Bel:
Cover
An eye catching monochrome image of a water droplet (I think it’s supposed to be a teardrop) falling into an inky blackness. It represents the book really well. I also like the stylistic decision to add a grey header for the pages containing the story within the story.
Characters
Since there are effectively two books within one, there is a larger than usual cast, or at least it seems that way.
Favourite
Mindy, a sweet character who is successfully designed to bring out the protective urges in the readers.
Least Favourite
I think I’ll bug a few people here, but I really didn’t like Darcy. Maybe I see a little too much of myself in her to have sympathy for her.
Beginning
Darcy has sold her first book; she moves to New York to write book 2. We also read through Darcy’s first book.
Storyline
We follow the ups and downs of Darcy’s reckless abandon.
Ending
Reality checks and hard work.
Thoughts
I appreciate the artistry of a book within a book: both with female leads and both mostly credible in their execution. I usually have a major issue with guys writing women because there are parts of the fairer sex that don’t necessarily translate; however, Scott passes muster in my opinion. Darcy may have made me uncomfortable, but that is my issue, not the character’s.
I almost want to reread the books separately and see if they’re stronger or weaker without the other.
Quote
“Kill your darlings,” Imogen said. ~Imogen talking to Darcy
Joelene
Cover
The stylised droplet hitting inky darkness gives an attractive, high-contrast look.
Characters
There are two sets of characters. The ‘real’ ones; Darcy, her friends, family and people she meets on her publishing journey. Then there are Darcy’s characters – the ones that exist in her debut novel.
Favourite
Imogen. It’s hard not to like Imogen. She’s witty, smart and assertive. All of the awesome New York scenes involved her – whether she was demanding to be taken hostage in car trunks or typing phobias into her phone.
Least Favourite
Darcy. There were occasions that I liked her when she was with Imogen, but overall found her kind of Mary Sue-ish. She succeeds too easily at what she’s doing without seeming to have any ability to analyse her process or the themes of her writing.
Beginning
Darcy Patel has just scored the publishing contract of her dreams – now all she has to do is convince her parents to let her skip a year of college to write in New York City.
When terrorists target the airport that Lizzie is at, she finds herself hiding in the most unlikely of places – the afterworld.
Storyline
The story-line of Afterworlds is actually split. One plot follows the author, Darcy, as she navigates New York, publishing and dating. The other story is that of Darcy’s novel, Afterworlds, told in full on alternating chapters. It follows Lizzie who, having survived a massacre, now has to deal with being able to see the dead and cross into their world.
Ending
The endings are too different from each other to sum up; except perhaps to say happiness is not guaranteed.
Thoughts
I get what Westerfeld was going for here, but ultimately this six hundred page novel read more like the rough drafts of two three hundred page novels. Westerfeld has this crazy, unique imagination that’s evident in Lizzie’s story. Her amazing first chapter reels you in – but the rest of her story doesn’t live up to the potential of that first scene. I’m not sure if Westerfeld was holding back on that storyline so that it wouldn’t overshadow Darcy’s chapters, but from other novels of his that I’ve read, he’s capable of more.
Darcy’s part of the story should have been awesome, but it ends up being a glamorised fantasy of what author life is rather than anything resembling reality. Westerfeld has an entire scene dedicated to pointing out how vital conflict is to a novel, and then he fails to provide Darcy with any.
Afterworlds felt as though it should have sat on the back-burner a little longer. There are some valuable themes here – race, sexual identity, religion, but altogether it feels unpolished.
Quote
“I met the man of my dreams in an airport, just before midnight a few days into the New Year. I was changing planes in Dallas, and I almost died.”
Krista:
Cover
Much love for this cover because of how well it fits the story of Afterworlds (the fictional story within the contemporary NA story) The teardrop and the the misty dark inky image at the bottom were a very good and fitting choice.
Characters
Too many to name; there are a lot of people that come and go throughout the book, but the focus is on Darcy and her struggle with taking her first steps into the publishing world and becoming an author.
Favourite
Yamaraj and Mindy. By choosing two of the most minor characters in the book as my favorites may reflect how I felt about the book overall.
Least Favourite
Lizzie and Darcy-Lizzie being the lead character in the actual fictional book Afterworlds, and Darcy being the lead in the whole book and author of Afterworlds. There was not particularly anything specific about them I didn’t like but I thought both characters were very bland.
Beginning
Darcy has just decided to tell her parents she is putting off going to college because she has sold her first novel. She intends to move to New York for awhile and has the budget to cover it.
Storyline
As the young Darcy sets out to make a career as an author she has a lot of learning to do and people to meet. Along the way the reader gets insights into her book ‘Afterworlds’ and the publishing world (social networks and marketing).
Ending
Lessons are learned, hope is gained, and the battle of the next book ensues.
Thoughts
I listened to the audiobook on this one, and it had two separate narrators: one who was entertaining to listen to, the other as monotone as could be. I would not personally suggest the aud-iobook; pick up the book on this one if you are interested. I had a hard time engaging with the story.
I was curious about Darcy’s story and the insides of publishing, but as it continued, I found myself becoming quite critical–how many times a word was used, when people or settings were not fully described. Through all of Darcy’s story, it felt like all the air was slowly getting let out of my balloons of inspiration in a writing career. Informative in an interesting way, but it depressed me.
Quote
“In a novel you always knew the moment when something Happened, when someone Changed. But real life was full of gradual, piecemeal, continuous transformation. It was full of accidents and undefineables, and things that just happened on their own. The only certainty was ‘It’s complicated,’ whether or not unicorns tolerated your touch.”
Discussion Topics:
The main storyline of this book revolves around Darcy. How does the title Afterworlds apply to her story (not the fictional one she is writing but her life represented in this novel)?
Darcy states that she “stole” ideas to help form her story. Do you think that is the correct word? How would you describe the process of idea-making?
It’s important to have a multicultural cast of characters in any novel, but where’s the line between inclusion and appropriation?
Fifteen-year-old Will Besting is sent by his doctor to Fort Eden, an institution meant to help patients suffering from crippling phobias. Once there, Will and six other teenagers take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares—with the help of the group facilitator, Rainsford, an enigmatic guide. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night’s experiences. But each person soon discovers strange, unexplained aches and pains. . . . What is really happening to the seven teens trapped in this dark Eden? Patrick Carman’s Dark Eden is a provocative exploration of fear, betrayal, memory, and— ultimately—immortality.
