The Shade of the Moon

Last Survivors #4

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

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 soccer field has guaranteed him a home in a well-protected enclave. But Jon is painfully aware that a missed goal, a careless word, even falling in love, can put his life and the lives of his mother, his sister Miranda, and her husband, Alex, in jeopardy. Can Jon risk doing what is right in a world gone so terribly wrong?

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Apocalyptic, Survival

304 pages, Paperback

First published August 13, 2013

About the author

Susan Beth Pfeffer was an American author best known for young adult and science fiction. After writing for 35 years, she received wider notice for her series of post-apocalyptic novels, officially titled "The Life as We Knew It Series", but often called "The Last Survivors" or "Moon Crash" series, some of which appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list.

Reviews

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 lot younger than me; consequently, I've had the pleasure of watching her and her friends grow up. It has been a wonderful experience to see most of them grow physically and mature mentally into intelligent, quirky, and loveable almost-adults. I use the word "mostly" because, as we all know...they don't all turn out great.

I watched a perfectly pleasant, well-behaved little boy who got good grades and loved his family grow into a little shithead. By age 18, he had crashed several cars, maxed/stolen his mother's credit cards, let his sister take the blame for any number of things, and impregnated a girl. I still like that kid more than I like this book's narrator, Jon. At least he never tries to justify attempted rape.

Watching him grow up is a lot like my experience with reading this book. I feel like I watched Jonny grow up through reading this series. I have followed this series since it debuted. I loved reading about Miranda and her family, and I always adored Jonny and Matt. Jonny was 13 when the book started, and he is now Jon, living in an enclave of survivors. He is also a giant fucking douchebag.

The world of Life As We Know It: I hated it. I absolutely hated it. I did not find it believable in the least. Here is why: traumatic, disastrous events tend to bring out the best in people, not in all, but the majority of people will exercise common sense, and people tend to bond over the hardship, bond over the painful experience. The people in this book do not, they act like assholes. Instead of bonding together to rebuild a new world, they are split up into a rigid class system that makes little sense in how it is completely accepted by the overwhelming majority of those involved. This imagined world is completely lacking in credulity. For example: the Enclave.

The Enclave values the sciences, mostly because scientists contribute to the agricultural growth of the community, people with scientific skills are allowed in and given a privileged life beyond all others, and are called "Clavers." They are botanists, chemists, physicists, biologists, doctors. They live in nicer houses, they have domestic servants, they get the best food, the best of everything. The "grubs" are laborers, miners, domestic servants. They're mistreated, poorly fed, scorned, debased by the Clavers. And they just...accept it? SERIOUSLY? THEY JUST ACCEPT THEIR STATUS? These grubs are exactly not poorly educated immigrants, no.

You expect me to believe such a rigid class system would establish itself within the span of a few years?

You expect me to believe educated members of the current community are now largely considered "useless" within the new world?

You expect me to believe that every single grub is willingly accepting of their demeaning status without a fight? And when they appear to outnumber the Clavers themselves?

You expect me to believe that a former college professor of philosophy is passively accepting of her new status as a housemaid to be abused by a fucking 17-year old brat? A Ph.D in political science now considered useless?

You expect me to believe that the scientists of the community, with the exalted status of "Clavers" are so willing to debase others? That the equality that we have today in the US is all but gone within the span of four years?

This book twists the nature of people to its own means, and I find the premise utterly ridiculous.

Jonny: Where do I even fucking start?

"I know I spoiled you, you were the baby in the family. It gave you a sense of entitlement, and living the way you do has only exacerbated that. So a lot of it is my fault. Not all of it, though. You're old enough, Jon, to see the world as it really is, not the way you want it to be."

Jonny. 17 years old. Entitled to a Tee. As his mother stated above, he has always been cared for, given the best of everything due to his age and status of the family's "baby." Despite all the hardship they went through, they have always put his interest first, they have always tried to give him the best of care...and it's come back to bite them in their fucking face. Now 17 and living as a privileged "Slip" within the Enclave, he is the most unlikeable character in a book that I have ever encountered in YA literature.

