In the after by Demitria Lunetta

Amy is at home watching tv when the unthinkable happens - creatures are attacking the world, eating anyone they can catch, and in a matter of hours the world as she knew it is gone.  The only reason Amy survived the first wave of attacks from Them was because she was at home, kept safe by the electric fence her mother insisted they have, but over the next three years she learns how to keep herself safe, and along the way she takes in a young child that she calls Baby.  There are just three rules to keep you alive in this new After - don't make a noise, only go out at night, and don't trust strangers. 

It is an uncertain world, where death waits for you to make a stupid mistake.  Amy has stayed alive because she is careful, always thinking about Baby, and always taking the time to make sure they are safe.  When they take a chance on a stranger it seems as though things are changing for the better, even if Amy can't help but feel a little jealous of the time Baby and Amber spend together.  But then Amber betrays them and they are forced out into the open.  Out in the open Amber feels vulnerable, but at least they are still able to survive - and then they discover the colony of New Hope.  On the surface New Hope is an almost perfect Utopia where people have what they need to thrive as well as survive, a place of hope and science, a place where Amy and Baby might have a real future.  But things are not what they seem.

In the after is a stunning debut novel, very polished for a first time author, with a well thought out plot and well developed characters.  At times it did feel as though the story was a little contrived, but I think it was the awkwardness of the section - flicking back and forth in time to the present and the events leading up to the present, but it was distracting more than off putting.  Amy is an interesting and engaging person, you really feel the events she goes through and see the world through her eyes - eyes that refuse to have the wool pulled over them.  The other characters are also well developed and each have their part to play - a part which at times is not what you might think.

I really enjoyed In the after, and while it feels like there could (should?) be a sequel, it reads exceptionally well as a stand alone novel.  Lunetta has a great future in writing if this is what she is able to produce as a first outing.  Amy is a strong voice in her own right, but also a strong voice in a genre that is often male dominated - she has her flaws, she isn't perfect, and she doesn't always see the big picture, but she is also not afraid to be herself and she will stand up for what she believes in.

If you like this book then try:

• Proxy by Alex London
• Altered by Jennifer Rush
• The 5th wave by Rick Yancey
• The rules by Stacvey Kade
• Enclave by Ann Aguirre
• Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza
• Adaptation by Melinda Lo
• The testing by Joelle Charbonneau
• Rot and ruin by Jonathan Maberry
• The hunt by Andrew Fukuda
• Daughter of smoke and bone by Laini Taylor
• The forest of hands and teeth by Carrie Ryan
• Anna dressed in blood by Kendare Blake

Reviewed by Brilla