The Last City
Here's an idea. Let's write a book that has the potential to be really good. We'll pull in a bunch of different elements, including mutants + zombies, a post-apocalyptic world, and a dystopian city setting. We'll also make sure to fill it with at least a few interesting characters that readers can really root for. ......and then we'll blow it all to hades by injecting an entirely unnecessary and vaguely disturbing romantic element on the female protagonist's part. Because, y'know, we just can't write a young adult novel without having thoughts of true love and passionate kisses involved. And wa-la! You have The Last City!
Okay, so maybe that was a little over-dramatic because even if you'd taken the hormones out, I still don't think I'd have liked The Last City all that much. While I genuinely do like how the author brought a few different elements together, it's not really anything that stands out. Peter Clines' Ex-Heroes book does the mutants versus zombies premise in a more interesting fashion. All the other elements have been done, and done, and done again. Even zombies aren't quite enough to save it. It took me three attempts to be able to finish the book.
Alright, that's not quite fair. Here's where it really is, and I just figured this out whilst writing up the review. I would have liked this whole book a lot more if we just cut out all the sections with Liza. At least Tommy's story was interesting, and his relationship with Joelle was one I definitely wanted to read more of.
Ooh, there's an idea! Can we have a few more young adult books where there's affection without attraction? Can we acknowledge that not all young adults are boiling stews of hormonal juices and deliver stories that don't at least partially rely on all the mushy feels? Pleeease?
Logan Keys can write. Not even going to pretend otherwise. There was some serious talent involved in writing The Last City. She had so many good quotable lines in here!
"What kind of monster would bash my brains in for being out at night? I know what kind. One who thinks he protects us by stripping away our rights. ... To endure the worst things 'for our own good'."
or even simply:
"It's never too expensive to be a good human being."
Can we just have that one plastered everywhere? We, in America, need to get that through our collective heads. It's NEVER too expensive to be a good human being!!
That's what makes it even more frustrating. That she has this novel that has so many awesome aspects to it, and then she has this ...this...relationship shoved into it. One that really legitimately is vaguely disturbing in the beginning.
The Last City was almost awesome! But..almost doesn't count. However, I do think Logan Keys is an author to keep an eye on. I think she's got the potential to blow us away. Just...not with this book.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free from Netgalley for review consideration.
