I was thrilled to death for the opportunity to read an ARC of his new book. I was drawn in from the first chapter and could hardly put it down! Highly recommend!

Will hill has done an amazing job crafting a story of survival; a story about a young girl’s struggle against a cult while experiencing brainwashing.

He's done an even better job building his characters, including the minor ones. Moonbeam is such an amazing character, who shows such strength, even in her vulnerability. She sees the truth and ignores it, but she is surrounded by lunatics and is slowly losing her faith.

Most thrillers suffer from the slow burn, this one does not. It does have different timelines, so if you don't like the back and forth this book might not be for you. You get to read "after" chapters that help Moonbeam piece together her life. She does have a hard time trusting the Outsiders, since she was always told they lie.

I can't imagine the hard work and dedication to therapy that is needed to pick up your life after something so awful. Be sure to have tissues near by, this story is heart wrenching.
I did predict the twist, but I've not read many a book where twists *weren't* predictable, so take that for what you will. All in all I recommend you pick up this book if you like thrillers that bring "freshness" to the genre.

This was painful to read in a lot of ways but it was also blindingly good. The characters and settings felt SO REAL and I didn't want it to end (well, I wanted the cult to end, but not the story of her life). Anyway, amazing, well written, strongly endorse, its chilling and cultish and so good.

Inspired by the Waco siege in the 90’s involving the Branch Davidians and their leader, David Koresh, After the Fire was an interesting and horrific look into cult life, while showing the resiliency and the damaging after effects of cult mentality.

After the Fire, while fictional, brought to life the horrible events of the fight between government officials and cult members. The fight that took so many lives, including many children, and ultimately led to the fire of the compound. The real story itself is addicting, especially trying to wrap your mind around how one person was able to brainwash so many into believing his plight is the Only Way. Cult mentality is fascinating, truly, and that’s the main reason I picked this book up.

The story focuses heavily on the damage wrought on people who’ve endured cult life and trauma and how the effects linger and eventually impart permanently on survivors. Moonbeam, the main character, is one such survivor and it’s interesting to see her wrestling with reality and slowly coming to the realization that her life and the life of other members isn’t quite right. Leadership within the Church has changed and it’s like Moonbeam is slowly coming out of a fog, and watching her grapple with what life should be and what life actually is for her was often a hard pill to swallow. I’ve always wondered what people meant when they say a book is “emotionally charged” and I wonder no more — this is definitely one that fits with that label.

Broken down into Before and After, Before chronicles the events of life within the cult and the events that subsequently led to the demise of both the compound and many, many people. The After is where readers get to see the havoc and the heartbreak of characters dealing with the events and wondering what now. Where do they go. What do they do, and more importantly — how? Without someone dictating how they should live, it’s like they’re all aliens dropped on a foreign planet. Some may fare better than others at their new place in life, but the only thing that’s truly certain is not one of them will walk away without lasting damage.

After the Fire is certainly not a book for the faint of heart. Heartbreaking and horrible, but equal parts fascinating and intriguing, and one that I couldn’t put down. Highly recommended, it’s one of those books I’ll keep thinking about weeks (months, even) after I’ve finished.

*eARC received courtesy of NetGalley.

The story follows Moonbeam, a teenage girl who survived a deadly fire at the compound she lived in. The compound is home to a small cult. Obviously they wouldn't say they were a cult, but ya know. Years before the compound was simply a place for living simply and worshiping God. It was open to outsiders, and members were allowed to visit the local city. Children were home-schooled, and life was nice. Then Father John took over. He erected a wall around the compound, prevented outsiders from visiting, forced all inhabitants to remain behind the fences, and - of course - took seriously young wives. Moonbeam, whose father has died, and whose mother was kicked out by Father John, has begun to doubt the words of "the Prophet" and her life is beginning to be in danger. When Father Johns announces his next wife, a girl even younger than Moonbeam, Moonbeam knows she must act. The government attacks the compound and the inhabitants rally. This results in an epic fire, and the death of a large portion of the inhabitants. Moonbeam, and the other children, have been taken to a hospital where they receive medical and psychological attention. It's during these sessions we begin to see what life was like for Moonbeam, and how she copes with the secrets she believes make her unforgivable. Can she find hope, redemption, and forgiveness in letting go of the burden she holds?

I enjoyed this book. I probably won't read it again, but I don't feel like I wasted my life. Hill's choice to jump back and forth between present and past events kept the pace moving, but left enough mystery to keep me interested. I wasn't overly surprised by the ending, even if I hadn't guessed the truth. It was realistic, and the characters believable. 

I'm willing to go with a 4 for this one. 

Stefanie Rae

I tried a few times to get into this book, and sadly I just couldn’t.
I don’t feel comfortable giving a rating for something I did not finish, but know it’ll be the right book for someone out there.
Thank you for the opportunity to review, I apologize for not being able to get myself into it.

Gripping realistic fiction for young adults!
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read and review After the Fire by Will Hill! The story opens during an attack and the main character, Moonbeam, is running for her life. She’s a resident of a community made up of fellow followers of The Legion and their leader is Father John. The fenced in community is under attack by the Government. Eventually, the attack is over and Moonbeam is at a rehabilitation center for mental and physical healing and also to learn to return to what she knows as the Outside. Moonbeam tells her story and the story of her fellow community members, Legionmates, through her interviews with a therapist and a government agent. The whole time I was reading this book, I kept thinking about the Waco Siege and its similarities to the Legion community. As I read the author’s note at the end of the book, he explains his reasoning for writing about the fictional character of Moonbeam and I was impressed with how delicately and respectfully he dealt with the similarities to Karesh’s religious community near Waco, Texas and how he honors the followers. The idea of one person gripping so many people and convincing them to sacrifice everything for that leader is curious and interesting and very sad. Will Hill handles this content well and breathes life into the characters and the tragic events that they lived or didn’t live through. 5 stars for this gripping realistic fiction story for young adults!

I enjoyed this book, but I did not love it. I really enjoyed the present and past looks from the cult, but I did not feel very attached to the main character in this book.

I loved the mystery and suspense in this. I did find that there were come slow parts but for the most part I really enjoyed the book, I didn’t like the cover though; if I had seen then book in the store I probably would have walked by it because it does not catch the eye.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this novel about life before and after a cult. It is believable--detailing the aftereffects of brainwashing on a young woman and her sense of responsibility to the cult's members.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcefire Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* What an incredible novel. I have always found cults fascinating and this when I heard about this book, I was immediately intrigued. Teenager Moonbeam has lived in a religious compound ruled over by Father John for most of her life. For her and the other adults and children living there, every single aspect of their lives is ruled over by the tyrannical Father John, who claims to receive messages directly from God. To go against Father John is to defy the Lord. As you can imagine, this makes for a pretty messed up childhood. The story alternates between 'Before' and 'After' chapters, that relate to a terrible fire that rips through the compound. As you read the story, more is revealed about the lives of those ruled by Father John's iron fist. Inspired by the events at Waco in 1993, this novel will have you enthralled until the very last page.

An emotional book about surviving after living in a cult. This book cuts between present day and the past, where the main character, Moonbeam, was part of a cult. This book was slow to start off, but once the plot started building it was very difficult to put it down. The writing was brilliant and I would highly recommend this.

This book was heavy. Very good, but damn heavy. I liked that it went back and forth between the before and after. It helped give a full picture of the story. Overall I really enjoyed this book but after the ending I think I need a light and fluffy book!

I received an advanced copy in exchange of an honest review.

This is an emotional roller coaster of a book. the book alternates between past and present, while we gradually unfold the story of Moonbeam. You cannot help but feel overwhelming sadness at times for Moonbeam and the other children. It is a true revelation of what happens within the walls of a cult environment and the aftermath of leaving that environment. Make sure to read the author's notes at the end for an even better explanation of the book and story behind it.

Moonbeam has been raised on a secluded religious compound where she was taught to believe the government and people on the "outside" are dangerous and plotting to attack them. After a fire destroys the compound her and a few dozen surviving children are taken to a hospital where they can recover both physically and emotionally from all they have been through. Told in alternating perspectives of past and present, the book slowly reveals what happened during and prior to the fire.

If you love a slow burn with details being revealed a little bit at a time to reveal all the puzzle pieces falling into place just in time for the end, then this is the book for you. I don't normally read books about religious cults but I could not put this book down. Some of the things in here are disturbing and I had to walk away from it for a bit, but each time I did I found myself wanting to get back to it to see what would happen next. I recommend reading the author's note at the end as it helped me understand his purpose and inspiration for writing the book and I found it interesting and necessary to wrap up.

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Fire ad NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book in return for my honest review.

This book was so different than what I usually read, but I was totally sucked in. I have watched tv specials on cults, but reading this opened my eyes to all kinds of things and brainwashing that happens. This book was a fantastic read.

A heartbreaking story of brainwashing at its finest.

From a small child, Moonbeam has grown up in the Lord's Legion compound and has been a True follower of Father John. He has brainwashed the Legion in to believing that everyone in the outside world is A Servant of the Serpent and are not to be trusted. The story flits back and forth between daily life before the siege, the abuse, torture and lies they were lead to believe in order to Ascend and join the Lord to the emotional rollercoaster the survivors went through during therapy and questioning with the FBI.
I had so many emotions while reading this. A definite page turner that I could not put down!

I found it a little confusing at first with the chapters being labelled "before" and "after" but once I got into the story it all made sense.

This is a must read for anyone that finds cults, scientology and the like fascinating to read.

Thank you to Net Galley and Sourcebooks Fire for the advance copy!

Powerful ending, but it seemed to take a long time to get there. Living on a fenced in compound out in the desert, Moonbeam is a mamber of a cult that is lead by a man who teaches them to fear outsiders and “the government”. Meanwhile, the cult is amassing a large arsenal of weapons that catches the attention of the ATF. When the ATF confronts the compound with a search warrant, weapons are drawn and a fire breaks out. This story follows Moonbeam as she processes all that happened.

I was a little confused about what was going on when I first started this book but once I realized it was about Moonbeam surviving a cult, things clicked into place. The story alternates between “Before” and “After” storylines as the MC tells her life. I thought this was extremely well written and thought provoking.

Very good book. Loved the characters and world building! There were a few moments where I found the story to be moving a long a little slow, but they definitely didn't last very long. Definitely a to-buy!