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Afterworlds
(Afterworlds #1)
by
BELIEVING IS DANGEROUS...
Darcy Patel is afraid to believe all the hype. But it's really happening - her teen novel is getting published. Instead of heading to college, she's living in New York City, where she's welcomed into the dazzling world of YA publishing. That means book tours, parties with her favorite authors, and finding a place to live that won't leave her pennil ...more
Darcy Patel is afraid to believe all the hype. But it's really happening - her teen novel is getting published. Instead of heading to college, she's living in New York City, where she's welcomed into the dazzling world of YA publishing. That means book tours, parties with her favorite authors, and finding a place to live that won't leave her pennil ...more
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Hardcover, 599 pages
Published
September 23rd 2014
by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
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Start your review of Afterworlds (Afterworlds #1)

So, I kinda loved this book, its intelligence, its meta-awareness, and the way a lovely coming-of-age story is packaged inside a clever satire-bordering-on-love-story to the YA publishing world. It must be said that I love satire, even when it's subdued, because that love colors my entire opinion of this book.
As such, I’m baffled by the somewhat low reviews on this one. I could be completely off-base, and maybe I am seeing what I want to see because I want an excuse for liking this book as much ...more
As such, I’m baffled by the somewhat low reviews on this one. I could be completely off-base, and maybe I am seeing what I want to see because I want an excuse for liking this book as much ...more

I'm going to start this out with a plea that someone please tell me this book is a parody. It *must* be. Because I am a huge fan of Scott Westerfeld's writing, have been for years, and this book makes me want to cry :(.
It is a dual story line. The main character, Darcy, is an 18 yr old, just graduated from high school girl who had written a novel in a month, in November of course, not that NaNoWriMo is specifically mentioned, but any writer can put two and two together. She sent off her draft to ...more
It is a dual story line. The main character, Darcy, is an 18 yr old, just graduated from high school girl who had written a novel in a month, in November of course, not that NaNoWriMo is specifically mentioned, but any writer can put two and two together. She sent off her draft to ...more

3.5 stars I really enjoyed reading this. Despite its 600 pages, both Darcy's and Lizzie's alternating narratives flew by, and I enjoyed perching on the young debut author's shoulder as she navigates the writing and publishing world. The author's humorous, razor-sharp observations of YA culture are fascinating and feel familiar to anyone who's on Twitter, attended industry events, or even been present at business gatherings where there's frantic ennui and kindly condescension in the ranks, though
...more

After reading:
It like physically pains me to say this, but ... I found this book disappointing. Look ... I love love love Scott Westerfeld. Like, so much. He's one of my favorite authors in the world and I recommend his books to people constantly. I love Uglies and Midnighters and goodness gracious I adore the Leviathan books and couldn't wait to see what Scott Westerfeld would do next. So naturally, I was excited for this book and I was ecstatic to receive an ARC––but honestly, it didn't live u ...more
It like physically pains me to say this, but ... I found this book disappointing. Look ... I love love love Scott Westerfeld. Like, so much. He's one of my favorite authors in the world and I recommend his books to people constantly. I love Uglies and Midnighters and goodness gracious I adore the Leviathan books and couldn't wait to see what Scott Westerfeld would do next. So naturally, I was excited for this book and I was ecstatic to receive an ARC––but honestly, it didn't live u ...more

Darcy is a YA novelist, fresh out of high school and deferring college (indefinitely?) because she sold her first novel to a publisher within a few weeks of sending a query. So this is clearly a work of fiction.

