YA BOUND BOOK TOURS - BOOK REVIEW : AFTER DARKNESS BY J.F.JOHNS

TITLE : After Darkness

AUTHOR : J.F.Johns

GENRE : Science-Fiction, Dystopian, Fantasy, YA

FR RATING : 4 Stars

Check out my stop on the blog tour for After Darkness By J.F.Johns!!

SYNOPSIS

Year 2160

RULE #.1

Humans AND Cyborgs are prohibited from communicating in any shape or
form with each other.

RULE #.2

Curfew is from 12 a.m until 7.30 a.m
Applicable to ALL citizens, humans AND cyborgs.

RULE #.3

All propaganda against the government, written or verbal is a crime.

RULE #.4

All the above laws if broken are punishable by death.

WELCOME TO THE NATION

FR REVIEW

DISCLAIMER : Thank you, YA Bound Book Tours for providing me with an Arc of this book. I am leaving the review voluntarily.

After Darkness is the sequel to the Eternal Darkness Trilogy. The novel is set in a futuristic dystopian society where cyborgs, X-prototypes, and humans all co-exist. Cyborgs and humans are forbidden from interacting with each other. There are strict laws for the two groups to follow. There are 7 capitals in the nation. Capital One is the most developed and thriving Capital. This is where the Government and influential people live. We follow Terra a young teenager who is the daughter of an influential politician. Terra lives with her grandmother. She is troubled and has a lot of baggage which makes her a loose cannon. She is unpredictable and finds her release at the illegal underground fighting ring. Ther pit is her only joy. The darkness inside gets released in the pit and the only thing that keeps her sane is the fighting. The book is her journey to find the meaning of her nightmares and how she battles her fears. In this journey, she meets some unlikely people who will become an integral part of her life and she has to fight against the nation to keep all of them safe.

The world is fascinating and the way all of the different pieces are placed in the world makes it very interesting. There are 3 different groups that are co-existing in the futuristic world. The cyborgs are the result of the government’s experimentation on humans to bring a new species who are stronger, powerful and more resilient than humans. The problem was they were able to create better species but they were not able to achieve their goal of an invisible species. The government then went on to create a more dangerous, eternal and immortal species who can be activated to be the perfect soldiers. These were the X-prototypes. They are very powerful and have different powers that will be unique to them. The whole idea of having 3 types of groups co-existing in this dystopian world is definitely interesting. I think if I have read the previous trilogy this book would be more interesting as we will be able to get more of the background info about these different species.

The plot is fascinating and we have a great cast of entertaining characters who have very distinct personalities and backstory that makes the whole story entertaining and engaging. the dynamics between the characters are also fascinating to see and the development of the various characters makes it for a captivating experience. There is a love interest for the protagonist of this story and I like their duo. There are other couples and their storyline is also quite interesting. The romance is low-key and a little love-at-first-sight -ish. But it’s not in your face and they have good interactions and the relationship is also changing which gives me hope for the couple. I loved the characters and they were all unique and had distinct personalities.

The story ended on a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to see how it will progress from the climax. The only thing that I did not like is how the monster is portrayed or described in the book. It doesn’t evoke any fear or terror, but the vague description leaves me confused personally and kind of reminded me of the description of gods and monsters in Ruthless Gods by Emily A.Duncan. It also reminded me of the imagery of spirits attaching to people in some anime. But other than that I liked this book and I enjoyed reading it. I definitely want to know more about these characters and how they are all connected. I will be picking up the other books in the series if I can get my hands on them.

The book is not info-dumpy and we get to learn about the world along with the protagonist Terra and I think that makes it a more enjoyable and captivating reading experience. I gave the book 4 stars and definitely recommend checking it out. If you love science fiction and love the dystopian setting for the story with a futuristic take on it then you will enjoy this book. Happy reading!!

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon.es :

Amazon.com :

Amazon.co.uk :

Amazon.de :

Barnes and noble :

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/after-darkness-j-f-johns/1136676395?ean=9788409171965

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J.F.Johns is 27 years old and was born and raised in Spain. She studied English Literature and Creative Writing at ARU in Cambridge, UK.
She won the Indie Book Awards 2017 for the best book written by an author under the age of 25, and was a finalist for the best book cover with her book Eternal Darkness.
She’s an animal lover and spends her free time playing with her adopted dog and rescued cat, drinking too much coffee and posting book photos on her Instagram.
She believes in the art of dramatic sighing and eye-rolling. She works as a ninja but has been told several times that she’s not very good at her job.

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