REVIEW & GIVEAWAY! IN THE AFTER by Demitria Lunetta

This is a review of the audiobook for IN THE AFTER by Demitria Lunetta. First I'll review the book itself, then the 'audiobookness' of the book. THEN I'll give away a SIGNED copy of IN THE AFTER!

BOOK
Blurb from Audible:

Amy is watching TV when the world is attacked by Them. Most of the population is overtaken, but Amy manages to survive - and even rescue "Baby" - a toddler she finds in an abandoned supermarket.

Then, after years of hiding, they are miraculously rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of survivors living in a former government research compound. While at first the colony seems like a dream, with plenty of food, safety, and shelter, New Hope slowly reveals that it is far from ideal. And Amy soon realizes that unless things change, she'll lose Baby - and much more.

Oh man, I loved this book. Maybe more so because I didn't think I would. I had shied away from it because I *thought* it was like a lot of other dystopian books that I've read lately (to remain nameless) all action no depth. But Amy is a deep character. She is not just reacting to situations - attacks by flesh eating 'them', having to become completely silent so as to not attract 'their' attention. She's got a rich internal life, and moral struggle. Should she leave Baby behind? Should she just save herself? When she reflects on what her life was like 'in the before' she realizes that the world she used to live in is gone forever.

Or is it? When she's rescued and brought to New Hope - a colony that tries very hard to replicate life 'before' - Amy is skeptical. She's an intriguingly prickly character with conflicting motivations and feelings. This makes her strong and real - she's no cardboard cut out heroine.

The scenes I love best are the ones between Amy and Baby. Their bond is amazing and I love the way Lunetta conveys so much emotion between the girls as they live in a silent world - using sign language, walking on bare feet, always hyper vigilant against the slightest sound that could bring 'their' attack.

The twists and turns in IN THE AFTER are unexpected and when they come, and you cast back in your mind to see if there were any hints that came before, you realize they were there, you just missed them. I didn't know how Amy would survive, not just physically but emotionally and the end made me impatient for more.

The good news is 'more' is coming. IN THE END the sequel to IN THE AFTER comes out June 24th. I can't wait.

AUDIO
I listen to a lot of audiobooks - it's how I get to read as many books as I have to/need to. If I had to wait to have some quiet, alone time in my household of crazy, I'd still be waiting. Audiobooks allow me to read while I'm cutting the lawn, driving, running and ignoring my kids caring for my children.

But the nature of audiobooks is such that the narrator becomes nearly as important as the book itself. A very good narrator is practically invisible, a voice in your head that stands in for you. A bad narrator - or even one that just rubs you the wrong way - can kill your book-enjoying buzz. I could not finish listening to FLORA & ULYSSES by Kate DiCamillo because the narrator got on my very last nerve. Hopefully, I'll be able to pick up the paper version soon and have a better experience.

The narrator for IN THE AFTER is Julia Whelan and she does not disappoint. She captures the tone and character of Amy perfectly, managing to convey the girl's fierceness and vulnerability at the same time. She also does a very good, seamless job of speaking in a slightly different voice when speaking another character's dialogue. Some narrators do this with a very heavy hand. They try to put on a 'voice' or accent so you know that the person speaking is someone other than the main character (especially in a book that is first person like this one.) I think Julia Whelan does this effectively but subtly. I never felt taken out of the story by the narration.

GIVEAWAY!

This is the lovely swag I have for you! A signed copy of IN THE AFTER along with a bookmark and sticker. All you have to do is leave a comment below and, if you'd be so kind, follow me on twitter if you don't already (@magpiewrites)

I'll select a winner at random on Monday June 2nd. Good luck!

YA FEST PA Recap, or How To Build a Shelter Out of Books

There’s was only one bad thing about the 2014 YA FEST in Easton PA.

There were so many people (yay!) that it was a crush. Getting to any author's table to chat and sign was difficult until I learned the secret of walking behind the book stacks to get to the far side where the books were being sold. I spent a kajillion dollars on books. Then, because I am a sick, sick individual, I spent MORE money at the library’s used book sale. My reasoning? Why not build a shelter out of books for the coming Fill-In-The-Blank apocalypse?

Speaking of the apocalypse, I had the amazing fortune of meeting Demitria Lunetta.

Her post-apocalyptic book IN THE AFTER is stunning. I told her that I’d shied away from the book initially because I’d been burned by dystopians and post-apocalyptics before – books that were all action, no depth. IN THE AFTER is not at all like that. While being well paced and full of action, there are a lot of questions raised – morality, responsibility and how, in the ruined world of the after, the ideas of right and wrong are highly subjective. It reminded me of THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS by Alden Bell and ASHES by Ilsa Bick. (Those are about zombies, and there are no zombies in IN THE AFTER. But the sequel, IN THE END comes out in June and I just don’t know what the heck could happen next. IT'S THAT GOOD.) I'll be doing a full review of IN THE AFTER audiobook soon but just know it's an excellent read.

Demitria Lunetta and me. (Why do I look like a demented school marm? Not sure...)

I got to see and meet lots of interesting authors – both published and unpublished. I got to talk to kids and teens and ask them what they were reading, what they liked. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm. This was a gorgeous sunny Saturday. And they were in the library talking to authors, collecting  autographs and chatting about books. Wish this event could happen every weekend. But then I would absolutely need that shelter of books as my house would be repossessed. 

#insufficientfunds.

Next week I’ll be talking about another YA FEST author, Aaron Starmer who I babbled to unceasingly before remembering to let him get back to his signing table. His book THE ONLY ONES has twisted my mind forever. In the best possible way. I'm reading his new book THE RIVERMAN now.

What's been your favorite author event?

Fangirl/boy ALERT! - YA FEST IS COMING!

Two years ago I went to the first YA Fest in Easton PA. I ended up sandwiched between two literal and literary giants - Jonathan Maberry and Charles Benoit.

Laura Campbell, Jonathan Maberry, me, Charles Benoit 2012 YA Fest

Now YA Fest is BACK! I can't tell you how excited I am. Not only is it a great program, it's in my state of Pennsylvania. No need to schlep to NYC or wish I lived closer to Denver/Rochester/Raleigh. I am LOCAL. And this is so freaking awesome.

Last year there were quite a few really interesting panels and a really fun quiz contest at the end of the day. But most importantly, there were authors I adored and could talk to. I will try not to go too fangirl (who am I kidding? no one) but here are the authors I am looking forward to seeing:

Jennifer R Hubbard
I don't read a lot of contemporary YA, but I will read anything Jennifer Hubbard writes. Thank You notes, shopping list, tweets - it's all good when it comes from her brain. Check out her new book, UNTIIL IT HURTS TO STOP.




Aaron Starmer
My good friend Becky Levine introduced me to Aaron Starmer's THE ONLY ONES. So I have her to thank for the mind pretzel I found myself in after reading this extremely different, intelligent and thoughtful middle grade. I still find myself looping through the sequence of events. I made the mistake of lending his new book THE RIVERMAN to my eleven year old niece, and now she has a death grip on it. BUT, now I have an excuse to buy another copy.




Demitria Lunetta
I just started listening to Demitria Lunetta's debut book IN THE AFTER on audiobook. Just so you know, I ran an EXTRA MILE this morning. Do you know what that means? I could ignore the pain for an extra 12.5 minutes just to keep listening to the story.

So, are you in the Philly area? Are you also into crayons? Do you yearn for early spring in the gorgeous countryside? YES? Then I'll see you at YA FEST!