I really loved the first book. Really, really loved it. This one is beating a very dead horse and I stopped reading 50 pages in. ( )

I didn’t find this novel as compelling as the first three. It felt rushed and unexplored, with respect to the theme and overall character development.

The final book in this series follows the youngest Evans family member as Jon navigates his final high school years as one of the “Clavers” from the enclave of Sexton College. It is an interesting contrast between his life several years into the apocalypse and his sister’s life when the event initially happens. In their respective tales, they are both 16/17 years old and nearly out of high school. The apocalypse is caused when the moon’s gravitational influence on earth increases after an astronomic collision.

Of all the books, this one is the most difficult to accept as the MC makes several dramatic behavioral shifts that don’t quite ring true. There are a handful of other jarring discussions, events, and character actions that either snapped me out of the story or didn’t seem complete.

Reading the author’s afterward explains a lot of my dissatisfaction with this story as she apparently bowed to outside pressures to create all the novels except the first. Not a horrible story, but this one definitely wasn’t feeling much love from the writer. ( )

To say it was disappointing would be an understatement. I was going to write a longer review but it is not worth the energy. All the worldbuilding from previous books has fallen apart, the various dystopia aspects have become cliche and boring, the characters have no personality to speak of, and the MC is an arrogant bratty whiny spoiled boy who is infuriatingly static and a rapist (yeah, bullshit he didn't) who treats everyone around him as tools to make his life easier. Pfeffer should have stopped at book three. I'd be a happier person if she'd done so. Something tells me I won't be reading her next series.

PS - If you really want to understand why this book made me so mad, read the following GR reviews.
karen's review
Knanh's review
The Book Smuggler's review ( )

I don't think I have read my way through a series of books this fast in years. I couldn't stop reading. The Last Survivors series is the story of what happens on Earth after a large scale disaster completely destroys modern society. Many people die from hunger, disease and violence. Those who are left fight for survival. In this last book of the series, the less noble facets of human nature start to come out. A new society begins to form split between the more essential and upper class enclave residents (called clavers) and the worker class grubs. Clavers are allowed more freedom, better food, and a safe place to live. Grubs reside outside the enclaves in violent, dangerous slums with no electricity and only enough food and necessities to survive. Only three of the survivors introduced in earlier books can live in the enclave...the rest have to become grubs. Surviving the new conditions brought about by the disaster is hard.....but surviving in the new social order turns out to be even harder.

This is my least favorite of the books in this series. Not because there is anything wrong with it....but because it was the most difficult to finish, possibly because it's very realistic. It is hard to admit that human nature is not to be understanding, kind and caring when it comes to survival. We can be a very cruel and violent species. Unfortunately, following a disaster of this type, a horrific society like what is depicted in this book might just be what happens. It isn't all doom and gloom though.....there is hope and there are always those who don't conform. It is those types of people who will keep their humanity in the aftermath of an extinction event. I did not like what happened psychologically to a couple of the main characters in this final book, but most likely because it was just a bit too real for me.

This series deals quite heavily with death, loss, rape, violence and prejudice. It's written for a YA audience so there isn't any graphic sex, violent scenes or language....but the subject matter is very dark and intense. I wouldn't recommend this series for children under 13. The books are well-written and the plot is thought provoking. I found myself wondering how my family would handle such a cataclysmic event. Would we survive? What would happen in the rural area we live in? How would we fare if all modern conveniences -- including medicine and the food supply -- was suddenly gone? Sobering thoughts.

I'm glad I read this series.....at the same time I'm glad I'm done reading. I think I need to read something happy, funny and much brighter now to clear my head of darkness. One good thought I take away from this series is that even when things seem darkest, there is always hope. And where there is hope, there is a chance for life.

Excellent series!

For more information on the author, check out her blog: http://susanbethpfeffer.blogspot.com ( )

I must admit that I was a little disappointed that this book was about Jon and not Miranda and Alex. I LOVED Miranda and Alex and really wanted more of their story but once I got past that and learned to deal with this story being about Jon, I was OK. Jon was one of those protagonists that was hard to like. He's a bit self-centered and has a feeling of entitlement that kind of makes you want to slap him. But once he starts opening his eyes and looking at his world differently, he starts to come down off his pedestal and becomes more likable. There were parts in this book that broke my heart. Other parts were redeeming. This book was not Life As We Knew It nor was it The Dead & The Gone but it was a decent read. And I did love the glimpses I get of Miranda and Alex and how they were getting on. ( )