What do you think?
Rate this book
RWBY #1
After the Fall
Trouble is brewing . . .
After Beacon Academy fell, Coco, Fox, Velvet, and Yatsuhashi made a vow: No one else is getting left behind. It's been more than a year since Team CFVY saw their school destroyed by the creatures of Grimm, their friends felled in battle or scattered across the world of Remnant. Since then, they've been settling into life at Shade Academy in Vacuo, fighting hard to finish their training so they can find their friends and save their world.
When a distress message comes into Shade, asking for huntsmen and huntresses to defend refugees from a never-ending stream of Grimm, Team CFVY answers the call without hesitation. But in the heat of the desert, they're forced to relive their former battles, both from the fall of Beacon and from everything that came before.
Don't miss this exclusive original story straight from award-winning author E.C. Myers and RWBY's head writers, Kerry Shawcross and Miles Luna!
After Beacon Academy fell, Coco, Fox, Velvet, and Yatsuhashi made a vow: No one else is getting left behind. It's been more than a year since Team CFVY saw their school destroyed by the creatures of Grimm, their friends felled in battle or scattered across the world of Remnant. Since then, they've been settling into life at Shade Academy in Vacuo, fighting hard to finish their training so they can find their friends and save their world.
When a distress message comes into Shade, asking for huntsmen and huntresses to defend refugees from a never-ending stream of Grimm, Team CFVY answers the call without hesitation. But in the heat of the desert, they're forced to relive their former battles, both from the fall of Beacon and from everything that came before.
Don't miss this exclusive original story straight from award-winning author E.C. Myers and RWBY's head writers, Kerry Shawcross and Miles Luna!
304 pages, Paperback
First published June 25, 2019
About the author
E.C. Myers
93 books391 followersE.C. Myers was assembled in the U.S. from Korean and German parts and raised in Yonkers, NY by his mother and the public library. He is a graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop and a member of the prolific NYC writing group Altered Fluid. In the rare moments when he isn't writing, he blogs about Star Trek at The Viewscreen, reads constantly, plays video games, watches films and television, sleeps as little as possible, and spends far too much time on the internet. His first novel, FAIR COIN, won the 2012 Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy.
WATTPAD: http://www.wattpad.com/user/ecmyers
WATTPAD: http://www.wattpad.com/user/ecmyers
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
March 27, 2019
I know I'm biased because I love RWBY already, but I cannot bring myself to rate it less than 5 stars. It seems to have enough unobtrusive explanation of the world of Remnant that someone unfamiliar with the show can easily follow along, while not only being just generally the sweet, sweet content fans crave on any hiatus, but also full of lots of fun easter eggs, like settling the fan debate of whether Ozpin's omnipresent mug was always filled with coffee or hot chocolate.
For those who wish to watch RWBY (Volumes 1-5 on YouTube, all volumes including Vol. 6 on roosterteeth.com), I highly recommend watching at least Volumes 1-3 before reading, because this book does contain spoilers for Volume 3. If you haven't watched the most recent volumes, that's okay. While it is set after Volume 6, this book's heroes, Team CFVY (Coffee), are on an entirely different continent than the heroes of the show and only interact with them in flashbacks.
As for the book itself...it's not amazing - I don't think it changed my life or any other cliché about awesome things - but it is certainly very, very far from terrible. One of the four main characters is gay and one is blind, so points for diversity. Another is part of the group that has been RWBY's allegorical stand-in for POC and racism in Remnant. The novel is very character-driven and this is where it really excels; we get to see each of the members of Team CFVY at some of their lowest points in flashbacks, as well as at high points as they battle monsters and save lives. Through the highs and the lows we get a clear picture of who they are and why we should believe in them even when the situation is bleakest.
If you are a fan of RWBY already, you probably don't need me to tell you to read this book. If you're not a fan (yet), I can't give you an unbiased recommendation, but I believe there's something of value in this story for you as well. If nothing else, it can serve as a reminder that even in dark times, even when we've lost a battle, it is worth it to fight for each other.
For those who wish to watch RWBY (Volumes 1-5 on YouTube, all volumes including Vol. 6 on roosterteeth.com), I highly recommend watching at least Volumes 1-3 before reading, because this book does contain spoilers for Volume 3. If you haven't watched the most recent volumes, that's okay. While it is set after Volume 6, this book's heroes, Team CFVY (Coffee), are on an entirely different continent than the heroes of the show and only interact with them in flashbacks.
As for the book itself...it's not amazing - I don't think it changed my life or any other cliché about awesome things - but it is certainly very, very far from terrible. One of the four main characters is gay and one is blind, so points for diversity. Another is part of the group that has been RWBY's allegorical stand-in for POC and racism in Remnant. The novel is very character-driven and this is where it really excels; we get to see each of the members of Team CFVY at some of their lowest points in flashbacks, as well as at high points as they battle monsters and save lives. Through the highs and the lows we get a clear picture of who they are and why we should believe in them even when the situation is bleakest.
If you are a fan of RWBY already, you probably don't need me to tell you to read this book. If you're not a fan (yet), I can't give you an unbiased recommendation, but I believe there's something of value in this story for you as well. If nothing else, it can serve as a reminder that even in dark times, even when we've lost a battle, it is worth it to fight for each other.
December 10, 2021
I hadn't heard or read anything about RWBY before picking this audiobook before. I enjoyed the story but wasn't a new favorite and not quite intrigued to continue on with the series
August 12, 2019
I really wanted to unreservedly like this book, but, no. The backstories on Coco, Yatsu, and especially Fox (one of my favorite male characters) were welcome. But how, I ask the authors, could you completely ignore how Velvet discovered her Semblence and how she ended up with a camera as a weapon? Considering you have one of the RWBY script writers listed as a contributer this is inexcusable. I will not be persuing any further books in this series.
November 2, 2019
Bit late for a review I guess, but better late than never?
I really wanted to give this book more stars. I love RWBY, and I wanted this book to be great. And... don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed reading it and there's a lot of good stuff in it. But, from a storytelling perspective, it has so much unused potential that it hurts to think about what it could've been.
First, the positive stuff: It's a really fun book. The writing style is snappy and quippy, just what you'd expect from something in the RWBY universe. It has some intriguing mystery and twists that I really didn't see coming. The characters were given quite a bit of depth and were really enjoyable overall (Fox is flippin' amazing). It has some cool action scenes and the climax is crazy over-the-top (even though it has some pacing issues... putting a slow-paced flashback in the middle of tense action really wasn't a good choice). Overall, good time.
[Minor spoilers from here on now - I don't spoil specific plot points, but I talk a lot about the book's structure and certain things I expected to happen but never did.]
I think my biggest problem with After the Fall is the misleading synopsis which raised the wrong expectations: It says that team CFVY is confronted with their past on this mission. And that's simply not true. We get a lot of flashbacks, but they're hardly related to the present. They tell us more about who the characters are for sure, but saying that the main plot in any way confronts them with what happened at the Fall of Beacon is a very big stretch. And I suppose that's why I was so disappointed - I was expecting a character-driven book, instead I got a plot-driven book with unrelated character development in between.
Another disappointment came in the form of the theme. Said theme is stated very clearly early on, even in the synopsis: "Nobody gets left behind". And Vacuo seems like the perfect place to put that conviction to the test. That would've been the perfect way to confront team CFVY with the past - last time they left their friends behind and they died. And now they're among people who tell them that, when faced with danger, they should save themselves first and others second. Now, as per the usual story structure, the resolve not to leave anyone behind should be challenged more and more, putting the characters further and further to the test. This would either result in a negative character arc - they ultimately would leave someone behind for the greater good - or in a flat arc - they manage to cling to their conviction despite everyone and everything trying to disprove them, succesfully saving everyone.
However, while there are certainly some situations throughout the book where they could've chosen to leave someone behind and didn't, it never feels like much of a choice. They never even hesitated. Not even at the climax, which is where their conviction should face one final, enormous test.
Then there's the characters. Yes, they receive some depth. But again almost all of it happens in the form of flashbacks. The characters themselves change very little over the course of the book, there's no real character arc. The closest thing to an arc we get happens in a flashback to a past mission, and that flashback is much more compelling than anything that happens in the present storyline. It faces Coco with her fatal flaw and her worst fears and forces her and her team to grow. I wish we had gotten an arc like that in the present storyline.
Character development should be done mainly through the choices the characters make, but as mentioned there's very little of that in this book. We get a lot of inner monologue telling us about the character's struggles, but rarely do these struggles manifest through actions. Through dialogue, yes, but hardly ever through any meaningful choices. Their backstory, while often great (I especially love Yatsu's backstory) never plays into the plot in any meaningful way.
The supporting cast doesn't exactly have a lot of depth, but they're fun regardless so no complaints there.
Final verdict: After the Fall suffers from many of the same problems as RWBY itself, namely going style-over-substance and failing to unpack the potential of its characters. Boy, is there a lot of unused potential here, and if like me you're a writer and you notice these things it's likely gonna frustrate you no end. As with RWBY's scripts I wish I could've edited the hell out of this book before it got released, and I spent longer thinking about how I would've improved it than I like to admit. But if you're a casual reader and just appreciate what you get instead of focusing on what could've been, you'll have a great time. All in all, much like RWBY itself, I really recommend this book despite its flaws. Frustrating or not, it's still fun, and a great addition to the RWBY universe.
I really wanted to give this book more stars. I love RWBY, and I wanted this book to be great. And... don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed reading it and there's a lot of good stuff in it. But, from a storytelling perspective, it has so much unused potential that it hurts to think about what it could've been.
First, the positive stuff: It's a really fun book. The writing style is snappy and quippy, just what you'd expect from something in the RWBY universe. It has some intriguing mystery and twists that I really didn't see coming. The characters were given quite a bit of depth and were really enjoyable overall (Fox is flippin' amazing). It has some cool action scenes and the climax is crazy over-the-top (even though it has some pacing issues... putting a slow-paced flashback in the middle of tense action really wasn't a good choice). Overall, good time.
[Minor spoilers from here on now - I don't spoil specific plot points, but I talk a lot about the book's structure and certain things I expected to happen but never did.]
I think my biggest problem with After the Fall is the misleading synopsis which raised the wrong expectations: It says that team CFVY is confronted with their past on this mission. And that's simply not true. We get a lot of flashbacks, but they're hardly related to the present. They tell us more about who the characters are for sure, but saying that the main plot in any way confronts them with what happened at the Fall of Beacon is a very big stretch. And I suppose that's why I was so disappointed - I was expecting a character-driven book, instead I got a plot-driven book with unrelated character development in between.
Another disappointment came in the form of the theme. Said theme is stated very clearly early on, even in the synopsis: "Nobody gets left behind". And Vacuo seems like the perfect place to put that conviction to the test. That would've been the perfect way to confront team CFVY with the past - last time they left their friends behind and they died. And now they're among people who tell them that, when faced with danger, they should save themselves first and others second. Now, as per the usual story structure, the resolve not to leave anyone behind should be challenged more and more, putting the characters further and further to the test. This would either result in a negative character arc - they ultimately would leave someone behind for the greater good - or in a flat arc - they manage to cling to their conviction despite everyone and everything trying to disprove them, succesfully saving everyone.
However, while there are certainly some situations throughout the book where they could've chosen to leave someone behind and didn't, it never feels like much of a choice. They never even hesitated. Not even at the climax, which is where their conviction should face one final, enormous test.
