Very well written and engaging. I liked the way that the events before the fire were told - from the main character’s retelling to the therapist and investigator. Definitely thought provoking of how easy it might be for people in power to take advantage of people who are just trying to find a place of belonging.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

"INTERROGATING THEM! screams Father John. CLAWING INTO THEIR SOULS, RIPPING AND TEARING! VIOLATING! DAMNING THEM TO HELL! His voice is echoes through my skull, sending a shiver up my spine. I silently scream at him to shut up because I won't believe that Dr. Hernandez was telling the truth when he said he isn't enemy, that he generally means no harm. I really want to believe him. I just can't."....

Moonbeam. It’s her name. A teenager living in a religious compound. Brainwashed and unaware. The story alternates between a moment in time when everything changes for this seventeen year old girl, before the fire, and “After the Fire.”

Moonbeam hears Father John in her head. Everything he ever told her about the outside world. Is it true? When the compound is compromised and a fire ensues, she ends up on the outside. Dealing with strangers, wondering who has survived, and the ones she has lost. She is under the care of people she does not believe in, or does she?

What an interesting, and some what traumatic story. Reminded me of what may have happened to people who were part of “Waco.” What happens when your entire world is not what you thought? How do you I learn what has been drilled into you your entire life?

Will Moonbeam find her way in the outside world? Where will she go? What will happen to the others? Read this traumatic story to find out. Felt like a realistic look at what life for a child in a religious cult must be like.

Thank you Will Hill, Netgalley, and Sourcebooks Fire Publishing.

#afterthefire #Netgalley

Praise for Moonbeam! What a wonderfully written female protagonist. This is a little outside of my typical genre, but I was drawn to the description of the main character. She comes across as fierce and relentless in her pursuit of survival through and after the cult. This book does an excellent job exploring the themes of family, religion, and autonomy. Be prepared though - this book is not a light read. It has difficult dialogue and can be emotionally tolling; however, the journey you are taken on and the sense of pride and accomplishment you are left with after reading it are well worth it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this title for review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. The story is told in alternating parts (Before and After) with the fire at the compound the separating event. Moonbeam has grown up on the base of the Lord's Legion in Texas and doesn't know any other life. Even after The Purge, when many of the original members left, and Father John took over, she and her mother stayed behind. They were members of those on the True Path, those who were ready to fight The Servants of the Serpent and Ascend when the time was right. But now Moonbeam is in a hospital for those who have been through a trauma and she is working her way through the events that led up to the fire, the battle, and the death of so many of her Brothers and Sisters.

As Moonbeam tries to figure out how much she can let Doctor Hernandez and Agent Carlyle in, she also has to figure out how (or if even if) she can help the rest of her remaining Brothers and Sisters, those who have been left orphaned by the disaster.

At times heartbreaking, infuriating, and overwhelming, Moonbeam's story is one you aren't likely to forget.

Recommended for grades 9 and up due to some language, some violence, and some references to sexual content.

After the Fire was amazing book. I very much enjoyed the characters in the writing by Will Hill. I thought the book had a surprise ending and will be recommending After the Fire.

Compelling, well written book with alternating chapters about the aftermath of a siege on a religious compound contrasted with scenes of life within the compound. A 4.5 for me.

Moonbeam, the protagonist, is an intriguing character. The book does a great job of getting inside her head as she struggles to reconcile a lifetime of programming and doctrine and the reality of life "outside".

There are some great touches in here, like Moonbeam not knowing what an elevator is or her calling anyone who works in a position of authority "Governments." I think often we think of people in cults as simplistic and childlike, I enjoyed this book presenting us with the viewpoint of an actual child who was ignorant of the deeper issues at play in the compound.

I think this book did an excellent job of examining trauma and breaking down what life is like in a religious cult--why people get sucked into it, why they don't fight back, why they stay. We don't get to know the other children at the treatment center well (I would have enjoyed more scenes with Honey), but we get to see a range of responses, including those who refuse to question any of the beliefs from their leader even when faced with the possibility that he may have been wrong.

