Review: In the End (In the After #2) by Demetria Lunetta

Goodreads Summary:

The thrilling conclusion to In the After, the survival story of Amy and Baby, set in a near future where Earth has been overrun by vicious, predatory creatures.

It’s been three months since Amy escaped New Hope, and she’s been surviving on her own, like she did in the After. Until one day, her former fellow Guardian’s voice rings out in her earpiece. And in a desperate tone, Kay utters the four words Amy had hoped she would never hear: Dr. Reynolds has Baby.

Now it’s a race against time, for Baby is in imminent danger, her life threatened by the malevolent doctor who had helped start the end of the world. In order to save Baby, Amy must make her way to Fort Black, a prison-turned-survivor-colony, where she will need to find Ken, Kay’s brother. He alone holds the key to Baby’s survival.

One small slip-up on this quest could spark a downward spiral that would not only cost Baby and Amy their lives, but threaten the very survival of the people in the After.

Publication Date: June 24, 2014

This was a little different than the first book, but still enjoyable. Fans of YA dystopians will likely enjoy this series. Amy is a tough and smart heroine and I enjoyed reading about how she survives the chaos of a world destroyed by a viral outbreak.

In the End started off strong. I felt like there was lots of action and Amy was consistently in danger. She had to fend off the “monsters,” survive corrupt and murderous survivors and steer clear of deadly infections. The book held my interest and I was curious to see where the author was going with the plot.

There are a lot of new characters introduced In the End. I liked most of them, but I definitely missed favorites from the first book. Rice, Kay and Baby don’t really show up until the finale of the story. I had loved Amy and Baby’s dynamic in the first novel and had wanted to see the relationship develop.

Fort Black was an interesting place and a complete departure from New Hope. I liked reading about another type of survivor community. Amy meets a tattoo artist named Jacks there and a love triangle is introduced between Amy, Rice and Jacks. I actually wasn’t feeling the romance, which is very rare for me. The romantic bits are usually my favorite parts.

This is the second and final book in the series. I wouldn’t mind reading another book. It felt like there was so much more that could be explored in the world created by the author. Overall, I liked the series a lot and look forward to future works from Lunetta.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of the book for review!