The Dead and the Gone (The Last Survivors #2)

 My review of Life As We Knew It (The Last Survivors #1)

The timeline of this book runs parallel to the first, Life As We Knew It, so you don't really have to worry about spoilers if you read summaries and reviews for both books.

Goodreads Summary:


Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event—an asteroid hitting the moon, setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Alex Morales. When Alex’s parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle.

With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful new novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities.

My Thoughts:

It took a little longer for this one to hook me but it did happen. And although I was hooked and very much enjoyed the book, I don’t think liked it quite as much as the first in the series. I only rated it half a star lower than I did the first book so some of this is more nitpicking than anything.

This sequel tracks the same events as Life As We Knew It but with different people and in a different state, because of this you already have an idea of some of the things that will happen. I think this takes away a little of the shock factor…but I guess you could say that with a lot of sequels. Another thing that jumped out at me was the 3rd person narration as compared to the 1st person in the first book. I think the 3rd person takes you away from the characters a little because that inner dialogue is missing.

Aside from those nitpicks, I really did enjoy this book. It’s what I’ll call a ‘thinker’ it really makes you think about the things that can happen and whether or not you’re prepared. In fact, Wendy at Wall-to-Wall Books and I were texting back and forth about things we want to stockpile since reading these books. I’m not saying that we will end up doing it, but these books definitely bring out the desire to become a prepper! Here’s the preliminary list we came up with.

-canned foods

-other non-perishables

-water

-batteries

-battery operated radio

-tampons

-aspirin and other medications

-toilet paper

-candles & matches

-blankets

-cat/dog food

-can openers

-kerosene for lanterns

-instant coffee

-my old glasses because contacts will cease to exist

-our book collections, of course

-yeast and flour

-alcohol to barter for supplies

-chapstick, soap, hand sanitizer

What would you stockpile in a post-apocalyptic world?

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

The Dead and the Gone on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble


2 comments

  1. Heehee it was fun making lists with you! I keep thinking we are forgetting something. Well I guess we will find out at the end of the world.

    I'm liking this 3rd one too!
    I wonder what the 4th one will be about?

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from you and will try to respond to comments as much as possible.