The Afterward
Books | Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General
4.1
E. K. Johnston
"I love this book so very much."--Robin LaFevers, New York Times bestselling author of the His Fair Assassin trilogy Romantic high fantasy from the bestselling author of Star Wars: Ahsoka and Exit, Pursued by a Bear. It's been a year since the mysterious godsgem cured Cadrium's king and ushered in what promised to be a new golden age. The heroes who brought home the gem are renowned in story and song, but for two fellows on the quest, peace and prosperity don't come easily. Apprentice Knight Kalanthe Ironheart wasn't meant for heroism so early in life, and while she has no intention of giving up the notoriety she's earned, reputation doesn't pay her bills. Kalanthe may be forced to betray not her kingdom or her friends, but her own heart as she seeks a stable future for herself and those she loves. Olsa Rhetsdaughter was never meant for heroism at all. Beggar and thief, she lived hand to mouth on the streets until fortune--or fate--pulled her into Kalanthe's orbit. And now she's reluctant to leave it. Even more alarmingly, her fame has made her profession difficult, and a choice between poverty and the noose isn't much of a choice at all. Both girls think their paths are laid out, but the godsgem isn't quite done with them and that new golden age isn't a sure thing yet. In a tale both sweepingly epic and intensely personal, Kalanthe and Olsa fight to maintain their newfound independence and to find their way back to each other.
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Author
E. K. Johnston
Pages
337
Publisher
Penguin
Published Date
2019
ISBN
0735231893 9780735231894
Community ReviewsSee all
"I feel bad rating this so low because I really appreciate some of what the author was trying to do but I just did not enjoy it. <br/><br/>Neither the original quest (told via flashbacks that are inexplicably in first person) nor the new quest are very interesting. The romance is bland - they have a few fun moments but I have no clue why they loved each other aside from being the only teens on a life or death quest. There is SO MUCH boring exposition and every problem is solved via ridiculously convenient circumstances with basically zero effort so despite the life and death circumstances the stakes feel low. The characters are diverse but very superficially written. I feel like I know more about their hair care routines than their personalities, and some of the "diversity" is extremely clunky (the weird mention of cultural appropriation that makes it unclear whether the character/author actually understands why it is bad, a character struggling to recall the word 'bisexual' and then immediately explaining its etymology, the non-Muslim Muslim, the way the trans and aroace characters are described). Also this is oddly specific but this is the second fantasy novel I have read where a lesbian character facing an arranged marriage to a man wishes she were bi instead and that is so weirdly insulting?? Like just because she's attracted to men doesn't mean she would be into whichever one she was forced to marry?<br/><br/>TL;dr: I was expecting an epic fantasy and got a mediocre YA romance instead."
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