Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld Review

Title: Afterworlds
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Age Group: Teen/Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
Series: Afterworlds, book one
Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
The bottom line: Wow, wow, wow! A thrilling, creepy story with many tales in one, Afterworlds completely captured my imagination--aside from a few minor flaws, I loved this book! Highly recommended!

This book was given to me by the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

It's no secret that Scott Westerfeld is a household name, especially in the young adult genre, especially his smash hit series, Uglies. But this was a completely different novel: A novel with many stories in it, all intertwining, and all different genres. I don't know what it is about him, but Scott Westerfeld just has a special brand of magic all his own. One thing's for sure, if I wasn't a fan before, I definitely am now!

Darcy Patel has put everything on hold: college, a career, and a life in general, all to publish her young adult novel, Afterworlds. A new implant to vibrant, colorful New York, she discovers herself--literally--when a group of other young writers take her in. Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's own saga, as well as her novel, where a young woman named Lizzie finds that she can drift between our world and the ether, and realizes that the past cannot be toyed with, and even her own powers may not be enough to save her own future..

What I enjoyed:
-I loved the pacing of this novel--once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down, it was completely breakneck
-I also really enjoyed the cool new format of the novel--it was so fun to have so many different stories all in one, it was pure magic
-Darcy, the young woman just trying to write her novel and be secure in big, bad New York City--I really enjoyed her character development from a kid fresh out of high school to a mature young woman
-Darcy's novel--it was completely magical, the dark tale that "she" wove--I really, really enjoyed it
-At times it felt as though Westerfeld took all of my personal feelings on writing and put it on the page for all to see
-The cast of characters that surrounded Darcy, particularly Carla, Sagan, Kiralee, and Imogen
-Darcy's family
-Lizzie, the young woman who seems to attract Death--literally
-Yama
-Yami
-Mindy
-Lizzie's mom
-I loved the ending to both Darcy's and Lizzie's story--it was wonderful!

What could've been better:
-At times the narrative got a little confusing

Overall, Afterworlds was a wonderful book that I really, really enjoyed! Highly recommended to people looking for a different young adult novel. Next on deck: The Hundred Year House by Rebecca Makkai!

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