Then there's the characters. Yes, they receive some depth. But again almost all of it happens in the form of flashbacks. The characters themselves change very little over the course of the book, there's no real character arc. The closest thing to an arc we get happens in a flashback to a past mission, and that flashback is much more compelling than anything that happens in the present storyline. It faces Coco with her fatal flaw and her worst fears and forces her and her team to grow. I wish we had gotten an arc like that in the present storyline.
Character development should be done mainly through the choices the characters make, but as mentioned there's very little of that in this book. We get a lot of inner monologue telling us about the character's struggles, but rarely do these struggles manifest through actions. Through dialogue, yes, but hardly ever through any meaningful choices. Their backstory, while often great (I especially love Yatsu's backstory) never plays into the plot in any meaningful way.
The supporting cast doesn't exactly have a lot of depth, but they're fun regardless so no complaints there.
Final verdict: After the Fall suffers from many of the same problems as RWBY itself, namely going style-over-substance and failing to unpack the potential of its characters. Boy, is there a lot of unused potential here, and if like me you're a writer and you notice these things it's likely gonna frustrate you no end. As with RWBY's scripts I wish I could've edited the hell out of this book before it got released, and I spent longer thinking about how I would've improved it than I like to admit. But if you're a casual reader and just appreciate what you get instead of focusing on what could've been, you'll have a great time. All in all, much like RWBY itself, I really recommend this book despite its flaws. Frustrating or not, it's still fun, and a great addition to the RWBY universe.
October 8, 2019
I am a huge fan of RWBY and I was really looking forward to this novel of team CFVY.
The novel was....disappointing.
For me, it will join the realm of fanon along with the mangas.
Now, for the why of labeling the novel as “disappointing.”
The writing was bad. When the book was announced, I was heartened to see a well published author had been tapped to write the novel. So I am frustrated that the writing is as poor as it is.
I dislike books that have multiple POV first person narration because it is rarely done well. This book has multiple POVs *and* poorly timed flashbacks.
The main problem with the book is it exhibits a basic lack of understanding for core RWBY world building elements. Namely, aura, semblances, and creatures of grimm. None of them work or exist in accordance with the show’s canon.
The characterization of team CFVY is off.
Velvet, one of my favorite (top 3) RWBY characters, turns into a whiny brat.
Yatsu is a “gentle giant” who is afraid of his own strength.
Coco is bland and ineffective. The writer attempts to “humanize” Coco by giving her a fear of the dark but it rings false.
Fox. Fox’s semblance is OP - he is able to use it even after his aura breaks. Also, Fox is blind. By the way, did you know Fox is blind? Just so you know, Fox is blind. The writer wants to make sure you don’t forget and so reminds you every few paragraphs. Also, Fox may be blind but his semblance lets him “see” and function as a sighted person. The author tried to write a Toph character but instead made a poorly done copy. I am not disabled so my own opinion doesn’t count for much, but the writer’s characterization of Fox and his blindness left a bad taste in my mouth. I wonder how any visually impaired readers felt about the portrayal of Fox’s blindness.
The plot was predictable and poorly executed.
The villains. Also predictable. The marketing for the novel, online and in amity arena, built up Carmine to be either Coco’s secret girlfriend or be an anti-hero rogue who becomes Coco’s girlfriend. Carmine did not go through any sort of “redemption arc” or any characterization. Basically, her potential was wasted.
And that leads me to my final complaint: the queer-baiting. The advertisement hyped up Carmine and hinted at her being Coco’s girlfriend. The novel was also hyped as confirmed a long suspected character’s sexuality. Did they go anywhere with it? No. But the author does remind you every chapter or so that Coco LIKES GIRLS but won’t act on her feelings. I personally ship Crosshares and there was one scene near the end of the novel that was clearly pandering to fans. Coco tells Velvet she doesn’t want to “lose her” and then sacrifices herself for Velvet while fighting a creature called a Grimm but does not behave or look like a Grimm. The confession is never mentioned or addressed in subsequent scenes. Take from that what you will.
The mandatory flashbacks to Beacon and Team RWBY ring hollow and not true to character. Also, Velvet calls Weiss one of her “best friends” at Beacon but one of the plot points in season 1 of the show is how Weiss is racist against Faunus. So? If anything Blake should be one of Velvet’s “best friends” from Team RWBY. The forced “foreshadowing” to season 5 ring similarly out-of-character. (Ruby spilled punch on Weiss’ dress
And now it looks like she has a “wound in her side.” Ruby suggests that they play epic fight music while they spar “like on tv.” *eye roll*)
The book also needlessly name drops characters who have no reason to know or interact with Team CFVY as their friends. Such as Penny (who we never see interact with anyone other than Team RWBY), Roy (whose name I doubt most people knew until he was put into the Amity Arena phone game and so his mentions sounded like product placement for the game), and Pyrrha. Although, Pyrrha’s mention was the most realistic.
Finally, the fight scenes. One of the best elements of RWBY is its fight scenes. Granted writing a fight scene is difficult but they should have hired a writer who is up to the task. The fight scenes, when the author bothers to show them instead of fading to flashback or skipping to post fight, are poorly written and non-canon compliant.
The novel was....disappointing.
For me, it will join the realm of fanon along with the mangas.
Now, for the why of labeling the novel as “disappointing.”
The writing was bad. When the book was announced, I was heartened to see a well published author had been tapped to write the novel. So I am frustrated that the writing is as poor as it is.
I dislike books that have multiple POV first person narration because it is rarely done well. This book has multiple POVs *and* poorly timed flashbacks.
The main problem with the book is it exhibits a basic lack of understanding for core RWBY world building elements. Namely, aura, semblances, and creatures of grimm. None of them work or exist in accordance with the show’s canon.
The characterization of team CFVY is off.
Velvet, one of my favorite (top 3) RWBY characters, turns into a whiny brat.
Yatsu is a “gentle giant” who is afraid of his own strength.
Coco is bland and ineffective. The writer attempts to “humanize” Coco by giving her a fear of the dark but it rings false.
Fox. Fox’s semblance is OP - he is able to use it even after his aura breaks. Also, Fox is blind. By the way, did you know Fox is blind? Just so you know, Fox is blind. The writer wants to make sure you don’t forget and so reminds you every few paragraphs. Also, Fox may be blind but his semblance lets him “see” and function as a sighted person. The author tried to write a Toph character but instead made a poorly done copy. I am not disabled so my own opinion doesn’t count for much, but the writer’s characterization of Fox and his blindness left a bad taste in my mouth. I wonder how any visually impaired readers felt about the portrayal of Fox’s blindness.
The plot was predictable and poorly executed.
The villains. Also predictable. The marketing for the novel, online and in amity arena, built up Carmine to be either Coco’s secret girlfriend or be an anti-hero rogue who becomes Coco’s girlfriend. Carmine did not go through any sort of “redemption arc” or any characterization. Basically, her potential was wasted.
And that leads me to my final complaint: the queer-baiting. The advertisement hyped up Carmine and hinted at her being Coco’s girlfriend. The novel was also hyped as confirmed a long suspected character’s sexuality. Did they go anywhere with it? No. But the author does remind you every chapter or so that Coco LIKES GIRLS but won’t act on her feelings. I personally ship Crosshares and there was one scene near the end of the novel that was clearly pandering to fans. Coco tells Velvet she doesn’t want to “lose her” and then sacrifices herself for Velvet while fighting a creature called a Grimm but does not behave or look like a Grimm. The confession is never mentioned or addressed in subsequent scenes. Take from that what you will.
The mandatory flashbacks to Beacon and Team RWBY ring hollow and not true to character. Also, Velvet calls Weiss one of her “best friends” at Beacon but one of the plot points in season 1 of the show is how Weiss is racist against Faunus. So? If anything Blake should be one of Velvet’s “best friends” from Team RWBY. The forced “foreshadowing” to season 5 ring similarly out-of-character. (Ruby spilled punch on Weiss’ dress
And now it looks like she has a “wound in her side.” Ruby suggests that they play epic fight music while they spar “like on tv.” *eye roll*)
The book also needlessly name drops characters who have no reason to know or interact with Team CFVY as their friends. Such as Penny (who we never see interact with anyone other than Team RWBY), Roy (whose name I doubt most people knew until he was put into the Amity Arena phone game and so his mentions sounded like product placement for the game), and Pyrrha. Although, Pyrrha’s mention was the most realistic.
Finally, the fight scenes. One of the best elements of RWBY is its fight scenes. Granted writing a fight scene is difficult but they should have hired a writer who is up to the task. The fight scenes, when the author bothers to show them instead of fading to flashback or skipping to post fight, are poorly written and non-canon compliant.
April 26, 2019
Fast-paced and action packed, we find ourselves thrust into the heart of Vacuo, where team CFVY has decided to continue their education at Shade Academy.
E.C. Meyers, an extremely talented author, does an incredible job of weaving canon moments into flashbacks, which give us a much deeper look at our beloved team. New information such as much-awaited reveal of semblances and weapon names is seamlessly integrated throughout the story.
With the flashbacks, we get to see important moments like their initiation, as well as the fateful mission from volume 2. Also: Fox and Yatsu finally get the equal screentime, love and development that they deserve. I adore Coco and Velvet, don’t get me wrong, but it was good to see all four members of team CFVY treated as equals.
One thing to note: the book is intended for a younger audience than the show, and so follows many of the YA tropes found in that genre. Ultimately it ended up feeling a lot more like I was back in volumes 1 and 2 of the show, caught up in the day to day life of huntsman teams and learning how to work together and be a stronger team without a hint of Salem or the relics or the Maidens anywhere. It was practically slice-of-life compared to volume 6. I personally thought it was heavenly, but YMMV.
On a purely aesthetic level, I loved the silhouettes of the team and Beacon that opened each chapter, letting me know who the focus was going to be on (or if it was a flashback)!
Even if you’re not particularly attached to team CFVY, the amount of world building (and team RWBY development in the flashbacks) makes it a worthwhile read for any fan of the show.
E.C. Meyers, an extremely talented author, does an incredible job of weaving canon moments into flashbacks, which give us a much deeper look at our beloved team. New information such as much-awaited reveal of semblances and weapon names is seamlessly integrated throughout the story.
With the flashbacks, we get to see important moments like their initiation, as well as the fateful mission from volume 2. Also: Fox and Yatsu finally get the equal screentime, love and development that they deserve. I adore Coco and Velvet, don’t get me wrong, but it was good to see all four members of team CFVY treated as equals.
One thing to note: the book is intended for a younger audience than the show, and so follows many of the YA tropes found in that genre. Ultimately it ended up feeling a lot more like I was back in volumes 1 and 2 of the show, caught up in the day to day life of huntsman teams and learning how to work together and be a stronger team without a hint of Salem or the relics or the Maidens anywhere. It was practically slice-of-life compared to volume 6. I personally thought it was heavenly, but YMMV.
On a purely aesthetic level, I loved the silhouettes of the team and Beacon that opened each chapter, letting me know who the focus was going to be on (or if it was a flashback)!
Even if you’re not particularly attached to team CFVY, the amount of world building (and team RWBY development in the flashbacks) makes it a worthwhile read for any fan of the show.
Shelved as 'listed-on-pangobooks'
August 9, 2023Listed this on pangobooks for $3
August 10, 2020
I had pretty low expectations before reading this and I can’t say it was spectacular but it was decent. The story was kinda random as it’s just team CFVY on a mission, but I liked seeing the characters and how they work together with their semblances and skills. Though I wish they had expanded on Carmine and Gus more, that will probably be in the next book though. Overall I enjoyed it and was a good expansion of the world of remnant 3.5 stars.
