Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield

Publisher: Luna; Original edition (February 15, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0373803362
ISBN-13: 978-0373803361
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Fantasy / Dystopia
Format: Paperback, 375 pages

In the distant future....

"This ain't the apocalypse, buddy, we already done lived through that."

First, there was The Siege. Some referred to it as the apocalypse. A set of bioterrorist attacks which wiped out every major food crop and most of the livestock.

Next, there was the keysev. One of the last things the government did before it fell was to drop keysev all over the nation. The plant was a product of bioengineering and said to have enough nutrition that you could live off it. Unfortunately, one of the last batches to be dropped in California was found to be tainted. The tainted crop, known as blueleaf, made people ill with fever and, if they survived, made them crave undamaged flesh. They are referred to as Beaters, but you and I would probably call them zombies.

"The priorities were so stark. Live another day. Protect others, if you can. Eat and drink and sleep. Care for the children. Everything else-washing, learning, creating, loving-were luxuries rarely indulged...but they haunted people's minds still."

"Before", in her first life, Cass Dollar was a recovering alcoholic attempting to get her daughter back. That was when The Siege occurred. Her life was not a happy one. She'd suffered from abuse and continued to abuse herself in various ways until she lost her daughter. That was when she decided to turn her life around so she could get her daughter back. She was well on her way when the Siege hit. Later, in her second life during the "Aftertime", she regained her daughter only to lose her once again when Cass was brutally attacked and kidnapped by Beaters. She is the only person she has ever known to survive being bitten and not become a Beater. When the fever broke she had no memory of what had happened and walked around in a daze before she met other "citizens". The only things on her mind now is to survive and find her daughter. That is where this story begins.

The world prior to The Siege is referred to as "Before". The time period after The Siege is referred to as "Aftertime". Hence, the name for the book.

I really enjoyed this book for many reasons. Firstly, I love the fact we don't have an innocent and perfect heroine. Let's face it most of the books today tend to have these perfect, flawless heroines. I love the fact that Cass is flawed and struggling with some inner demons. Secondly, I love dystopian novels and when you throw a bunch of zombies into the fray, well, that makes it all the more fun. Thirdly, there's a dash a romance here. Perhaps not the slow moving kind that some would enjoy, but let's face it if you don't know if today is your last day (yes, I'm starting to sound like a Nickelback song) would taking it slow be on your number one list of things to do? I think not. lol I gave this one a 5 out of 5 stars.