The fact that this book's blurb is very vague has me wanting to keep the integrity of that intact. However, I will say that I did enjoy it quite a bit. Not as much as I would've hoped considering I seem to love(whatever this says about me) fiction about escaping/surviving a cult-like setting. The main character deals majorly throughout with guilt on the fact they survived, and a few other things that I will not disclose. Basically, it was to be a mystery but it wasn't a shocking one. That being said, for what it was it was extremely well written and will have me keeping a close eye on the author because I want so much more from this writing's particular style or writing. What had me rating it lower than I would, though still giving what I consider a good rating, is it just wasn't what I myself wanted exactly from the experience, but I think many going in blind will absolutely love it as I think I'd like other works from the same mind.

After the Fire by Will Hill was a story that intrigued me at first by the bleak cover and then the mysterious synopsis that didn’t tell me anything but yet still caught my attention enough that I wanted to find out about this story. It is a dark story, full of awful implications of living in a doomsday cult devoted to the spoken word of God… aka The Prophet. If you are familiar with David Koresh and Waco, this story is inspired by that unfortunate situation. This story kept my attention and I didn’t feel I could read it fast enough, I wanted to know the story and how everything turned out.

Moonbeam, yes her name is Moonbeam, has spent most of her life living in a doomsday cult. Except she didn’t know that, she was made to believe she was a devout follower of the Lord and everything she did was to sit by his side after her death. I don’t want to say too much about the story but that it does begin after the fire that burnt down the compound. Moonbeam is one of the survivors and because of that she is questioned about her life in the cult and what happens during the fire. Moonbeam has a hard time talking at first because she is still indoctrinated even though she had incredible doubts which come out during the telling of her story, because what if The Prophet was right after all?

Moonbeam is dealing with survivor’s guilt but also not knowing quite how the outside world works and what if she says the wrong thing. She remembers a little bit before they were confined to staying at the compound. She has had to deal with a lot of issues that children shouldn’t have to deal with and still manage to become a strong woman in her own right.

I was captivated by this story. It was horrifying, saddening and intriguingly mysterious. I had inkling of what I thought happened but Moonbeam keeps enough out of her storytelling that it makes you guess what did happen during the fire. The story jumps back and forth from what happened before and after the fire. It also jumps from different time periods of her life as she’s telling her story of growing up at the Lord’s Legion.

After the Fire is a contemporary young adult fiction novel. It is a compelling story about an unfortunate situation. If it wasn’t for horrible real life situations, stories like this couldn’t be possible. There is a lot of radical church/God speak throughout this novel. There are some trigger warnings of suicide, murder, potential child rape and rape, some of these are glossed over in a way that you at least know what is happening or has happened. This story isn’t all sadness though, Moonbeam does find a glimmer of hope now that she’s out from under the thumb of The Prophet.

I am not a huge contemporary fan but I did like After the Fire and I would recommend it to someone who wants to read a novel about cults and doing whatever you can to set yourself free.

Note: I received a free copy of After the Fire by Will Hill from NetGalley way back in the fall of last year. A few months ago I finally got around to reading it and now I'm getting around the reviewing it. Whew.

I requested After the Fire a long, long time ago and when I finally picked it up I honestly had no idea what the book was going to be about, other than a fire. After a while I realized that it was about a cult, a fire that lead to the death of the cult leader and the rescue of the cult members, and a girl, the narrator, named Moonbeam, and how she felt about it all.

The book was set in two differing timelines "before the fire" and "after the fire." In the After sections Moonbeam had already been rescued and she and some of her fellow brothers and sisters from the cult were being treated in a facility and being interviewed as to what had went on in the cult. During her interviews/therapy sessions she'd tell about the Before and what she had experienced while still inside.

I felt as though the book was very well written and honest in it's portrayals as well as honest to Moonbeam as a character. There were some moments when I kind of wanted to smack her because she didn't seem to understand that some of the things the cult had done were wrong but she grew up there. It was all she knew and how she raised so of course she didn't understand. And we saw her grow to realize what she'd been through.

Overall it was an interesting story and I liked how it was woven together though I can certainly see where some may find the subject matter a bit hard.

The story was fascinating. Extremely well written. The author did a great job setting the tone, and building the fear. A little too good, because I wasn't able to finish it. It wasn't the fault of the book, it was just too intense for me. Like a good realistic movie that just leaves you shook.