The ending of the book felt a little too pat for my tastes, personally, but I'm sure many will find it quite satisfying.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

After The Fire is YA book. Moonbeam grows up locked away from the world with her many Brothers and Sisters in a compound in Texas. She’s seventeen when a fire erupts and she finds herself outside of that environment for the first time in nearly a decade. The story flashes back and forth between growing up in the compound and after the fire, talking with her psychiatrist.
I would give this book 4/5. It has a catchy story line. It’s based loosely on what happened in Waco, TX and made me want to read a true crime book about that time period.
Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for a review. #netgalley #bookreview

I have to say that I REALLY enjoyed this book!

I was surprised in just how captivating the story and characters were from cover to cover. Going into it, there is a vague description of what happened that night of the fire, and slowly, we become introduced to a girl who is going to walk us through it scene by scene.

This book is a run through of backstories and present-day interrogations trying to discover what all took place leading up to the main incident.

But not only that, this book is about survival and the difference variances that a traumatic situation can have on various personalities. I don't want to get too deep into the story because I think going into it not knowing very much makes the story that much more powerful, but the characters we meet felt so raw and powerful that I couldn't help but continue flipping page by page.

There is a trigger warning for sexual assault in this novel.

I loved getting to see this side of how one's environment can affect a person's way of life. This book completely reminded me of the show, Escaping Polygamy. There are so many similarities between the two, so if you've seen that show, I highly recommend picking up this book. You will devour it rather quickly like I did.

The interactions between the society's characters and the psychologist and FBI agent were some of my favorite scenes to explore. It brought together the modern-day reactions to the cult and what a true insider's perspective become when they are sitting side-by-side. Their reactions to her recollection feels so raw and real.

I also liked how the main character was even hiding some of the memories from us and herself. It allowed the suspense to climb and us a chance to come up with our own theories to what really happened that night.

This is definitely a story of power, corruption, trust, and survival. Then halfway through I realized that the cult's actions weren't always the kind-of 'bad' side that were have read so far; that this society wasn't as harsh as it used to, and discovering how one man changed all that was really eye-opening and one of my favorite twists to the story.

All of the characters will surprise you in their own way. Your first impressions of them will dramatically change at some point in the story. The backstories and memories from the characters play a crucial part in understanding how this book unfolds.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. I haven't read a story like this in YA. There is a lot of mental health-related topics that come out, and so many subplots that help to create such an intricate and powerful story. I highly recommend this book to all readers as it is one of those stories that I believe can impact anyone's perspective on life.

This isn't just a story about a religious society, so don't go into it thinking that this is all it is about. It is so much more than that, and I think you have to read it to fully understand what I'm saying.

The author's note is definitely a must-read! But, I recommend reading it AFTER you finish the novel because it wraps up the story and allows you to digest the content a little easier.

17-year-old Moonbeam has grown up in a cult and has little knowledge or experience with the outside world. Prior to a change in leadership, she and the other children of the Lord's Legion were allowed to go into town and to watch TV. All that changed five years ago, and since then she hasn't left the compound. The book opens with a compelling scene of chaos and violence as the compound is raided by the FBI and Moonbeam is rescued. Chapters alternate between "After the Fire" and "Before the Fire." In the "After" chapters, Moonbeam is living in a facility with the other rescued children and engaged in therapy. In the "Before" chapters, she recounts her life within the cult to the psychiatrist.

With all the brainwashing that Moonbeam experienced by the cult leader, Father John, I found it difficult to believe that she would open up so quickly to the psychiatrist. I also found the secret that she was keeping to be predictable and a bit of an anticlimax. Aside from that, I thought the book was well-written, fast-paced, and compelling.

Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Will Hill’s <I>After the Fire</i> is a moving tale of seventeen-year-old Moonbeam, a recent escapee of a religious cult. Harboring guilt and secrets over what happened in the final days, Moonbeam must undergo therapy, while handling the FBI’s questions and her own healing. An emotional tale, <I>After the Fire</i> explores faith, grief, overcoming fears and learning to stand up for oneself. I was provided an ARC by Sourcebooks via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is an emotional story, tackling heavy topics. Personally, I think these topics were handled with tact and the reader is eased through situations as the character becomes more comfortable with her situation. As always, however, it is important to keep personal content warnings in mind. Hill tackles a powerful cult leader, abuse of adults and children, and death. I appreciated personally that it never felt like Hill was providing grotesque for the sake of the grotesque.

Moonbeam is a strong protagonist. She has her weaknesses to overcome, but you can’t help rooting for her success. Hill takes you carefully through her emotional and mental growths in such a way that her movement through therapy feels realistic. As a reader, you never feel like things are magically fixed, because that’s not how healing works.

My only note of concern is that background characters feel a bit flat. However, the way they’re presented – through Moonbeam’s point of view – it still feels realistic to the story we’re being presented. Hill manages to convey the feeling of power that Father John instilled in his followers, and the flatness of the adults that Moonbeam interacted with before the fire does create a strong feeling of how disconnected she felt from them. It’s the after-fire characters that I would’ve liked to see fleshed out a bit more. For instance, frequently the same nurse appears, but unlike real life, Moonbeam never seems to learn or feel anything towards her beyond the need for another human being. When you spend that long in an institution, you get to know things about all of your regular caregivers, even if it’s just personality traits.

Overall, I loved this story. It is a beautiful telling of a tragic story, and manages to stay full of hope for the survivors. Hill’s <I>After the Fire</i> clearly meets and exceeds Sourcebooks’ intention of publishing meaningful teen books with strong point of view.

Such a heartbreaking story full of tragedy and drama. Moonbeam is an unforgettable character. The story definitely reminds one of the tragedy in Waco and makes you wonder just what was going through the minds of the innocent victims of the Koresh cult all those years ago.

This book was such an emotional rollercoaster, I loved it. It was told through Moonbeam's perspective, jumping backwards and forwards from before the fire and the consequences after it. It's a very gripping, well-written story that I couldn't put down.

Moonbeam, is a seventeen-year-old who has been raised from toddlerhood in the Holy Church of the Lord’s Legion, an arid, closed compound outside the fictional town of Layfield, Texas.Their dictatorial leader was known as Father John. The authorities have fire-bombed and stormed the compound and taken Moonbeam and 18 other children from the cult into Federal custody.

The authorities are trying to find out everything they can about Father John and his running of the "Church." Moonbeam must live locked in isolation until she is ready to give up some vial information. Will Moonbeam lead them to the information they so ardently seek or will she stay true to Father John and remember what she's been taught about "Outsiders"?

The story is told in chapters alternating between "Before" (the fire) and "After" and is loosely based on the 1993 standoff between the Branch Davidians of Waco, Texas, and federal agents.

Moonbeam has to come to terms with all that she was taught at the compound and what she has become to know is the "real world"

I was very intrigued by this book, even though the all the twist and turns were predictable. We follow a teenage main character as she escapes a religious cult that she was born into. We follow her through two timelines, before and after the fire. We learn what she faced during those times and slowly unravel the truth and how the relationships with the other characters changed as the truth came out.


The character development is well written. We can understand the main characters reasoning for what happened and why she did what she did. Sometimes characters will do things that feel to outside of their written personality but that did not happen here. She also felt like a real person and not just a book character. The felt atmosphere of the book was also well written. You can really sense the emotions of all the characters depending on the locations.

It is scary that something like this really did happen and how people can be so easily swayed to believe a something.

