"This World We Live In" by Susan Beth Pfeffer

239 pages

This third and final book of the Last Survivors series brings together the narrator of the first book, Miranda Evans, and the protagonist of the second story, Alex Morales. The narrator is Miranda again, and it's one year after a meteor hit the moon and the world fell apart. Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother are just trying to survive day-to-day, but then Miranda's father, stepmother, and infant stepbrother show up--with three strangers they've met and become close to during their travels, including Alex Morales. Miranda and Alex grow closer, but Alex has plans to move on soon and Miranda has to make some big decisions.

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the first two. I like the idea of having two independent stories in the first two books and then bringing them together in the last one, but some how it didn't fit like I thought I would. After reading the first two stories, I really cared about all of the characters, and I liked having them all come together, but "This World We Live In" seemed too rushed. Miranda and Alex develop feelings for each other very quickly even though they barely know each other, though I suppose that isn't so unrealistic considering that they don't have many opportunities to meet members of the opposite sex who are their age. I wish the book had been a little longer so Miranda and Alex's relationship could have developed more.

The main conflict in the story (besides the constant struggle for survival) comes from the choice Miranda has to make, but it seemed to me like there are several options that Miranda and the others don't consider. This bothered me and made it hard for me to sympathize with them because I felt like they were being stubborn and not thinking things through (I apologize if this is confusing, but I don't want to give anything away!). I also wasn't a big fan of the ambiguous ending, since I hear that this is the last book in the series. I want some closure!

Overall, though, I enjoyed this book as well as the entire series. The premise is interesting and the plot moves quickly, for the most part. The characters are good people but definitely make mistakes, which makes it easy to relate to them and care about them. I like that the author isn't afraid to kill people off and have other bad things happen, but there's always some hope. I recommend this series for everyone who likes apocalyptic science fiction.