After the Fire was simply amazing! As someone who is fascinated with studying religious cults and the way people are drawn to them, this was right up my alley! Moonbeam wakes up in weird place with immense pain in her hand and she initially cannot remember how she got there. Then she meets with a doctor and everything falls into place. She came from a religious compound where Father John tells everyone the God has made him a savior and leader and they must follow what he says, as God speaks through him. Reminiscent of the true events at Jonestown and Waco, we learn that the FBI, ATF, and others have come with warrants to search the compound, but those who live within are ready for the fight against those who serve the Serpent. After the Fire shows how people can easily be persuaded or made afraid to follow what they are told. But it also shows just how much the human spirit can survive.

Synopsis
What is it like to live in a cult? What is it like to not be allowed to go outside the gates of your community? What is it like to know more types of guns than letters of the alphabet? Or to know you are the people standing between the end of time and sinners? To have to follow Father John's rules, to understand the consequences?

And what comes when a fire destroys everything you know?

Rants, Raves, and Reviews
Hoooooo boy, I forgot how much anxiety cults give me. I honestly cannot explain why either? Like I can understand my avoidance with school shootings, books that revolve around water, and my avoidance of true crime documentaries. (It may fall into the latter part.) But cults have always terrified me -- to the point that I still vividly remember the episode of Boy Meets World where Shawn briefly joins a cult. There is something about the manipulation and profound sadness I have towards people who have a hole in their life that can be filled by a cult. That's not to say I feel above them at ALL, frankly I fear the opposite. 

This is all lead up to explain that this book was both hard to read but incredibly enjoyable. 

The book starts with the fire that causes the title of the book. IT opens with our main character, unnamed, trying to save the lives of children. It opens with the same seventeen year old girl getting nearly killed for being in the cult, who then gets snapped at for not speaking. An authority figure is literally trying to guilt her into talking despite this fire, the trauma of seeing so much death, and receiving second degree burns, but hey, let's make her feel awful for not speaking. 

The book is framed in therapy sessions and the stories our main character Moonbeam tells her therapist. Honestly as someone who is fairly on the fence of books that jump around in time, I think this is the best framing device for this? Moonbeam spends the book adjusting to life outside the cult and learning to trust her therapist. Through this, the story unfolds in waves as the trust grows. We know nothing about her actual family (not her cult family, which did take me a little while to figure out the difference between the two) at first -- are her parents alive? 

Obviously Moonbeam is dealing with trauma. I think the book handles her trauma well until towards the end, where it seems to kind of disappear? But we do know most of the book that Moonbeam has a secret, that definitely relates to the fire somehow. Now, no matter what that secret is, I think anyone sane would agree that Moonbeam is NOT. AT. FAULT. NO MATTER. WHAT. Especially as we learn that she's promised to Father John as a child, she's starved, she's not allowed to deal with her mom leaving... I honestly cannot think of something she could do that wouldn't be forgiven. And yet the guilt is tormenting her. 

I did have a few issues with the book. I think the therapy and adjustment of Moonbeam as she fights against the cult upbringings and acknowledging that there is something wrong feels flat to me in parts. At times it feels like she's too well adjusted for a kid that was raised in a cult? I think her thought process was of someone who wasn't part of a cult far too frequently. Also without discussion of education at all -- can she do maths? write? spell? There's really only discussion of work and suffering and sermons. (I did spend a good portion of this book wondering her education status and if she could get a job helping kids adjust after cults or working with the FBI or something?) I also found the ending a bit rushed. This book seemed to focus on getting these kids to talk about what happened and a little about adjusting after  -- but not enough for me? At the same time, I really didn't need more of the book. I mean it is called After the Fire, so I guess I expected more of her adjustment, and not just the first six weeks? 

Final Thoughts

I do recommend the book in the end. I think the book discusses how a religious group can turn into a cult well, and while not focusing a ton on the differences, you can feel it. There is an innocent crush, but no romance to cloud the book. Not all the children that are saved handled it well, and I almost wished all of that was explored more? Either way, I am glad I have found a YA book by this publisher that I enjoy quite a bit. 

Major warnings for torture, gun usage, death, cults

But thankfully, no rape.

