Rebirth (Early Review)

Rebirth by Sophie Littlefield

Aftertime #2

The end of the world was just the beginning

Civilization has fallen, leaving California an unforgiving, decimated place. But Cass Dollar beat terrible odds to get her missing daughter back—she and Ruthie will be happy.

Yet with the first winter, Cass is reminded that happiness is fleeting in Aftertime. Ruthie retreats into silence.
Flesh—eating Beaters still dominate the landscape. And Smoke, Cass's lover and strength, departs on a quest for vengeance, one that may end him even if he returns.

The survivalist community Cass has planted roots in is breaking apart, too. Its leader, Dor, implores Cass to help him recover his own lost daughter, taken by the totalitarian Rebuilders. And soon Cass finds herself thrust into the dark heart of an organization promising humanity's rebirth—at all costs.

Bound to two men blazing divergent paths across a savage land, Cass must overcome the darkness in her wounded heart, or lose those she loves forever.

Cass has been trying to carve out her own version of happiness now that she finally has her daughter back and the man she loves by her side. But happiness in After time is a fleeting thing. Word comes that the school where Smoke's prior lover was hiding out had been overtaken by the rebuilders and burnt to the ground. As Smoke sets off on a mission of vengeance, Cass feels abandoned and betrayed. She sets out with Dor on a rescue mission right into the heart of the rebuilders for his daughter Sammi. It's a suicide mission, but one she feels compelled to embark even if it means she loses it all.

Cass is as strong as she was in the previous book, if nit even stronger yet, when it comes to her fierce protection of Ruthie and the sheer determination to survive no matter the odds. However, she is also very vulnerable in certain aspects and emotionally a train wreck. Since she is a recovering junkie that had one heck of disaster of a childhood, it's no wonder she doesn't take Smoke's leaving very well. In fact she makes some decisions that just weren't for the best. It is almost as if she is punishing herself for opening up to love and now she must purge herself yet again. I really hope she will learn that she is worth having love despite her past, but that takes time to heal, which is not easily gained in Aftertime.

I'll be honest that when I read the description for this book that I became a little reluctant to read it. I didn't want to see Smoke leave and a vague implication that Dor would be stepping in. I just thought those events would ruin things for me. I should have known better. As furious as I was at Smoke for leaving, in time I began to realize that it would have destroyed him if he hadn't gone to avenge the school. He would have lost everything about himself and the strength that drew Cass to him in the first place. My other issue was that I had only seen Dor as a cold and calculating man, as this is the face he wants others to see. However in his travels with Cass, we get to see a whole new side that in all honesty shocked the socks off of me. I'm not really sure whether or not a love triangle is being set up, but if so, I think Dor might be able to give Smoke a real run for his money.

Rebirth is a chilling read that will haunt you with its utterly raw emotion and look into life after an apocalypse. It's horrors will completely suck you and and leave you gasping for air as you are able to do more than watch what these characters must endure. If there was any doubt in holding the reader's interest into the next book, the suspense of the unanswered questions are more than enough enticement. I'm just dying to find out what Smoke's big secret is as well as what really happened in that convent to make Ruthie so silent. Sophie Littlefield does an excellent job of balancing that fine line of suspense and the needed answers, making for a truly fantastic read. I personally cannot wait to get my hands on the next installment and cannot recommend these books any higher!

(Received from Netgalley)

Rating:

Pre-order from Amazon:
Rebirth (Luna Books)

Challenge Categories:
Outdo Yourself
Horror and Urban Fantasy

read more

Aftertime (Early Review)

Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield

The world’s gone.
Worse, so is her daughter.

Awakening in a bleak landscape as scarred as her body, Cass Dollar vaguely recalls surviving something terrible. Having no idea how many days—or weeks—have passed, she slowly realizes the horrifying truth: Ruthie has vanished.

And with her, nearly all of civilization. Where once-lush hills carried cars and commerce, the roads today see only cannibalistic Beaters—people turned hungry for human flesh by a government experiment gone wrong.

In a broken, barren California, Cass will undergo a harrowing quest to get her Ruthie back. Few people trust an outsider, let alone a woman who became a zombie and somehow turned back, but she finds help from an enigmatic outlaw, Smoke. Smoke is her savior, and her safety. For the Beaters are out there. And the humans grip at survival with their trigger fingers. Especially when they learn that she and Ruthie have become the most feared, and desired, of weapons in a brave new world....

Cass woke up brutally scarred with no memory of where she is, only having the horrifying thought that her daughter is missing. In a land mostly barren she makes her way back to where she last saw Ruthie. Her journey is long and hard as the landscape isn't the only obstacle. A government plant turned hoards of people into mindless flesh eaters called Beaters. In the last stretch towards home, she meets up with the mysterious Smoke. He quickly becomes her only chance at surviving to find her daughter as she realizes the Beaters aren't the only threat. It's the other survivors that are much worse, and if they find out what she really is, they won't hesitate to eliminate her. 

This book was a very original take on the idea of Zombies. What I loved most about it was while the threat of the Beaters was very real, that wasn't the only thing standing in Cass's way. In fact, the people were probably more dangerous as the Beaters were at least predictable. Suspicions run very high, and almost everyone is joining one faction or another, and always questioning each other's alliances. I imagine this was probably a pretty accurate look at what could happen in the event of such a major fallout. It is in most people's nature to join together and be led. It is just unfortunate that the majority of the leadership figures turn out to be corrupt in nature.

Cass is probably the strongest, yet most broken character I have ever read about. Her past has huge skeletons in it, and her coping methods made her a serious addict. However, she never once flounders in her determination to find her daughter. The obstacles she faces are absolutely stifling, making it amazing that she is able to continue on at all. Perhaps her "changed" nature did give her some help, but in the end it all came down to her iron clad will and perseverance. She is so afraid to care for anyone, and give her past this is completely understandable. However, her fear didn't stop her from showing compassion towards others, especially Smoke. Try as she might to just block him out, she quickly realizes that she actually cares for him. This story was as much about Cass's character growth as it was her journey to find her daughter, making it an absolutely incredible read.

The pacing of this book was excellent, as it more than kept my attention, yet didn't overwhelm. The last few pages of the book took off like a firecracker making me very unsure of how things would end. While it was a satisfying ending, I couldn't help but wonder at the abruptness of it, as I had originally thought this was a stand alone novel. I absolutely love these characters, so I was extremely happy to find out that Aftertime is in fact the start of a series. Make sure to check this book out, it will completely suck you in right from the start and make you really believe in a mother's love overcoming all obstacles; even the Apocalypse. 

(Received from Netgalley)

Rating:

Pre-order at Amazon:
Aftertime (Luna Books) 



Challenge Categories:
Outdo Yourself
Horror and Urban Fantasy
New Author 

read more