April 8, 2021
RWBY is one of my favorite shows with adorable main characters who kick ass, cheesy puns, and amazing character development. I desperately need to catch up with Volume 6 at some point. It's no surprise I'd get my hands on a copy of After the Fall. This is the first in a series based on the show.
After the Fall doesn't focus on Team RWBY like the show does, though. The book is set a year after the fall of Beacon, focusing on team CFVY as they are settling into a new life at Shade Academy to continue their training as huntsmen and huntresses.
The first novel in the RWBY novels alternates between the present when Team CFVY receives a call about Grimm attacks and their time at Beacon before the fall. Favorite characters for fans of the show make an appearance through the alternating timelines, like Team RWBY and Team SSSN. However, it takes a few chapters of disorientation with the two different timelines, which I let slide because it's more than likely a personal preference than an issue with the book.
After the Fall focuses a lot on the backgrounds of each team member and how they ended up at Beacon. Myers also goes into detail with how they ended up together as a team, and the challenges they go through as they learn to work together. This novel is really another challenge for them to work through as a team in a more practical experience.
Pacing for the first novel feels a little slow, especially for those expecting the fast-paced action of the show. But there is action throughout the novel as they try to figure out the cause of the ongoing Grimm attacks. If this were on screen, it would definitely be as fast-paced as the original!
I do, however, enjoy getting to know Team CFVY better because they make a major, however brief, appearance in the series. I'm not too sure if they're in Volume 6 or 7, either, so it's fun getting see a different team in the spotlight. After watching Volume 5, though, After the Fall feels like a true companion novel. Future volumes will continue the storyline already set up, but fans can get a taste of a different story running around the same timeline.
I feel like After the Fall turned out to be a little disappointing for me, though. Although I love reading Team CFVY's stories, I wanted more from the story. That didn't really happen as much as I hoped I would? I don't think the first book in the novelization does the show justice; I highly recommend watching the show to get up to speed before the start of the novel. It's hard to say if I want to invest in the series, but I want to see what adventure they're up to next. I think my personal love for the show will keep me interested in continuing.
This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts.
After the Fall doesn't focus on Team RWBY like the show does, though. The book is set a year after the fall of Beacon, focusing on team CFVY as they are settling into a new life at Shade Academy to continue their training as huntsmen and huntresses.
The first novel in the RWBY novels alternates between the present when Team CFVY receives a call about Grimm attacks and their time at Beacon before the fall. Favorite characters for fans of the show make an appearance through the alternating timelines, like Team RWBY and Team SSSN. However, it takes a few chapters of disorientation with the two different timelines, which I let slide because it's more than likely a personal preference than an issue with the book.
After the Fall focuses a lot on the backgrounds of each team member and how they ended up at Beacon. Myers also goes into detail with how they ended up together as a team, and the challenges they go through as they learn to work together. This novel is really another challenge for them to work through as a team in a more practical experience.
Pacing for the first novel feels a little slow, especially for those expecting the fast-paced action of the show. But there is action throughout the novel as they try to figure out the cause of the ongoing Grimm attacks. If this were on screen, it would definitely be as fast-paced as the original!
I do, however, enjoy getting to know Team CFVY better because they make a major, however brief, appearance in the series. I'm not too sure if they're in Volume 6 or 7, either, so it's fun getting see a different team in the spotlight. After watching Volume 5, though, After the Fall feels like a true companion novel. Future volumes will continue the storyline already set up, but fans can get a taste of a different story running around the same timeline.
I feel like After the Fall turned out to be a little disappointing for me, though. Although I love reading Team CFVY's stories, I wanted more from the story. That didn't really happen as much as I hoped I would? I don't think the first book in the novelization does the show justice; I highly recommend watching the show to get up to speed before the start of the novel. It's hard to say if I want to invest in the series, but I want to see what adventure they're up to next. I think my personal love for the show will keep me interested in continuing.
This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts.
July 22, 2019
I love RWBY so I loved this book. It gave details about Team CVFY that we’ve never learned before. I love that Coco is a lesbian and I really ship Yatsuhashi and Velvet! I love how Yatsuhashi has this desire to protect Velvet. Also I loved Fox’s character so much! He was hilarious. I loved how he made blind jokes like Toph from airbender XD. He and coco’s first meeting was pretty funny. I absolutely love their partnership! I love how they added to each character’s backstory. I wish we got more info about velvet. Well... Maybe in the next book we’ll get more info about Velvet.
September 9, 2019
Quite a good little book, very easy and effortless read. Fans of YA should pick this up, not just fans of the RWBY franchise. I feel a lot more affection for Team CFVY now.
August 16, 2020
Though flawed and a little muddled, AFTER THE FALL is a RWBY adventure perfect for any fan.
Spoilers for RWBY up to the end of volume 3.
RWBY (pronounced ruby) is an anime-esque web animation series from Rooster Teeth, following the journey of Ruby Rose, a Huntress-in-Training as she learns to fight against the dark creatures of Grimm. I absolutely adore this show, from the setting to the characters to the visuals to the story. The plot itself of the show is flawed and not at all perfect, but overlooking it for memorable characters, light-hearted humour, brilliantly executed action sequences and high stakes you get an emotional, epic-in-scope show, not without its moments of whimsy.
At the end of volume 3, Ruby's school, Beacon Academy, becomes overrun with Grimm, forcing her to leave with her friends after unimaginable losses. AFTER THE FALL takes place during this distressing time, following Team CFVY (pronounced coffee), who transfer to Shade Academy and embark on a dangerous mission in the Vacuo desert.
Immediately you're slingshot into the action. It's pretty hard to translate action sequences like the ones seen in the show onto page, and that's where this book struggles the most. Being a visual medium as RWBY is, the action sequences here don't always make sense. They're a little confusing to follow and sometimes a bit of a chore to read. Descriptions, equally, of settings and side characters trail behind with lacking details, but Myers does a good job at re-establishing the old characters and doesn't dwell on too many finicky things like appearance; which, good, if you're reading this book you already know what the characters look like from the show and the front cover. Of all them, Fox Alistair really stole the show. You don't get a huge look into him in RWBY, but the book breathes life into him, giving him a sharp wit and determined personality. I looked forward to reading every chapter with him as the POV.
Bertilak Celadon and Carmine Esclados, meanwhile, were frankly disappointing as new characters go. Right from the offset there's no attempt to hide the fact that a guy as horrible, mean and abrasive as Bertilak might be evil. Carmine, on the other hand, despite having her own artwork created especially for this book, is one of the most forgettable characters in the novel. She has no cardinal trait about her, no real gumption in her personality. I didn't care when she was on the page. Heck, her artwork gave her more personality!
Story-wise, I don't think the execution stuck the landing, but it was entertaining enough to enjoy. We're flipped back-and-forth between the current status of Team CFVY and a year or so before, when Beacon still stood, but I don't really think the flashback sequences added anything to the story, especially the earlier ones that showcased CFVY's first year at school and how they met Team RWBY (the latter seemed like a very unsubtle attempt to name-drop Team RWBY's members for fanservice). Most of it could've been explored within the present storyline. Characters have their own demons and fatal flaws that don't come back to hurt them in a way that would force good character growth.
If you're a hardcore RWBY fan I'd give this a read, but if I was a casual fan of the show, this book wouldn't really add to my experience of the world. That said, it's good fun entertainment, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes next.
WILL I READ ON? Yes! Second book soon.
LAST REVIEW || 2: BEFORE THE DAWN
Spoilers for RWBY up to the end of volume 3.
RWBY (pronounced ruby) is an anime-esque web animation series from Rooster Teeth, following the journey of Ruby Rose, a Huntress-in-Training as she learns to fight against the dark creatures of Grimm. I absolutely adore this show, from the setting to the characters to the visuals to the story. The plot itself of the show is flawed and not at all perfect, but overlooking it for memorable characters, light-hearted humour, brilliantly executed action sequences and high stakes you get an emotional, epic-in-scope show, not without its moments of whimsy.
At the end of volume 3, Ruby's school, Beacon Academy, becomes overrun with Grimm, forcing her to leave with her friends after unimaginable losses. AFTER THE FALL takes place during this distressing time, following Team CFVY (pronounced coffee), who transfer to Shade Academy and embark on a dangerous mission in the Vacuo desert.
Immediately you're slingshot into the action. It's pretty hard to translate action sequences like the ones seen in the show onto page, and that's where this book struggles the most. Being a visual medium as RWBY is, the action sequences here don't always make sense. They're a little confusing to follow and sometimes a bit of a chore to read. Descriptions, equally, of settings and side characters trail behind with lacking details, but Myers does a good job at re-establishing the old characters and doesn't dwell on too many finicky things like appearance; which, good, if you're reading this book you already know what the characters look like from the show and the front cover. Of all them, Fox Alistair really stole the show. You don't get a huge look into him in RWBY, but the book breathes life into him, giving him a sharp wit and determined personality. I looked forward to reading every chapter with him as the POV.
Bertilak Celadon and Carmine Esclados, meanwhile, were frankly disappointing as new characters go. Right from the offset there's no attempt to hide the fact that a guy as horrible, mean and abrasive as Bertilak might be evil. Carmine, on the other hand, despite having her own artwork created especially for this book, is one of the most forgettable characters in the novel. She has no cardinal trait about her, no real gumption in her personality. I didn't care when she was on the page. Heck, her artwork gave her more personality!
Story-wise, I don't think the execution stuck the landing, but it was entertaining enough to enjoy. We're flipped back-and-forth between the current status of Team CFVY and a year or so before, when Beacon still stood, but I don't really think the flashback sequences added anything to the story, especially the earlier ones that showcased CFVY's first year at school and how they met Team RWBY (the latter seemed like a very unsubtle attempt to name-drop Team RWBY's members for fanservice). Most of it could've been explored within the present storyline. Characters have their own demons and fatal flaws that don't come back to hurt them in a way that would force good character growth.
If you're a hardcore RWBY fan I'd give this a read, but if I was a casual fan of the show, this book wouldn't really add to my experience of the world. That said, it's good fun entertainment, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes next.
WILL I READ ON? Yes! Second book soon.
LAST REVIEW || 2: BEFORE THE DAWN
February 15, 2020
Almost the moment that this novel was announced, my husband and I had to pre-order it. He's a huge RWBY fan and got me into the series, and getting an entire novel based around Team CFVY was such an exciting prospect! He hasn't read this yet, but I'm glad I finally managed to finish it.
I should start by saying that before I read After the Fall, I did come across a video on YouTube that discussed how the book fits into the RWBY canon timeline of events, so I was obviously spoiled for almost the entire plot of the book prior to ever reading it. I tried to make sure there was some time between when I watched that video and when I read this in order for the information to not be fresh in my mind, and I partially succeeded. The story that occurs in the book's present time was still mostly new to me, but a lot of the background information given in flashback chapters had stuck with me longer, and I got through those chapters much faster because I essentially skim-read them.
You follow Team CFVY where they presently are, and for a point of reference, the story in "current-day" is occurring around the same time or shortly after the ending of volume 5 of the animated show. The team has been in the country of Vacuo, making their way to Shade Academy, since shortly after the ending of volume 3, and they've been having a time of it. We follow one major mission they're on at this point in time, but we get frequent flashbacks to the childhoods of Coco, Fox and Yatsuhashi throughout the book, and a lot of flashbacks to some of the team's time spent at Beacon.
