Well, semi popular review is about to pop out! When I saw After series’ author released new trilogy, I clicked the request button without even thinking.

The military and angsty romance vibes attracted my full attention and the prologue about Kael and Karina’s meeting at coffee shop ( it might be from third book) gives us enough information that they’ve been through traumatic events and they reluctantly united because of funeral. Inner thoughts of Karina were honestly written at that chapter. So I got excited and moved on to see how they meet and they fall in, finally why they fall apart.

But… the book turned into Karina’s long inner monologues. I thought this book was slow burn romance. But it wasn’t. The book was slow. Their romance was way too much instant. I read nearly 400 pages and nothing important happened during the last three chapters. The drama, big secret at the end could be foreseeable from the beginning.

The cliffhanger at the end didn’t affect me so deeply and want me to read more about Kael ( Martin Mikael) and Karina’s angsty story.

The character development was not great either. We don’t know much about Kael: he is silent, introvert and traumatized obviously but that’s it! Reading from Karina’s POV makes harder to connect him.

Overall: I’m rounding up 2.5. stars to 3 for its promising beginning but I think I’m not the right target for this series.

So many thanks to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Well…. If that wasn’t the biggest load of PG madness ….I’m not quite sure what I’m doing. I swear I thought Karina was going to think herself to death. How did sweet yet taciturn Kael turn into the baddie by the end? So many questions after part one…geez maybe it’s my turn to think myself to death.

What did I like? I’ve never read a character like Kael. The book doesn’t really dig deep on him, it’s more of Karina. Author captures how really lost our young people are these days and how broken. No real sense of purpose. Rough childhood, parents abandoning children and the result. Driven by a need to have something to love. The relationship between Kael and Karina moves so brutally slow yet you can feel the palpable connection.

Would I recommend or buy? It’s definitely for YA, even though I hope the relationship does mature. I want to know the rest of the story and I didn’t realize it was a trilogy. I’d definitely continue because there’s a sliver of hope. Four stars!

I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left a review. This review feels like a spoiler so I’ll post something different on other sites closer to going live.