This book! A mess of emotions and confusion and pain, I swear, but if you're up for the journey and some highkey messed up people, then it's all yours.

I've been seeing this running theme between books I've been reading recently. A surge of previously less well-used narrations, that is. After the Fire is told in a past-present alternating way, with the past scenes revealed in a not necessarily effortless way. At times, I did find myself focusing more on the structure of the gradual revelations than the revelations themselves.

Nonetheless, the plot building and storyline were terrifyingly haunting. The awfulness of everything that happened in the compound, the aggravation that came naturally to Moonbeam's audience, and the face of innocence associated with being brainwashed from birth were all pretty compelling elements of this book.

Originally, I was mildly confused as to why the Church was portrayed the way it was, but learning of the basis of some of the more scream-worthy aspects of the religious sector after the conclusion of the novel really stuck with me in an unpleasant kind of way.

The general course of this book was actually really predictable; it's just that some of those really specific details were purely magnetic.

Sigh. I'm still not super sure of how I feel about After the Fire and how overboard the whole thing was, though I do very much appreciate an early early morning read!

My thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC.

Thanks @netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the advanced digital galley copy.

What if everything you’ve been taught to believe is wrong? A 17-year-old girl confronts reality in this suspenseful young adult novel from the author of the popular Dept. 19 series.

Not a coming of age, but more of a coming to consciousness for a teen girl living inside what initially seems to be a benevolent cult and the effects on her psyche in the aftermath of a fire that destroys the world she’s become accustomed to. Moonbeam is aware that things changed, where once she and other believers shared the word, Father John closed the gates. Outsiders were turned away, believers accused of not having true faith were banished, and then the fire came just as Father John predicted. Moonbeam is the only one talking, but even she doesn’t want to share what she did during the fire.

Author Will Hill takes the basic details of David Koresh’s Branch Davidian cult of the 1990s and builds on the idea of how life might turn out for young survivors of such an event. Hill writes of a cult where people are heavily controlled by both faith and fear in a way that young adult readers can understand and yet not be completely terrified by. Will Hill is no stranger to good writing, so he keeps the violence and terror at a minimum to focus on characters. The set-up of interview sessions with a psychologist and a criminal investigator allow Moonbeam to open up not just to the outside world, but also to admit to herself how she feels and what she believes.

A good book, this stands firmly in the YA category, which explains why I wanted even more from it. As I’m accustomed to reading mostly adult thrillers, I continued to imagine what the author could have done at that level with the same engrossing story. 4 stars!

I love, love, LOVE religious cult books and stories, so I was in heaven to receive this ARC. It took me by surprise that the MC was only 17 years old - from the opening, I assumed she was at least in her 20s, but I suppose being in a cult makes you talk like an adult to an extent, huh? This story is super nuanced and fascinating - it didn't occur to me until I had finished and was reading the blurbs on NetGalley that it kisses the story of Waco, Texas and drags that out a bit - duh, me. The world building was excellent and in general I greatly enjoyed my time with Moonbeam. Not so much with Father John, though. That guy can bite me.

Outsiders are bad and they cannot be trusted. Moonbeam has known this most of her life since it has been drummed into her by Father John and he knows what is right and what is wrong. But what if HE is wrong? Even just thinking this could get Moonbeam in trouble and she doesn't know who she can trust, who else might be thinking like her.
The majority of the story takes place in the aftermath of a government raid, when Moonbeam and some of the other children are being kept in a secure facility as they are interviewed by a doctor an agent.The book kept me guessing all along and was full of suspense in both of the story lines.
I just did not want to put this book down! I have read a lot of good books recently but this really has to be one of the best in some time.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Fire and Will Hill for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of After The Fire.
I was a fan of this author from his Dept 19 novels, so when I saw this book, I jumped at the chance to review this offering. I am so glad I did.
This book is centered on a religious cult. I thought the storyline was engrossing and well written. My heart went out to Moonbeam and all she had to endure.
Would definitely recommend this book.