There are a fair few chapters just dedicated to Beacon flashbacks, and in these (and towards the end of the book overall,) the narrative shifts into a third-person omniscient narration that is a little haphazard. The entire book is meant to have a third-person omniscient narrative overall, but generally Myers wrote clear breaks into the book when it was time to shift from following the thoughts and perspective of one character to the next. But after a while, we go from focusing on one character in a single paragraph to suddenly being in the headspace of a different one in the next, and I'm afraid that bothered me quite a bit.
Overall, I enjoyed this though! I think it's not entirely necessary to read for those who keep up with the show, but I enjoyed getting to know more about Team CFVY, and I think the fight scenes and world-building were spectacular. This has, if anything, whet my appetite and made me eager to see how the animators are going to handle the setting of Vacuo and Shade Academy when they get to it in the show.
I should start by saying that before I read After the Fall, I did come across a video on YouTube that discussed how the book fits into the RWBY canon timeline of events, so I was obviously spoiled for almost the entire plot of the book prior to ever reading it. I tried to make sure there was some time between when I watched that video and when I read this in order for the information to not be fresh in my mind, and I partially succeeded. The story that occurs in the book's present time was still mostly new to me, but a lot of the background information given in flashback chapters had stuck with me longer, and I got through those chapters much faster because I essentially skim-read them.
You follow Team CFVY where they presently are, and for a point of reference, the story in "current-day" is occurring around the same time or shortly after the ending of volume 5 of the animated show. The team has been in the country of Vacuo, making their way to Shade Academy, since shortly after the ending of volume 3, and they've been having a time of it. We follow one major mission they're on at this point in time, but we get frequent flashbacks to the childhoods of Coco, Fox and Yatsuhashi throughout the book, and a lot of flashbacks to some of the team's time spent at Beacon.
There are a fair few chapters just dedicated to Beacon flashbacks, and in these (and towards the end of the book overall,) the narrative shifts into a third-person omniscient narration that is a little haphazard. The entire book is meant to have a third-person omniscient narrative overall, but generally Myers wrote clear breaks into the book when it was time to shift from following the thoughts and perspective of one character to the next. But after a while, we go from focusing on one character in a single paragraph to suddenly being in the headspace of a different one in the next, and I'm afraid that bothered me quite a bit.
Overall, I enjoyed this though! I think it's not entirely necessary to read for those who keep up with the show, but I enjoyed getting to know more about Team CFVY, and I think the fight scenes and world-building were spectacular. This has, if anything, whet my appetite and made me eager to see how the animators are going to handle the setting of Vacuo and Shade Academy when they get to it in the show.
January 19, 2020
This was a surprisingly fun little romp in the world of RWBY! I wasn’t sure what to expect from a novel about a show that Is so extremely visual - and a few descriptions and explanations are only done briefly, so I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who wasn’t already familiar with the show, but I’m really glad I stuck with it. It gets a lot better as it goes and gives a lot of very good background detail that the show will absolutely never get the chance to explore. It was a bit quick too, but it deals with a decent amount of character growth over the course of the story so I’m actually pretty pleased with the whole thing overall. It gets a lot of credit for making me really love characters who barely had any lines (and none, in some cases) before now, so no complaints there at all!
July 26, 2021
This book, in my opinion, didn’t need quite so many POVs, flashbacks (literally who thought it was a good idea to put a big flashback in the middle of a fight scene?), and backstories. Especially the shoehorned team RWBY flashbacks really went on my nerves – yes, they are the protagonists of the show this book is based on, but they don’t need fifteen thousand cameos in a story that isn’t about them at all. There was so much material that is filler, that what we saw from the actual storyline seemed quite underdeveloped. I didn’t feel like any of the titular characters seemed to shin.
The only good thing I can say for this book was that it avoided making Fox a “I can’t see but magic makes me see” trope. He is blind and has a semblance that helps him locate aura (and thus humans), but he still relies on the directions of others, and accessibility software in fighting. His disability isn’t magically fixed, and is still a concern, making all his fight scenes quite dynamic and engaging. However, this wasn’t the case with the other fights. The big flashy brawls that works so well in RWBY, are more suited to an audio-visual medium than literature, and I don’t think they were adapted well to the page.
The only good thing I can say for this book was that it avoided making Fox a “I can’t see but magic makes me see” trope. He is blind and has a semblance that helps him locate aura (and thus humans), but he still relies on the directions of others, and accessibility software in fighting. His disability isn’t magically fixed, and is still a concern, making all his fight scenes quite dynamic and engaging. However, this wasn’t the case with the other fights. The big flashy brawls that works so well in RWBY, are more suited to an audio-visual medium than literature, and I don’t think they were adapted well to the page.
March 21, 2021
-Spoiler-Free Review From A RWBY Fanboy-
This was an amazing book, without doubt, and I will definitely be thinking about reading it again in the future. The book takes place largely in 2 halves, with half being the adventure set some time shortly after Sun Wukong left team RWBY and JNR behind, and half being a collection of snippets from team CFVY's time at Beacon going from their first meetings all the way to their choice to leave Beacon behind and enroll at Shade academy to finish off their Huntsmen educations. The main story is engrossing, exciting, and equal parts fun and devastatingly sad. We see how team CFVY has been affected by the fall of Beacon, by events even before that, how they're handling their new lives, and it makes what happened so tangible, especially since in books you can get inside of the heads of the characters, which is what happens, with each new chapter of the main story switching perspectives from one member of the team to the next as dictated by whichever one's silhouette is on the page at the start of the chapter; the Beacon chapters have a silhouette of Beacon on their first pages and change perspective often throughout each chapter, but noticeably and smoothly enough for the changes not to hinder one's reading of them. In a RWBY book, however, while a strong emotional through-line is important, the fights are more so.
RWBY is known for its fluid and complex fight scenes, with them being, alongside the music, in my opinion, the main draw of the show. This means two things: The fight scenes have to live up to the ones in RWBY proper, and the fight scenes have to be extremely detailed. Both of these things are hard to do when writing, as you have to rely heavily on a reader to be able to envision the fight while you draw them a rough diagram of it with word that can be misconstrued easily, all while you have to keep the writing snappy so that the action feels intense and epic rather than slow, tired, and boring. Luckily, the writer of this book is pretty darn good at describing action. Often I had to reread the action scenes in the book, but that's because I read fast and my brain moves fast, which means that I skim over some things, which, when every single little word matters, as they do in this book's fights, can make reading a bit hectic. Still, with only one or two rereads I was able to pretty clearly envision each and every fight scene, even if some were better described than others. Now, it's about time I bring up an issue I noticed when reading this book. It starts out with longer chapters, but the final chapters take up very little space, and whether this was because the writer wasn't allowed to go beyond a certain page count or they were rushing to meet a deadline, it's noticeable.
While the first three-quarters of the book takes its time, developing complex fight scenes and describing everything in rather vivid detail, the final quarter begins to rush, skipping around and making the reader miss out on parts of fight scenes, sometimes forgetting the logic and continuity of the story, and ending, in general, far too fast. I wouldn't say that the ending was bad, but what could easily have been stretched over either a larger number of chapters or longer chapters, instead get's crushed into about 5 chapters that take up a very small amount of the book, despite having some of the most important and epic scenes of the entire book within them. And I mean that the scenes SHOULD be the most epic and important, the scenes that should be important still are, but the importance feels vague and fake, while the scenes that should be epic feel just plain rushed and rather bland and unsatisfying. The ending didn't anger me, it's not like the RWBY episode 'Risk' where everything rushes so fast that nothing feels at all special or cool, but it is still a disappointing ending that I can only assume is down to the publisher telling the author to either hurry up or keep the page count beneath 300. Still, the ending does have a pretty good scene with Coco in a rather slimy situation and for the first half of it, it's pretty damn well written, even if the writing really begins to rush again by the end of it.
The fight scenes aren't the only part that suffers at the end, as the emotional core of the story does as well. Instead of taking their time, the writer rushes through the team deciding to leave Beacon, Velvet accepting Shade as her new home, and Velvet's confrontation with Coco about not wanted to come to Vacuo largely being forgotten as soon as it happened. The emotional core is the least affected, but it still is noticeably shallow at the end, especially considering the brutality of earlier chapters, with the reveal of what happened that shook Coco and the team so badly legitimately shaking me to my core, as well as the team. The prologue is also very good at sticking the knife in and twisting it just right. The end, however, really does just feel kinda empty when it comes to the emotions presented within it. Now, I think it might be time to talk about the dialogue because the dialogue is one of my biggest issues with the book. The writer is very good at embodying the character they're writing, but they aren't good at connecting points and ideas at a small or large scale much at all. Allow me to explain. Whenever two characters are talking they sound like they should, but how they respond to each other and change the subject, while what is written is perfectly in character, is just unnatural. They don't bridge ideas when they're talking, none of the characters do, and the prose doesn't either.
It's not like that's some stylistic decision, it's not a decision, it's a failing of the writer that holds me back from enjoying the book, and even if it were a decision, it'd be a bad one that the writer should know better than to make. The writer also has a bad habit of saying things very weirdly, meaning that he replaces some common words or sentence structures with less normal ones that just sound out of place. He will replace 'flew' with 'winged' for instance, or he'll use passive voice to describe things when everybody knows not to use passive voice ever because it's slow and boring and breaks up sentences in really weird ways. Another failing of the writer is in how he handles Fox's semblance. His semblance is telepathy, he can speak to people in their minds and they can speak to him, he can also sense people's minds and animals' minds and the Grimm's lack of minds. The way this is shown is by the use of italics, which is a very good idea as italics often denote though, however the writer is either being inconsistent with a lot of things or one thing that makes it seem like a lot of things. These inconsistencies could be in his use of italics when it comes to Fox specifically, or he is inconsistent with his use of the words 'sent' and 'said,' or he is inconsistent with his quotation marks.
I am too lazy to flip through the book and track down if he always uses quotation marks and italics for telepathic speech or if he swapped between them, and the fact that I don't know for certain if he always did or not is a major issue. I almost never knew if Fox specifically was speaking telepathically or normally, because so often his speech was italicized and yet the author wrote that Fox 'said' something, so was that both telepathic and spoken or was it one or the other or what? The fact that I have no clue is a major failing on behalf of the author and its one I hope he rectifies in the second book in this series which I will hopefully be reading within a week's time. Oh, but I'm not done taking issues with this book yet, but before I continue, allow me to reiterate that this book is amazing, I just have a lot of issues with it and I remember them in more detail than I remember specific things to compliment the book on, so just take my word here, alright? This book contains multiple twists, none of which I will spoil, but the first is one that I saw coming from a mile away, and I think that Velvet did as well, and yet the way she behaved never really indicated that despite the writing acting like it somehow did. That's certainly an issue. The second twist was really fucking good and I really didn't see it coming despite the fact that looking back on it, it was pretty obvious.
