Review: In the After Light by Alexandra Bracken

Ruby is the key to bringing down the government and finding the cure for the abilities that plague the country’s youth, and she’s not sure she’s ready for it. After forming an alliance with Children’s League’s top agents, Ruby is ready to fight; ready to release the children still in camps, and end this era of oppression. Yet being in a warzone is taking its toll – with the deaths of close friends, crumbling infrastructure, and enemies in plain sight, it’s unclear who she can trust. The only certainties that remain are her feelings for Liam and her desire for liberation – but at what cost?

Bracken has made maturity and rationality the forefront of her young characters – they are capable, determined and passionate young people with an enormous responsibility upon their shoulders. Perhaps that is why this book is all the more heart-breaking. Youths with stolen childhoods are forced into warfare; to grow up before their time and see the darkest aspects of life. As a reader, and as an adult reader specifically, you become so emotionally invested in the characters, hoping that they will get their happy ending – it’s a clever device to ensure engagement with your audience.

Reading a series like this, it’s no surprise that it has been picked up by Hollywood for a film version – the characters are likeable with enormous depth for their limited years, and the plot is exciting, emotional and filled with action and intrigue – there is literally something for everyone (and on that note, the romances and associated warm fuzzies offset some of the heavier aspects of the novel). It is a fun, insightful read that manages to critique elitism and discrimination, while still being thoroughly enjoyable.

In the After Light is a satisfying conclusion to a series full of tension and intrigue, in which the reader is witness to the growth and evolution of fascinating characters. It is a satisfying ending to our heroine’s epic struggle, and leaves you with a pang of nostalgia on its completion.

In the After Light by Alexandra Bracken is published by Pan Macmillan.