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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
Wow. I requested After the Fire because hi, how can you not want to read a YA Waco inspired book? In many ways it's a very internal book, with Moonbeam dealing with the emotional impact and PTSD and guilt and grief, and then you've got the flashbacks to the compound that just feel like a ticking time bomb.
This book was intense. Moonbeam is a badass—an excellent YA character and someone with great depth. It was so heavy and yet had the lightness that makes YA so lovely to read. At times, it was a little polemic but a great read overall.
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
**Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this title!**
Before the fire, Moonbeam lived in a walled compound with the Holy Church of the Lord's Legion - a religious cult. She is promised to become one of the leader's many wives once she gets older, and has to follow a long list of rules in order to remain one of God's chosen people: she can't go into town or even outside the fence; she is only allowed certain foods at certain times of day; she must practice using any number of automatic weapons. The Government is not to be trusted, ever.
Our story actually begins after the fire, when Moonbeam is telling her story to a therapist at the treatment facility where the survivors - a small number of children - are housed during the federal investigation. As her story unfolds, so do the realities of the neglect and abuse that Moonbeam and others suffered. So do the secrets that she holds close, and the fact that the fire itself maybe - just maybe! - was all her fault.
**My Notes** This book was a fascinating, if sad, look into survivor's guilt and trauma.
Before the fire, Moonbeam lived in a walled compound with the Holy Church of the Lord's Legion - a religious cult. She is promised to become one of the leader's many wives once she gets older, and has to follow a long list of rules in order to remain one of God's chosen people: she can't go into town or even outside the fence; she is only allowed certain foods at certain times of day; she must practice using any number of automatic weapons. The Government is not to be trusted, ever.
Our story actually begins after the fire, when Moonbeam is telling her story to a therapist at the treatment facility where the survivors - a small number of children - are housed during the federal investigation. As her story unfolds, so do the realities of the neglect and abuse that Moonbeam and others suffered. So do the secrets that she holds close, and the fact that the fire itself maybe - just maybe! - was all her fault.
**My Notes** This book was a fascinating, if sad, look into survivor's guilt and trauma.
Quote: I can do both, because nothing is every only good and nothing is ever only bad. Everything is somewhere in the middle.
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of my favourite books of all time. This was my fifth reread.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Moonbeam is a survivor of a horrible fire that took place at the compound of a strict religious group-- all controlled by a Prophet-- Father John. Told from solely Moonbeam's perspective in a "Before" and "After" format, this book explores the psychological damage that a cult can inflict on a young person. As she speaks with and to the detective on her case and the psychiatrist assigned to her, she slowly begins unfolding a story about the Lord's Legion and its true colors, along with the devastating fire that ended it all.
If you are familiar with the Branch Davidians and their standoff with the FBI in Waco, this book will ring similar. I have definitely gone down a rabbit hole before, exploring the Branch Davidians and watching the latest mini-series. Anything from the perspective of a cult follower, survivor, bystander is bound to be fascinating. However, all of these stories need a strong storyteller to make the book (or show) effective and entertaining.
And that's what this is ultimately lacking: a good storyteller. Moonbeam is interesting, but she lacks any depth. I know that she was questioning the Lord's Legion, but I am not really attuned to any of her feelings or adequately told how she got there. Everything is very surface level and dialogue driven.
My recommendation? Maybe lower level readers. There's some disturbing stuff about polygamy and how the Prophet used women of all ages-- so be aware of that.
If you are familiar with the Branch Davidians and their standoff with the FBI in Waco, this book will ring similar. I have definitely gone down a rabbit hole before, exploring the Branch Davidians and watching the latest mini-series. Anything from the perspective of a cult follower, survivor, bystander is bound to be fascinating. However, all of these stories need a strong storyteller to make the book (or show) effective and entertaining.
And that's what this is ultimately lacking: a good storyteller. Moonbeam is interesting, but she lacks any depth. I know that she was questioning the Lord's Legion, but I am not really attuned to any of her feelings or adequately told how she got there. Everything is very surface level and dialogue driven.
My recommendation? Maybe lower level readers. There's some disturbing stuff about polygamy and how the Prophet used women of all ages-- so be aware of that.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated