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The Shade of the Moon
(Last Survivors #4)
by
The eagerly awaited addition to the series begun with the New York Times best-seller Life As We Knew It, in which a meteor knocks the moon off its orbit and the world changes forever.
It's been more than two years since Jon Evans and his family left Pennsylvania, hoping to find a safe place to live, yet Jon remains haunted by the deaths of those he loved. His prowess on a s ...more
It's been more than two years since Jon Evans and his family left Pennsylvania, hoping to find a safe place to live, yet Jon remains haunted by the deaths of those he loved. His prowess on a s ...more
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Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
August 13th 2013
by HMH Books for Young Readers
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Start your review of The Shade of the Moon (Last Survivors, #4)

Fuck this book. No, seriously, fuck this book. If I could give this book a 0, I would. One star, according to Goodreads, means "did not like it." That is a fucking understatement of how much I regret reading it. This book never should have been written; at least then my memory of this series, which started off so wonderfully, would have been left at a permanent state of "mildly disappointed" at the end of book 3, instead of "full on rage and helpless fury" after finishing this one.
My sister is a ...more
My sister is a ...more

so this book takes place a whopping 4 years after the moon got all close to the earth and started messing things up for everyone. 4 years.
apparently, in the world this book lives in, four years is long enough for everyone to lose their freaking minds and forget how to be human beings. we have entered a bizarre us-v-them realm. some of our friends from the previous books have managed to land themselves in an enclave - a sheltered place for "important" people, like doctors and engineers and suchli ...more
apparently, in the world this book lives in, four years is long enough for everyone to lose their freaking minds and forget how to be human beings. we have entered a bizarre us-v-them realm. some of our friends from the previous books have managed to land themselves in an enclave - a sheltered place for "important" people, like doctors and engineers and suchli ...more

Original review posted on The Book Smugglers
Let me preface this review by saying this: I’ve read three books about the apocalypse this week. One is set hundreds of years after an asteroid annihilates Earth (Starglass by Phoebe North), one is set six months before an extinction-event sized asteroid hits earth (The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters), and, finally, this one, set four years after an asteroid has crashed into the moon, changing it’s orbit such that it is much closer to the Earth. One ...more
Let me preface this review by saying this: I’ve read three books about the apocalypse this week. One is set hundreds of years after an asteroid annihilates Earth (Starglass by Phoebe North), one is set six months before an extinction-event sized asteroid hits earth (The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters), and, finally, this one, set four years after an asteroid has crashed into the moon, changing it’s orbit such that it is much closer to the Earth. One ...more

Let me preface this by saying that I couldn't finish this book. I made it about halfway through before I couldn't stand it any more. If I owned the book, I would have burned it. That's how furious it made me. I had to stop before I gave myself a heart attack from the constant rage.
Set two years after the third book in Pfeffer's series, baby of the family, Jon, is now 17 and living in an Enclave. His family (including previous protagonist Miranda) lives in White Birch, a destitute town outside of ...more
Set two years after the third book in Pfeffer's series, baby of the family, Jon, is now 17 and living in an Enclave. His family (including previous protagonist Miranda) lives in White Birch, a destitute town outside of ...more

I hated almost every character in this book; the narrator is a rapist and I spent the whole book looking forward to any struggles or misery that came his way. The first three books in the series are infinitely better than this one.
If you've read them, just know that this one ends happily for almost everyone and skip it. Fill in the blanks for yourself and skip it. ...more
If you've read them, just know that this one ends happily for almost everyone and skip it. Fill in the blanks for yourself and skip it. ...more

Jan 15, 2013
Grace
marked it as to-read
I haven't read This World We Live In but when I saw this...



I thought this was only going to be a trilogy! It's a series!
There's another!!!
It's so beautiful!

...more



I thought this was only going to be a trilogy! It's a series!
There's another!!!
It's so beautiful!

