In The End by Demitria Lunetta | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The thrilling conclusion to In the After, the survival story of Amy and Baby, set in a near future where Earth has been overrun by vicious, predatory creatures. Perfect for fans of New York Times bestsellers like The 5th Wave and Across the Universe.It's been three months since Amy escaped New Hope, and she's been surviving on her own. Then one day Amy gets a call from Kay and hears the four words she had hoped she would never hear: Dr. Reynolds has Baby. Now it's a race against time, for Baby is in imminent danger, her life threatened by the malevolent doctor who had helped start the end of the world. Amy must make her way to Fort Black, a prison turned survivor colony, where she will need to find Ken, Kay's brother, who holds the key to Baby's survival.One small slipup on this quest might not only cost Baby and Amy their lives but could also threaten the survival of the people in the After.

If you have not yet read In The After by Demitria Lunetta, I think you should read that right now and then come back to this review because I am about to go all spoilers up in here for that book. In The End is the conclusion to Lunetta’s duology and wraps up events from In The After while showcasing more of the world after the floraes have decimated the population. While I was really excited to begin In The End because I love when series and books have actual endings and conclusions, I found myself not quite as engaged by this conclusion. Sure, it was a fast read, but in all honesty it was not as good as In The After.

In The End starts with Amy pretty much living the same way she does in the beginning of In The After. She’s outside of the safety of New Hope, given that she’s escaped from the ward. So, she is living on the run and going from house to house just surviving. Eventually Amy decides to check out the other settlement, Fort Black, which is another settlement, but in Texas. Fort Black used to be a prison and is a world where it’s every person for themselves, meaning it is a far cry from New Hope. Amy gets there, is processed in and this sociopath named Tank becomes obsessed with her, but she knows that finding Kay’s brother, Ken, is her only hope to save Baby who is in the clutches of Dr. Reynolds back in New Hope. Dr. Reynolds keeps drawing blood from Baby and is making her weak which is kind of Amy’s worst nightmare. So, In The End is all about Amy’s journey to find Ken and then to return to New Hope and save Baby and possibly even New Hope, itself.

It’s kind of funny, I just literally closed Lunetta’s book and yet I am struggling to write words about Amy. Here’s what I can say — she is tough as nails, she’s determined. She is a survivor, much like she was in In The After. Yet, I don’t feel as much about her as I did with the previous book. I mean, I wanted her to live and I wanted her to save Baby. However, I didn’t think she came on very strong in this book. Of course, she drives the story but it’s just not as interesting because she’s not in the Ward trying to figure things out as we figure things out. Instead, we’ve got all the answers and it’s just a matter of surviving and finding the right people.

Maybe my non-love stems from the introduction of a love triangle. In The End sees the addition of Jacks, a young tattoo artist and doctor’s assistant in Fort Black. Jacks is unexpectedly kind to Amy and sort of claims her. He has a position of status and privilege in Fort Black for several reasons. So, he spends much of his page time protecting Amy, even though she can protect herself. He’s not a bad guy though. He lets Amy share his cell block and she becomes pretty attracted to him. Yet, resistant too because she remembers Rice, who is still back in New Hope. Granted, Amy never felt for Rice what she feels while kissing Jacks. Eh. I did think there was chemistry there but I didn’t think that Jacks felt very fleshed out.

In all, I am not as enthusiastic about In The End as I was about In The After. Do not take this to mean that I hated my time reading the book, I did not. Lunetta is aces at pacing and this 432 page book felt like a 250 page book. It goes very fast and there’s more than enough action and adrenaline to keep me satisfied and happy. I also liked the introduction of Brenna, a fighter girl who lives in Fort Black and of course Jacks was a nice addition as well. However, it just felt like the spark was missing for me.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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