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montoyacat's review against another edition
3.0
Gripping, interesting premise, but the ending left me cold.
hmuraski27's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hannahbanana0909's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kitsunereads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Fun change of pace to my normal reading, really interesting concept. Not the best execution at times. The ending was harrowing though!
lmeshula's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I liked the premise and really wanted to like this book, but I just didn't. The reality tv show part just takes way too long and is neither exciting nor does it drive the plot forward. You know from the first page that there is a pandemic and that the events happening outside of game are real, so the 80% of the book is kind of pointless as it follows Zoo through the game. The reality tv show part is written exactly like a cheesy "Survivor" script and not the type of writing that moves me. It really dragged on for me, and then didn't get better.
cleverbaggins's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
julapua's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.0
aprilreads_andwanders's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I received a copy of this title from from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the review copy!
This was an interesting take on our Reality TV and digitally infested culture and that line between what is real and what is perception with all the shades of gray that make up the in between.
Twelve contestants embark on a survivoresque reality show designed to test their survival prowess. While filming, catastrophe upends the real world. The contestants who are cut off from humanity, know nothing of the devastation. A woman the producers dubbed Zoo stumbles on the aftermath; but dismisses the carnage as a part of the game. The Last One chronicles Zoo's figurative journey as she pieces together what is real and what is constructed while coming to terms with what she is running from and her literal journey crossing miles of terrain and forest on her trek home to what she believes is the games ending point.
"Now it's like everything is fake and real at the same time. The world in which we move is constructed, manipulated, and deceptive, but then there's that plane, and the trees, and squirrels. Rain. My maybe-be late period Things too big and too small to control, contributing and conflicting all at once."
Most of the characters are referred to using nicknames…for example, the contestants are nicknamed things like Zoo, Tracker, Banker, Rancher, Waitress, Asian Chick etc. Even the editor and producer are simply referred to as Editor or Producer. Descriptions were also pretty blunt- Olivia would simply describe someone as "white" or "black". I found this refreshing and in equal measure uncomfortable. We are not given a lot of history for the characters. The problem...with all of these things taken into consideration..is that characterization is difficult. It made it difficult to add depth and develop relatable characters that you root for. However, the setup is also realistic. When we watch a reality tv show, we are not given depth, we tend to make assumptions and snap judgements on what we see right in front of us, right then. We see gender, age, race, attire, attractiveness, possible occupation or education level--a pretty shallow version of who they are as individuals….and we have only their actions and choices they make in the present, in front of a camera to build a picture of who they are.
I found the added online commentary to be a clever touch. Everyone was present from the "know it all" to the cowardly douche bag hiding behind their anonymous keyboard.
That said, I found the plot as a whole felt a little convenient and forced. While I did find the story suspenseful and had no trouble turning the pages; I found myself more intrigued by how the book was set up and contemplating why the author made certain choices rather than on the plot of the book itself.
I received a copy of this title from from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the review copy!
This was an interesting take on our Reality TV and digitally infested culture and that line between what is real and what is perception with all the shades of gray that make up the in between.
Twelve contestants embark on a survivoresque reality show designed to test their survival prowess. While filming, catastrophe upends the real world. The contestants who are cut off from humanity, know nothing of the devastation. A woman the producers dubbed Zoo stumbles on the aftermath; but dismisses the carnage as a part of the game. The Last One chronicles Zoo's figurative journey as she pieces together what is real and what is constructed while coming to terms with what she is running from and her literal journey crossing miles of terrain and forest on her trek home to what she believes is the games ending point.
"Now it's like everything is fake and real at the same time. The world in which we move is constructed, manipulated, and deceptive, but then there's that plane, and the trees, and squirrels. Rain. My maybe-be late period Things too big and too small to control, contributing and conflicting all at once."
Most of the characters are referred to using nicknames…for example, the contestants are nicknamed things like Zoo, Tracker, Banker, Rancher, Waitress, Asian Chick etc. Even the editor and producer are simply referred to as Editor or Producer. Descriptions were also pretty blunt- Olivia would simply describe someone as "white" or "black". I found this refreshing and in equal measure uncomfortable. We are not given a lot of history for the characters. The problem...with all of these things taken into consideration..is that characterization is difficult. It made it difficult to add depth and develop relatable characters that you root for. However, the setup is also realistic. When we watch a reality tv show, we are not given depth, we tend to make assumptions and snap judgements on what we see right in front of us, right then. We see gender, age, race, attire, attractiveness, possible occupation or education level--a pretty shallow version of who they are as individuals….and we have only their actions and choices they make in the present, in front of a camera to build a picture of who they are.
I found the added online commentary to be a clever touch. Everyone was present from the "know it all" to the cowardly douche bag hiding behind their anonymous keyboard.
That said, I found the plot as a whole felt a little convenient and forced. While I did find the story suspenseful and had no trouble turning the pages; I found myself more intrigued by how the book was set up and contemplating why the author made certain choices rather than on the plot of the book itself.
jenniferhorn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0