Early Review of Horizon (Aftertime, #3) by Sophie Littlefield

• Title: Horizon (Luna Books)
• Classification: Adult Fiction
  
• Genre: Dystopia
  
• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Luna; Original edition (January 24, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0373803427
• ISBN-13: 978-0373803422
• Author's Website:  http://sophielittlefield.com/

We've all got our burdens to bear. Some are worse than others. So is the case with Cass. In the Before time, Cass struggled with both an alcohol and sexual addiction. Sexually abused by her stepfather for years, she was just overcoming her addictions and coming to terms with what happened to her when the apocalypse hit. In 'Aftertime', she seemed to be recovered, but relapses are sometimes part of the course to recovery. While she didn't sink as low as she did in the Before time, Cass will need to meet her inner demons full on, and this time do it not just for her daughter. She'll need to do it for herself.

At the end of 'Rebirth', Cass and Dor managed to rescue both Smoke and Sammi from the Rebuilders. The rescue had landed everyone in a new predicament. They found themselves at the mercy of a new group of survivors whose status--friendly or hostile--was unknown. Thankfully the group, who lived in a settlement called New Eden, was well organized and welcomed them into their midst.

In 'Horizon', Cass will need to come to terms with what Smoke did and whether or not she can forgive and forget. Plus, the relationship is further complicated by what happened between her and Dor. She'll have to decide if Smoke truly is the man for her, but before that can happen, Smoke will need to come out of the coma he fell into. 'Horizon' starts up two months after 'Rebirth' left off and the Beaters are becoming smarter and their attacks more organized. Just as everyone is starting to feel like things are starting to get back to some sort of normalcy, that false feeling of security is blown to bits as the survivors are forced to run once again for their lives.

I truly love this series, and if this truly is the last book, I will be extremely sad. I love how the book was nothing like I expected and the emotional connection to the characters was so real. The threat of becoming a Beater is still a constant threat either by the bite of a Beater or the eating of blueleaf which still creeps into the gardens of the survivors.

Cass, as I stated before, has fallen off the wagon. Hurt by Smoke's betrayal and trying to deal with the fact he's in a comma, she's reverted to some of her old bad habits. She's begun drinking again, and the affair that she and Dor were supposed to end once their rescue mission was complete is still going on in secret. Cass has slowly reverted into herself and is becoming withdrawn. In 'Aftertime', she worried what she'd done in those lost days between when the Beaters dragged her off and the day she found herself aimlessly wandering on her own. That is something that still haunts her thoughts and is yet another thing that drives her to drown out some of her pain at the bottom of a bottle. In 'Horizon', we finally find out what events took place in that blocked out time period. Plus, we find out what happened to her real dad, the one who left her and her mother all those years ago.

There is so much going on in this book. New Eden is very different from the Box and Cass has a hard time adjusting. I think she's filled with guilt and self loathing and just feels like her life is out of control. The only thing that keeps her even remotely grounded is her daughter Ruthie. I love how in this book we don't only see how Cass is affected, but how the teens such as Sammi are as well. There is a lot of action and many twists, turns and surprises I didn't see coming. I loved this one as much as the first book in the series.

Why is the book titled 'Horizon'? Well, while there are several mentions of the horizon in the book, none of them truly seem to define the title. If I had to take a stab at why 'Horizon' was picked as a title, I would have guessed it was because Cass and the rest of New Eden are traveling East toward the horizon. Plus, if you look up the definition of horizon one of its definitions is 'range of perception or experience' and the perception of those from New Eden is that the East is what holds the best chance of survival. Yet, the true answer as to why the title was picked lies in the official book synopsis where it's stated, 'But she, and all of the other survivors, will fight to the death for the promise of a new horizon….' Thereby, they're looking for a new beginning like the dawn of a new day which incidentally, starts in the east with the rising of the sun and can be noted on the Horizon. I'm loving the title.

I felt it had a great blend of action and drama. If you love the series so far, I doubt you'll be disappointed. This one focused so much more on the main story then on the romance, even though there is romance intertwined throughout, that I'm opting not to rate it on my romance rating scale. Overall, this book gets 5 out of 5 roses.

Order of series:

Early Review of Rebirth (Aftertime, #2) by Sophie Littlefield

Title: Rebirth (Aftertime, #2) by Sophie Littlefield
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Dystopia
Format: Paperback, 384 pages
Publisher: Luna; Original edition (July 19, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0373803397
ISBN-13: 978-0373803392
Notes: Has sex and violence (rape). 

We've all heard of incidents where violence runs amuck. Where chaos reigns and law and order seems nonexistent. Usually such scenes can be found after a disaster of a large magnitude. This is what has happened in Aftertime (the name of the first book in the series). A bio terrorist attack on the US left many dead and others fighting to survive. Next, a bioengineering experiment gone wrong left a portion of the survivors seemingly inhuman. They're called beaters. Once human, they now survive on human flesh, and are, in essence, zombies. They pose a threat to those survivors who are still human. While pockets of order still remain, one group, known as the Rebuilders, is attempting to takeover. Promising shelter and safety from Beaters, the group sounds ideal, however, it has a hidden agenda. In Rebirth, we get to find out what that agenda entails.     

