Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
Release Date: September 23, 2014
Publisher: Simon Pulse
608 Pages
Received: Edelweiss/Bought from B&N
Format: eARC/ B&N Exclusive Hardcover
Rating:
4 Nuts
Description: Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she’s made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings…
Told in alternating chapters is Darcy’s novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the ‘Afterworld’ to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved – and terrifying – stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.
Review: So I began reading this book on my nook with an eARC from Edelweiss but it was taking forever. For me, ebooks take for-freaking-ever to read. I’m much easier to distract and much more prone to headaches when I read longer books on my nook. But I do it, and for a 600 page book it becomes a bit painful how slow I read it. So when the book came out in hardcover I picked it up immediately so I could finish the freaking book without wanting to throw my nook across the room.
So once I got my hardcover I zipped right through it. This book is composed of two intertwining stories, one in the “real world” and the other a piece of paranormal fiction written by the girl in the real world. It’s funny because most of the time when I read books with different perspectives or journeys I prefer one over the other. While this did happen from time to time when a particularly important thing was going on, for the most part I was fully engaged in both stories. Well done Scott Westerfeld, it’s a rare feat.I love the two main characters, Lizzie and Darcy. I admit that I laughed at that for a good five minutes, I am such an Austen dork. Anyway, both are complex characters and pique my interests. As for their love interests? Well I like them on a shallow level but that’s about it. Darcy’s girlfriend just sort of bothered me a little, she just grates on my nerves. As for Lizzie’s odd death god beau, I guess I want there to be a bit more to him. There’s actually nothing wrong with him but I guess I expected more.
I have heard people say that some of the writer group in this book is based on Scott Westerfeld’s friends, people like John Green and Holly Black. And I say….so what? Writers base pieces of their books on real life, isn’t what part of the point of this book? And if you try to tell me that these other authors don’t do that I will laugh in your face. *cough*LookingForAlaska*cough* I don’t think it’s a bad thing like some of the people I’ve heard complaining about it seem to believe. *shrug*
I really loved the whole mythology surrounding Lizzie’s story and holy crap, that first chapter of her section was unbelievable. It was such a great way to immediately grab and invest the reader into her story without having to do a lot of backstory right off the bat.
I liked Afterworlds. Was it SuperMegaFoxyAwesomeHot? No. Like most books it has a few problems, but once I was able to solve my ebook problem I devoured it like nobody’s business.
What did you think of Afterworlds? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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Lovely review, it sounds like a fab book and I haven't read any of Westerfeld's book yet so maybe this will be the first!
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Thea @ Gizzimomo's Book Shelf
You haven't read any? Then this is a good one to start with!
I thought Afterworlds was a good book, but it could've been so much better. I kept feeling like Darcy was spoiling Lizzie's story for me. I loved the characters in Darcy's, but I'm a fantasy girl so I like the plot and magic of Lizzie's I know that's not the point of this book, but I wish it had been one story instead of two. Nice review. 🙂 I hadn't heard the writers were based on real people! Now I wonder who's who, because I loved the writer's personalities!
I heard Holly Black and John Green were on the list. Probably that whole writer's group they had going in New York so maybe Cassie Clare and Maureen Johnson? I don't know for sure.