Review: After the Fire by Will Hill

Okay, so, I bought this book because of numerous recommendations by Zoe. She has been mentioning it for a long time, and when reading the description of this book I thought it sounded quite interesting.

It wasn't quite in my usual genre, but as you may have seen, I've started branching out, and trying to read a bit more YA that isn't fantasy, and I think this book was a great pick for me.

Well, here it is:

The things I’ve seen are burned into me, like scars that refuse to fade.

Father John controls everything inside The Fence. And Father John likes rules. Especially about never talking to Outsiders. Because Father John knows the truth. He knows what is right, and what is wrong. He knows what is coming.

Moonbeam is starting to doubt, though. She’s starting to see the lies behind Father John’s words. She wants him to be found out.

What if the only way out of the darkness is to light a fire? 

As you may tell from the description, this is a a very intense book, but I admit, I've quite liked the hard-hitting books lately that really get you thinking.

This book is all about Moonbeam, a 17-year-old who has grown up in a cult that centres around religion. It shows her story through both 'Before' chapters, where she describes different times in her life in the compound as well as retelling what happened in the lead-up to the fire, and 'After' chapters, where we see what has happened to Moonbeam, and a few of the children survivors, directly after the fire.

In the 'After' sections of the book, we meet both Dr Hernandez and Agent Carlyle, who are the ones interviewing Moonbeam to find out what she knows about the fire and the workings of the cult, though Agent Carlyle only comes into the book partway through as at the beginning Dr Hernandez was trying to get Moonbeam to open up after she had a lifetime of being told that 'Outsiders' were not to be trusted and shouldn't be talked to.

I must admit, one of the reasons I liked the book so much was the writing of the sessions between these 3, and the way they all interacted, especially Moonbeam and Agent Carlyle, I loved the dialogue between them at points.

But, the main reason I loved this book was because of Moonbeam. I loved how strong she was throughout the book, explaining her past and trying to overcome it, and I liked how she was written towards the ending, where although she had worked through a lot because of her sessions, she still had a way to go, which I think is really realistic. Moonbeam is now one of my favourite written characters, as she was written perfectly.

There was only one thing I wasn't too sure on, which was the ending (I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it). I was happy it ended the way it did, but I just wasn't sure on it, but either way it was still an amazing book, and one I will definitely be putting on my re-reads list.

I give this book: 4.5 Cats! (so close to 5, but I just wasn't sure on the ending!)

Overall an amazing book, and I definitely want to read more like it, what did you think of this book if you've read it? Comment below!