The third twist is one I knew was coming, but not one I had predicted. I knew a twist was coming, and honestly, I could tell you who it involved and it wouldn't spoil anything, but I'm not going to just to be kind, but despite knowing the twist was coming I had no idea what it would actually be. Now, this isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but the reason I knew a twist was coming wasn't because the hints were sprinkled in and I could piece them together, it was because the book hit me over the head with the fact that certain characters were acting strange and that they must be hiding something, so when the twist was revealed I didn't feel surprised or even like I had earned something, it just felt like I finally knew something new and while what I learned was awesome and cool, so much impact was lost because of the fact that I was beaten over the head with the fact that there was going to be a twist. Another thing I need to mention isn't a problem with a twist, as it isn't a twist so much as an answer to a mystery that both myself and the characters forgot even existed. (and I don't mean that as an insult, it's actually good writing that I was so wrapped up in the story that I forgot about a small mystery that was kinda shrugged aside early on)
The reveal comes near the end of the book and when it comes it once again feels like something that was unearned and the reveal actually makes the story kinda fall apart in some small areas. It involves the Caspians, and sadly I can't go into detail, but let's just say that the reveal leads to some information about the Caspians that makes me question why on earth they were doing some of what they were at all, like, really, after the reveal it feels like they have to be complete idiots in order for the basis for the story to actually make sense. Now I know I've been shitting on this book for like 6 pages now, but it really is just because it's easier to remember and talk about things you hate than it is to talk about things you like. I love this book. It really was an amazing and quick read that engrossed me in the world of RWBY and in the lives of these side characters. The flashbacks are absolutely phenomenal, and while the writing has many flaws, the prose is generally really nice and sleek. The characters are all written amazingly, the settings are brilliantly described, and there's nothing quite like getting a good bit of information on people's trauma before getting a good fight before getting a good bit of comedy and some emotional moments, and then getting it all over again. This book deserves its 8/10, but it really does earn those 2 missing points. Also, dear god, I love all of team CFVY SO MUCH!!!
This was an amazing book, without doubt, and I will definitely be thinking about reading it again in the future. The book takes place largely in 2 halves, with half being the adventure set some time shortly after Sun Wukong left team RWBY and JNR behind, and half being a collection of snippets from team CFVY's time at Beacon going from their first meetings all the way to their choice to leave Beacon behind and enroll at Shade academy to finish off their Huntsmen educations. The main story is engrossing, exciting, and equal parts fun and devastatingly sad. We see how team CFVY has been affected by the fall of Beacon, by events even before that, how they're handling their new lives, and it makes what happened so tangible, especially since in books you can get inside of the heads of the characters, which is what happens, with each new chapter of the main story switching perspectives from one member of the team to the next as dictated by whichever one's silhouette is on the page at the start of the chapter; the Beacon chapters have a silhouette of Beacon on their first pages and change perspective often throughout each chapter, but noticeably and smoothly enough for the changes not to hinder one's reading of them. In a RWBY book, however, while a strong emotional through-line is important, the fights are more so.
RWBY is known for its fluid and complex fight scenes, with them being, alongside the music, in my opinion, the main draw of the show. This means two things: The fight scenes have to live up to the ones in RWBY proper, and the fight scenes have to be extremely detailed. Both of these things are hard to do when writing, as you have to rely heavily on a reader to be able to envision the fight while you draw them a rough diagram of it with word that can be misconstrued easily, all while you have to keep the writing snappy so that the action feels intense and epic rather than slow, tired, and boring. Luckily, the writer of this book is pretty darn good at describing action. Often I had to reread the action scenes in the book, but that's because I read fast and my brain moves fast, which means that I skim over some things, which, when every single little word matters, as they do in this book's fights, can make reading a bit hectic. Still, with only one or two rereads I was able to pretty clearly envision each and every fight scene, even if some were better described than others. Now, it's about time I bring up an issue I noticed when reading this book. It starts out with longer chapters, but the final chapters take up very little space, and whether this was because the writer wasn't allowed to go beyond a certain page count or they were rushing to meet a deadline, it's noticeable.
While the first three-quarters of the book takes its time, developing complex fight scenes and describing everything in rather vivid detail, the final quarter begins to rush, skipping around and making the reader miss out on parts of fight scenes, sometimes forgetting the logic and continuity of the story, and ending, in general, far too fast. I wouldn't say that the ending was bad, but what could easily have been stretched over either a larger number of chapters or longer chapters, instead get's crushed into about 5 chapters that take up a very small amount of the book, despite having some of the most important and epic scenes of the entire book within them. And I mean that the scenes SHOULD be the most epic and important, the scenes that should be important still are, but the importance feels vague and fake, while the scenes that should be epic feel just plain rushed and rather bland and unsatisfying. The ending didn't anger me, it's not like the RWBY episode 'Risk' where everything rushes so fast that nothing feels at all special or cool, but it is still a disappointing ending that I can only assume is down to the publisher telling the author to either hurry up or keep the page count beneath 300. Still, the ending does have a pretty good scene with Coco in a rather slimy situation and for the first half of it, it's pretty damn well written, even if the writing really begins to rush again by the end of it.
The fight scenes aren't the only part that suffers at the end, as the emotional core of the story does as well. Instead of taking their time, the writer rushes through the team deciding to leave Beacon, Velvet accepting Shade as her new home, and Velvet's confrontation with Coco about not wanted to come to Vacuo largely being forgotten as soon as it happened. The emotional core is the least affected, but it still is noticeably shallow at the end, especially considering the brutality of earlier chapters, with the reveal of what happened that shook Coco and the team so badly legitimately shaking me to my core, as well as the team. The prologue is also very good at sticking the knife in and twisting it just right. The end, however, really does just feel kinda empty when it comes to the emotions presented within it. Now, I think it might be time to talk about the dialogue because the dialogue is one of my biggest issues with the book. The writer is very good at embodying the character they're writing, but they aren't good at connecting points and ideas at a small or large scale much at all. Allow me to explain. Whenever two characters are talking they sound like they should, but how they respond to each other and change the subject, while what is written is perfectly in character, is just unnatural. They don't bridge ideas when they're talking, none of the characters do, and the prose doesn't either.
It's not like that's some stylistic decision, it's not a decision, it's a failing of the writer that holds me back from enjoying the book, and even if it were a decision, it'd be a bad one that the writer should know better than to make. The writer also has a bad habit of saying things very weirdly, meaning that he replaces some common words or sentence structures with less normal ones that just sound out of place. He will replace 'flew' with 'winged' for instance, or he'll use passive voice to describe things when everybody knows not to use passive voice ever because it's slow and boring and breaks up sentences in really weird ways. Another failing of the writer is in how he handles Fox's semblance. His semblance is telepathy, he can speak to people in their minds and they can speak to him, he can also sense people's minds and animals' minds and the Grimm's lack of minds. The way this is shown is by the use of italics, which is a very good idea as italics often denote though, however the writer is either being inconsistent with a lot of things or one thing that makes it seem like a lot of things. These inconsistencies could be in his use of italics when it comes to Fox specifically, or he is inconsistent with his use of the words 'sent' and 'said,' or he is inconsistent with his quotation marks.
I am too lazy to flip through the book and track down if he always uses quotation marks and italics for telepathic speech or if he swapped between them, and the fact that I don't know for certain if he always did or not is a major issue. I almost never knew if Fox specifically was speaking telepathically or normally, because so often his speech was italicized and yet the author wrote that Fox 'said' something, so was that both telepathic and spoken or was it one or the other or what? The fact that I have no clue is a major failing on behalf of the author and its one I hope he rectifies in the second book in this series which I will hopefully be reading within a week's time. Oh, but I'm not done taking issues with this book yet, but before I continue, allow me to reiterate that this book is amazing, I just have a lot of issues with it and I remember them in more detail than I remember specific things to compliment the book on, so just take my word here, alright? This book contains multiple twists, none of which I will spoil, but the first is one that I saw coming from a mile away, and I think that Velvet did as well, and yet the way she behaved never really indicated that despite the writing acting like it somehow did. That's certainly an issue. The second twist was really fucking good and I really didn't see it coming despite the fact that looking back on it, it was pretty obvious.
The third twist is one I knew was coming, but not one I had predicted. I knew a twist was coming, and honestly, I could tell you who it involved and it wouldn't spoil anything, but I'm not going to just to be kind, but despite knowing the twist was coming I had no idea what it would actually be. Now, this isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but the reason I knew a twist was coming wasn't because the hints were sprinkled in and I could piece them together, it was because the book hit me over the head with the fact that certain characters were acting strange and that they must be hiding something, so when the twist was revealed I didn't feel surprised or even like I had earned something, it just felt like I finally knew something new and while what I learned was awesome and cool, so much impact was lost because of the fact that I was beaten over the head with the fact that there was going to be a twist. Another thing I need to mention isn't a problem with a twist, as it isn't a twist so much as an answer to a mystery that both myself and the characters forgot even existed. (and I don't mean that as an insult, it's actually good writing that I was so wrapped up in the story that I forgot about a small mystery that was kinda shrugged aside early on)
The reveal comes near the end of the book and when it comes it once again feels like something that was unearned and the reveal actually makes the story kinda fall apart in some small areas. It involves the Caspians, and sadly I can't go into detail, but let's just say that the reveal leads to some information about the Caspians that makes me question why on earth they were doing some of what they were at all, like, really, after the reveal it feels like they have to be complete idiots in order for the basis for the story to actually make sense. Now I know I've been shitting on this book for like 6 pages now, but it really is just because it's easier to remember and talk about things you hate than it is to talk about things you like. I love this book. It really was an amazing and quick read that engrossed me in the world of RWBY and in the lives of these side characters. The flashbacks are absolutely phenomenal, and while the writing has many flaws, the prose is generally really nice and sleek. The characters are all written amazingly, the settings are brilliantly described, and there's nothing quite like getting a good bit of information on people's trauma before getting a good fight before getting a good bit of comedy and some emotional moments, and then getting it all over again. This book deserves its 8/10, but it really does earn those 2 missing points. Also, dear god, I love all of team CFVY SO MUCH!!!
August 12, 2019
I finished this book in a single night. I haven't finished a book in a single night for four years.
After the Fall is an enjoyable spin-off on the RWBY animated series, starring the one and only Team CFVY (Coffee). I fell in love with Team CFVY the moment they kicked butt in the Volume 2 finale, and I never thought they got enough screentime afterwards. So imagine my joy when I heard this book was a thing!
Speaking of the characters, they're what really sells the book. I love all of them. Some more than others, but I do love all of them. Coco, the stylish type A team leader with a reputation for breaking girls' hearts, is easily my favorite of the bunch. She has a nice platonic partnership with Fox, a blind, snarky telepath. Velvet is adorable and sympathetic, and her shyness and desire to prove herself are all too relatable. But the dark horse for me was Yatsuhashi. He seemed pretty unremarkable in the tv series, since he never said much of anything, but here he turns out to be a sweet, gentle giant with surprisingly fitting insecurities and inner conflicts. His relationship with Velvet is adorable and honestly? It has me really hoping that they'll become a couple later on (though I wouldn't be opposed to Velvet x Coco, either). They're all strong characters and they come together to also have strong chemistry as a team. It's all just super fabulous.
And it's pretty readable, too. That's why I managed to finish it in a night. The plot is fun and fast-paced, and one of the twists actually surprised me. It's also got me thinking about how the whole thing is connected to RWBY's plot at large, and now I'm excited.
That said, it's definitely not without its flaws. The writing is . . . it's pretty poor. I never expected it to be a literary masterpiece, since it's just a spin-off of an animated series, but holy heck. In the main plot, viewpoints are confined to one character, so it's pretty jarring in flashback chapters when the viewpoint is omniscient and we suddenly (and crudely) jump from one character's head to another. It left me feeling frustrated.