I didn’t care much for her book, with the premise being a girl who can see ghosts and falls in love with a Hindu death god. The passages where we see chapters from the book are dull, to be honest but I can see how they would have sold big in the book market (at least the way it was a few ...more

I didn’t care much for her book, with the premise being a girl who can see ghosts and falls in love with a Hindu death god. The passages where we see chapters from the book are dull, to be honest but I can see how they would have sold big in the book market (at least the way it was a few ...more

This is a big, fascinating, ambitious book, and if anyone could pull something like this off you'd think it would be Westerfeld. But . . . I was really a little shocked at the things that just didn't work for me. I wondered if it was just me, but a quick scan of other readers shows similar reactions.
So, back up, let me explain.
This is not one book, it's two.
The odd-numbered chapters are about a girl named Darcy Patel who wrote a book for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, which is Novemb ...more
So, back up, let me explain.
This is not one book, it's two.
The odd-numbered chapters are about a girl named Darcy Patel who wrote a book for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, which is Novemb ...more

I love this times infinity. I already love YA in general and Scott Westerfeld in particular (his Uglies series got me back into reading YA as an adult), but this book I love the most. I love that he wrote something so chancy and cheeky (and META!), and I love that someone published it. Basically I think it's brilliant and couldn't love it more, but I don't think everyone is going to feel that way.
Here's some of what I love and some of what sets this book apart, if you want to know if it's for y ...more
Here's some of what I love and some of what sets this book apart, if you want to know if it's for y ...more

***This review has also been posted on The Social Potato
I don’t know where to start with this book but I will say this, Scott Westerfeld is a genius. I love him to bits and pieces and this book reminds me why. When I first heard he had a new book coming out, I was over the moon, to the point where I didn’t pay much attention to the blurb just because I believed I’d love it and love it I did. This may not be his best work, and the novel may seem a little fluffy but there is so much more to it. It ...more
I don’t know where to start with this book but I will say this, Scott Westerfeld is a genius. I love him to bits and pieces and this book reminds me why. When I first heard he had a new book coming out, I was over the moon, to the point where I didn’t pay much attention to the blurb just because I believed I’d love it and love it I did. This may not be his best work, and the novel may seem a little fluffy but there is so much more to it. It ...more

Just a note, because I wish someone had told me before I began this book, it has a lesbian romance. That isn't the reason it got one star. Plenty of other reasons for that. Still. I wish I'd known going in.
Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld dripped with potential. At least initially. I'm a big fan of the Leviathan trilogy. I liked Midnighters. The idea of a book intertwining a young author in New York City with corresponding chapters of her debut paranormal novel sounded like a must read.
And init ...more
Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld dripped with potential. At least initially. I'm a big fan of the Leviathan trilogy. I liked Midnighters. The idea of a book intertwining a young author in New York City with corresponding chapters of her debut paranormal novel sounded like a must read.
And init ...more

I had a pretty good feeling I'd enjoy this book because I've very much enjoyed every other book by Westerfeld that I've read. But I didn't expect to fall head over heels in love with this book like I did! From the very beginning I was totally hooked and it only got better as it went on!
The concept and the way it's written is SO original and I really couldn't have enjoyed it more! I'm a huge YA fan so when I saw where this was going, I was so excited. Getting to read about Darcy going through th ...more
The concept and the way it's written is SO original and I really couldn't have enjoyed it more! I'm a huge YA fan so when I saw where this was going, I was so excited. Getting to read about Darcy going through th ...more

I think this is just a personality mismatch and since I realized that relatively early on (and quit reading), I'll refrain from assigning a star-score. The book is heavier than some textbooks I had in college and that made the reading awkward. I couldn't quite buy a new YA author making a six-figure advance on her first book, either. But the real roadblock to getting into the book was the two heroines. They both felt so passive, each waiting for things to happen to them, and/or what actions they
...more

(I got an ARC courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)
Pretty interesting premise, but in the end I found the execution wanting, and the stories not that interesting, unfortunately.
I really liked the beginning: Darcy having to navigate her way in New York, meeting published authors as well as other "debs" like her (people whose book was to be published in the upcoming months), having to take editing and rewriting tasks into account... The first pages of Lizzie's story were grippi ...more
Pretty interesting premise, but in the end I found the execution wanting, and the stories not that interesting, unfortunately.
I really liked the beginning: Darcy having to navigate her way in New York, meeting published authors as well as other "debs" like her (people whose book was to be published in the upcoming months), having to take editing and rewriting tasks into account... The first pages of Lizzie's story were grippi ...more