Jonny is better than everyone because he is not a grub, he is a "slip," one who has slipped in, but he is treated as a privileged member of the community. Why? Jon is one of the best soccer player on the school team and therefore rule the fucking world. Yes, soccer is eminently important as a display of power to show the stupid Grubs that the Enclavers (Clavers) are so much better than them in every way. In a world where millions have died, where food is scarce, where air quality is contaminated, it's good to know that sports players are still highly valued above all else. It's good to know some things stay the fucking same, despite making no sense at all.

Jonny is not just entitled to a good life, with a nice house, with domestic "Grubber" servants, with plentiful food in a world where so many still lack the very basics of subsistence...he's also apparently entitled to get sex whenever he feels like it. All he has to do is proclaim his love for a girl and she'll be ready to spread her legs in welcome, right?

"I love you..." he said, convinced that would make her quiescent. You told a girl you loved her, she'd agree to anything. You said the magic words, and the girl was yours.
But [she] didn't seem to understand the rules...instead, she kept trying to get away. The harder she tried, the angrier he got, the more he felt the need to make her his.

Consent is optional, it seems.

"She wanted it as much as I did," Jon said. "I could tell. But she wouldn't admit it. She said it was a sin. She didn't care what I felt, how excited I was. What I wanted didn't matter. I didn't plan on hurting her. It was her fault for fighting me."

Of course it's her fault. Of course it's always the girl's fault for saying no, for not wanting it as much as he fucking did. It's never Jon's fault. He would have apologized...and well, it was someone else's fault that he didn't get the opportunity to apologize in the end. I cannot believe the author tries to justify the deplorable acts of sexual abuse, and I absolutely hated Jon more than I can remember hating any main character more in any book I've ever read.

Sarah: the innocent, idealistic love interest? Not exactly. She is a fucking moron in her own way. I'm trying my best not to do victim-blaming here, but I still can't help but judge. Insta-love is but a minor, minor complaint in the grand scale of the mess that is Sarah and Jon's "love story," if it can even be deemed such. When the motherfucker with whom you fall in love confesses to arson, attempted rape of someone else, a possible role in a death, expresses disdain at your lowered social standing, is prejudiced as hell against everything you stand for, attempts to rape you, then lies about any number of things...it's PROBABLY NOT THE BEST FUCKING IDEA TO REMAIN IN LOVE WITH HIM. She sees through his tragic past to his true nature, which is pure fucking bullshit.

A difficult past does not mean you have a fucking free-for-all pass to be a fucking asshole and sexual predator for life. Everyone who survived until now in the book has had a fucking rough life, deal with it, Jonny. He is not fucking special, Sarah should be able to see it as such and not be so fucking complacent and understanding. Fuck understanding, I do not want to understand the waste of space that is Jon and I cannot see why Sarah does nor even wants to. I really wanted to like Sarah. I really wanted to sympathize with her as the victim: I couldn't do it.

The plot was half-assed, and was largely overshadowed by Jon's deplorable character and Sarah's spineless self. My enjoyment of it was nonexistent due to the overwhelming bitterness and pure hatred within the narrative voice of our main character. Other characters from previous books are also present, and I can say that they do not feel real at all to me, and I didn't enjoy reading about them as much as I did in the previous books. They were robotic.

I did not enjoy a single moment of reading this book. I was so tremendously angry with it throughout my reading process, and I cannot recommend this book to anyone.

I received a copy of this book for review through Edelweiss. The quotes used were taken from a galley edition and is subject to change in the final draft.

[karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 suchlike. they are known as "clavers."the rest of the people live on the outskirts, and are known as "grubs." these are laborers, and people with phd's in philosophy - you know, useless people. then there are teachers and people like that, who are neither one nor the other. the distinctions are never really detailed in any satisfying way, so i guess it's not important. (???) all you need to know is that many of the grubs work as domestic help to the clavers and commute to work, breathing the crappy air and walking to their jobs where they are bossed around by teenagers and seem to have no problem doing so.i cannot really think of any philosophy phd-holders who would be content scrubbing floors and being ordered to make food for spoiled teenagers, but a lot can happen in four years, right? everyone is just so happy-slappy going along with this system which makes no sense. and - hey maybe they aren't. but you would think a book like this would address that - the psychological aspects of people forced to live like this. but - nope! the system works! well-educated people do as they are told without a peep of complaint!

table that for now.

so, jon. he was twelve in the first book, now he is sixteen. his mother, sister, brother, and extended family all live as grubs, while he is safe in the enclave with his stepmother and her child. he managed to get into the enclave on someone else's ticket, so he is viewed a little beneath the proper clavers, and is known as a "slip."even though he has close ties to people on the outside, he still refers to them as "grubs," and thinks they are beneath him. he still engages in sexual activity with "grub girls," because that's what they are there for, buying them for crumbs of soap. he treats the help like subhumans. his friends engage in casual rape and violence and vandalism, and he goes along for the ride, even though he knows it will hurt his mother and worsen the crummy life she already lives.he doesn't even bring her food when his stepmother offers it, which is never even explained. he is just a total brat who has stumbled into conditions better than most and doesn't even appreciate it, like a little lord, living an actively reprehensible life. but - hey - who cares - he is safe in the enclave! whe!

there also seems to be no paperwork in this new world - no one knows who is related to people on the outside, and no one seems to really be in charge. this is a very lazy dystopia. i understand that this is for younger teens or whatever, but you can't have it both ways. you can't have sloppy details and say "well, it's just for kids, and they don't need rigor in their books," but then you can't have all these dangerous moral behaviors in here and expect that these same kids will see the dubious character growth jon undergoes. you can't expect kids to have that kind of objectivity, or grasp of nuance. and he doesn't get that much better, honestly.

but he does get a girl to fall into bewildering insta-love with him!

and this is what i hate the most in YA-novels. there is no reason for them to be in love, and a million reasons for her to NOT be in love with him: he confesses to arson, to rape-y-ness, he lies to her, he grabs her frequently when he is trying to make a point, he tells her he is responsible for the death of his last girlfriend. oh, and also, he "pretends" to try to force her into physical intimacy with him, to drive her away so that she will get over him and not complicate both their lives. but, oh, she is so forgiving! she eventually sees through his ruse and sees the good in him and it is luuuurrrvvvee.

balderdash.

this happens a lot in these not-as-good YA books - the short memories of girls. because love is more important than anything, right? love sees through all the flaws, even the ones that are criminal. ladies - most guys who are dillweeds are just dillweeds; they aren't masking any heart of gold ulterior motives. don't learn from these books.

this is a crazy book of misplaced blame and very questionable characters: seriously, jon, you're gonna get mad at miranda for that?? do you have any self-awareness at all? what a sulky little prick.

i wanted to smack him the whole time, even at the end. maybe especially at the end.

i have liked each book in the series a little bit less than the one that came before. and this one is an all-time-low.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

this book is "for ages 12 and up"

gather round, kiddies and listen to a tale where it's okay to slap the help, because "it's not battery," and if a girl doesn't put out when you try to force her, and she later dies when her terror of you prevents your saving her, well, shrug - her fault, then, innit?

a wonderful book so far.

come to my blog!

[TheBookSmugglers · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 of these books was good, one was superb, and one was very bad indeed.

Unfortunately, The Shade of the Moon is the very bad book.

Back to the review now:

It is four years after the unthinkable has happened, and civilization as it used to exist came crashing down. An asteroid collides into the moon’s surface, pushing its orbit closer to the Earth and unleashing catastrophe in its wake. Tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions come first, followed by dramatic climate change, starvation, and global pandemics. In the four years since those early terrible days, humanity has rearranged itself into a new type of order – the rich, powerful, and lucky make their way into enclaves, where they are given food, electricity, air filters, education, and a chance at a real future. Everyone else, however, is left outside the enclaves, struggling to find ways to work, eat, and survive day to day.

