After the Fall by E.C. Myers

Friends, I’m a clown because I’ve been hoarding this review since November 2019. I think I need help. (Well, scratch that, I do need help with my life.)

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After the Fall by E.C. Myers
RWBY #1
Published by Scholastic on June 25, 2019
Age Group & Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Physical
Source: Library

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!

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.