Actual Rating: 3.5
I've read Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series, but it hadn't been as good as I had expected with all the hype around it. Now, Afterworlds didn't have nearly as much exposure, but I loved it a lot better.
It is written from two perspectives:
Darcy is an eighteen-year-old debut novelist who is waiting for her book Afterworlds to be published. She moves to New York to find a place where she can write, but there there, she finds love - and a little bit of herself.
Our second story is the ...more
I've read Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series, but it hadn't been as good as I had expected with all the hype around it. Now, Afterworlds didn't have nearly as much exposure, but I loved it a lot better.
It is written from two perspectives:
Darcy is an eighteen-year-old debut novelist who is waiting for her book Afterworlds to be published. She moves to New York to find a place where she can write, but there there, she finds love - and a little bit of herself.
Our second story is the ...more

Oct 16, 2014
Ylenia
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Hardcore fans of Scott Westerfed
Recommended to Ylenia by:
Booktube
2.25 stars

Different. Interesting. Meta.
Yay: I loved both stories. I loved the meta-ness of Darcy's story, reading about her experiences and her rewrite struggles even as I read the final version of the story she had written.
Nay: Darcy has very few obstacles to her success, which is a little strange. I feel like that works into the Meta-ness, and I'm sure if I read closer on a reread at some point I can look closer at that, but it'll be awhile before I reread.
Yay: Darcy and Imogen are super cute, even if t ...more
Yay: I loved both stories. I loved the meta-ness of Darcy's story, reading about her experiences and her rewrite struggles even as I read the final version of the story she had written.
Nay: Darcy has very few obstacles to her success, which is a little strange. I feel like that works into the Meta-ness, and I'm sure if I read closer on a reread at some point I can look closer at that, but it'll be awhile before I reread.
Yay: Darcy and Imogen are super cute, even if t ...more

Plot - 14/20
Characters - 11/20
Creativity - 16/20
Writing - 12/20
Pace - 7/10
Ending - 8/10
66/100 = C-
2/5 stars
Okay I didn't hate this book. But it defiantly wasn't my cup of tea. I had trouble caring about any of the charaters and the fantasy part started as my favorite then ended very weird and confusing. The writing at times over did itself, esipecally in metaphors.This book had a ton of creativity and potential the way it was plot out is really new and interesting but the way it came together ...more
Characters - 11/20
Creativity - 16/20
Writing - 12/20
Pace - 7/10
Ending - 8/10
66/100 = C-
2/5 stars
Okay I didn't hate this book. But it defiantly wasn't my cup of tea. I had trouble caring about any of the charaters and the fantasy part started as my favorite then ended very weird and confusing. The writing at times over did itself, esipecally in metaphors.This book had a ton of creativity and potential the way it was plot out is really new and interesting but the way it came together ...more

Sep 10, 2018
Faith M ✨
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
lgbtq,
contemporary,
read-2018,
young-adult,
urban-fantasy,
3-stars,
unique-format,
dnf-try-again-later
DNF'd at 48%
This had a lot of potential to be a really unique and profound story. It's told in alternating chapters: one of Darcy, the writer finding her way through the world of Young Adult literature in New York City as a teenage debut author; the other is of Lizzie, the main character in Darcy's urban fantasy book, who is the sole survivor of a terrorist attack at an airport and subsequently becomes a psychopomp and falls in love with the Hindu death good Yamaraj.
Unfortunately, it was boring ...more
This had a lot of potential to be a really unique and profound story. It's told in alternating chapters: one of Darcy, the writer finding her way through the world of Young Adult literature in New York City as a teenage debut author; the other is of Lizzie, the main character in Darcy's urban fantasy book, who is the sole survivor of a terrorist attack at an airport and subsequently becomes a psychopomp and falls in love with the Hindu death good Yamaraj.
Unfortunately, it was boring ...more