Jon Evans is one of the very lucky – thanks to a pass given to him by chance and the sacrifices of his family, Jon becomes a “claver” in the enclave of Sexton. With his stepmother Lisa and half-brother Gabe, Jon has lived his last four years in relative luxury – going to school every day, working hard at his soccer game, eating fresh vegetables and square meals. Meanwhile, his mother, sister Miranda and brother-in-law Alex are “grubs” stuck outside the enclave in the equivalent of a shantytown – working hard labor jobs in order to survive. As tensions mount between the clavers and the grubs, Jon finds himself caught in the middle, torn between loyalty to his family, and a chance at the good life in the enclaves.

I’m flummoxed when it comes to this fourth installment in the Last Survivors/Moon Crush/LAWKI series. I love dark books, including gritty “realistic” reads. I appreciate it when authors craft unlikable main characters, and challenge preconceived notions of “good” and “bad” – especially in YA speculative fiction. What I do not love, however, are books that are gratuitous or hateful for the sake of shock value; I am not a fan of “darkness” without purpose. I do not appreciate it when a would-be rapist main character does not learn from his actions and is painted in a sympathetic light to readers. I do not like any of these things in any arena; it is all the more disheartening to read when it happens in a series I used to love.

I will lay it out simply: The Shade of the Moon left a bad taste in my mouth.

This is a book about a spoiled, entitled, and wholly un-likable main character. Jon’s family – including the two main characters we’ve met and loved in the first books of the series – has sacrificed everything to give this young man a chance at a normal, healthy life. In return, Jon is a bigoted asshole, more concerned about his own well-being than helping his family. He’s too important for his stepmother and his toddler half-brother; he hides behind excuses and is content to go with the flow instead of taking a stand.

On the one hand, I appreciate Susan Beth Pfeffer’s creation of such an utterly shitty character – that takes guts, and I’m not opposed to unlikable protagonists. That said, what kills me about Jon is how he is painted in a sympathetic light to the readers.

SPOILERS AND TRIGGER WARNING FOR RAPE (as well as liberal amounts of CAPS LOCKING and swearing) FOLLOW:

On top of all his other wonderful qualities, Jon is also a would-be/almost rapist. You see, there’s some major retroactive storytelling that happens in The Shade of the Moon – right before Julie’s death (thanks to the tornado and her ensuing paralysis), it turns out that Jon tries to force himself on Julie. You see, Jon is nearly 15 years old at this point, and he thinks that he is in love with Julie, and he tells her he loves her, which, in Jon’s head, should make Julie HIS. When Julie resists, he doesn’t stop and continues to force himself – his thirty pounds of extra weight and extra height – on the smaller, younger (13!!!!) girl. Julie miraculously fights him, and gets away – but terrified, she runs outside of the barn in which they are holed up, as she’d rather throw herself into the path of a tornado than be raped by her so-called friend. And this is Jon’s thought process as he recounts this:

He thought about that day harder than he ever had before. Yes, he’d wanted Julie. He was a teenage boy and she was a teenage girl, and that was the nature of things. If Julie hadn’t been so religious, or more to the point, if she hadn’t been so scared of Alex, who was so religious, she would have had no reservations about making love. It had been their last chance, probably the last time they’d ever see each other.

Jon knew now he’d pushed too hard, and he understood why Julie had panicked. But panic was an irrational response. Julie knew him and loved him and should have understood that he would never hurt her. But her fear of Alex was stronger than her love of Jon.

Now, if this was merely an insight into Jon’s mindset, leading to some kind of challenge to this utterly fucked up way of justifying his actions, that’s one thing.

But… it’s not. Jon’s bullshit rationalizations – well, it was HER fault for being too religious and scared, I wouldn’t have hurt her, silly irrational girl – are never challenged. In realtime during the book, Jon meets and falls in love with a new girl named Sarah (after a chapter, mind you) who also loves him back. Apparently. And Jon tries to push Sarah away to save her from another enclave boy’s rage by telling Sarah the story of Julie and PRETENDING TO WANT TO RAPE SARAH so she leaves him… BUT THEN Sarah learns that he didn’t REALLY rape Julie and he was just pretending to try to rape Sarah for her own protection (*CUE VOMIT*) and just like that, Sarah is all back in Jon’s arms and in love.

Need I say more? OK, why don’t I touch on the treatment of the other female characters. There’s Miranda, the protagonist from book 1, who is given a minor role here and basically is defined as Pregnant Mother (she’s also 19-21 TOPS at this point). Girls are routinely raped by the “claver” boys (apparently). One of the domestic workers in the main character’s house at one point goes up to Jon’s room, calls him “Mr. Jon” and says she wants to show her appreciation in a special way, if you catch my drift.

ARE. YOU. FUCKING. KIDDING. ME.

There’s also the gratuitous murder of Miranda and Jon’s mother – whom we’ve also loved over the course of the series – in the worst possible way. The suicide of Jon’s stepmother. The repeated allusions to further rapes and murders of women. There’s the unbelievable worldbuilding, the laughable rapey “romance.”

ALL of this is to say… what is the fucking point? There is so much death, so much bleakness without purpose, such shitty treatment of characters or continuity with the early books, that I can’t even express my disappointment and outrage.

There is nothing that can redeem this book or this series for me, and unfortunately, knowing how poorly Miranda and Alex are treated in these subsequent books has tainted my love of the first two novels. And… that’s all I have to say about that. I will not be back for any future books in this series.

[Sally Moen · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 the Enclave that essentially does all the work. So, in four years, apparently everyone has become a crazed sociopath. The Enclave's "clavers" (the lucky affluent few in the Enclave) call the White Birch laborers "grubs" (to dehumanize them, basically) and work them to the bone--all while maintaining that the clavers are more deserving and the grubs lazy animals. Once again, this is FOUR YEARS after the apocalyptic event. Four years. Humans can be shitheads, for sure, but this scenario is simply not plausible.

On top of the ludicrous turn that the novel's world has taken, Jon has become a grade A asshole. And us, the readers, are expected to live in his head for the duration of an entire novel. Halfway through, and no real character development. If anything, he seems WORSE. Justifying sexual assault, dehumanizing people who just four years ago were family and friends, abusing the "domestics" (the house slaves--because that is essentially how the White Birth denizens are seen and treated), and claiming that these people who work hard all day, at least 6 days a week (with little access to food, healthcare, or any semblance of security) are lazy and inessential (they grow all the food and basically do everything, by the way) and that his contribution, PLAYING SOCCER, is somehow more valuable. On top of that, Jon is incredibly ungrateful for all of the sacrifices that his family made for him. He whines and whines and whines and it never seems to occur to him that now *he* is in a position to help *them*. His level of entitlement is insane. I don't think I have enough energy to enumerate all of Jon's repulsive qualities, so I'll stop there. (But don't worry, there are more. Lots more.)

In sum: wildly implausible, devoid of hope, seen through the eyes of a particularly odious person, and rage-inducing. I wish I'd stopped after the mildly unsatisfying third book. :-/

UPDATE (10/1/13)
A few things I forgot to mention: The "romance" between Jon and the weak, flailing new girl, Sarah, feels very off. For one thing, Jon has no redeeming qualities and seems to embody just about everything that Sarah dislikes about Enclave culture. She doesn't appear to like him even a little. (Though Sarah is no prize herself, having all the personality and agency of a limp dishrag.) But okay, fine. Love can be crazy and illogical. Kids (and adults) can be stupid about love. Sure, fine. But their "love" is very sudden, with no build up, and together they radiate about as much heat as a freezer stocked with dry ice.

This lack of chemistry and build-up is partially the product of some pretty atrocious writing. I'm not a person who usually pays a lot of attention to the writing unless it's outrageously good or outrageously bad. This book definitely falls into the latter category, which is odd, since the first three books seemed fine. Nothing to write home about, but not terrible. While I don't have the book with me (returned that f*cker to the library as soon as I could), but I remember one part that actually made me laugh, it was that bad. At one point, Sarah is upset and asks him to "hold her." Something to the effect of "Hold me, Jon. Hold me." It reads like a parody of bad writing. (I'll dig up the exact exchange if I decide to indulge my inner masochist and try to finish the book some day.)

