The Last Star by Rick Yancey & Even If the Sky Falls by Mia Garcia

Quickies:

A thrilling post-apocalypse finale and a YA contemporary dud.

We’re here, then we’re gone, and that was true before they came. That’s always been true. The Others didn’t invent death; they just perfected it. Gave death a face to put back in our face, because they knew that was the only way to crush us. It won’t end on any continent or ocean, no mountain or plain, jungle or desert. It will end where it began, where it had been from the beginning, on the battlefield of the last beating human heart.

The end has come!

The Last Star picks up soon after the events of The Infinity Sea. I had to go back and reread the last few chapters of The Infinity Sea to refresh my memory, because I was having a difficult time getting back into it and remembering just what the hell is going on. But it didn’t take long for everything to come rushing back, and for me to remember the reservations I had about the direction the story seemed to be going.

Turns out The Last Star is a worthy finale and did the story justice. There’s action, twists and turns, heartbreak, and perseverance. The big question is who will be left standing, if anyone at all. I’m really pleased with the outcome, especially one certain aspect of it. I even wanted to high five Yancey at the end.

I read the first two books in the trilogy, but decided to go the audio route with The Last Star. Both narrators did a great job. I was worried about all the different perspectives, but it was super easy to distinguish them from each other.

So yeah, I enjoyed the entire trilogy.

One midsummer night. Two strangers. Three rules: No real names. No baggage. No phones. A whirlwind twenty-four-hour romance about discovering what it means to feel alive in the face of one of life’s greatest dangers: love.

Who would you be if you had one night to be anyone you want?

Volunteering in New Orleans was supposed to be a change, an escape from the total mess Julie left at home and from her brother’s losing battle with PTSD. But building houses surrounded by her super-clingy team leader and her way-too-chipper companions has Julie feeling more trapped than ever. And she’s had enough.

In a moment of daring, Julie runs away, straight into the glitter, costumes, and chaos of the Mid-Summer Mardi Gras parade—and instantly connects with Miles, an utterly irresistible musician with a captivating smile and a complicated story of his own. And for once, Julie isn’t looking back. Together Julie and Miles decide to forget their problems and live this one night in the here and now. Wandering the night, they dance on roofs, indulge in beignets, share secrets and ghost stories under the stars, and fall in love. But when a Category Two hurricane changes course and heads straight for NOLA, their adventure takes an unexpected turn. And, suddenly, pretending everything is fine is no longer an option.

What to say … I thought I would actually like this. Go figure. I mean, it has its moments, but it mostly just fell flat. Usually I’m drawn to characters like Julie and connect with them when others don’t, but that didn’t happen here. I get what she was going through, but it all felt so superficial. There was little depth, and she was pretty annoying.

There were a couple of bright spots. I loved the atmosphere of the festival in NOLA and the incoming hurricane. I also enjoyed the boys. I wish there had been more interaction and time spent with Mile’s friends.

That’s it. That’s all I have.