Title: After the Snow
Author: S. D. Crockett
Pub Deets: March 2012, Feiwel & Friends
Series/Stand Alone: Series
Source: ARC for DAC Tours
After Willo's family goes missing from their secluded mountainside hideaway, he is thrust into wild with the ever falling snow and an unwilling companion on a search that's much greater than he knows.
Willo may not know much, but he knows how to survive. In a world that faces extreme cold most of the year, he knows how to trap animals and build fires and absorbs any and all the advice of his father.
One day when he's out trapping, his family disappears. All they left behind were their footprints and tire tracks. He is faced with living all alone in the wilderness or getting revenge on the man he knows turned his family in. He doesn't know how to find him, but he is determined to give him what he deserves.
That's before Willow meets a girl. A starving girl who is on the brink of starvation and death. He can't just leave her behind. This girl will end up leading him on a path that he doesn't expect, but it is the path he must follow to fulfill an unexpected destiny.
Willo is more than a little bit country. I mean, dude wears dog skulls on his head to help guide his conscience. He makes his own coats and gloves out of rabbit fur. He has a dialect that is challenging to read at times, but definitely unique and fitting for his character. So yeah, he's kind of a badass.
The book was slow to start, but once it picked up about 75 pages in or so, I was digging it. In fact, I'll even admit that I was pleasantly surprised when I started to get hooked into the story after the sluggish beginning. I was intrigued by the post-apocalyptic slums and the constant snow and how Willo struggled to survive. Slowly, the greater plot was revealed and Willo's greater purpose slowly comes to focus. And y'all know how this kid loves character development and coming-of-age.
While I loved where the book headed, I was supremely disappointed with the conclusion. Obviously, I won't discuss it because I am ardently anti-spoiler. I will tell you there was a ton of build up and suspense toward the end that I loved and I'm trying to hold on to that. Ultimately, the first 25% was slow build, the middle 70% was build up and world building and tension and awesomeness, and the final 5% was major let down.
"Even though she's just a pesky starving girl who gonna eat my food and get heavy on my back, she still gonna know where I am and what I been, so I aint quite alone. That's it - I ant alone now i got the girl here, and it feel better than before even though I don't know her or nothing." (77)
THE ENDING.
Aw man! I was kinda looking forward to this one because the blurb reminded me of Chaos Walking a bit.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I'll read it now bc I'm not a big fan of sluggish beginnings - especially when you brave through it only to get to a disappointing ending. Thanks for the great review!
I had the same thought. Close, but no cigar.
DeleteHmmmmm that's a bummer that the ending wasn't great. I love the snow element though so maybe I'll add this to my library wishlist.
ReplyDeleteGO DAC!
Bummer man. I have an arc from netgalley and was excited by the snow and the mystery if what happened to Willo's family. Slow beginnings usually lose me though. Not always, but I tend to have a hard time getting past them. I'll still give it a shot though.
ReplyDeleteI say give it a shot. It may work for you!
DeleteHmm this is on my TBR list. I have the ARC from NetGalley as well. I'm kinda bummed that the ending was a let down though. Thanks for sharing your honest review.
ReplyDeleteJJ @ JJiReads ♥ Book reviews and more from an e-book lover
I sometimes have trouble with books that start slow... definitely don't have the attention span for them. Sorry this wasn't as good as you'd hoped it would be. The premise sounds pretty great.
ReplyDeleteIt is a great premise and the world building is solid.
DeleteI hate when books let you down at the last minute. I can always push through a slow book, but knowing the ending might let me down disappoints me. I will definitely check out this book in the future though. Thanks for sharing your thoughts :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you haven't written this off! You may love it!
DeleteYou might not know it, but you posted this review just for me. I was starting this book and having a ton of trouble getting into it.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your review, I immediately just gave up. No way am I going to try and make myself get through it only to end with a total let down.
Ha! Funny how that works out.
DeleteI agree I was confuesed on what happened at the end and why he made that choice! I'm glad you liked the book and thanks for checking out my review =)
ReplyDelete~Paige @ Comfort Books
http://paigebradish1996.blogspot.com/
I've been wondering whether or not I should read this one, to be honest. The main character definitely sounds interesting, especially after reading your description of him, and the plot sounds like something I could handle. Plus I trust your opinion. I think this one sounds like a library book or something that if I see it for cheap, I might splurge. Thanks for the review, Lisa!
ReplyDeleteMolli | Once Upon a Prologue
Hmmm. I wasn't sold on this one to begin with and the fact that it has a slow start and a dissatisfying ending just convinces me it's not the book for me. I throw an absolute fit when I don't like an ending :P
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review :]
I totally agree (as you know, since you read my review haha). I feel like this was a great first draft, and now they need to go back and add all the important details! I will admit that Willo did begin to grow on me (although the dog skull thing completely freaked me out).
ReplyDeleteThe skull was totally weird, that's for sure!
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