”I’m angry at the world this war has left us. I’m angry at the anger in it. I’m angry that what you want is so hard. … It’s a cycle without end.”

I really enjoyed this fantasy tale. In AFTERLANDS, we follow four characters after a terrible war has already been waged. We are shown glimpses of what has happened prior to the book during the bloodshed, and then left to fill in the rest through our imaginations. The characters bear the scars. What I especially liked about these four is that none are perfect, but all of them made me want to keep reading because each of them and especially the relationships between the four were so interesting. Hyrhyn made me want to know more about her story from the outset, especially with her need to connect. Laria is a former soldier. Nix, the former broodthrall, has been horribly abused. Juba, the Harrower, is very afraid of contact. With each chapter, as they traveled together, bickered and fought and made up and forged deeper relationships within their traveling group, this group of broken heroes wound their way around my heart. I particularly found myself drawn to Hyrhyn and Juba and their tentative fledgling relationship. 5/5 stars ( )