Sometimes, I dream that I'm someone else.
A girl with dark hair who doesn't worry about hunger
or thirst or running from flesh-eaters.
In her world, those sorts of things don't exist.
Since the spring of 2036, when the world changed forever, Claudia and a small clan of survivors have roamed the streets of a very altered Nashville: polluted and desolate, except for the ever-present threat of cannibal Hoarders. Together they must undergo punishing tests of endurance and psychological challenge sometimes with devastating consequences all just to live another day.
With food and water in dwindling supply, and with danger lurking around every corner, no one can be trusted. And as her world starts to make less and less sense, Claudia begins to realize something terrifying: she is just a pawn in some sort of game, and all of her actions are being controlled from afar by a mysterious gamer. So when she meets a maddening and fascinating outsider named Declan, who claims to be a game moderator, she must decide whether to join him in exchange for protection and access to the border.
If they play the game right, they are each other's best hope for survival and a life beyond the only world Claudia's ever known: the terrifying live-action game known as The Aftermath.
***
This is one of the most random book I've ever read. But it's promising enough to get me crave for the next book.
The Aftermath is basically about a world where people's fantasies come true -- in a messed-up way. People are used as pawns in survival games that can actually kill them. Imagine that you are Daniel in Amnesia: The Dark Descent. That would be hella terrifying and thrilling at the same time. Except it's not, for the pawns. This is also a world where characters portrayed by those people become sentient. And it turned out to be more complicated than just self-aware characters.
This book was constantly surprising me. Everything seems much deeper than we thought. Like the fact that Claudia, the main girl, is actually a pawn for someone, and I'm not talking about pawns for a gamer, I literally went, "WHAT? WHY?". There's no way you'll be able to keep track on just how many plot twists this book has. It's reaching the definition of a thrill ride. I can't believe this book is so underrated on this aspect, because it's got great plots.
However, in terms of character development, I kinda understand why this book can't reach the great territory of 4 out of 5 on Goodreads. It lacks development. I'm not sure if it's on purpose or not, but everyone is so bipolar that it's hard to pinpoint their true nature. Claudia, for example, is violent for one second and timid for another. It's trailing to the edge of schizophrenia. It makes the character weak. Even Declan can't hover in my mind for more than five seconds. It's a really big problem.
I guess the plot makes up a large portion of poor character portrait though, because I still like the book, and I can't wait to know what happens next.
Rating: 7.5/10
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