I enjoyed this novel. I had to remind myself a few times that it was a YA novel, though as it was clearly written for a younger audience. After The Fire was a good illustration and reminder that devious people can take a religion (in this case, Christianity) and twist it and use it for their own good when responsible adults don't question their leadership. The biggest victims are always the children when their parents or loved ones allow them to be twisted. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Will Hill for allowing me an e-copy of After The Fire in exchange for an honest review. I can't wait to see what Will Hill writes in the future.

This was a book I’d lost on my Net Galley collection. So I thought I would take the opportunity to read this between books I planned this month.

I don’t know how I came to overlook ok this book because it’s intense.
It refers in sequence to “before” the fire and “after” the fire and when Moonbeam was fenced in.

This is all about a cult. Moonbeam was programmed to act accordingly.

I had to remind myself she was only 17 years old. What she’s been through no one should have to experience.

My best bit was when she was in counselling and how in bits and pieces and although broken up in the revelation of it all it was compulsive reading no matter how horrendous.

A very complex, well written story with lots of background.

I can honestly say that I haven't ever read anything quite like this. While it's not listed as a horror novel, in many ways it was. The plight of the main character, Moonbeam, and her Brothers and Sisters was so enthralling and horrible that I couldn't put it down even though I kinda wanted/needed a break from the oppressive nature of what was happening.

I found this novel fascinating, original, and it gave me a lot to consider and wonder when it comes to the lives behind the walls of the religious communes around the world.

I enjoyed this book after I got used to the idea that it was not about anything that I thought it was going to be about. Based loosely on the Branch Davidian/ATF raid over 20 years ago, this is a story of a religious sect that brainwashes their members and keeps them paranoid of the "world". The story jumps back and forth between life after the fire (after they get out of the cult), and before the fire. Only children survive, and their stories come out slowly to a team of professional therapists and police officers. Disturbing and timely.

This book is such a different YA book then and I have ever read. Moonbeam is a strong flawed character. You can't help but feel for her.

I honestly love a book that involves cults. They just draw you in and give you a little insight into what a real cult really is. I did want Father John to be a little more charismatic and commanding but all in all I think Will Hill did a great job creating his characters.

This was a compelling story that I actually want to read a second time to catch pieces I missed the first time.

This YA book is the story of Moonbeam, a 17-year old who was raised in a strict and often violent religious cult. Based loosely on the real story of the Branch Davidians in Waco, TX, the book is about the aftermath of tragedy--Moonbeam, along with the other surviving children, is in a psychiatric hospital for treatment. Her recollections during therapy sessions tell the full story. There is pain and horror in those recollections, but there are also lovely moments of happiness and ultimately hope.

While the book is categorized as YA, adults will find themselves immersed in Moonbeam's story. Hill writes with incredible empathy and a great deal of depth. After the Fire is powerful, emotional and beautifully written. Highly recommended.

After the Fire was an interesting story about living in a cultist environment. I found this premise to be very intriguing and enjoyed this book so much! I appreciated the story line and how it takes place after the fire and then the events leading up to it, finding out what happened to cause this fire in the first place. The writer did a great job with the characters, especially the main character. The main character lived in fear of this “father john” character and lived a life like no other her age. Father John controlled the children and brainwashed everyone. It was heartbreaking at times. Very original plot and the themes expressed were very believable. I will recommend this book to fellow readers in the future!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcefire Books for approving me for this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve had this book for a while and I just now had the time to get to it and I WISH I had gotten to it sooner. The description alone had me intrigued. But, once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down.
After the Fire follows what happens after a religious compound on the edge of a Texas town erupts in flames. The survivors: all children. Moonbeam and a handful of others are all that’s left of the Lord’s Legion. While in the government’s care to help the children cope and learn that things are different outside the fence that they grew up in, Moonbeam and the others face many challenges. Most of all, coming clean about what really happened behind the fence, understanding the guilt that some of them feel, and understanding that some of the events that happened were abuse. Moonbeam, most of all, is afraid that what she knows could destroy her or the other children. Under the care of a kind nurse, psychologist, and an FBI agent, Moonbeam comes to terms with what happens to her and gains freedom from her secrets and freedom for the other survivors.
What intrigued me the most about this book was the perspective that it was in: a minor’s account of survival from a cult. My senior year of high school, I took a class called Everyday Law and we studied the criminal justice system and some of the most high profile cases that were also some of the most notable. One of our sections in the class was on cults, most notably Jonestown and Heaven’s Gate. I was intrigued then because I didn’t understand how a group of people could become so under the influence of one person that they would agree to murder themselves. I couldn’t understand why they would agree. But this book helped just a bit. Moonbeam’s story was one that was hard to read, not because of the level of difficulty, but because she described people’s infatuation and belief that a human was equal to God. That the words and rules that he put forth were as equal to what was in the Bible. It broke my heart reading about the abuse, the training, the rules that were put forth in order to control these people, and the fact that the main leader got away with all of it. My heart was broken, for the children that were left behind, that these messages were so ingrained in. That they had to learn, very abruptly, that the world that they had known was gone and wrong on so many levels.
It was hard reading the flashbacks that Moonbeam would tell Doctor Hernandez and Agent Carlyle. But, it was necessary. Even though this story is a work of fiction, it was based off a true story (the Waco Siege) and there are other cults in history that were just as bad. I’m thankful that Hill wrote this story. It gave a voice to those haven’t been able to have one throughout the years. It was truly one of survival and I’m glad that these characters that survived were able to go on in their lives. I’m glad that this one, though a work of fiction, was one that let me hope these children could have better lives.
After the Fire is haunting and a true story of survival. It was one that didn’t sugar coat the bad but also acknowledged that not everything is good or acceptable. It showed that even the darkest events happen, but they’re something that can be overcome. I’m so glad that I had a chance to read this and I know that this will be one that I pick up again and again.