Because the writing is poor, it's also not accessible to people who haven't watched RWBY. RWBY's worldbuilding is terrific, and it's one of my favorite fictional universes of all time. But it works because it's been slowly built up over the course of six seasons. This book can't effectively cover all that ground in a fast-paced 300 page book. Myers tried to make it accessible to non-RWBY fans, but he just wasn't successful. After the Fall does do a good job on capitalizing on the worldbuilding that RWBY fans knew about it, though. More than anything, it's like a cherry on top for those who're already acquainted with RWBY.
This may feel like an odd complaint, but I also thought Team RWBY also had too much pagetime. Yes, they're relatively minor characters here, and yes, they only appear in flashbacks. But it also felt like they were put where they weren't needed. I adore Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang as much as the next RWBY fan, but come on. RWBY has their own tv show. Let CFVY shine in their book.
Another thing I'd like to address isn't so much a complaint as a personal disappointment. I can't pin down what made me think that Coco and Carmine had feelings for each other, but if you also come in with that expectation, don't hold your breath. Coco thinks Carmine is attractive for a second and that's it. They don't have any interactions with each other beyond that. Which is fine, the plot works well regardless. But it smells like a missed opportunity. Something tells me a deeper relationship between the two of them could have fleshed out the two women even further and raised the emotional stakes . Ah well, we can't always get what we want.
It's definitely not perfect, but After the Fall was still a fun popcorn read. It got me out of my reading slump. And sometimes, that's all you really need. Totally recommended for fellow RWBY fans.
After the Fall is an enjoyable spin-off on the RWBY animated series, starring the one and only Team CFVY (Coffee). I fell in love with Team CFVY the moment they kicked butt in the Volume 2 finale, and I never thought they got enough screentime afterwards. So imagine my joy when I heard this book was a thing!
Speaking of the characters, they're what really sells the book. I love all of them. Some more than others, but I do love all of them. Coco, the stylish type A team leader with a reputation for breaking girls' hearts, is easily my favorite of the bunch. She has a nice platonic partnership with Fox, a blind, snarky telepath. Velvet is adorable and sympathetic, and her shyness and desire to prove herself are all too relatable. But the dark horse for me was Yatsuhashi. He seemed pretty unremarkable in the tv series, since he never said much of anything, but here he turns out to be a sweet, gentle giant with surprisingly fitting insecurities and inner conflicts. His relationship with Velvet is adorable and honestly? It has me really hoping that they'll become a couple later on (though I wouldn't be opposed to Velvet x Coco, either). They're all strong characters and they come together to also have strong chemistry as a team. It's all just super fabulous.
And it's pretty readable, too. That's why I managed to finish it in a night. The plot is fun and fast-paced, and one of the twists actually surprised me. It's also got me thinking about how the whole thing is connected to RWBY's plot at large, and now I'm excited.
That said, it's definitely not without its flaws. The writing is . . . it's pretty poor. I never expected it to be a literary masterpiece, since it's just a spin-off of an animated series, but holy heck. In the main plot, viewpoints are confined to one character, so it's pretty jarring in flashback chapters when the viewpoint is omniscient and we suddenly (and crudely) jump from one character's head to another. It left me feeling frustrated.
Because the writing is poor, it's also not accessible to people who haven't watched RWBY. RWBY's worldbuilding is terrific, and it's one of my favorite fictional universes of all time. But it works because it's been slowly built up over the course of six seasons. This book can't effectively cover all that ground in a fast-paced 300 page book. Myers tried to make it accessible to non-RWBY fans, but he just wasn't successful. After the Fall does do a good job on capitalizing on the worldbuilding that RWBY fans knew about it, though. More than anything, it's like a cherry on top for those who're already acquainted with RWBY.
This may feel like an odd complaint, but I also thought Team RWBY also had too much pagetime. Yes, they're relatively minor characters here, and yes, they only appear in flashbacks. But it also felt like they were put where they weren't needed. I adore Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang as much as the next RWBY fan, but come on. RWBY has their own tv show. Let CFVY shine in their book.
Another thing I'd like to address isn't so much a complaint as a personal disappointment. I can't pin down what made me think that Coco and Carmine had feelings for each other, but if you also come in with that expectation, don't hold your breath. Coco thinks Carmine is attractive for a second and that's it. They don't have any interactions with each other beyond that. Which is fine, the plot works well regardless. But it smells like a missed opportunity. Something tells me a deeper relationship between the two of them could have fleshed out the two women even further and raised the emotional stakes . Ah well, we can't always get what we want.
It's definitely not perfect, but After the Fall was still a fun popcorn read. It got me out of my reading slump. And sometimes, that's all you really need. Totally recommended for fellow RWBY fans.
September 14, 2020
This is my first time reading a book based on some other form of media (that I can remember), in this case an animated web series. If you’ve never seen RWBY before I feel like the book does try to take into account new fans and doesn’t shy away from explaining concepts people who have watched the show already understand, but since I’m not going into this with no knowledge I’m not sure how successful the attempt was. If you do want to watch the show before reading the book you only need to watch through volume three.
That being said, I’m going to be writing this review with the assumption that you’ve already watched the show since this would be extremely long if I try to explain everything about the show. Mild spoilers ahead for RWBY up to volume four.
After the Fall takes place over a year after the fall of Beacon Academy and, like the cover implies, follows Team CFVY. I was super hyped when I saw this because I’ve always been curious about Team CFVY. In the show you see them fight multiple times, but you don’t get to know them as well as Team RWBY or Team JNPR. This book finally aims to fix that though.
In After the Fall you discover that Team CFVY has decided to continue their studies at Shade Academy, located in the desert kingdom of Vacuo. They take on a mission that leads them to encounter a woman named Slate and her fellow desert nomads. Tagging along with the nomads are a Huntsman and Huntress who are protecting an older Huntsman and his grandchild as they make their way through Vacuo.
Slate informs the team that they’ve been traveling together for the past month as they’ve escaped three Grimm attacks in three different settlements. No one knows what is causing the increase in Grimm attacks other than the fact that everyone in the settlement feels an unnatural increase in their emotions before an attack. The strong negative emotions caused by these “mood bombs” draw the Grimm to the settlements, but no one knows what is causing the sudden change in their emotions. Team CFVY agrees to help discover the cause of the mood bombs and protect the nomads from any more Grimm attacks.
The plot was mostly entertaining, but I did find myself getting bored at times. I was interested in finding out what was creating the mood bombs, but it’s not that hard of a mystery to solve. I feel like the best part of the book was exploring a new area of Remnant that hasn’t been in the show yet. If RWBY does one thing well it’s creating a diverse world with realistic groups of people, and Vacuo felt unique compared to the other settings in the RWBY universe.
Other than exploring a new part of Remnant, I also enjoyed finally getting to know about Team CFVY. Along with getting to know their personalities, you learn about their semblances and their past. Through them you also learn about what became of Vale after the attack. This information has been sorely missing from the show and I’m glad that I’ve finally learned more about it.
I started this story being only interested in Coco and Velvet: Coco because I love her style and Velvet because I love her powers. I ended up loving every member of Team CFVY though.
Coco is the leader of the team. Even though she gives off a cocky appearance she has her doubts and worries. She feels the need to be the perfect leader and take responsibility for everything, but she starts to question her ideas about leadership when her teammates voice their frustrations about how she acts. I enjoyed this extra layer to Coco as it made her more relatable.
Velvet’s personality was the biggest surprise of all. The show gave me the impression that she was quiet and shy, and while she is around people she isn’t close with she’s pretty outspoken around her friends. I loved this play on expectations. She’s also the type of character who hates it when people look down on her, and feels the need to prove herself to her teammates.
Yatsuhashi is the definition of “looks like they could kill you, but is actually a cinnamon roll.” He’s big and strong but was also the most mellow out of the entire group. His caring demeanor made me look forward to his chapters the most. I found his ability to erase people’s memories intriguing along with his aversion to use it.
For whatever reason I never noticed in the show that Fox was blind, so it was interesting getting to learn that about him. I love how RWBY portrays their disabled characters because they’re always as competent as any other character would be. Fox was the funny guy of the group and he’s also the only one that’s actually from Vacuo. I wish we got more chapters from his perspective because I enjoyed both his jokes and his commentary about Vacuo.
I have to say that this is the most diverse team I’ve seen from RWBY. You have two males and two females. Fox has dark brown skin and is blind while Yatsuhashi has a tanned, Asian appearance. Coco is a lesbian and Velvet is a Faunus (a race that is discriminated against by certain people in the RWBY universe). This is definitely the most diverse RWBY team so far and I love it.
There were a host of enjoyable side characters. Slate was an awesome leader of the nomads. Edward, the old Huntsman, and Gus, his grandchild, were amazing and I adored their relationship. I liked Carmine and Bertilak, the Huntress and Huntsman protecting Edward and Gus, because they added a layer to the story that was necessary. I wish we would’ve learned more about their history though to flesh them out more.
There is no romance in this story for anyone hoping for some, but I personally was getting major Yatsuhashi and Velvet vibes.
The writing for the story was good. They nailed the feel of the RWBY characters, but the writing stumbled during fight scenes. After watching amazing animated RWBY fights for years I should’ve guessed that anything otherwise would always be subpar. Each chapter was told from a different team member, except for every third chapter which took place in the past and was more omniscient. The chapters could get long in the beginning, but they got shorter by the end of the book. Having the book start with long chapters and end with shorter chapters made the ending feel rushed compared to the beginning.
After the Fall was a great RWBY book. I was expecting it to be terrible because I wasn’t sure how an animated web series would transfer to book format, but it works. It probably helped that the story is completely new and not just a rehash of what has already been shown in the web series. I enjoyed learning about Team CFVY, and even though I only started reading this book for Coco and Velvet I ended up caring about each member. The plot was fairly basic, but it made up for it by delivering information I’ve been curious about for a while. I think any fan of RWBY would enjoy this book, especially if you’ve always wanted to learn more about Team CFVY like me. And yes, they’re as awesome as the show has led us to believe.
That being said, I’m going to be writing this review with the assumption that you’ve already watched the show since this would be extremely long if I try to explain everything about the show. Mild spoilers ahead for RWBY up to volume four.
After the Fall takes place over a year after the fall of Beacon Academy and, like the cover implies, follows Team CFVY. I was super hyped when I saw this because I’ve always been curious about Team CFVY. In the show you see them fight multiple times, but you don’t get to know them as well as Team RWBY or Team JNPR. This book finally aims to fix that though.
In After the Fall you discover that Team CFVY has decided to continue their studies at Shade Academy, located in the desert kingdom of Vacuo. They take on a mission that leads them to encounter a woman named Slate and her fellow desert nomads. Tagging along with the nomads are a Huntsman and Huntress who are protecting an older Huntsman and his grandchild as they make their way through Vacuo.
Slate informs the team that they’ve been traveling together for the past month as they’ve escaped three Grimm attacks in three different settlements. No one knows what is causing the increase in Grimm attacks other than the fact that everyone in the settlement feels an unnatural increase in their emotions before an attack. The strong negative emotions caused by these “mood bombs” draw the Grimm to the settlements, but no one knows what is causing the sudden change in their emotions. Team CFVY agrees to help discover the cause of the mood bombs and protect the nomads from any more Grimm attacks.
The plot was mostly entertaining, but I did find myself getting bored at times. I was interested in finding out what was creating the mood bombs, but it’s not that hard of a mystery to solve. I feel like the best part of the book was exploring a new area of Remnant that hasn’t been in the show yet. If RWBY does one thing well it’s creating a diverse world with realistic groups of people, and Vacuo felt unique compared to the other settings in the RWBY universe.
