After Impact
By Nicole Stark
I will say that I am not a huge fan of science fiction at all. I don’t like futuristic reads, I’m really not one for outer space or an alternate universe, even dystopian books are a challenge for me. But this one is one of the few that managed to hold my attention for quite a bit of time.
First, I will mention what I liked about the story. The title, to begin with, is actually pretty cool. It is very simple but it leaves all kinds of implications about what to expect beyond the first page. The concept of HOPE was definitely creative. It’s one of those things that makes you go; why didn’t I think of that!? I was actually excited to turn the pages and find out more about this asteroid and what these thousands of young people are expected to do in this time of crisis and confusion. There seems to be an oasis but it’s as chaotic as you could imagine.
I liked the names of the characters, especially Avalon. But the characters themselves were another story. I mostly picked at Avalon as I read because she was the protagonist. I feel like it sucks to be a main character because people will always judge you the harshest. You either love or hate this cast, it isn’t much room for in-between. I’m definitely closer to the hate but in a way that’s healthy, I promise. I enjoyed the story and the conflict the characters faced but I felt like the cast was very distant. It really seemed like I was reading a story. Something that happened and has absolutely nothing to do with me. I was not as ‘in tune’ with the characters as I would have like to be and I feel like that’s because there wasn’t a long time spent on back story.
Readers don’t need to know everything about every person mentioned but I’m the kind of reader who wants every person to have their own story. So I’m probably being picky on that bit.
The love triangle was cool; I was warned beforehand about it so I totally saw it coming but I still enjoyed it. I’m one of those readers who loves some clichés and hates others, in this case, love triangles are definitely one of the clichés/stereotypes that I love.
There is definitely a fair share of twists and turns in this book. It is enough to have you speeding through the pages and leave you wanting more at the end. I’m very glad because this author shared that this is her first book so to debut with such an intriguing piece is definitely something to be proud of. My hat goes off to Stark for such a great read.
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*