A review by beckyremillard
The Last One by Alexandra Oliva

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Zoo, an otherwise unnamed contestant of a reality survival show, is set out on her own for a solo competition. However, there’s more happening in the world that she is completely unaware of, as she is cut off from any media or outside communication. 

The story transitions between Zoo’s travels in the present and flashbacks to the filming of the survival competition. It’s a bit confusing regarding the other characters at first, as the filming chapters names characters by the narrative being told about them (Tracker, Rancher, Banker, Exorcist, Waitress, etc), while Zoo calls them by their actual names. After a couple chapters it makes more sense, it just took me a few to get into it. 

I actually tried to start this book earlier this year and couldn’t get into it. I’m glad I gave it another shot but it’s not something I’d read again or look for something similar. I felt that there was a lot that I wanted expanded on and a lot of boring stuff I had to power through. It’s definitely an interesting concept, but I’m not totally sold on the execution. 

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