A compelling story about family, loss, redemption and growth, with some genuinely beautiful writing that I had to stop and re-read to let it settle in

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

After the Flood is set in a world after the sea levels have risen as a result of Climate Change.

Myra and her daughter Pearl, live on a boat, a precarious life, reliant on the fish they catch. When Myra discovers that her eldest daughter, the daughter that her husband took with him when he left her, may still be alive, she is determined to find her.

This is a pretty bleak book: people live in fear of illness, starvation, storms and pirates. These pirates kill for people’s possessions, take slaves, run ‘breeding ships’ - and they want to build their own territories on dry land.

This is reminiscent of the film Water World in some places - the promise of a better, dry place to live, the strong preying on the weak. It’s also a book about sacrifice and the lengths a mother will go to to protect her children.

This won’t be the book for you if you like a happy ending, but if you enjoy a book that’s beautifully descriptive, both in emotion and seascape, you’ll love this.

AFTER THE FLOOD is set in a time where the world is flooded.

This is a post apocalyptic tale where the disaster has been the ignored risks of climate change….very timely.

The story is told through Myra and her daughter, Pearl.

Myra will do whatever is necessary to survive in this new world, but at what cost?

This is an immensely tense read at times as events unfold, a tale of survival, family, betrayal and a small amount of hope.

A gripping, compelling read that feels a bit too close to home. Beautifully written with great characters and a plot that has you willing them on. Brilliant.

This book was gripping from the very first page. It’s not my usual genre but I really enjoyed the book.
It was extremely eye opening and makes you think about what can happen.

"Children think we make them, but we don't. They exist somewhere else, before us, before time. They come into the world and make us. They make us by breaking us first."

At its heart, After the Flood is a story about a mother's love, and how that love will drive a woman to sail across a post-apocalyptic world to find her lost child. A novel with real emotion and a poetic warning about climate change.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is not the Margaret Atwood book! Engaging and engrossing read about an imagined future America. Gripping read about a mother and daughter struggling through a post apocalyptic world

This book was incredible.
I finished it in a matter of days and physically could not stop reading it.
Following a mother as she searches for one of her missing daughters. This book was quietly action-packed and also very emotional.
It was a brilliant twist on the 'world-ending' genre.

A firm 5 stars

Firstly, this idea is not a new one - of water rising leaving only the highest mountains as land. But I felt that this author wrote a good book with some different and new ideas, so I enjoyed reading it.
Secondly, the main protagonist was felt by another reviewer to be not very nice, but most dystopian novels have addressed this point - circumstances make you what you need to be to survive, and survive she had, with a newborn and then a small child, by herself. Wariness of strangers and not trusting people would seem to me to be a rather sensible strategy. I don't like reading books where I dislike the main character, but I thought she was a fairly realistic character, and I cared what happened and enjoyed reading about her.
The ending? Without giving too much away, it was neither rosy nor dreadful. Again, this does seem more realistic than either end of the options. I did read this book in a fairly short time, I wouldn't classify it as absolutely compulsive reading, but I kept going back to it without picking up anything else, so it did fairly well in keeping my attention. For all these factors, I'm happy to give this book 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who thinks they might be interested.

This book had me gripped from the beginning. With climate change being in the media a lot these days it’s scary to think that this could actually happen. We follow Myra who is pregnant with her second child, Pearl, she’s been abandoned by her husband Jacob who also took their daughter, Row. Myra must find the strength to survive on the waters all alone, not knowing who to trust and keeping out of the way of raiders all the while trying to find her daughter Row...

A thoughtful take on the impact of climate change and what our world could look like. I really enjoy this kind of book where the repercussions of events and behaviours have been given much thought. The world has lost most of its landmass to rising water levels and only a few islands remain. Mankind has lost its ability to make electricity and food is scarce, there is no farm land. The people that remain have been forced to live on water and in many ways have had to return to more primitive ways without technology. Myra and her daughter live in on a boat together. It is not an easy way of life but they get by until Myra hears that her first-born daughter might still be alive. She is willing to sacrifice everything and anyone in her pursuit of her lost daughter.
The author explores the many impacts and devastation that a prolonged climate change would have on our world. Its a scary possibility. However, its the impact on people, how they view the world and how their behaviours and morals change that is at the heart of this book. The fact that its all too plausible is what really makes this a fascinating read.

