In this final installation in the Last Survivor's Trilogy, Miranda and the rest of the Evans family begin to undergo some major changes yet again. When Miranda's father and step-mother arrive on the scene with their baby and a few strangers, the Evans family must learn to survive in a whole new set of circumstances, especially when reality finally seeps in that the world will never be the same again. One of the strangers is Alex Morales and as he and Miranda slowly share their stories, Miranda must make a decision that will change the course of her life forever.
Like the rest of the "moon trilogy", This World We Live In was a nail-biter. What sets this book apart from the rest of the trilogy however, is the emotional honesty we see from all of the characters. There comes a time in this novel where everybody finally realizes that things aren't going to go back to "normal" and that they must make choices that will permanently adjust their way of life. In the previous novels, we witnessed a shocking lunar event; the terrifying story of Alex and his family; and now, as Miranda and Alex's stories are intertwined, we begin to see how the past events have changed them. Miranda is no longer innocent towards her tragic environment and Alex has become extremely reserved and protective because of his devastating past experiences.
Once I started reading This World We Live In, I could barely tear myself away. The special thing about this trilogy is that the setting is so realistic; however, the one thing that I did not buy with this book was the relationship between Miranda and Alex. I'm not quite sure if there was something "between the lines" I couldn't grasp or if the author was just trying to speed things up, but Miranda's romance with Alex didn't seem real. It was rushed. In fact, the last quarter of the novel was very rushed. I wanted to know exactly what happened to the Evans family, but instead Pfeffer left you with a cliffhanger. To me, this one of most unfair moves for author to do to his readers, especially at the end of a series.
Even though I was disappointed with the ending, I'm glad I didn't have to wait very long to read this final chapter in the lives of the Evans and Morales family. I think this is a great series for anybody and should go right up there with Scott Westerfeld's Uglies. I do hope Pfeffer will have more adventures to share with us in the years to come. In the mean time, have your library get this series! They won't regret it.
Recommend to ages 12+. Graphic descriptions of death and some sensuality.
Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: , NM USA
