After the Fire

August 15, 2018
A teen raised in an isolated religious cult deals with the aftermath of the fire that destroyed her community.Hill (Darkest Night, 2015, etc.) loosely bases his story on the 1993 standoff between the Branch Davidians of Waco, Texas, and federal agents. Seventeen-year-old Moonbeam has been raised from toddlerhood in the Holy Church of the Lord's Legion, an arid, closed compound outside the fictional town of Layfield, Texas. Essentially orphaned after the early death of her father and the banishment of her mother, she considers the other cult members her family while at the same time beginning to recognize that their lives revolve not around God but around the will of their dictatorial leader, Father John. But that was before FBI agents invaded and an inferno destroyed her world. Now Moonbeam lives locked inside a federal building with 18 other children from the cult, gradually recounting her life to psychiatrist Dr. Hernandez and Agent Carlyle. The complex, brutal story unfolds slowly, in alternating chapters labeled "before" and "after," as Moonbeam learns to trust both her captors and herself. British author Hill creates a wholly believable world full of complex, interesting characters; he exposes Father John's madness and the mind control of the cult without denigrating either the people who followed him or religion itself. Characters' races are not identified.An astonishing saga of suffering and joy, guilt, evil, redemption and truth. (author's note) (Fiction. 14-adult)

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-Forced to go against the only family she has ever known, 17-year-old Moonbeam narrates a tale of survival as a member of an authoritarian religious sect, the Lord's Legion. Moonbeam passively follows the leadership provided by their charismatic prophet, Father John, who receives direct communication from God. According to Father John, their God is a controlling ruler who will severely punish any who refuse to obey. He also teaches them to severely mistrust anyone from the outside world. It's only after her mother is banned from the base that Moonbeam's eyes are opened to the true nature of the Lord's Legion. As her world crumbles, her fellow members align with dire consequences. Moonbeam's voice rings true, and readers will feel they have stepped into her world. Even though setting and characters have been altered, readers will recognize the obvious similarities to the 1993 Branch Davidian, Waco, TX, siege. Teens will be compelled to further research the events on that fateful day and its lasting cognitive effects. VERDICT A heartrending portrait of a young girl's struggle to survive a domineering religious sect and the resilience of the human spirit; this belongs on every YA shelf.-Julie Shatterly, W. A. Bess Elementary School, Gastonia, NC

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.