The After
The world you know is a shattered echo, a landscape of betrayal, distorted truths, and relentless pain. You're tired of the "before," weary of the box you've been forced into, longing for an escape from ostracization.
Look to The After. A promised enlightenment, shimmering with peace, profound understanding, and undeniable verity. It calls to those who seek a higher existence.
But this sacred experience is reserved only for the virtuous. And those entrusted with protecting its sanctity are charged with a chilling task: to cleanse the inferior.
Are you willing to do what it truly takes? Are you truly worthy of its embrace? Discover the deadly damnation woven into each story of The After.
- Maxwell (Renatus) - Leader of the NOVARE cult
- Lily (Arlo) - Protagonist
- Caroline (Jabez) - Marcus’ sister
- Olive (Anastasia) - Maxwell’s partner in NOVARE
- James Packard - Phoebe’s husband
- Phoebe - James’ wife
- Mavi and Jones - James and Phoebe’s children
- Maxwell buys WestfordCliff Psychiatric Hospital, an out-of-operation hospital where he lives.
- Lily meets Caroline and Maxwell at a grief support group run by Olive.
- Lily suffered a miscarriage, Caroline lost her brother, and Maxwell’s friend died in a car accident while Maxwell was driving.
- Maxwell kidnaps Olive, and she agrees to join his cult, NOVARE.
- Olive, Lily and Caroline join NOVARE.
- NOVARE members consider themselves different people in the aftermath of their traumas, pledge their loyalty to the After, and each choose a new name.
- Lily and Caroline break into a house and tie up the Packard family.
- Caroline cuts both of Phoebe’s legs from hip to ankle, and Lily does the same to James.
- They believe they are cleansing their victims’ souls and preparing them for the After.
- Caroline and Lily kidnap Mavi and Jones to become the future of NOVARE.
- Mavi and Jones are given to Olive to raise as their new mother.
- Police question Caroline, Lily, and Maxwell about James and Phoebe’s murders.
- Olive planted DNA from all three at the crime scene so she could run away with Mavi and Jones, move to a larger town, and restart the cult as its leader.
There is a distinct kind of dread that builds when you watch someone consumed by grief fall into the orbit of the wrong person. Tayler Vaughn captures that eerie atmosphere perfectly, tapping into the unsettling reality of manipulation. The characters are all reeling from profound personal losses, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. It creates a quiet, creeping tension that pulled me in immediately and anchored the narrative.
The story moves quickly through short chapters, creating a momentum that pushes everything forward. Jumping between timelines keeps the plot fresh and engaging, revealing pieces of the puzzle at just the right time. The shifting perspectives build a cohesive picture of how tragedy can warp a person's judgment. The twist is executed well, and ended the story on a satisfying note. If you like eerie psychological tension, short chapters, and explorations of grief, then you will enjoy this book.
- Murder
- Miscarriage
- Kidnapping
- Suicidal thoughts
- Mental health disorders
ASIN: B0H7TB97VN
Publication Date: September 6, 2026
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