Seventeen year old Moonbeam doesn't know a life outside the fence. She's been there since she was 18 mos. old. Now that's in the past and she must come to terms with that past. How much can she tell? How much can she tell her doctor? Is she just in a different kind of prison? She must decide if she is strong enough to overcome the voice in her head of the cult leader she knew as Father John. This book was a fascinating psychological thriller about what the days and months are like for children of a "rescued" cult. Relief, guilt, loss, what follows them in the shadows of their mind....

Want a book you literally CAN'T put down for some weekend reading? THIS is the book for you! By going back and forth in time, Hill does a supreme job in showing not only how controlled Moon was, but how understandable her assumptions were, and what it took to have them changed. In many ways it's a case of traditional adolescence, but with a surreal backdrop. The inner workings of Moon's mind soon seem apparent, and the reader thinks they know what really happened the day of the fire at the compound, but when she finally tells what did, even the most jaded reader will intake a breath and forget it's 'just a story'. Hill has given us such a realistic tale (which makes sense, as he based the idea on the Waco tragedy), that many readers will find them thinking of the book for days after the finish reading it. Not to be missed, make sure you read this amazing book!

I was given this book for review and was so glad I was. It's absolutely amazing. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but I couldn't put it down. The way Hill tells this story kept me enthralled until the very end. A definite page turner from the viewpoint of a cult member.

Based on the events after the Waco siege of 1993, it tells the story of a teen survivor who lived within the camp. The characters are well developed and although it goes back and forth in time before the fire-fight between the Lord's Legions and the government, the story line flows really well. The headings on each chapter are printed a little differently to depict when events are being spoken of "before the fire" and "after the fire." Each chapter gets the reader closer to the truth of what happened the day of the raid.
This is one of those historical tragedies that are unfortunately forgotten. My high school students had no idea what it was, but they will now.

Simply incredible and unlike anything I've read before. I was hooked from the outset and compelled to consume the book as quickly as possible! Moonbeam is a magnificent protagonist as the book flits between 'Before' and 'After'. This is a book for anyone who has ever had an interest in cults - for instance Netflix's latest Wild Wild Country. The book looks not at what draws people to join them, but the impact it has upon them as a result of joining. It looks at the power of trauma and the great strength it takes to recover from the most awful of tragedies.

All I have to say is WOW! I loved that this story was told from a child's POV. Not exactly a child, but a soon to be adult that had lived a life within the fences. A place her parents brought her to achieve a life with others that followed a man that they thought was good and had a belief in a higher power.

"Love changes how you see everything. It blinds you, but in a good way."
But what happens when the man they originally followed is overtaken by another?

Moonbeam is our 17 year old that has woken up in a Children's Hospital after living her life with a cult (for all intended purposes, that is what it was). It was the only thing she has known and she has never had to question life or actions of others because 'The Lord is good' and will do no wrong by you if you follow the rules given to you.
The story is told Before the fire and After. We go back and forth in time to build up what type of life she lived with her Brothers and Sisters. Moonbeam carries so much weight on her shoulders and is trying to figure it all out on her own with the assistance of an agent and a doctor. Will Hill does a good job of taking the details of this child's life and not romanticizing it but also takes care to not go into devious details but leaves it open to interpretation.
While this is a fictional piece of work, it does give you a little insight to what people might go through if they lived one life and have to try to piece together their life for life outside "the fences". These kids and these people believed in one way of life for so long, but when hate and death comes down on them, who do they turn to? Do they listen to the lies they've been told or can they be strong enough to move on?
This was a story of fear, of family, of lies and trust. Even through it all, I enjoyed the book and the way Mr Hill took care of the characters. The way they had to put their trust in something completely different than what they'd been told their whole lives was just nicely crafted and progressed in such a way that seemed believable. The only issue I had was with the very end, but it still worked and seemed plausible for a book that appeals to the high school crowd and older.

"the fences keep the real world out, and the monsters inside with us."
A book I thoroughly enjoyed and would definitely recommend.

4.5 stars