...more

In the author's note at the conclusion of the book, Pfeffer admits that this wasn't her first pass at a fourth novel in her "Last Survivors" series:
This was the better of the efforts?
What started out as a unique and utterly engrossing series has ended not with a whimper, but a whine. Pfeffer turns the narrative over to Jon - who uses this spotl ...more
I wrote an entire fourth book and sent it off.... Everyone at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt read it. And although they never actually said so, they hated it.
This was the better of the efforts?
What started out as a unique and utterly engrossing series has ended not with a whimper, but a whine. Pfeffer turns the narrative over to Jon - who uses this spotl ...more

I remember reading that, after
Life as We Knew It
came out, author Susan Beth Pfeffer went to her editor and was like, "How about a sequel?"
And the editor was like, "Not so much."
And then Pfeffer came back to her editor and was like, "How about a new set of characters reacting to the same series of events in a new setting?"
And the editor was like, "Well, technically, I guess that's not a sequel, so okay."
Then THAT book was a success, and Pfeffer came back to her editor and was like, "NOW ...more
And the editor was like, "Not so much."
And then Pfeffer came back to her editor and was like, "How about a new set of characters reacting to the same series of events in a new setting?"
And the editor was like, "Well, technically, I guess that's not a sequel, so okay."
Then THAT book was a success, and Pfeffer came back to her editor and was like, "NOW ...more

I don't think I have ever been as disappointed as I have today in a book that could've been so much better. This book was bad. I mean, it was really bad compared to all of Pfeffer's other novels within the series. Half of the time I was reading, half of my mind was still trying to figure out how things got this chaotic within the span of two years. I guess people just simply learn to stop being people when they group together with other people...Most of Pfeffer's explanations as to what was goi
...more

The ending doesn't justify on how hateful I felt through out this book. First 85% and it was a series of questions: how, what, why the fuck that happened. Plot holes, failures on scientific explanations, vague settings, poor world buildings and lets not leave that insta-love. I have more complaints than I like this book.
This book is surreal stupid that the series started off with a good premise. It was more of it set its own standard and that is why for1 star.
Here's my unpopular list of why I ...more
This book is surreal stupid that the series started off with a good premise. It was more of it set its own standard and that is why for
Here's my unpopular list of why I ...more

WTH!!!!!!! ANOTHER ONE!!! The last one was bad enough! It was certainly depressing and I thought nothing was going to ever get better! The poor people of the book. Now we get to see all of them die. I will not be reading this book...
Oh, who am I kidding, I'm so reading this book. But I'm not buying it until I'm certain it's better than that train-wreak that was book three.
Please, no whiny people this time though. I whine enough in real life, and I know a lot of people who whine more than myself. ...more
Oh, who am I kidding, I'm so reading this book. But I'm not buying it until I'm certain it's better than that train-wreak that was book three.
Please, no whiny people this time though. I whine enough in real life, and I know a lot of people who whine more than myself. ...more

I don't think I have read my way through a series of books this fast in years. I couldn't stop reading. The Last Survivors series is the story of what happens on Earth after a large scale disaster completely destroys modern society. Many people die from hunger, disease and violence. Those who are left fight for survival. In this last book of the series, the less noble facets of human nature start to come out. A new society begins to form split between the more essential and upper class enclave r
...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

Wait a second, there will be a fourth book!?
I didn't know that...and I'm worry how things will go in this book 4. I fear for the worst.
Edited: 15/08/2013
Today I read this review (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...), and I have decided I will avoid this book like plague.
My thoughts after finished reading this book:
I don't really want to write a review for this book, it's an easy read and some of the details are good but there're so many things gone wrong in the text, so many things that hu ...more
I didn't know that...and I'm worry how things will go in this book 4. I fear for the worst.
Edited: 15/08/2013
Today I read this review (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...), and I have decided I will avoid this book like plague.
My thoughts after finished reading this book:
I don't really want to write a review for this book, it's an easy read and some of the details are good but there're so many things gone wrong in the text, so many things that hu ...more

I find it hard to put my disappointment with this book into words. Not only was following Jon a bad decision (as he was always the least interesting character), but this book made him a distinctly hate-able person. Although the ending aims for the idea of redemption, the amount of terrible things that Jon has done, attempted, thought, and said aloud is so overwhelming that I don't see how he could ever claim redemption.
The other characters suffer not only from having lost their original voices ...more
The other characters suffer not only from having lost their original voices ...more

August 31, 2013
A "not for me" 2 star rating.
About 6 years ago, I read Life As We Knew It, and it was my first taste of dystopian/post-apocalyptic literature. I loved it. I was sucked into the story, and that freshman year in high school, I must have read it about ten times.
Getting older, taking more English classes, getting better at interpreting things and learning about character development, all that good stuff, I realized that there were a lot of things about the book that I didn't like. B ...more
A "not for me" 2 star rating.
About 6 years ago, I read Life As We Knew It, and it was my first taste of dystopian/post-apocalyptic literature. I loved it. I was sucked into the story, and that freshman year in high school, I must have read it about ten times.
Getting older, taking more English classes, getting better at interpreting things and learning about character development, all that good stuff, I realized that there were a lot of things about the book that I didn't like. B ...more