Loved reading this! I wasn't sure what to expect, but this book is so much more than I first thought! So good!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an ARC to this wonderful book.

Seventeen-year-old Moonbeam has been raised from toddlerhood in the Holy Church of the Lord’s Legion, a closed compound outside the fictional town of Layfield, Texas. Orphaned after the early death of her father and the banishment of her mother, she considers the other cult members her family while at the same time beginning to recognize that their lives revolve not around God but around the will of their dictatorial leader, Father John. That was before FBI agents invaded and a fire devastated her world. Now Moonbeam lives locked inside a federal building with 18 other children from the cult, gradually recounting her life to psychiatrist Dr. Hernandez and Agent Carlyle. The story is told in alternating chapters labeled “before” and “after,” as Moonbeam learns to trust both her captors and herself. I was completely engrossed by the end of this read.

I find it hard to quantify my feelings for books like this one. I can't use words I'd normally use in book reviews - like enjoyable, fun, etc. This one was not that. But it was good. Very good, in fact. The premise was interesting and original, and I liked the way the author used the shifting timeline to give more weight to the story. It was at times disturbing, but it had to be in order for it not to read false. Like I said, I can't say I enjoyed this one. It left me feeling uncomfortable in some ways, but it was one I'd definitely recommend.

A dark but compelling look at what one had to do to survive a cult. It gave me vibes of The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, but the characters were wholly original.

I really liked this!

I thought this seemed like a great portrayal of life inside a cult, and how being raised in a cult can have lasting impacts on children. The story is told in two different timelines: before and after the fire that destroyed the cult. The scenes before the fire, in which we are shown life inside the cult, are intensely dark but so fascinating. The scenes after the fire were a bit more dull, as they are essentially Moonbeam recounting her life in the cult to a psychiatrist and a federal investigator. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this story. It was difficult to read at times, but it was so fast paced and I hated putting it down. I'd highly recommend this!

TW: rape, pedophilia, emotional and physical abuse

I really enjoyed this book. It’s outside of the stories I usually read. I tend to avoid books based on cults. They make me mad and I can’t believe that some people can be so clueless. But it’s not my place to judge them. I have to say that reading After the Fire has opened my eyes more to why some would be so openly blind to follow someone who calls themself “A prophet of God”. It also made me understand why some stay even after realizing what is happening is wrong.

Moonbeam’s story is powerful. It’s a story of a survivor. A strong girl who had no other choice but to follow for fear of retaliation. Someone who seen the evils of what was happening and done her best to make life a little better. She’s strong and resilient and I was sad when her story was over but also happy.

We are told her story in two different parts- Before and After. I really loved this. It gave us a glimpse into what her life was like at the compound but also what it looks like as a survivor. I found myself devouring every word that was said. Not wanting to put it down for even a second. I could not look away from what was happening. I had to know how it ended and everything in between.

I found myself crying and laughing. Angry and sad. Happy and joyful. So many emotions running through me all at once. By the end, though, happiness was the strongest. Happy that I read this book. Happy with how things ended.

Read After the Fire. I really don’t think you will be disappointed.