bbckprpl's review against another edition
5.0
Reread 2-14-12, because I finally got the rest of the trilogy, and you have to start from the beginning: The thing about Post-Apocalyptic fiction, if it's doing its job correctly, is that it breaks your heart. How could it not: the world as we know it has ended, and something else has taken its place: that is some heavy duty sadness right there. But the thing I like about this book, is that, while it is breaking your heart, it's also making you laugh, and cringe, and think about what would happen if an asteroid did whack the moon out of its orbit and screw up our entire climate. This book is scary-good. Because I was a teenage girl, who lived in the normal every day world, and my mother and I still found ridiculous things to fight about, and somehow Pfeffer is able to make me realize that even if the entire world was crumbling around us, and we loved each other SO MUCH and the only chances of us surviving were if we cooperated with each other, there is still a 100% chance that I would mouth off about something stupid, or my mom would have an unreasonable expectation of me, or I would think she was playing favorites with my brother, and we would bitch at each other. That's truth telling right there.
So yes: big, frightening, possible end of the world book, but all the more powerful because you can see yourself thinking "Well, I know it is incredibly selfish of me to sneak into our severely rationed pantry and try to devour an entire bag of chocolate chips, but I am going to do it anyways because I bought them! They were mine first, god damn it!" right along with the main character.
So yes: big, frightening, possible end of the world book, but all the more powerful because you can see yourself thinking "Well, I know it is incredibly selfish of me to sneak into our severely rationed pantry and try to devour an entire bag of chocolate chips, but I am going to do it anyways because I bought them! They were mine first, god damn it!" right along with the main character.
eslismyjam's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this end of the world story, but I didn't love it. The beginning setup dragged a bit-- the author gives you a good amount of normal life description before having the world go to crap in a hand basket. It's interesting to read how the characters survive and think about what you would do in their place. I didn't love the ending.
lisahowe27's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book hit home and was frighteningly accurate to what was happening during the pandemic until things started changing back to “normal.” I know we are still not 100% back to normal but it never fully leaves my mind how fast humanity can go back to where it was heading.
atilnae's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
meganmme's review against another edition
3.0
I read this quite a while ago--not sure why I never entered it.
It was pretty good. Perhaps not the most satisfying ending but it's a decent addition to the end of the world genre.
The reviews on the sequel are pretty terrible so I'll pass on it.
It was pretty good. Perhaps not the most satisfying ending but it's a decent addition to the end of the world genre.
The reviews on the sequel are pretty terrible so I'll pass on it.
penalew's review against another edition
4.0
Very compelling read, though I have a weakness for apocalypse-themed books. I would highly recommend this to YA Sci-Fi readers.