I received an e-copy of this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I thought book 2 certainly couldn't keep me as hooked as book 1, but I was wrong. Maybe I secretly love zombie books.... well no, but I love O'Connell's zombie books. I was afraid that this was going to turn out like the sequel to Bird Box, and I'm glad it didn't. My only complaint right now is that I need book 3 tomorrow and it's not even listed on GoodReads at all, so who knows when I'll get some closure...

The Afters: Book Two as the name states is book two of a dystopian post-apocalyptic book series, where we have “zombies” or infected, but with a twist. In the book we follow the life and survival of our found family Charlie, Kalila, Trey and sweet Ellie as they navigate the eastern coast of what's left of the USA and find themselves in trouble during a storm. Where they escape what could have been a possible hurricane they find themselves in a new place, and we are introduced to an array of new characters, places and feelings, oh so many feelings.

If you have read book one and thought damn this is good, the sequel is never any better… WRONG! This book is honest proof that the son is better than the father! We have new characters to fall in love with, new characters to absolutely hate and wish the earth could just swallow them up and give them slow, painful and agonizing death and we have sweet, sweet Ellie, who can do no wrong and must be protected at all costs.

I’ve laughed, I’ve had my adrenaline kick in with the action pack and fast pace at times and most importantly I’ve cried, and I haven’t cried like this over fictional characters in a while, whereas I’ve shed a few tears here and there with other books I’ve read I bawled my eyes. All I know is that I need a book three expeditiously, because I cannot go on without it. So please Chris, may I call you Chris? No? I’m going to anyway ... I NEED BOOK 3.

I was given the privilege to read this absolute gem of a sequel by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I ordered my physical copies of both book one and two, absolutely recommend these books! What are you waiting for? Go on!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

NICE!!!!!! A step up from book one with more drama and humour and I'm absolutely loving the new breed of zombie. Charlie still brings some lighthearted charm that stops it become dreary.

Will there be a Book 3? Please please please say yes.

Another fun read! I loved getting more of Charlie and the gang. In this installment they reach a settlement and try to have a bit of a "safe" space. I did enjoy getting to know these characters more and we get chapters from all of our main group (Charlie, Kalila, Trey, and Ellie!). I especially enjoyed the Ellie chapters as I liked seeing what she was thinking and doing and all the things!

We also get some great new characters (I loved Horatio!) and some new troubles of course. All in all another fun read. I read the first one and jumped right into this one and my only complaint is that I now have to wait for more! I can't wait to see what happens next!

In The Afters: Book Two, O'Connell continues to weave a captivating narrative that pulls you deeper into the lives of his characters. I was particularly impressed by the development of the protagonist, whose internal struggles and growth felt authentic and relatable. The world-building is rich, with vivid descriptions that transport you to the unique setting, making it easy to lose track of time while reading.
However, I did find some pacing issues in the middle of the book, where the plot seemed to drag a bit. Additionally, while the supporting characters are intriguing, I wished some of them had received more depth and backstory to enhance their roles.
Overall, O'Connell's storytelling shines through, and despite a few minor flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed this installment and am eager to see where the series goes next.

The Afters: Book Two by Christopher O'Connell was such a blast!
I’m a major zombie apocalypse fan and this story was a fun one to read.
This book has an easy to follow plot and interesting characters.

Thank You NetGalley and Victory Editing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Zombie apocalypse always sounds like such great fun. In this case I could not do with the writing style. It’s humorous and it feels like you are in someone’s head but then it’s told in third person or is it? I could not get into it.

I liked this next book in the series, but it is not without fault. It is a little long and I felt like the story dragged a bit, there are a few typos and things that could be fixed with another good edit, but it doe snot distract too much from the storyline and the world created by the author.

I am enjoying this series.

The adventures of Charlie continue! I liked this, but it’s a little longer than it needs to be. There’s a lot going on, but one thing remains the same, and that is that humans will always have enemies, sometimes even amongst themselves. The novels ends with a pretty startling revelation, and I do want to read the next installment to see what happens. Again, as in Book One, the text suffers from some typos. This series has real promise—it just needs a good editor or two.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC. I am writing this review voluntarily.