Reaper: Aftermath

by Jonathan Pongratz, Mario Lampić (Illustrator)

Gregory ended the world. Can he save it?

It’s been five years since the Reapers ripped Gregory’s family apart and invaded Earth, leaving behind a wake of decimation. Gregory and a small group of survivors now scavenge the wastelands, living in constant fear of discovery.

Weighed down by relentless blame for the planet’s destruction, Gregory seeks to make up for his past mistakes. He gets that chance when a surprise attack forces him through a Reaper door. Gregory finds himself in a bizarre place with no way back, a place that may provide answers to the Reapers’ past and where they came from.

Can Gregory find a way to destroy the Reapers and restore order to his broken world, or is the human race doomed to lose the war against these ruthless monsters?

338 pages, Paperback

Published February 5, 2021

About the author

Jonathan Pongratz is a writer and author of action-packed horror, scifi, and other speculative fiction stories. His bold characters are resilient against the sinister and mysterious forces confronting them, but in real life Jonathan is afraid of bees, attics, and large bodies of water. Let’s face it. Jonathan wouldn’t last five minutes in one of his dark tales.

Visit him at www.jonathanpongratz.com.

Reviews

[Iseult Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting and imaginative science fiction adventure

Wow! This book takes the scares and set up of Reaper and ramps everything up to 11!
Earth is a mess, humans barely hanging on against the monstrous Reaper invasion and then Gregory gets transported to another world and learns things are not exactly as he thinks they are.
The Veloxans and their planet were imaginative and well described. The action is good. It was nice to watch Gregory grow.
Certainly more science fiction than horror, this is still a great sequel to Reaper.

[Tammie Painter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderfully inventive tale that took me on some wild turns I wasn't expecting. The story begins five years the prequel, Reaper, left off. Things aren't great and the Reapers have Greg and several other survivors holed up and doing their best to resist. With the internal dram within the group as well as the external problems with the Reapers, the book almost seems like it's going to be a rip off of The Waking Dead.

But then there's a twist and you're launched into something completely different.

While some of the dialogue didn't flow quite as well as I'd prefer, Pongratz's action scenes are incredible. If you were watching this as a movie, you'd be so engrossed by what what on the screen you'd completely forget to eat your popcorn.

The self-loathing of the main character (Greg) did start to wear on me, but when you see what he's putting up with, with the guilt he's enduring, and with an unspoken crush pressing on him, Greg's worries do seem real and appropriate.

POSSIBLE SPOILER: There is a budding relationship in the book that felt a little rushed in the telling, but when you realize these two have been pining for each other for a fair number of years (the time in between the two books), it makes sense that once they finally acknowledge the feelings are mutual, things progress quickly. Still, I think it would have been fun to see the relationship teased out a little longer...I guess I just like angst : )

Overall, an intriguing story, and I look forward to more from Pongratz!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the novella that started this series off, so when Reaper: Aftermath was available to review, I was really excited to check it out!

I’ve been really hoping this story would be turned into a full length novel. There was so much to explore and I will tell you, this doesn’t disappoint. The story begins five years after Reaper. Things are not going well for Greg and the other survivors. I really like the contrast between the groups internal struggles and the external attempts to resist the Reapers.

Twists and turns kept me invested in this story. I love the action scenes. It’s like watching a movie.

The characters were interesting. Greg is putting up with so much, he’s a bit pessimistic, which is realistic for the situation he’s in. I’d be pessimistic too! So, I liked how real he felt.

Overall, this was a great novel and I look forward to more from this author.

*I received a free copy of this book from R&R Book Tours to review honestly on the blog tour. All opinions are my own and unbiased.*

[Kaili (Owl Book World) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reaper: Aftermath is a quick YA read that will truly grab you attention. The novel is pretty fast paced with likable characters. The book is definitely worth checking out if you like sci-fi and horror mix!

[Kent Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A satisfying conclusion to an entertaining series! Pongratz transitions smoothly from horror into sci fi epic, expanding on the backstory and developing the characters at the same time. I enjoyed the cultural worldbuilding and flow of description.