In Aftertime, we followed the story of Cass. She found her daughter, and she, Smoke, and Ruthie became a makeshift family living in the Box. The Box is a community that while not perfect, offers security. In Rebirth, the school where Smoke and Cass met has been attacked by Rebuilders on a recruiting mission. You are either with the Rebuilders or you're against them which makes you their enemy. You have two choices when they find you, join or die. Many in the small group that lived at the school died resisting. The others were taken as prisoners. When Smoke hears what happened, he is profoundly affected. He takes off on what Cass believes is suicide mission. She does not expect him to survive. He doesn't even say goodbye.

With Smoke gone, Cass determines it's time to leave the security of the Box. She believes, in time, the small community will not be able to survive. She decides to help Dor with his mission to find and rescue his daughter, Sammi. Dor was informed that Sammi was among the survivors of the school massacre. Cass convinces Dor that since she and Ruthie are Outliers, the Rebuilders will be interested in them, and that will give him a better chance at getting access to their society. Outliers are resistant to the bioengineered component that transforms a person into a Beater. They may be key to the world's survival.

In this book we get to know more about Dor and his life. He is the leader of the Box and was a bit elusive in Aftertime. We also see more of the flaws in Cass' character. She will do things in Rebirth that Smoke, if he survives, may never be able to forgive her for doing. Then again, she may not be able to forgive him for abandoning her and Ruthie.

I didn't like what I saw in Cass this time around. She did a couple of things that did not sit well with me. It's obvious she still has issues from the abuse she suffered as a child. While I may have had issues with what Cass did, I feel Littlefield stayed true to the characteristics she developed for Cass in Aftertime, so I give her kudos for that. I look forward to seeing what the next book in the series will bring. The book leaves off on a cliffhanger, as a confrontation is about to take place. I can't wait to see what happens. Also, Dor wanted to tell Cass something about Smoke that would have made her understand why Smoke left her. Unfortunately, he never did tell her, and I sooooo want to know what that was. I'm also starting to wonder if maybe Dor is the right man for Cass? I look forward to finding out if that relationship will deepen or cause problems in the next book. Additionally, there's still a question as to who will survive--at least one character was teetering on the brink of death. 

Wondering why the book is called Rebirth? I believe it's because part of the plan of the Rebuilders is to "Rebirth" the nation, or at least their portion of it. My overall rating for this one is 4 out of 5 roses. 

Other books you may enjoy:

Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield

Publisher: Luna; Original edition (February 15, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0373803362
ISBN-13: 978-0373803361
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Fantasy / Dystopia
Format: Paperback, 375 pages

In the distant future....

"This ain't the apocalypse, buddy, we already done lived through that."

First, there was The Siege. Some referred to it as the apocalypse. A set of bioterrorist attacks which wiped out every major food crop and most of the livestock.

Next, there was the keysev. One of the last things the government did before it fell was to drop keysev all over the nation. The plant was a product of bioengineering and said to have enough nutrition that you could live off it. Unfortunately, one of the last batches to be dropped in California was found to be tainted. The tainted crop, known as blueleaf, made people ill with fever and, if they survived, made them crave undamaged flesh. They are referred to as Beaters, but you and I would probably call them zombies.

"The priorities were so stark. Live another day. Protect others, if you can. Eat and drink and sleep. Care for the children. Everything else-washing, learning, creating, loving-were luxuries rarely indulged...but they haunted people's minds still."

"Before", in her first life, Cass Dollar was a recovering alcoholic attempting to get her daughter back. That was when The Siege occurred. Her life was not a happy one. She'd suffered from abuse and continued to abuse herself in various ways until she lost her daughter. That was when she decided to turn her life around so she could get her daughter back. She was well on her way when the Siege hit. Later, in her second life during the "Aftertime", she regained her daughter only to lose her once again when Cass was brutally attacked and kidnapped by Beaters. She is the only person she has ever known to survive being bitten and not become a Beater. When the fever broke she had no memory of what had happened and walked around in a daze before she met other "citizens". The only things on her mind now is to survive and find her daughter. That is where this story begins.

The world prior to The Siege is referred to as "Before". The time period after The Siege is referred to as "Aftertime". Hence, the name for the book.

I really enjoyed this book for many reasons. Firstly, I love the fact we don't have an innocent and perfect heroine. Let's face it most of the books today tend to have these perfect, flawless heroines. I love the fact that Cass is flawed and struggling with some inner demons. Secondly, I love dystopian novels and when you throw a bunch of zombies into the fray, well, that makes it all the more fun. Thirdly, there's a dash a romance here. Perhaps not the slow moving kind that some would enjoy, but let's face it if you don't know if today is your last day (yes, I'm starting to sound like a Nickelback song) would taking it slow be on your number one list of things to do? I think not. lol I gave this one a 5 out of 5 stars.