Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Life as We Knew It (Last Survivors, #1)Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book when I first started it. The format of the book is a diary. Each day (sometimes skipping some days between) Miranda will write about what happened that day, what she is feeling that day, what the others in her family or town were doing or even what the cat did.

It might not sound that interesting to begin with but then take into the fact that life as they knew it (hey, I see where the title came from!) is over and it gets a lot more intriguing. I really liked the idea of this apocalypse. Well, as much as anyone can like any idea of an apocalypse. I wouldn't say that it is my preferred method of the end of the world or anything but I like how it is explained. Keep in mind, I am not a scientist. I don't know if this is even possible to have happen but it sounded good when I read it. Basically, a massive asteroid collided with the moon and knocked it all off kilter. We all know how important the moon is. It controls the tides and.......all sorts of things (again, quite obviously not a scientist). So, needless to say, the moon got all jacked up and thus, the world got all sorts of jacked up.

So that's what sets the story but what really makes the story is Miranda and her reactions. I warmed up to the diary format because it really showed the way Miranda was dealing with everything. She dealt with it all very much in the way a teenage girl would, in my opinion. At times she was a horrible, selfish brat and other times she was responsible and caring. One day the entry would be about how much she loved her mama and the next day was all "I HATE THEM ALL!". I would say that is normal for any girl, especially one who is starving, dirty and feeling pretty hopeless.

It's not the best post-apocalyptic book but it is a really good one, in my opinion. ((If I wasn't such an Ashfall groupie, I would maybe have given this 4.5 or 5 stars. Maybe!))

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8 comments:

  1. Thanks for the great review. I really like books that are diary format, I'll have to check this one out.

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  2. You should check out the other two books in the trilogy. The second book made me want to reach through the pages and shake the main character into reality. The 2nd, The Dead & The Gone, is set during the same time as the 1st, but from the POV of a male teen and set in NYC. The 3rd brings the characters from 1 & 2 together.

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    1. I actually did read them all! I agree completely about the second book but I did like how the third book brought them all together even though in certain parts the characters did get on my nerves a bit! I was really wishing she was going to go through with the plans for a fourth book!

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    2. She wrote it, but it was a joint scrapping of project by her and publisher. Not sure why.

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  3. Wow! I have always loved this cover and have planned on reading it. I did not realize that it is written like a diary. Thank you for including your thoughts on the book. Well done.

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  4. Books in diary form are always tempting for me. Most of the time, I don't like them so much, so I'm still searcing for one I love. The concept of this one sounds great and the fact that her behaviour is so real, makes it sound even better :) Thank you.

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  5. Boy, was I freaked out when I read this book. I have never felt as scared in my life after reading a book than after reading this one. I really connected with the story and the apocalypse felt so REAL. Great review and I'm a new follower!

    I currently have a giveaway running on my blog if you'd like to check it out HERE

    Rabiah
    Confessions of a Readaholic

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  6. Hi,
    I found you on Goodreads, I am following you, Pls follow me back
    Thanks,
    http://dawnandwinniebookreviews.blogspot.com/

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