[Jessica Rose Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book straight after finishing the first Reapers book, however it wasn’t actually necessary as I feel enough was covered in this book to make it a great standalone book! I really enjoyed the story and it had a lot of things happen that were unexpected! I really enjoyed this one and I can’t wait to see if there will be more in the series!

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in this series was a novella that reinforced the often ignored rule about basements being bad news in the horror genre. The fates of those characters were left undetermined, so I was ectastatic when I learned the author had expanded the story.

The past five years haven’t been kind to these characters. Humans are still in hiding, struggling to survive every day as they fight the Reapers. Looking for someone to blame for their plight, most of Gregory’s group make him the scapegoat since he opened the door and let the Reapers in. He blames himself not only for that, but also the loss of his little sister Imogene since she was taken by the Reapers.

During a battle, the story takes a turn that blindsided me. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at first, but it really makes sense within this world. Without giving away spoilers, Gregory finds himself in unfamiliar territory and must find a way to get back to his family. He makes some strong allies, but getting back home isn’t an easy journey, and he faces many battles first.

Gregory undergoes tremendous growth over the story and has a wonderful character arc. I enjoyed watching him progress from an immature teenager, to a responsible, clever young man. I had to suspend my disbelief a bit with the maturity of another character, but gave them them the benefit of the doubt taking into account what they’d experienced over the past five years.

As a devout sci-fi and horror fan, I enjoyed the blending of genres and also appreciated the nail-biting action scenes. There’s even a sweet romance tossed in the mix. I’m excited to see what this author does next.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gregory saw his sister Imogene being taken by a Reaper. They took her through a door and disappeared. That was five years ago. The Reapers came to earth and wreaked havoc on it. Humans are trying to survive on whatever they can find. Food is scarce and safety is even scarcer. Gregory’s group of humans has come together for survival. His mom is all he has left along with his friend Trent. Everyone believes Gregory started the war with the Reapers and he feels that responsibility to his bones.
This is their story. A story of growing up and surviving. Friendships and new friends. Wariness of new ideas and the growth that happens when you grasp those new ideas and step forward.
This is a great story with awesome characters. I like how they grow throughout the story.
The author really took their time for them to grow into a wonderful set of characters.
I highly recommend this story to all.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

[Chelsea Skinner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, wow, wow. What an absolutely fantastic novel.

You're thrown into the story from page one and boy does the action just keep rolling.

Set in post-apocalyptic America, five years after the events in book one, we meet Gregory, fighting against the Reapers and hoping beyond hope that life may return to normal.

When Gregory falls through a Reaper door, he enters a strange new world that may just give him all of the answers he needs to rid earth of the Reapers once and for all.

Reaper: Aftermath seamlessly blends sci-fi and horror and is a nail-biting thriller that pits humanity against nightmares of the worst kind.

Pongrantz's apocalypse is terrifying in what rends the world open and brings about the fall of humanity. I definitely recommend this to fans of apocalyptic horror.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

We met Greg in book one - and he's had five years of guilt and war resting on his young shoulders. Pongratz has such vivid imagery in his books, and this next installment in the Reaper series is no exception. This book has drama, twists, and edge of your seat moments that will keep you turning the pages until before you know it, the book is over. If you're a horror fan, and like a little sci-fi you'll fall in love with this book!

[Inger · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent plot and great writing. Wonderful characters with a lot of action. Reads fast and is very entertaining. A good amount of action throughout. Some sexual content but nothing graphic. It does have a lot of violence. I recommend it for late teens and up. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Asiaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this book on a recommendation and I am very glad I did. It has enough action and suspense to make it a very fine read. I truly enjoyed it.

[Misty's Book Space · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first book in 2019 and enjoyed it. It was a novella and I wanted it to be longer. I don't think there was any plans for a second book back then but I am so glad the author decided to write another book. This book takes place five years after the previous book and things aren't going so great. They're of course the Reapers they are having to deal with and then there is Greg who is having to deal with everyone hating him pretty much.

I loved Greg as a character. He's 18 now but he came off very immature and whiny for his age at first. There's another character who came of way too mature for her age but I guess considering what she has gone through it makes a little sense. I loved the romance aspect in this book. Don't worry it's not the main lot in the book at all. We get it in the first 25% maybe and then things change and the romance is put on the back burner for obvious reasons but I was bummed out when things changed because y'all know I love my romance.