Afterworlds is 2 stories.
The 1st story is about Darcy, who in her senior year of high school took the month of November to write a novel titled Afterworlds (sound familiar?).
She gets a 2-novel book deal with a huge advance, and persuades her family to let her live in New York while she edits Afterworlds and writes the 2nd novel.
The 2nd story is Afterworlds, the novel Darcy has written.
Afterworlds is a supernatural thriller about Lizzie, who discovers that she can slip into the space between life ...more
The 1st story is about Darcy, who in her senior year of high school took the month of November to write a novel titled Afterworlds (sound familiar?).
She gets a 2-novel book deal with a huge advance, and persuades her family to let her live in New York while she edits Afterworlds and writes the 2nd novel.
The 2nd story is Afterworlds, the novel Darcy has written.
Afterworlds is a supernatural thriller about Lizzie, who discovers that she can slip into the space between life ...more

I have been a Westerfeld fan since before he was famous, so it was with great anticipation that I downloaded the e-galley and began reading his latest offering, Afterworlds. It was with great disappointment that I forced myself to finish reading it. Unlike earlier efforts such as the Uglies series or his steampunk series, Leviathan, or even the Midnighters, Afterworlds was a huge let down. It could be because my expectations were high. After all, Westerfeld had trained me to expect interesting s
...more

Every lover of YA, publishing nerd, and... okay, EVERYONE needs to read this book. It's fantastic and cute and smart and wonderful and thought-provoking. I've only read one other Scott Westerfield book (one in the Midnighters series), but I've heard great things about his writing. I went into this book with that level of expectations and it was met with two wonderful stories.
Also, I'm pretty sure Guinness beer represents wanting to look like you know your beer when you have no idea. At least in ...more
Also, I'm pretty sure Guinness beer represents wanting to look like you know your beer when you have no idea. At least in ...more

Watch my video review here:
https://youtu.be/ZtwrVrPeAIw ...more
https://youtu.be/ZtwrVrPeAIw ...more

Nose Graze — Book reviews & blogging tips
Let's clarify some terms
Before we begin, I need to set down some terminology for my review. As you probably know, the book Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld is two books in one, told in alternating chapters. One story is that of Darcy, a soon-to-be-published YA author. The story is about her selling her book, doing rewrites, and drafting the next book in the series. The other story is about Darcy's book. We actually get to read it. However, just to co ...more
Let's clarify some terms
Before we begin, I need to set down some terminology for my review. As you probably know, the book Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld is two books in one, told in alternating chapters. One story is that of Darcy, a soon-to-be-published YA author. The story is about her selling her book, doing rewrites, and drafting the next book in the series. The other story is about Darcy's book. We actually get to read it. However, just to co ...more

Three and a quarter stars? Three and a half?
Darcy Patel has won the writing jackpot: $300,000 for a two-book contract for her NaNoWriMo novel, Afterworlds, written during her senior year of high school. So instead of going to college, upon graduation she moves to New York, determined to live the glamorous lifestyle of the full-time author....more
Lizzie Scofield nearly dies during a terrorist attack at the Denver airport -- and discovers that she is a psychopomp, someone who can lead newly-dead souls

I remember I was quite excited when I first heard about this book. I've enjoyed everything by Scott Westerfeld that I've read, and the concept for Afterworlds sounded ... different, and potentially very interesting indeed.
And then, when I had the book, I just... kept putting it off. It didn't feel right. I'm very much a mood reader, and I know myself well enough by now that if I'm in the wrong mood for a book, I'll end up not enjoying it in the least. So I kept putting it off, week after week.
We ...more
And then, when I had the book, I just... kept putting it off. It didn't feel right. I'm very much a mood reader, and I know myself well enough by now that if I'm in the wrong mood for a book, I'll end up not enjoying it in the least. So I kept putting it off, week after week.
We ...more

Jun 06, 2014
Dahlia
added it
I am so, so curious who the intended audience was for this book. On the one hand, you have a wholly contemporary storyline about a YA writer who gets a huge book deal and moves to Manhattan (which is one of those things I'll never understand - why do people think they need to move to NYC to write? I live here and I don't get this) and falls in love with another YA writer. Then you have the other POV, which is wholly paranormal.
So, take me for instance. I am an author. I am a contemp YA and NA l ...more
So, take me for instance. I am an author. I am a contemp YA and NA l ...more