At some future point in time, the world has been engulfed by water due presumably to global warming and rising sea levels. Only extremely high mountain peaks remain as scattered islands, with small makeshift communities on them, but many people took to the sea for safety as water levels rose, and have nowhere to settle on land.

Myra and her daughter Pearl live on their boat, catching fish and trading with island communities. It's a precarious, hand to mouth existence but they're doing more or less okay. Then Myra hears a rumour about her other daughter, Row, who was taken away by her father in the early days of the flood. She'd always hoped that somehow, somewhere, their paths would cross, but now, with a specific location to head for, Myra decides to attempt to track her elder daughter down despite the vast distance of ocean that separates them. It's a voyage filled with danger and betrayals, with only hope to keep Myra going.

After The Flood started well, despite its similarities to Waterworld. Its strange flooded 'landscape' intrigued me, and the author seemed to have thought through the ways people would have found to survive. Myra's a gritty, practical heroine, fiercely attached to her daughters, and devastated to have lost one. If there's any way of seeing her again, Myra will grab it.

But somewhere along the way, my interest waned. Maybe there's a point, somewhere around the middle of the book, where the ending becomes too predictable but I didn't feel the last chapters lived up to the earlier ones. Events seemed hurried and plot devices just too convenient.

After the Flood tells the survival story of a family post-apocalyptic.

The concept of the story is very interesting. The world has experienced a 100-year flood which has wiped out coastlines and land world wide leaving only the highest peaks to be seen. Myra, the main character has had her first born child taken away from her and has desperately spent years searching for her dragging her second child with her.

This book has many twists and turns and was not predictable at all - which I really appreciate in a book.

It draws out the massive flaws in human nature as each character is trying their best to survive which can make the characters difficult to like at times.

Thank you NetGalley and the Author for early access to the book in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this post apocalyptic dystopia that focused on climate change. I love boos with this premise, but most of them fail to deliver. However, this was a nice surprise.
I liked the writing, the characters and the pace of the book. Overall it was a very good experience.
If you like this premise, please give it a try.

Thanks a lot to the publisher and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

A timely and interesting tale of climate change, set in a post-apocalyptic world after the world has flooded. A bleak, yet highly atmospheric read, with believable characters and a fresh take on this style.

'"I keep thinking grief feels like climbing a staircase while looking down," she said. "You won't forget where you've been, but you've got to keep rising. It all gets farther away, but it's all still there. And you've only got one way to go and you don't really want to go on rising, but you've got to. And that tightness in your chest doesn't go away, but you somehow go on breathing that thinner, higher air. It's like you grow a third lung. Like you've somehow gotten bigger when you thought you were only broken."'
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From the persceptive of Myra, we find out the struggles of living after the great flood. A long time ago, when things were getting bad, her husband got on a boat and drove off with their daughter Row, leaving her pregnant and alone. The story focuses on her struggles in this new water logged world, whilst desperately searching for Row and also trying to keep her other daughter Pearl alive.
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Montags prose is so beautiful, I noted down an unbelievable amount of quotes from this book. Going into this one after reading the synopsis, I thought I would find it difficult to suspend my belief but after reading a few chapters I was fully invested in this vibrant and scary world. The flashbacks to her old life made it all seem so real to me. I also did not expect this to be so brutal and raw, the pace was constant and I could have devoured it in one sitting if it wasn't for work and the need to sleep😂
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This is a story of survival, love, revenge and motherhood. I can't recommend this one enough, people are comparing it to Station Eleven but I found that book okay, if not too tame for the setting, this one didn't hold back!
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Apologies for late feedback on this as I missed the publication date I had been saving it for.
A good futuristic story with a likeable group of characters on the whole. Probably not exactly what I was hoping for but worth a read.

I loved After the Flood by Kassandra Montag. It tells of the tortuous journey taken by Myra and her daughter Pearl in the aftermath of a series of devastating floods destroying much of the landscape throughput the world. They encounter many interesting characters along the way, making friends and enemies.

It’s brutal at times but ultimately a gripping story. I couldn’t put it down and thoroughly recommend it.

Such a thought provoking, well written story, absolutely fresh and original. This is a great new look at dystopian novels based on climate change end of days/world scenario, very apt and entertaining

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

A fantastic and thought provoking end of the world saga. Well thought out and executed and a well done set up. I would love to dive back into the lives of Myra and pearl in a further book