This book is action packed and pretty gory. One thing after another kept happening to the characters. It was like they couldn't catch their breath which made it an edge of my seat kind of read. If the author decides to write more books in this series I would for sure read them.

[Linda Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story starts out fast action packed and doesn't let up. Gregory is an 18 year old boy who lives in our world, five years after being invaded by monsters called Reapers. When his group of survivors are attacked, Gregory is throwing into a portal to another world. In that world, there is another type of alien people who are fighting the same monsters that have invaded earth, except there's thousands more of them. Gregory must stay alive and find his way back to earth along with few hundred aliens from that world.

I highly recommend this book

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Marion Craggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book by this author I have read and again I found it well written and interesting. The book seemed to have been written in a way that emphasised and allowed us to follow the stories of the individual characters and gain quite an insight into their thoughts and feelings as well as weaving a picture of the intricate nature of the relationships between these characters and touching on some difficult subjects this was all woven into the main storyline and added a depth to the book which I appreciated and find can be missing in many books.

I received an advance copy of the book free and am leaving this review voluntarily

[Dollie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank Jonathan Pongratz and BookSirens for allowing me to read this ARC free for an honest review. Gregory, a teenager, and his mother, belong to a group of survivors after an attack on Earth by the Reapers (Dak’kar). While taking sanctuary in a library building, Gregory is pushed through a door by a Reaper and ends up on another planet, Velerius. The beings on this planet also are fighting the Reapers and Gregory helps them. When all is lost, the Valorians transport themselves, Gregory and his sister, Imogen, who has been on Velerius for five years and is a warrior, back to Earth and they are reunited with their mother. I didn’t realize when I requested this book that it was a YA novel. I also overlooked the word “aftermath” in the title, and didn’t take note that this is a sequel. I read it anyway. It kind of reminded me of The Walking Dead or any kind of zombie story - if they find you, you’re dead kind of thing. Would I have liked this as a teenager? I’m not sure. I was busy back then reading books like the Hobbit stories, The Drifters, and Jaws (what a fantastic summer read that was!). I probably would have read it, but as an adult reading this, I had too many unanswered questions, such as, “Okay. They have translators to communicate, but all these species breath oxygen?” In this book they do. When I looked up the author, I found a couple of his other books, including the beginning of this story (for Kindle, $0.99 on Amazon) and I was curious enough about this story to know the beginning, so I bought it.

[Kristine · Rating 2 out of 5]

My biggest complaint about this book was that it was billed as Horror. It is most definitely Science Fiction, which is not my cup of tea. I read the first novella and enjoyed it so I was looking forward to this one. I tried so hard to get into it but 3/4 of the book was battle after battle without much plot development. I found the main character Greg annoying and immature which made a lot of the dialogue hard to get through. Overall, I didn't care about whether he lived or died, saved Earth or let the Reapers take over. There seemed to be more emphasis on the action and battles than any character development.

Thank you BookSirens for a free advance copy in exchange for this voluntary review.

[Tricia V · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the way that Pongratz has created his post-apocalyptical world. The issues that arise from the very beginning – such as the rarity of food even five years after the catastrophic events that started it all – are all dealt with in a real way. Even just looking at the start of the global pandemic we’re currently going through shows that any disruption to the global food market greatly impacts the accessibility of food. As humans we no longer rely on nearby food supplies, so any event as catastrophic as the Reapers coming to Earth is going to make it hard to survive. I applaud Pongratz for these subtle, but powerful, additions to the world that he’s created.

That being said, the plot itself is what truly captures a reader’s attention. The twists and turns in this story managed to keep me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The action in this novel was thrilling and as eye catching as any action movie. Heck, even the way the characters act – both to each other but also Greg’s internal monologue – help make the situation feel real. Wouldn’t you be a pessimist if you were the cause of the end of the world?

If you’re looking for a fantastic thriller read, I’d highly recommend checking this story out. The Novella that started it all is a great stepping stone to this story. Reaper: Aftermath does a fantastic job at creating an apocalyptic world that I’d be terrified to live in but greatly enjoyed reading about.

Full spoilery thoughts here: https://phantomofthelibrarycom.wordpr...