As a fan of the other three books in Susan Beth Pfeffer's The Last Survivors post-apocalyptic/dystopian young adult series, I'm sorry to say that this novel provided a most unsatisfying end.
This review could easily run away with me, so I'll limit myself to what I see as the two biggest problems of the novel.
First, the premise. I honestly don't know why this wasn't a standalone novel. It makes no sense in the context of the earlier three books. It's set only four years -- four years -- after the ...more
This review could easily run away with me, so I'll limit myself to what I see as the two biggest problems of the novel.
First, the premise. I honestly don't know why this wasn't a standalone novel. It makes no sense in the context of the earlier three books. It's set only four years -- four years -- after the ...more

When I heard that there was going to be a fourth book to the Last Survivors series I was excited and worried at the same time. I really liked the first book, not so much the second book, and well the third was a bit of a mess, but I thought well maybe the author will redeem herself. I love the concept of the series, but the execution was lacking.
Jon is Miranda's younger brother. I didn't like Jon in the first or third book. I thought he was lazy and entitled. He never appreciated the sacrifices ...more
Jon is Miranda's younger brother. I didn't like Jon in the first or third book. I thought he was lazy and entitled. He never appreciated the sacrifices ...more

I would give this book a negative one if Goodreads would let me. I couldn't even finish it!
The family (what's left of it) has walked away from Pennsylvania to live closer to a safe town. After what they have all been through, in the less than five years they've lived here, they now accept a caste system that exists in the community. Jon (the youngest in the family, but not so young that he could forget what they all went through together) is now a soccer star and one of the elite in town. The re ...more
The family (what's left of it) has walked away from Pennsylvania to live closer to a safe town. After what they have all been through, in the less than five years they've lived here, they now accept a caste system that exists in the community. Jon (the youngest in the family, but not so young that he could forget what they all went through together) is now a soccer star and one of the elite in town. The re ...more

Randomly got on Goodreads today to look at my list of books to buy and I find THIS!!!!!!!!!!
I DID NOT KNOW THERE WAS GOING TO BE A FOURTH BOOK!!!!!!! I LITERALLY CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
....and did I mention how amazing the cover looks!? It's beautiful! Definitely the best cover of the series that I have seen so far! ...more
I DID NOT KNOW THERE WAS GOING TO BE A FOURTH BOOK!!!!!!! I LITERALLY CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
....and did I mention how amazing the cover looks!? It's beautiful! Definitely the best cover of the series that I have seen so far! ...more

What, a fourth book?! I'm so excited. I actually emailed the author a couple years ago when I finished the series (or so I thought) and begged for more. She said it was very unlikely. I'm so glad she changed her mind!
Update 8/27/13:
Meh. ...more

I cannot.
I just really cannot.
This makes it two books in a row.
How can I when I am so sure it'll ruin the previous books for me.
I cannot do that to my younger self. ...more
I just really cannot.
This makes it two books in a row.
How can I when I am so sure it'll ruin the previous books for me.
I cannot do that to my younger self. ...more

A little over a year ago during a bout of insomnia, I began browsing my library's ebook selection and came across "Life As We Knew It." This turned out to be the worst decision I could have made for my insomnia because the next thing I knew it was 7am and I had no intention of putting my Kindle down.
In a period where fiction is inundated with dystopian and/or apocalyptic stories, Life As We Knew It managed to be fresh, semi-original and absolutely riveting. In short, thinking it'd be a great sh ...more
In a period where fiction is inundated with dystopian and/or apocalyptic stories, Life As We Knew It managed to be fresh, semi-original and absolutely riveting. In short, thinking it'd be a great sh ...more

There are many problems with this book.
First and foremost, it doesn't actually feel like a REAL BOOK.
It doesn't read like one, it's awkward and underdeveloped, and feels like a fan-fiction continuation of the first two books (I did not actually read the third book so I can't comment on that one.)
There was an incredible amount of detail and development to the characters in books one and two, and we watched the complications of survival. Now everything seemed superficial and streamlined. Every p ...more
First and foremost, it doesn't actually feel like a REAL BOOK.
It doesn't read like one, it's awkward and underdeveloped, and feels like a fan-fiction continuation of the first two books (I did not actually read the third book so I can't comment on that one.)
There was an incredible amount of detail and development to the characters in books one and two, and we watched the complications of survival. Now everything seemed superficial and streamlined. Every p ...more

