Thank you Netgalley and Sourebooks fire for the ARC copy of after the fire by author Will Hill. I enjoyed the suspense and puzzling parts of this book, and the characters were developed great. Review and link to come when the publishing date approaches!

Since I basically never read synopses (or even titles apparently), I went into After the Fire not knowing it was more a psychological expose on cults and the aftermath than a thriller. This is in no way a bad thing, just worth a mention in case you are like me and pay attention to nothing. But yeah, I have wanted to read this book for ages, since before it even came out in the UK. And it definitely delivered, so now I will tell you why!

•Handles the cult aspect well; no sensationalizing for the sake of the story. This could have gone another way, let’s be real: it could have been a huge melodrama that accidentally glorified cults. That didn’t happen here. It’s messy, it’s raw, it’s emotional, but it is in no way glamorized. After the fire (ha) Moonbeam and the others are basically in a dreary psychiatric center, not writing tell-alls and visiting Ellen. And to me, that might have been the most important thing for the author to get right, and he did.

•Brings the concept of a religious doomsday cult to life. A lot of you were perhaps too young to remember the news event that was Waco and the Branch Davidians. I,however, am not. I won’t lie, this is where my morbid fascination of cults began (gaining tons of speed during the Heaven’s Gate mess), and the Waco seige is the event that inspired the author to write this book. It’s not a replica, nor does it try to be- the author makes clear that this is a fictional account- but there are certainly similarities. (Also, you’re welcome for the Wikipedia rabbit hole you’ll find yourself down.)

•Very sympathetic, yet realistic, main character. Moonbeam isn’t perfect, she’s not some martyr that you just cry for. Yes, you feel for her because she’s a decent human being who had a really tough and unfair go of things. But she’s likable for me because she is not portrayed as a helpless martyr. She’s so strong, stronger than she knows. She’s smart, and brave, and stubborn as all hell. And since most of this book takes place inside her head, it’s pretty important that the reader comes to care about her. And I definitely did.

•Therapy is handled positively and appropriately. Obviously there is a lot of therapy taking place in this book- individual as well as group- and it’s pretty great to see how it’s handled. Is it always perfect? Absolutely not! Moonbeam doesn’t always want to talk, she doesn’t always like her therapist, but she absolutely makes progress and begins to see its value. And to me, that is kind of everything. Along those same lines, authority figures in general are humanized. Of course Moonbeam sees the authorities as a villain at first, but this agent has her absolute best interests at heart and it’s so clear.

•Definitely knew what the outcome was going to be, but that didn’t make it much less compelling. Okay look, this is my only one kind-of-negative, too. Because I did know exactly how this was going to end up. So was I on pins and needles by the end? No. But I was still completely invested in Moonbeam’s journey regardless, and a lot of her emotional breakthroughs were even more enthralling than a plot twist would have been.

Bottom Line: This is really quite well done, and if you’re interested in cults at all it should probably make an appearance on your TBR.

After the Fire was unlike any other YA Fiction I've read, with it's religious cult based story line and struggle with faith, trust and survival. I could not put this book down! Moonbeam's retelling of what happened to her After the Fire was captivating and raw. A complete emotional roller coaster. The author did an incredible job of making you feel like you were right there beside her, living through what she experienced. The fear, the anger, the uncertainty and everything in between.

I had nothing but compassion for the supporting characters in this story, from the individuals who shared Moon's upbringing to the staff that assisted in her recovery. Each and every character brought something unique and essential to the story.

I enjoyed the fact that the story came full circle and did not leave any loose ends or questions. I felt that everything was wrapped up nicely by the end of the read. I would absolutely read more work by this author. I enjoyed his writing style and voice as much as the story itself.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
After the Fire was such a unique read for me this year. I went into the book blind without reading the blurb. I just fell in love with the cover. This book revolves around Moonbeam, a girl who was the member of a cult. The story jumps back and forth between before the fire, when she was in the cult, to after the fire where she is in a psychiatric facility talking to a therapist about what she experienced. This structure was perfect for this story because it really allowed you as the reader to see Moonbeam in different lights: one as the devoted cult member to Father John, who is just a terrible human being, and after, where her faith is wavering and she is hiding a secret.
Moonbeam was a sympathetic character who I fell in love with. She is hesitant to trust the people at the facility at first, and you learn through her encounters in the “before” sections why. I was rooting for her throughout the book, and wanted to hug her so many times. Moonbeam is a survivor, and it’s harrowing to see how she reacts to the world after living in a cult for so long.
This book is a must-read. It’s a raw and emotional journey of a girl who survived living in a cult, and ultimately questions the faith that she is raised to believe in.

This is a hard book but so eye opening and riveting.
The very first page is chaos, Moonbeam is running through fire and bullets to unlock a building a let kids out. You have no idea what’s going on, but it slowly all unravels through this book. And man what unravels is rough, but it’s such a strong story too. Moonbeam is so strong and goes through so much healing during her sessions and I truly enjoyed that she not only had a therapist but also a federal agent. So there’s two reactions to her stories and two different questions and personalities she’s having to deal with. I really enjoyed this story, I was waiting for some super dark dark stuff to happen or come to light, and I never really got that from the story like I was hoping but it’s also plenty dark enough as it is.

Amazing story just go in with an open mind and strong guarded heart!!

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.