The main reason I picked up this book was because it's always listed as having asexual (specifically demisexual) representation. As someone who identifies as asexual (and has considered being demisexual), I figured I should read it. So I did. But I didn't actually know the plot of the book going into it...then again...I often just forget to read summaries going into books. Oops.
Anyways, while I really enjoyed a lot of this book, I had a lot of problems with it too. My main issue was Lizzie's sto ...more
Anyways, while I really enjoyed a lot of this book, I had a lot of problems with it too. My main issue was Lizzie's sto ...more

I've never met a Scott Westerfeld novel I didn't like. Interesting premise that offers two unique, but interconnected experiences. Readers will love the insider glimpses into the YA lit world and Darcy's fantasy novel, Afterworlds is compelling.
...more

Oct 20, 2013
Stella
marked it as to-read
A new Scott Westerfeld novel?! WHAT WHAT WHAT?
Tell me more, tell me more.
Tell me more, tell me more.

I was really excited to read this book. I’m a big fan of Scott Westerfeld’s work. In Afterworlds we read two stories in one. The first is Darcy’s story. She is an eighteen-year-old girl who sold her first book to a New York publisher for a ton of money. And we follow her life in New York as she attends parties and tries to write the sequel. The second is Lizzie’s story. She is the protagonist of Darcy’s novel. She survives a terrorist attack and gains the ability to see the dead and travel to th
...more

Jun 18, 2014
Gabby
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
500-or-more-pages,
contemporary,
disappointed,
read-in-2016,
romance,
dnf,
lost-interest,
own,
love-the-concept,
liked-it
I'm kind of torn over how I feel about this book - I liked some things about it and I disliked other things. I wasn't sure what to expect going into this because my friends on goodreads seem torn with half of them loving it and 5-staring it and the other half absolutely hating it. I think I'm somewhere in the middle.
This book is really two stories in one, which I thought was interesting. We get Darcy who is a YA author living in New York, and then we get Darcy's first YA paranormal novel "After ...more
This book is really two stories in one, which I thought was interesting. We get Darcy who is a YA author living in New York, and then we get Darcy's first YA paranormal novel "After ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fantasy Buddy Reads: Afterworlds [Feb 8, 2019] | 15 | 20 | Feb 20, 2019 01:01AM | |
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. a girl write 1000 words a day and creates a novel but has trouble coming up with an ending to please editor [s] | 5 | 379 | Nov 11, 2018 09:29PM | |
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA paranormal. [s] | 3 | 37 | Jan 20, 2017 05:47AM | |
YA Buddy Readers'...: Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld - Restarting June 7th 2016 | 7 | 32 | May 31, 2016 01:55AM | |
Crazy for Young A...: Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld → Start Date: January 14th, 2016 | 13 | 22 | Jan 21, 2016 12:49AM |
Scott Westerfeld is a New York Times bestselling author of YA. He was born in the Texas and now lives in Sydney and New York City. In 2001, Westerfeld married fellow author Justine Larbalestier.
He is best known for the Uglies and Leviathan series. His next book, IMPOSTORS, returns to the world of Uglies. It comes out September 11, 2018.
He is best known for the Uglies and Leviathan series. His next book, IMPOSTORS, returns to the world of Uglies. It comes out September 11, 2018.
Articles featuring this book
The creator of the Uglies and Leviathan series answers your questions about his writing rituals, gives NaNoWriMo tips, and talks about Afterworlds,...
43 likes · 8 comments
2 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“What did a happy ending even mean in real life, anyway? In stories you simply said, 'They lived happily ever after,' and that was it. But in real life people had to keep on living, day after day, year after year.”
—
72 likes
“Being an author sucks, doesn't it? It's like telling a joke and nobody laughs for two years.”
—
30 likes
More quotes…