This was a difficult read.
I really liked book 1. I read it quite a while ago and, although I found Miranda to be annoying, she grew so much in that book that I grew to like it. I also really loved the idea of what would happen if the moon was knocked out of alignment.
I, also, loved the mom and how she handled everything. I've loved Laura in all the first three books. Her heart is so big, she is amazing with her children. I'm not saying she's always right, she's done a lot of things wrong, but - ...more
I really liked book 1. I read it quite a while ago and, although I found Miranda to be annoying, she grew so much in that book that I grew to like it. I also really loved the idea of what would happen if the moon was knocked out of alignment.
I, also, loved the mom and how she handled everything. I've loved Laura in all the first three books. Her heart is so big, she is amazing with her children. I'm not saying she's always right, she's done a lot of things wrong, but - ...more

Book #57 Read in 2013
The Shade of the Moon (YA) by Susan Beth Pfeffer
This is the fourth book in the series that began with the book Life as We Knew It. I loved the first two books in this series and the third one was good. I did not know until recently that a fourth book was coming out, so when I had a chance to grab it to review, I had to get a copy.
In this book, two years have passed since book 3. Jon is living with his stepmother Lisa and his half brother Gabe in a better town than White Birc ...more
The Shade of the Moon (YA) by Susan Beth Pfeffer
This is the fourth book in the series that began with the book Life as We Knew It. I loved the first two books in this series and the third one was good. I did not know until recently that a fourth book was coming out, so when I had a chance to grab it to review, I had to get a copy.
In this book, two years have passed since book 3. Jon is living with his stepmother Lisa and his half brother Gabe in a better town than White Birc ...more

Jon is a slip. He slipped into an exclusive community using a pass. Being a slip isn’t as good as being a claver, one of the people specifically chosen for an enclave due to special skills or powerful connections. But it’s a heck of a lot better than being a grub, a common worker not even allowed to live within the boundaries of the enclave.
Being a slip, though, can be tricky. Jon can’t afford to offend the clavers, which often means proving his superiority over the grubs. But his mother, his si ...more
Being a slip, though, can be tricky. Jon can’t afford to offend the clavers, which often means proving his superiority over the grubs. But his mother, his si ...more

What the hell happened??? Did the author let her kid have a crack at writing her last book? It makes no sense!
Serious questions and problems arise with this book:
First, this is the worst case of insta-love I have ever seen. Jon meets a girl and they are instantly in love LITERALLY. Like within hours. It's weird. They barely had a conversation first.
Second, the whole enclave system makes no sense. Why would they build these special "safe" cities for important people only and fill them with teena ...more
Serious questions and problems arise with this book:
First, this is the worst case of insta-love I have ever seen. Jon meets a girl and they are instantly in love LITERALLY. Like within hours. It's weird. They barely had a conversation first.
Second, the whole enclave system makes no sense. Why would they build these special "safe" cities for important people only and fill them with teena ...more

I feel like this was the lesser of the four books. It felt like slip, grub and clavers was shoved down the throat of the reader. It was constantly mentioned, it felt like every other sentence had one of those words. I got it. There was a big distinction between different people. I didn't realize there was a fourth book in the series so I don't remember if it was ever mentioned why some people were considered better than others and were put in the enclaves and others were in places like White Bir
...more

Once again, an author tries to capitalize on a successful series by writing a thrown-together book that would have been better off left alone. I loved the first three books, LOVED them. But this one shouldn't even exist. I hated the new society the author created. It was ridiculous and hateful, and while humanity is not perfect, I don't think we would resort to that if the situations in the books ever came to fruition. I hated Jon. He was disgusting, selfish, and blinded just the way society wan
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Upon re-reading the book years later... | 1 | 8 | Feb 09, 2019 08:34AM | |
2nd Period Langua...:
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3 | 15 | Apr 30, 2014 03:43PM | |
Crazy for Young A...: The Shade Of The Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer → Start Date: November 3, 2013 | 17 | 50 | Nov 13, 2013 03:45AM |
Susan Beth Pfeffer was born in New York City in 1948. She grew up in the city and its nearby suburbs and spent summers in the Catskill Mountains. When she was six her father wrote and published a book on constitutional law, and Pfeffer decided that she, too, wanted to be a writer. That year she wrote her first story, about the love between an Oreo cookie and a pair of scissors. However, it wasn't
...more
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Last Survivors
(4 books)
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