After the Fire tells the powerful story of Moonbeam, one of the few survivors of the Lord’s Legion. Raised inside the Base, Moonbeam is taught to walk the True Path and be a true believer. After Father John takes over as the Lord’s messenger everything changes, there is a purge and people leave. Those who stayed begin to prepare for the Final Battle against the Servant of the Serpent.

I was only 8 years old when the Branch Davidian stand-off took place. I may have been young, but I remember my parents watching the news. I remember the seeing the flames engulf the compound. This story has so many parallels and it’s interesting to read a story of survival, healing, and starting over after such a tragedy.

Twisty, turny, culty drama! So much psychological warfare in this story as the result of the cult leader who just won’t give up his power. As others worship the ground he walks on let a teenager be the one to break his spell!!

This is an intriguing book from the very beginning. The story goes back and forth from before and after the main character, Moonbeam, escapes a cult. The story describes how she (and others) become absorbed in cults, and the trauma associated with it.
The writing is extremely good and the plot is really interesting and unique.

This book was the first one I started to read from netgalley. Unfortunately, I struggled to really get into this book. It did remind me of the fire in that a successful one requires construction and this book does have that. Smith creates a believable story line and characters that I became invested in. I share his fascination with the phenomenon of religious cults and his book shows another side of the story from the eyes of a child of the cult.

I am not a personal fan of a story shift every chapter but Smith employs is successfully, creating a slow “burn” that picks up the pace as the story moves towards completion. I grew to like and admire Moonbeam and felt her sorrows and triumphs. As a librarian, I’d definitely put this book in my HS fiction section. As a teacher, I’d recommend it to a HS reader looking for a little bit of everything (suspense, horror, love). Finally, as a reader, I did enjoy this book.

This was such a harrowing and emotional peek into life inside a cult. Great character building and plotting. Highly recommend!

Such an intriguing story! I was sucked in to the story and just wanted to find out more about what’s going on. Thrilling and suspenseful and so well done.

Vivid characterizations and gut punching contemporary realism take this work to the top of its class . This novel is fast paced with an engaging plot.. A worthwhile read for teens and adults.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

I can’t really say this was an “enjoyable” read, but it was riveting and believable. It’s obvious that the author did some research because for the first time ever I had some real understanding of how a person could be sucked into a situation like this and not be able to see the truth in the greater lie. Throughout most of the book I just wanted to give Moonbeam a hug and tell her it was going to be ok. But would that have just been another lie? I both loved and hated the way he ended this book. It stayed true to the story but as a lover of any and all HEAs this was frustrating for me because although it was a fictional story there was no “fictional HEA” to it....this ending was as real and true as it probably was for any of those children who survived Waco.

Intense story about survival of life in a cult told in alternating times "before the fire" and "after the fire." This well written story follows the life of Moonbeam as she is raised in the cult and life outside of it while at a facility receiving therapy. It was fascinating to experience her inner dialogue throughout the book as she makes important decisions regarding her place in the cult, who to trust, who to fear. Overall, it is an excellent read.

Oh man this book.
I cant yall you have frustrating father John's character was. Like pull my hair out frustrating.

Not because he's a bad character. But because of how good of a bad guy he was written.

This story was sort of reminiscent of something like hunger games or divergent, meets the handmaid's tale.

And I loved it!

The twists and turns that constantly happened had me on my toes. And I found it such a. Good read

I had no idea what this book was about but I enjoyed it. Will be posting a longer review on my blog soon.

Will Hill’s AFTER THE FIRE is a raw and telling look into the power of manipulation, brainwashing of the innocents and the aftermath of “freedom.”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. We have a local cult its always made me wonder why would you, who would, all those things so I had to read it

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.

It was an interesting read with mystery that drew the reader in. I might read more from this author.

A pretty solid cult story. Retrospectives can be difficult to pull off, given that the very nature of this sort of plot takes us out of the moment. We get the whole story with commentary. We hear rather than feel what MOonbeam experienced. The envents are engrossing, though, even with the emotional distance.

What a thrilling fiction read! It was tough to put down! 17 year-old Moonbeam narrowly survives a fire fight at the Base where she has lived as one of the Faithful under Father John’s Legion. Her progress as she works her way through her trauma and survival is inspiring and intense. A great read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy.

Wow! This book was nothing like I thought it would be, but in a good way!

I haven’t read any books about religious cults, but I have watched a few tv programs. And this book seemed to be very close to a lot of the crazy happenings in these cults. It was interesting in seeing Moonbeams life through her eyes. She was very smart and stood up for her brothers and sisters when it became necessary. I really enjoyed her character in the book, even going through what she had, she seemed to have a stable point of view on the world.

I find these types of books very interesting. It’s crazy to when you think these types of things happen in real life.

I would definitely recommend this book, it was well written and h I storyline was very interesting.

Moonbeam survived the fire along with her brothers and sisters. The book goes back and forth between Before the Fire and After the Fire while being interviewed with investigators. They are not suppose to talk to outsiders but Moonbeam reveals life within their community openly. However, she still holds one huge secret until the very end.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a little predictable but I didn't care. I was interested through the entire book and never got bored. Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of After the Fire.

The story was very gripping and the characters are very poignant and real. The look at the inner workings of a cult was fascinating!

This story was so moving, compelling, and just plain heartbreaking. Moonbeam is a seventeen year old girl that has escaped from a life within a hyper religious compound. The book follows her as she tells her story to her new psychiatrist and tries to deal with life after the fire. Moonbeam is an incredibly intelligent and sarcastic character that was easy to fall in love with. She is just so strong despite everything she’s been through and I loved how protective she is of the other children that escaped the compound with her. She is also very guarded and reveals information about her life slowly and methodically, saving a few secrets that she vows never to tell anyone.

I literally could not put this book down and flew through it. It truly is just incredibly compelling. The entire time I was reminded of the siege of the Branch of Davidian in Waco, Texas. Upon completing the story, I saw that the author was inspired by this story and wanted to explore it from the victims point of view. I thought it was very respectfully and well done and would absolutely recommend this book!