro fue sentir constantemente que estaba leyendo una versión resumida de una historia mucho más grande. La idea es realmente increíble: la sociedad está bien pensada, existen conflictos políticos interesantes, el omegaverse tiene potencial y el mundo que plantea da la impresión de esconder muchas historias más. El problema es que todo ocurre tan rápido que nunca alcanza a desarrollarse como corresponde. La novela quiere abarcar demasiadas cosas en muy pocas páginas y eso hace que el lector apenas tenga tiempo para procesar la información antes de que ya esté ocurriendo otra cosa.
No entiendo por qué Ali Hazelwood tiene esa mala costumbre de escribir novelas larguísimas para historias que, a mi juicio, no necesitan tanto desarrollo y, en cambio, cuando se le ocurre una idea tan distinta y prometedora como esta decide convertirla en una novela corta. Siento que 𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 era precisamente el tipo de historia que merecía cuatrocientas páginas porque aquí había mucho worldbuilding, muchos conflictos y un universo con bastante potencial. Me habría encantado ver a la autora arriesgarse con una novela larga de este estilo en lugar de volver siempre a la misma fórmula de sus romances contemporáneos, que ya empieza a sentirse demasiado repetitiva. Creo que tiene la capacidad para explorar otros géneros y esta historia es la prueba de ello, pero lamentablemente no le dio el espacio que necesitaba.
Otro punto que me dejó con sentimientos encontrados fue el manejo del omegaverse. Yo ya conocía este tipo de historias porque he leído varias novelas del género, así que entendía la mayoría de sus conceptos antes de empezar. Aun así, encontré que las explicaciones eran un poco infantiles y, al mismo tiempo, confusas. La novela intenta detenerse para explicar cómo funciona este universo, pero lo hace de una manera que rompe el ritmo y no termina aclarando demasiado. Si yo tuve dudas en algunos momentos, imagino que alguien que nunca haya leído omegaverse probablemente terminará bastante perdido.
Los protagonistas tampoco lograron convencerme del todo. Gabriel tiene una introducción que despierta mucha curiosidad y hace pensar que será un personaje complejo, pero esa impresión se va desinflando conforme avanza la historia. Con Sofía me ocurrió algo parecido: nunca terminé de conectar con ella porque apenas hay tiempo para conocerla más allá de su papel dentro de la trama. Lo mismo sucede con el romance, la relación avanza demasiado rápido y, como todo está tan acelerado, nunca sentí esa tensión romántica que normalmente disfruto tanto en los libros de Hazelwood.
Al terminar el libro, me quedó una sensación extraña porque no creo que la historia sea mala; de hecho, creo que tiene una de las premisas más interesantes que ha escrito la autora. Lo que me decepcionó fue ver cómo una idea con tanto potencial quedó limitada por la extensión. Estoy convencida de que, con más páginas y un desarrollo mucho más pausado, esta podría haber sido una de mis novelas favoritas de Ali Hazelwood.
Finalmente, puedo decir que 𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 es una novela que me frustró porque podía ver constantemente el potencial que tenía y que no se aprovechó. Ojalá Ali Hazelwood se anime algún día a escribir una novela larga de este estilo y se atreva a salir de la fórmula que la ha caracterizado durante años. Creo que historias como esta demuestran que tiene la creatividad para explorar nuevos horizontes. Lamentablemente, en esta ocasión, me quedé con la sensación de haber leído apenas el esqueleto de lo que pudo haber sido una historia extraordinaria.
જ⁀➴ 𝟑.𝟎𝟎₊˚⊹⛓️ 𝟙𝟘/𝟚𝟙/𝟚𝟝—𝟙𝟘/𝟚𝟚/𝟚𝟝 this was not something i expected from ali 👀!! this was really good for a quick spicy binge read. it wasn’t spectacular but it was fun to read!!
it was very much insta-lovey and i didn’t feel the connection between the characters as much as lust—but it was still enjoyable. for a novella, this was solid?!
𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 𝟒.𝟎𝟎 ⛓️ 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕: 𝟑.𝟎𝟎
╰┈➤ what to expect!!! ⛓️ short novella ✨ omegaverse ⛓️ dystopian romance ✨ “touch her and die” ⛓️ banter ✨ REVENGE!!!
₊˚⊹ ᰔ 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: my reading goal is STRUGGLING (7 books behind 😬😬) and i’ve already been binging ali’s books so why not read this short dystopian novella? 👀
this blurb sounds pretty good (even though the rating is scary 😭) so here we go!!
Violence against women has always been a weapon of war.
To have the male lead of this book willing to hurt a women to harm the enemy is simply disgusting. He is not even reluctant. He insults her, says she will be a dry fck and that he will make it hurt. He will enjoy it because of a percieved slight where she barred him from attending her fathers funeral. She is an innocent with no involvment in the feud at all. ( Note than even if she would have been involved, smexual violence is still simply abhorrent.)
And I am supposed to root for the male lead and the love story. Because when he sees how beautiful she is, notices her scent and is entertained by her whitty comebacks he doesnt violate her. Later they have consensual smex and a lot of stuff happens (him sleeping with her in front of her lying abusing mate) and they live happily ever after. All is well.
But.
If she would have been ugly. Or truely cold. Or didnt smell appealing. If she wasn chill about being r@ped and funny. What if she smelled just so. If she was scared and cried or went into freeze mood. WHAT WOULD HE HAVE DONE?
Also all of his male and female colleagues who were just cool with it. Go get that girl. She deserves it because she was mean to us that one time.
Im all for smutty and unhinged pwp stories. But not like this. Not when it makes smexual violence banal and finde mms excuses for men and doesnt holds them accountable. Not like this.
I always had a huge respect for Ali and adoreed her books. But this was shocking, dissapointing and sad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Thoughts Oh this was a fun read indeed! I went into this completely blind and while this genre isn't my goto genre apparently I'm part of the audience who this is aimed for --- I get the negative reviews -- no book or genre is for everyone.
When I say Ali never misses, I don't just mean I'm biased with her books ( I am ) but when I started this novella I was like ?? What am I reading lol I wasn't as invested as much as ùI wanted to be from the first few pages but as the story went on I couldn't book the book down! The world building was beautifully done, Sofia and Gabriel were my favourite thing about this novella
What to expect ▪︎ Omegaverse ▪︎ Dystopian romance ▪︎ Virgin FMC ▪︎ Possessive MMC ▪︎ Touch her and die vibes ▪︎ Banter ▪︎ Revenge
"Thousands of people might be more than one. But all their lives put together do not matter more than hers."
Surprisingly really good for a short novella. The MMC wasn’t very likable (at least in the beginning), to be honest, but the other characters and the plot made up for it. I had a good time reading it. It was also relatively low on spice. I actually expected there to be more, but I’m glad it wasn’t. That ONE scene at the end was enough.😂
"Because I am going to give you anything you want, Sofia. I am going to put you before anything and anyone else. I am going to live and die by your hand, and you will dictate the tides of my life. You already own me."
tropes: ~> dystopian setting ~> omega verse ~> kidnapping ~> hate to love ~> forced proximity