Other than exploring a new part of Remnant, I also enjoyed finally getting to know about Team CFVY. Along with getting to know their personalities, you learn about their semblances and their past. Through them you also learn about what became of Vale after the attack. This information has been sorely missing from the show and I’m glad that I’ve finally learned more about it.
I started this story being only interested in Coco and Velvet: Coco because I love her style and Velvet because I love her powers. I ended up loving every member of Team CFVY though.
Coco is the leader of the team. Even though she gives off a cocky appearance she has her doubts and worries. She feels the need to be the perfect leader and take responsibility for everything, but she starts to question her ideas about leadership when her teammates voice their frustrations about how she acts. I enjoyed this extra layer to Coco as it made her more relatable.
Velvet’s personality was the biggest surprise of all. The show gave me the impression that she was quiet and shy, and while she is around people she isn’t close with she’s pretty outspoken around her friends. I loved this play on expectations. She’s also the type of character who hates it when people look down on her, and feels the need to prove herself to her teammates.
Yatsuhashi is the definition of “looks like they could kill you, but is actually a cinnamon roll.” He’s big and strong but was also the most mellow out of the entire group. His caring demeanor made me look forward to his chapters the most. I found his ability to erase people’s memories intriguing along with his aversion to use it.
For whatever reason I never noticed in the show that Fox was blind, so it was interesting getting to learn that about him. I love how RWBY portrays their disabled characters because they’re always as competent as any other character would be. Fox was the funny guy of the group and he’s also the only one that’s actually from Vacuo. I wish we got more chapters from his perspective because I enjoyed both his jokes and his commentary about Vacuo.
I have to say that this is the most diverse team I’ve seen from RWBY. You have two males and two females. Fox has dark brown skin and is blind while Yatsuhashi has a tanned, Asian appearance. Coco is a lesbian and Velvet is a Faunus (a race that is discriminated against by certain people in the RWBY universe). This is definitely the most diverse RWBY team so far and I love it.
There were a host of enjoyable side characters. Slate was an awesome leader of the nomads. Edward, the old Huntsman, and Gus, his grandchild, were amazing and I adored their relationship. I liked Carmine and Bertilak, the Huntress and Huntsman protecting Edward and Gus, because they added a layer to the story that was necessary. I wish we would’ve learned more about their history though to flesh them out more.
There is no romance in this story for anyone hoping for some, but I personally was getting major Yatsuhashi and Velvet vibes.
The writing for the story was good. They nailed the feel of the RWBY characters, but the writing stumbled during fight scenes. After watching amazing animated RWBY fights for years I should’ve guessed that anything otherwise would always be subpar. Each chapter was told from a different team member, except for every third chapter which took place in the past and was more omniscient. The chapters could get long in the beginning, but they got shorter by the end of the book. Having the book start with long chapters and end with shorter chapters made the ending feel rushed compared to the beginning.
After the Fall was a great RWBY book. I was expecting it to be terrible because I wasn’t sure how an animated web series would transfer to book format, but it works. It probably helped that the story is completely new and not just a rehash of what has already been shown in the web series. I enjoyed learning about Team CFVY, and even though I only started reading this book for Coco and Velvet I ended up caring about each member. The plot was fairly basic, but it made up for it by delivering information I’ve been curious about for a while. I think any fan of RWBY would enjoy this book, especially if you’ve always wanted to learn more about Team CFVY like me. And yes, they’re as awesome as the show has led us to believe.
July 15, 2021
In all honestly, this book wasn't amazing. The writing was often dry and repeated the same words quite often on a page, it felt hard to read even during the faster scenes. The plot wasn't incredible either, predictable. The area where this book shines is in the characters. There was no way Team CFVY couldn't have caught your attention in the early volumes of RWBY. And unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of them at all. This book was definitely what I was waiting for in terms of character exploration and development. I loved seeing what everyone has been up to and I am 100% on board for the next book, can't wait to see and meet Team SSSN for real this time!!!
October 11, 2019
This does a great job of fleshing out a team (that had a lot of potential) who were only ever really in the background of the show. However, it’s not an easy book to jump into if you don’t know anything about the RWBY universe. There’s a tiny bit of explanation for worldbulding but it's not much. It assumes you already know the basics, which is a detriment to new fans in my opinion. But on the whole, it's a solid entry into the universe.
August 14, 2021
A reasonable addition to the RWBY Universe that fans of the show are sure to find some enjoyment in. I originally picked this up because I wanted to be familiar with what has happened in Vacuo with Team CVFY before the characters arrive there in Volume Nine. 'After the Fall' by E.C. Myers, however, is the definition of a mixed bag.
For one, it falls into the trap that much of the paratextual RWBY content does. It cannot decide who it is for. It explains simple concepts like aura and semblances, for example, like readers will not be familiar with them, even though almost everybody picking this book up must be a fan of the show. Ultimately, it is necessary to refresh some information, but Myers, like many writers, shoehorns the exposition into the narrative at the beginning in a way that feels disjointed. It felt like the characters were talking directly to the reader at times.
I did enjoy learning more about the elusive continent of Remnant and the members of Team CVFY. The use of multiple perspectives was well implemented, as were the flashbacks sprinkled throughout the story. They kept the pacing just right and stopped the book from getting too repetitive. The mystery of the book was good, although it will be obvious to any fan of the show. Nothing took me too by surprise. I also thought that Fox, as a blind character, was handled tremendously. It was a completely unique and comendable representation of disability which Myers should receive more credit for.
Still, it is hard to shake the feeling that Coco, Velvet, Fox, and Yatsuhashi are side characters even in their own story. Of course, in the main show, they are only minor characters. That does not really change in this, however. I still felt as if Team RWBY were the focus even though they did not appear! The constant references to the show did not help this. Almost every chapter contained some quip or callback. A few of these are good, but Myers used them too much. He should have often paid more attention to the show's continuity before re-writing the jokes as there is a significant plot hole at the end of the book that fans will immediately notice. Some of the Myers sentences could also have been changed in editing. Although the book was grammatically correct, sometimes the words did not flow as efficiently as possible, and I noticed a few instances where word order/ use could have been altered.
Overall, however, I did enjoy parts of 'After the Fall' and will be reading the sequel. I would recommend it to any fan of the show. It does contain significant spoilers for the first three Volumes, however, and some minor ones for the following two, so do be warned.
For one, it falls into the trap that much of the paratextual RWBY content does. It cannot decide who it is for. It explains simple concepts like aura and semblances, for example, like readers will not be familiar with them, even though almost everybody picking this book up must be a fan of the show. Ultimately, it is necessary to refresh some information, but Myers, like many writers, shoehorns the exposition into the narrative at the beginning in a way that feels disjointed. It felt like the characters were talking directly to the reader at times.
I did enjoy learning more about the elusive continent of Remnant and the members of Team CVFY. The use of multiple perspectives was well implemented, as were the flashbacks sprinkled throughout the story. They kept the pacing just right and stopped the book from getting too repetitive. The mystery of the book was good, although it will be obvious to any fan of the show. Nothing took me too by surprise. I also thought that Fox, as a blind character, was handled tremendously. It was a completely unique and comendable representation of disability which Myers should receive more credit for.
Still, it is hard to shake the feeling that Coco, Velvet, Fox, and Yatsuhashi are side characters even in their own story. Of course, in the main show, they are only minor characters. That does not really change in this, however. I still felt as if Team RWBY were the focus even though they did not appear! The constant references to the show did not help this. Almost every chapter contained some quip or callback. A few of these are good, but Myers used them too much. He should have often paid more attention to the show's continuity before re-writing the jokes as there is a significant plot hole at the end of the book that fans will immediately notice. Some of the Myers sentences could also have been changed in editing. Although the book was grammatically correct, sometimes the words did not flow as efficiently as possible, and I noticed a few instances where word order/ use could have been altered.
Overall, however, I did enjoy parts of 'After the Fall' and will be reading the sequel. I would recommend it to any fan of the show. It does contain significant spoilers for the first three Volumes, however, and some minor ones for the following two, so do be warned.
December 9, 2019
4.5⭐️
So, as a book recommendation, I say that this is definitely an enjoyable book for fans of RWBY (specifically those who have, at the very least, watched up to Volume 3 because of spoilers). It follows Team CFVY (Coffee), first introduced in Volume 2, and a mission they are on for Shade Academy out in the Vacuan desert.
In terms of world building, this book does explore new areas and Grimm considering the show itself has only mentioned Vacuo and Shade a few times, it mentions other things about the wider world, but, as I said about the spoilers thing, it’s definitely a book you have to watch RWBY to understand some things.
As for characters, it builds on those introduced but not very developed, CFVY has only made a few appearances on the show itself and as such FNDM was free to sort of guess what their personalities and abilities were. I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised by some of the things Luna, Shawcross and Myers add to them, given that traits before were based on very little interaction screen time wise. It has representation for the LGBTQ+ community as well as representation of a blind character portrayed in a similar way as Toph from Avatar: The Last Airbender, where they’re more comic relief and very capable as a fighter. There were other extra characters, mildly explored in relation to their interactions with the main characters but I didn’t mind since it meant the few major extra characters were easy to remember during larger group scenes or later after some time apart from the main group.
I found the overall story very fun and interesting as a fan of the show, it gives background to characters otherwise barely explored, while also keeping an overarching narrative I’m excited to continue following when this book’s sequel comes out - I’m hoping Team SSSN (Sun) will get similar character and background explorations as CFVY, especially for Sage and Scarlet who have had less screen time and development than CFVY. I won’t go into too much detail here to save spoilers, but it provides a good idea for how the world is away from the main show storyline and explores the importance of the little things CFVY does in comparison to the larger dealings RWBY and JNR have during Volumes 4 and 5.
I think I only really had one issue with the story and that was some of the writing, it’s easy to follow but some sections got a little repetitive with speech tags and using names instead of ‘he’ or ‘she’ which would have read a lot smoother in my opinion. Other than that, i can’t really remember many other issues I had with the story though, like I said in the beginning of this review, I can really only recommend it to people who have watched RWBY - which I’m pretty sure was intended in the first place.
So, as a book recommendation, I say that this is definitely an enjoyable book for fans of RWBY (specifically those who have, at the very least, watched up to Volume 3 because of spoilers). It follows Team CFVY (Coffee), first introduced in Volume 2, and a mission they are on for Shade Academy out in the Vacuan desert.
In terms of world building, this book does explore new areas and Grimm considering the show itself has only mentioned Vacuo and Shade a few times, it mentions other things about the wider world, but, as I said about the spoilers thing, it’s definitely a book you have to watch RWBY to understand some things.
As for characters, it builds on those introduced but not very developed, CFVY has only made a few appearances on the show itself and as such FNDM was free to sort of guess what their personalities and abilities were. I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised by some of the things Luna, Shawcross and Myers add to them, given that traits before were based on very little interaction screen time wise. It has representation for the LGBTQ+ community as well as representation of a blind character portrayed in a similar way as Toph from Avatar: The Last Airbender, where they’re more comic relief and very capable as a fighter. There were other extra characters, mildly explored in relation to their interactions with the main characters but I didn’t mind since it meant the few major extra characters were easy to remember during larger group scenes or later after some time apart from the main group.
I found the overall story very fun and interesting as a fan of the show, it gives background to characters otherwise barely explored, while also keeping an overarching narrative I’m excited to continue following when this book’s sequel comes out - I’m hoping Team SSSN (Sun) will get similar character and background explorations as CFVY, especially for Sage and Scarlet who have had less screen time and development than CFVY. I won’t go into too much detail here to save spoilers, but it provides a good idea for how the world is away from the main show storyline and explores the importance of the little things CFVY does in comparison to the larger dealings RWBY and JNR have during Volumes 4 and 5.
