As the title suggests, this is a story of rebuilding. It introduces a cast of characters that are relatable by today’s standards, but most act similarly to one another. The pacing is a bit slow as it focuses more on the character dynamics and finding ways to survive, which may turn some off. It sets up a trilogy that the author seems passionate about (I actually met her at a book fair) and I consider myself intrigued enough to see what kind of story she cooks up. Though this entry didn’t wow me, it was a decent hook to get me invested enough to see what happens in the next installment.

The main characters are Alina and Carter. We switch between their two perspectives to see different sides to the apocalypse. Alina just woke up in an incubation pod and has no idea what’s going on. She finds her best friend’s brother (Jason) and the two try to make their way out of the city while avoiding eight-legged beasts that want to rip them to shreds. The main aliens left these behind when they departed for an unknown reason, much to the dismay of our protagonists. Carter and his crew have been surviving the invasion for the last eight months. Scrounging for food and water being their most common activities. Alina and Jason collide with Carter and Brian whilst they are making one last trip into the city to gather resources. After cautious attitudes are alleviated, the two groups merge into one. The story here is mainly survival, so there’s not too much action. The character drama is the main crux here and I’m not sure it’s substantial enough to build a series on.

Alina is relatively weak-spirited. She has panic attacks and requires almost constant support to make it through tense situations. Carter is the opposite. He’s strong and doesn’t let the small stuff get to him. His no-nonsense attitude is off-putting at first as he refuses to let people in, but the wall gradually dissolves. The opposition between these two leans into the “enemies to lovers” trope a bit, but never fully commits. I think Carter’s change in attitude makes him too similar to the other characters and he loses what makes him unique. Red is a member of Carter’s group that uses her usefulness as a nurse as a way to not do dangerous work. She knows her worth and works it. She makes some truly terrible choices and I was resentful of her at the start, but she still contributes to the group in a meaningful enough way to get away with it. Jason is the supportive, doormat of a character that you can use and abuse as much as you want. Though he does have bouts of standing up for himself, he’s mostly there to support Alina.Cap is the leader of Carter’s group and Michelle is their girlfriend. Cap is the perfect leader and their “swiss army knife” of abilities make them indispensable. Michelle was a therapist and helps out a bit with counseling, but otherwise isn’t memorable. Brian and Dan are hinted at being romantically involved and their characters aren’t much beyond that. Brian is the person who keeps everything lighthearted, no matter how he’s feeling, so he’s not entirely forgettable. Russel is the jokester character and Sam is the practical one that falls for him. Their relationship does give the group some hope and I liked their interactions overall. The group dynamic is initially interesting, but everyone warms up to one another too quickly. There wasn’t enough conflict to keep it interesting. It might be a stylistic choice as people would most likely set their differences aside in a scenario like this, just to get by, but if the story focuses on the characters and their survival, more disagreements would keep it interesting. Still, I like the cast and want to see what they do next. I just hope there are more dynamic events going forward.

The book focuses on the characters and most of them have their own trauma to work through. Whether it’s feeling hopeless, useless or just downright fearful, the story explores these emotions in depth as the characters experience them. The depictions felt realistic, but I really wanted them to move past it at times. It doesn’t make for a compelling narrative when one of the main characters is always hunkered down and unable to breathe. Alina does draw strength from the group and tries to do some heroic things, but her composure falters so often that she just got on my nerves. Carter was cool until he started placating her as much as Jason. As of finishing this book, I don’t like either of them that much. Luckily Cap, Russell and Sam are great and I hope they’ll make it through to the end.

Afterglow is a story about picking up the pieces and surviving. Its focus on its characters would be welcome had they developed in different ways. By the end, most were of the same mind, which makes sense given the situation they were in, but it was uninteresting. Still, I felt an attachment to this group. Their struggle to survive was raw and the social situations they tackled were complex to represent in the narrative. The author does a great job of being authentic in these areas, which lends to the investment I felt in their survival. The alien involvement was miniscule and the direct threat was mostly resource-based, however, I think the building blocks laid here have some serious potential. Consider this story if you’re interested in a more modern apocalypse that represents humanity at its best and worst simultaneously.