Last in the Series

Last Survivors #3:  This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Dystopian Fiction

It's always hard to say goodbye to a  series and this one is no exception.  This 3rd book completes the trilogy of Last Survivors.

Miranda and her family are still surviving, just barely, and they are starting to realize that life as they knew it is truly gone and ain't coming back.  This isn't a temporary situation--it's permanent and that makes it more scary.  Some of the family seems to accept it before others.  Miranda's brother 'marries' a girl he only just met, realizing that their new life is too transitory for a long relationship.  Their home situation is getting worse and soon their very survival will depend on the youngest of them.

To make matters worse, Miranda's father returns with his new family and Alex, the main character from book 2 who is on his quest to find safety for his baby sister.

This last book was better than the second one, which I didn't love as much as the first one.  Miranda's voice is back but it is much more despairing and hopeless.  The love development between the Alex and Miranda didn't feel real--it felt very artificial and forced.  But, since Alex is literally the only boy around, maybe Miranda didn't feel like she had much choice.

I do like this series and while the second and third books didn't capture the intensity of the first one, it was still a great ride.