I think I only really had one issue with the story and that was some of the writing, it’s easy to follow but some sections got a little repetitive with speech tags and using names instead of ‘he’ or ‘she’ which would have read a lot smoother in my opinion. Other than that, i can’t really remember many other issues I had with the story though, like I said in the beginning of this review, I can really only recommend it to people who have watched RWBY - which I’m pretty sure was intended in the first place.
April 15, 2022
RWBY: After the Fall is definitely a book for the fans. There are a whole bunch of neat little callbacks and Easter-eggs that any self-respecting fan of the show will appreciate, and any familiarity with the world of Remnant will no doubt make the reading experience a lot more enjoyable. But even then, if you're not acquainted with RWBY's world, you won't be left in the dark. There's plenty of explanation for the uninitiated, if for whatever reason this is your first taste of Remnant and all its fantastical intricacies.
I found the book to be very enjoyable from beginning to end. It's RWBY at its most RWBY. Couldn't get more RWBY than this. Fun fights, classic monster hunting, fantastical powers and weaponry, all staring the always cool and caffeinated Team CVFY making their way through the harsh deserts of Vacuo. Though I will admit, a lot of the writing did throw me off from time to time. Strange pacing—taking fairly long breaks from otherwise energetic action scenes to suddenly find yourself in a flashback scene—and pretty repetitive sentence structure practically scattered the pages. (Scattered, ha. If you know, you know.) So if those are turn-offs for you, this book may be a bit difficult to get through.
Nevertheless, I highly recommend RWBY: After the Fall for any fan of the show or anyone who's interested in finally jumping on that rose-colored bandwagon.
I found the book to be very enjoyable from beginning to end. It's RWBY at its most RWBY. Couldn't get more RWBY than this. Fun fights, classic monster hunting, fantastical powers and weaponry, all staring the always cool and caffeinated Team CVFY making their way through the harsh deserts of Vacuo. Though I will admit, a lot of the writing did throw me off from time to time. Strange pacing—taking fairly long breaks from otherwise energetic action scenes to suddenly find yourself in a flashback scene—and pretty repetitive sentence structure practically scattered the pages. (Scattered, ha. If you know, you know.) So if those are turn-offs for you, this book may be a bit difficult to get through.
Nevertheless, I highly recommend RWBY: After the Fall for any fan of the show or anyone who's interested in finally jumping on that rose-colored bandwagon.
November 29, 2019
Recommended for: fans of RWBY or those looking for a She-ra style post apocalyptic sci-fi/fantasy world
Note: If you watch the show, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK UNTIL YOU HAVE FINISHED VOLUME 3 OF RWBY. It contains major spoilers for the series!
That being said, I will try to keep my review spoiler free for those who haven't 😊
After the Fall follows team CFVY after they transfer to Vacuo to train. They have been tracking down a caravan of refugees, who report experiencing unusual bursts of intense emotion that they fear will draw the Grimm. Upon arriving, the team must puzzle out who is responsible, all while growing closer as a team and overcoming their past traumas.
My favorite part about this book was getting to know more about Fox's past. He is one of my favorite characters in the show, and I love that he finally got some attention! Additionally, I found myself drawn to Yatsuhashi as the story continued. Each member of team CFVY has a well thought-out life, and compliments the team well.
TLDR: This story contained a fun mystery, delves more into team CFVY's lush past, and explains more about the world of Remnant than the anime ever did. If you can push through the clunky, simplistic writing, After the Fall makes for a quick and easy read ideal for young fans of dystopian fantasy.
Note: If you watch the show, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK UNTIL YOU HAVE FINISHED VOLUME 3 OF RWBY. It contains major spoilers for the series!
That being said, I will try to keep my review spoiler free for those who haven't 😊
After the Fall follows team CFVY after they transfer to Vacuo to train. They have been tracking down a caravan of refugees, who report experiencing unusual bursts of intense emotion that they fear will draw the Grimm. Upon arriving, the team must puzzle out who is responsible, all while growing closer as a team and overcoming their past traumas.
My favorite part about this book was getting to know more about Fox's past. He is one of my favorite characters in the show, and I love that he finally got some attention! Additionally, I found myself drawn to Yatsuhashi as the story continued. Each member of team CFVY has a well thought-out life, and compliments the team well.
TLDR: This story contained a fun mystery, delves more into team CFVY's lush past, and explains more about the world of Remnant than the anime ever did. If you can push through the clunky, simplistic writing, After the Fall makes for a quick and easy read ideal for young fans of dystopian fantasy.
July 5, 2019
Omg! This was absolutely incredible! I felt like I was watching en episode of the show proper. I loved how well it ties into the main narrative of the animated series.altogh I recommend watching the show (available on RoosterTeeth.com) at least up to Volume 3 before reading this novel. I had kinda wondered how the other students and characters coped after the Fall of Beacon and this served as a great answer to that question since the show only follows Team RWBY and JNPR.
I would really love more books like this that will explore more of Remnant. Don’t get me wrong following Ruby and Co.’s journey is awesome but getting a chance to see how some of the other characters react and their stories is great.
The one thing I really found I didn’t like was how Velvet is viewed as weak or needy by her fellow teammates. She wasn’t showcased that much in the show proper and I know she is a fan favorite but I never viewed her that way until reading this novel.
Anyways, this novel was fun and entertaining. I was sad when I finished it and I can’t wait for more stories like this in the future.
I would really love more books like this that will explore more of Remnant. Don’t get me wrong following Ruby and Co.’s journey is awesome but getting a chance to see how some of the other characters react and their stories is great.
The one thing I really found I didn’t like was how Velvet is viewed as weak or needy by her fellow teammates. She wasn’t showcased that much in the show proper and I know she is a fan favorite but I never viewed her that way until reading this novel.
Anyways, this novel was fun and entertaining. I was sad when I finished it and I can’t wait for more stories like this in the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2019
This was a really good and fast read. After the Fall is about Team CFVY, a well-known second year team from Beacon Academy. We have a better understanding about the Coco, Fox, Velvet and Yatsu. Their individual stories expanded on their character which was truly a delight. I loved how the chapters transitioned from flashbacks to present time. The world building for Vacuo was amazing since it is a location that was not fully mentioned or explored i in the show except from the World of Remnant. We meet new characters and the action scenes have that RWBY-like feel. Team RWBY make cameo appearances in the flashbacks and Team SSSN show up in the end which was awesome. .
Team CFVY have a wonderful team dynamic and each of the characters balance each other off and are a great family. I look forward to seeing them again in the Vacuo Arc of the show.
Team CFVY have a wonderful team dynamic and each of the characters balance each other off and are a great family. I look forward to seeing them again in the Vacuo Arc of the show.
January 18, 2021
Author E.C. Myers brings us to the world of RWBY with After the Fall. The fall being Beacon Academy. This book is manly about Team CFVY or (coffee) and how they were the new team at Beacon Academy in the year before it fell. This story also deals with how they coped with the fall of Beacon and how they managed to get a group of nomads to safety while fighting off three rogue huntsmen and huntress. Coco the leader of Team CFVY who has always been a loner until she came to Beacon and was paired with the rest of her team after they where shot into the forest to defeat the local Grimm and come back in one peace began to really count on her team. The four of them while on this adventure found out that the there is someone in one of the three remaining kingdoms that wants people with their sebliances (powers) but that is a tale for another time. I highly recommend this book for fans of the show RWBY and for fantasy fans in general. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
August 19, 2021
Listen, I'm biased, I fucking love RWBY and I'm starved for any type of content related to the show. So when I found out that there were also books I was in for it! I pretty much fell for Coco instantly when I saw her in the show and I cherished Velvet from the begging as well so, now, getting to know them better and getting to know Yatsuhashi (my favorite backstory btw) and Fox more and seeing team CFVY's dynamics and problems and the way they resolve them was amazing.
I loved the structure of the book too, having chapters about their past, about when Beacon fell, about when they got formed as a team and sent to missions and "now" made the book very enjoyable for me. Having flashbacks in a story like this one made me devour the book in no time! Can't wait to get my hands on the next one!
It was a lot of fun, a lot of action, I could't help but get emotional at times because I'm so attached to the show and the character that I can't help it. And I love them so much!
Also, Coco be my girlfriend!?
I loved the structure of the book too, having chapters about their past, about when Beacon fell, about when they got formed as a team and sent to missions and "now" made the book very enjoyable for me. Having flashbacks in a story like this one made me devour the book in no time! Can't wait to get my hands on the next one!
It was a lot of fun, a lot of action, I could't help but get emotional at times because I'm so attached to the show and the character that I can't help it. And I love them so much!
Also, Coco be my girlfriend!?
July 25, 2019
Book Theme Song: Come With Me Now by Kongos
It probably won't make much sense to you if you're not already familiar with RWBY, but if you've been following the story up to Season 3 and have any interest in the world beyond the titular team's perspective, you'll probably enjoy this book. It deeply explores Team CFVY's dynamic as well as Coco, Fox, Velvet, and Yatsuhashi's individual struggles. The conclusion was a bit rushed for how slow-paced the story was leading up to it, but overall it has a lot of what makes RWBY great: strong character moments and vivid action scenes with creative use of weapons. It's very moving at parts and I especially like that there is a man vs nature element to this story that is usually not present in RWBY. Usually RWBY is about man vs man or man vs monsters. So it's a change of pace while still maintaining the spirit of the show as a whole.
It probably won't make much sense to you if you're not already familiar with RWBY, but if you've been following the story up to Season 3 and have any interest in the world beyond the titular team's perspective, you'll probably enjoy this book. It deeply explores Team CFVY's dynamic as well as Coco, Fox, Velvet, and Yatsuhashi's individual struggles. The conclusion was a bit rushed for how slow-paced the story was leading up to it, but overall it has a lot of what makes RWBY great: strong character moments and vivid action scenes with creative use of weapons. It's very moving at parts and I especially like that there is a man vs nature element to this story that is usually not present in RWBY. Usually RWBY is about man vs man or man vs monsters. So it's a change of pace while still maintaining the spirit of the show as a whole.
August 1, 2019
I am a bit biased because I adore RWBY as the anime show and have been watching it since they released the Red Trailer all the way back in 2012.
I think the positives of this book are that it is fun and fast pace, staying true to the show and characters involved. I loved that it had some ties to past events and filled in some gaps that the show left open.
However the writting was a tad weak but it also feels like it is targeting an audience that is in the early YA ages - to late middle grade. So some of the writting choices might be to help that target audience and have a book that is very easy to read, which this is.
I do wish that there was more of a finish to the book, and not left so open ended but I also get that they are probably leaving it open for other books and obvisously the show to continue on the story line.
This would make a great longer "movie" epidsode for the RWBY anime in my opinion haha :D
I think the positives of this book are that it is fun and fast pace, staying true to the show and characters involved. I loved that it had some ties to past events and filled in some gaps that the show left open.
However the writting was a tad weak but it also feels like it is targeting an audience that is in the early YA ages - to late middle grade. So some of the writting choices might be to help that target audience and have a book that is very easy to read, which this is.
I do wish that there was more of a finish to the book, and not left so open ended but I also get that they are probably leaving it open for other books and obvisously the show to continue on the story line.
This would make a great longer "movie" epidsode for the RWBY anime in my opinion haha :D
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews