The Darkness After Checkpoint #1

In a post-apocalyptic world, who would you be? Would you be a leader who ruthlessly, and courageously defends your group? Or would you be a solo survivor, constantly looking out for yourself and only yourself? Or, would you be a surprising twist of a character who has more skills than one would imagine? If you said the last answer, you're probably a lot like April from The Darkness After. The novel tells of a world that has lost electricity due to a spontaneous power surge and narrates the story of a young secretive girl named April and the daring archer, Mitch.

I know what you're thinking, oh look another teenage dystopian romance! Nope. Not even close. April is a tough, independent, and sharp girl who is desperately trying to get back to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and won't mess around doing so. She's admirable in the sense that she doesn't give into fear, rather April shows her fierceness within the first chapter when she escapes being attacked, and kills one of her attackers, and nearly runs out one of her other attackers! She seems a bit distanced from the world, allowing her to have the secrets that she foreshadows to in the first few chapters. Mainly, April is fierce and resilient making her definitely my first choice for a favorite character but we will discuss Mitch later!

My only issue with April, or maybe just the writing style of the author so far is the static and almost predictable inner monologues April has and the decisions she chooses. Although I applaud her for not showing weakness too often, the lack of emotional connection between the reader and the character of April is unsettling. By the time I got half way through the book her major secret of being a mother was a shock, but the narrative of getting to her baby was just laborious. Call it a lack of spontaneity, emotional connection, whatever you choose April gives the readers a cold shoulder.

Now, I can't speak too much about what I dislike about April because if I was in The Darkness After, I probably wouldn't last that long anyways. Considering that April had her first kill within the first chapter and Mitch had his in the prologue, there's a ability I lack that they all have. I don't think I could truly kill a person unless it was out of self defense. So I guess in that circumstance, maybe I could survive the ruthless world April and Mitch face, but I don't have that much faith in my self.

I mean, c'mon Grace in a dystopia just wouldn't work out.

Although I've always thought of myself as comic relief, I realize I overanalyze things to a point that I'm definitely more of a Hermione than a Ron Weasley. Yep, there's some Harry Potter referencing for you! I feel that I would be a death (I mean we've already stated I wouldn't last long) that people would remember and cherish, something The Fault in Our Stars heartbreaking enough. So if you've understood my multiple book references, I feel like I would be a comedic yet intelligent member of the group who would eventually screw up and wind up dead somehow.

Death by pun is truly a noble way to die in my opinion.

So far, I'm enjoying The Darkness After even though I sense a stationary plot beginning. I hope that the plot will remain spontaneous and that the characters won't dull out and become the teenage post-apocalyptic cliche we all know and moderately despise. I mean, c'mon you can only pull the Hunger Games plot out of so many books before it gets old. Although, the fact that April has a secret besides the fact that she has a baby and the ambiguity of Mitch's past and his motives leaves much room for character development and the makings of a great story! You can infer that April's mysterious past will be revealed, most likely to her dismay when most secrets are discovered, and that this will probably negatively affect her future. Mitch is a bit of a wild card; so far we know he's on his own, but he's searching for his sister. The fact that he's already killed a few people proves that he's willing to take risks to get what he needs. His sister may or may not even be alive, same circumstance with April and her child, but the hope that they have makes them act spontaneously. Get ready for some surprises folks!

How Did I Get Here

Ever wonder how Grace got to Utah? Well... this is kind of the gist of it all!