After The End by Amy Plum Review!

      

Title : After The End
Author : Amy Plum
Pages : 352
Published : May 6th 2014 by HarperTeen
Source : Edelweiss

She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future.

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

“Exciting and tense! Prepare for the unexpected! You’ll stay up all night with this one!” — Sophie Jordan, NYT Bestselling author of the Firelight series

My Thoughts : 

Juneau is one of a small clan that lives in Alaska. Her whole life she was taught about World War III and the dangers of going outside their land. She is a skilled hunter and one of the most proficient with the magic of the Yara. When she returns from a hunting trip its to an empty camp with all the dogs dead. She connects with the Yara to see that her whole clan had been taken by raiders. She only has one choice and that's to venture for the first time outside their territory to try to rescue them. What she finds outside shocks her to the core. Why was she lied to and what was the point of it? 

When I first heard that Amy Plum had a new book coming out I immediately added it to my wishlist. I love her writing. Then when I saw the cover I was sold. I thought it was a post apocalyptic book at first but its not. 

I loved Juneau. She was strong, willful, clever and tough. When she learns that what she was raised to believe was all lies, she finds it hard to thrust anyone. Her connection to the Yara dims because she starts questioning if its real or another lie. She was betrayed by the people she loves yet she still does everything in her power to free them. I also loved her reaction to the world outside her territory and to the technology, the amazement of it all but also the deep betrayal and the sense of why they had to lie. 

Miles was awesome. He got into trouble at school and now works in the mail room for his father. He tries to make his father proud of him so when he overhears his father on the phone he stops to listen. His father seems to be looking for a teenage girl who is a spy. He hears where she is thought to be and thinks that if he gets to her first his father will be proud. He decides to go look for her. 

Juneau mean while needs help. She decides to connect to the Yara through an oracle. The Yara tells her that she has to find someone whos name will take her a long way. He is the only one who can help her. She goes around asking everyone what their name is until eventually she finds Miles. The Yara told her to thrust Miles so she starts telling him just enough to get him to help her. Meanwhile he thinks she is completely crazy but agrees to "help" till he can get in contact with his dad. 

I absolutely loved Miles reaction to Juneau. He sees her talking to fire and birds and all he thinks is that she is cuckoo!! He was so funny and sweet. Seeing their strained relationship go from what it first was to them becoming friends was the best part. He is completely out of his depth and has no idea what he has gotten himself in for. 

It took a while for me to understand what was going on at first but once I did I flew through this. It was amazing and completely unique. The lore of the Yara was fascinating. The characters were all believable and the plot was fast paced. There was a subtle romance in the book and I loved seeing it grow. It wasn't insta love nor was it unbelievable but it was so sweet. Apart from the confusion at the start I loved everything about this book. There is plenty of twists and turns, secrets, lies and everything you could want in a captivating read. After the shocking ending I can not wait for book 2. Highly recommend!!!