The Afterward by E.K. Johnston


Synopsis: It has been a year since the mysterious godsgem cured Cadrium’s king and ushered in what promised to be a new golden age. The heroes who brought the gem home are renowned in story and song, but for two fellows on the quest, peace and prosperity do not come easily.
Apprentice Knight Kalanthe Ironheart wasn't meant for heroism this early in life, and while she has no intention of giving up the notoriety she has earned, her reputation does not pay her bills. With time running out, Kalanthe may be forced to betray not her kingdom or her friends, but her own heart as she seeks a stable future for herself and those she loves.

Olsa Rhetsdaughter was never meant for heroism at all. Beggar, pick pocket, thief, she lived hand to mouth on the city streets until fortune--or fate--pulled her into Kalanthe's orbit. And now she's quite reluctant to leave it. Even more alarmingly, her fame has made her recognizable, which makes her profession difficult, and a choice between poverty and the noose isn't much of a choice at all.

Both girls think their paths are laid out, but the godsgem isn't quite done with them and that new golden age isn’t a sure thing yet.

In a tale both sweepingly epic and intensely personal, Kalanthe and Olsa fight to maintain their newfound independence and to find their way back to each other.



Review: The Afterward is an interesting concept, but not the greatest story. The hook of this book is knowing there are very diverse characters. That's great. Most of the characters are non-white characters. One of the main characters is black, and she's attracted to other women. Another character is trans. There are a lot of great diverse moments in The Afterword, but that's all they are. Mere moments. The story is told between Olsa and Kalanthe's perspectives, so we get a lot of information about them specifically. Unfortunately, we don't get this background on the other members of the group so their contribution to the story and the world feels surface level. I will say that I enjoyed Kalanthe quite a lot. Olsa bothered me because she was impulsive. She felt like the stereotypical child who would do stupid things for attention and I didn't care for that attitude. I did really enjoy Kalanthe though. She was thoughtful and she made wise choices. I appreciated her a lot.


The Afterward had a very generic plot which was disappointing. I was hoping for a sweeping fantasy with an awesome cast of diverse characters. I should have known this would be the case when they kept saying "the Quest." It wasn't even called "the Godgem Quest" or something more specific. I liked that the story was told in "before" and "after" segments because we got to see Olsa and Kalanthe interact before and after their quest. The rest of the story was mediocre. The world and the magic was never really fleshed out and that bummed me out. The ending also wrapped up too quickly. I thought some of the decisions Kalanthe made were interesting, but there weren't enough scenes like that to redeem the rest of the story.


An okay story with basic characters and plot.


3 howls

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