What a phenomenal book! A work of fiction yet I feel like it really captured the essence of cults and cult life. The best book I've read so far this year.

Holy. shit.

“After the Fire” is a story that goes back and forth through time as Moonbeam deals with the aftermath of a fire that uprooted her life and tore her away from everything she’s ever known. Struggling to cope with the guilt of the past and the fear of the unknown as she looks to the future she learns that the only way forward is to wake up each and every day with the knowledge that she survived and the willingness to accept help from those around her.

I should probably start by saying I’m a huge fan of true crime and cults really go hand and hand with that interest and this book does not shy away from taking you there and showing all the ugliness that comes from organizations like that where men in power twist gospel to their favor and prey upon the vulnerable in order to achieve their own selfish desires.

I really enjoyed the set up of this book with it being almost interview style where we slowly see Moonbeam open up about what happened during her time with the group leading up to the fire and more importantly what happened that day that led her and the other survivors to their rescue. Seeing her and the others as they struggle to come to terms with what happened to them while also questioning their faith when dealing with those trying to help them was so sad because their reactions and disbelief mirrors that of real life cult survivors that I’ve watched a few documentaries on and I was completely blown away.

This is such an incredible book that handles the subject matter so well and it’s easy to see how someone like that could come into power both in fiction and reality and how important it is for a few strong voices to stand up against those con men in order to protect those who either can’t or are too afraid to protect themselves.

**special thanks to netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!**

I was immediately sold on reading this book the second I found out that it was about a cult. There is something so mysterious about a cult that really draws me in.The structure of this book was another thing that I really quite liked. Flicking back and forth between ‘Before’ and ‘After’ really helped to build the intrigue and mystery around Moonbeam’s secret.

Father John is a terrible person, how he could do all those things.. I guess he really cares about money. I would talk more about him, but I think this is enough. He doesn't deserve any more.

The ending, prepare for more tears. I was really crying during those last moments. It was just so beautiful, I was so happy to see it end this way.

I enjoyed how the book used the Before and After format to unfold the story events. The main character, Moonbeam, has an intense and fascinating story to tell, which author, Will Hill, does in a moving writing style that pulls a reader in and places you right into the trauma and action.

After the Fire is an emotional, riveting, and sad story. It is a compelling YA novel not to be missed by any reader.

I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this book. I mean cults and that sort of thing boggle my mind. How do people get involved in this crap? That being said I really enjoyed this book and I think everyone should read it. It is well written and the story flows. there was a lot of switching back and forth, but it was at no point confusing. This is an intensely brutal story, honest and hard-hitting. I dare you to start reading this and try to put it down because you won’t want to. A+ for me

I loved everything about this book. Stories like this fascinate me and this one did not disappoint.
The characters were so well written and developed I found myself mirroring their feelings.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read.

After the Fire takes the reader inside a religious sect and tells the aftermath of a battle which took the lives of many sect members. As 17 year old Moonbeam recovers from a serious hand wound, she slowly tells the horrific story to her doctor and an FBI agent. This is a moving book and I am thankful to have been an early reader in exchange for my fair and honest review.

After the Fire is one of the best reads of 2017. I read this book on a 3 hour train journey and could not put it down.
I fell in love with the mystery of it all: it’s phenomenal storytelling in all its glory. It allows the rawness of the subject content to really be the focus.
You will feel the dread, you’ll understand the pain but, most importantly, you’ll never seen things coming.

Wow, I was surprised how into this book I became and quickly. The story was phenomenal and the world building was outstanding. I decided to try a few pages and before I knew it I had devoured the entire book. This book flowed so easily I didn't realise I had read the entire thing until I had turned the last page. Wow!! Will definitely be following this author from now on.

What a fantastic read. It's terrifying to think that Father John was able to control so many people so effectively, just by controlling what information reached them. A fascinating insight into life in cults, and a novel that will stay with me for quite some time. I see that Will has won awards for this title and I'm not surprised; it absolutely deserves them.

I received an ARC of this title in return for an honest review.