And now one more thing to add to my rant (because at this point, I don't think it would be fair to real reviewers to call this a proper "review"): A new domestic (read: house slave) who's younger than Jon speaks--and I don't really know how to write this without risking being offensive--like a caricature of an antebellum slave. (This impression is reinforced by the fact that domestics are required to call their claver slavemasters things like "Mr. Jon" and "Ms. Lisa." (Ugh, gross. I can't even.)) It was...weird...to say the least. For one thing, she would have been about 11 when the asteroid hit the moon. Has *Ms. Susan* ever met a real 11 year old? Or any adult who was at one point an 11 year old? Infant amnesia doesn't really apply to them...(so people who are older than 11 typically remember being 11 more or less). Anyway, this domestic (Ruby) would have presumably been educated through roughly the 6th grade and also would have remembered what life was like before everything went to hell in a hand basket. (As mentioned before, this is 4 years later, not 40 or 400.) So it's bizarre to hear her speak as though she's been raised from birth in this incredible (in the sense that it is not credible) caste system. Not only that, but the book actually mentions that she was a student of Jon's mother and therefore would have had some post-6th grade education and certainly an awareness of the gross injustices perpetrated by the Enclave (and the fact that they are gross injustices).
/rant

[Alicia · Rating 1 out of 5]

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.

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

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:

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 spotlight to whine, attempt to justify his behavior, and generally reveal himself as an unsympathetic ass. This "new" Jon utterly destroys any residual sympathy the reader may have carried over for him from the previous books, and is so disconnected from any prior characterization that I'm tempted to believe this is supposed to be Jon from an evil mirror universe, Star Trek style. Yes, time has passed, but it doesn't seem enough to explain his coldness to the plight of his family, and the whole-hearted embracing of his place in a caste-based society.

And about that society.... It's bad. It's unfair. I get it. But I felt less like I was reading a story set in a world openly and violently separated into have and have-nots, and more like I was reading a really obvious morality tale about why CLASSISM IS WRONG. I get it, Pfeffer. No need to hit me on the head with a hammer - or better yet, to have a former-philosophy-professor grub take on the task. The clavers in the story are so obviously and obnoxiously in the wrong that it's hard to take them seriously. Actually, it's hard to take the story seriously. I've bought into everything Pfeffer's sold up to this point, but are you telling me that no one has a conscious anymore, aside from one shrill female love interest?

I couldn't put the first novel down because I had to know what happened. I couldn't put this novel down, because I had to try to understand what happened to this once great story. Unfortunately, I still don't have an answer.

[Grace]

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!

[Andrew Hicks · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 how about a sequel, bitch?"

And the editor was like, "Fine, goddammit."

Then THAT book was a success too, and Pfeffer came back and was like,

"How about a fourth book that glorifies rape culture?"

And the editor was like, "........."

And hopefully the story ends there.

[Julia · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 going on was very transparent. I mean, how does playing soccer help out a community during post-apocalyptic times? Not only that, but almost, if not all, of Pfeffer's characters did a complete 180 in this book.

*SPOILERS*

Jon turns into a complete and utter spoiled prick that burns down schools, takes advantage of people, and tries to rape girls almost at random. I mean, this kid is the antagonist of his own story. His moral compass is completely twisted in the wrong direction and he barely shows emotion at all. Sarah, his secret, equality-preaching girlfriend is one of the stupidest characters ever created on the planet. She practically goes running back and forth from one viewpoint to another until finally coming to a stop in her rapey loverboy's arms (Oh yeah, he tried to rape her too by the way).
I think the worst death in the book wasn't Lisa's, but was Jon's mother's. I mean, throughout the book I was really hoping that someone would end up killing him instead. But no, there was no choice but to kill off the only remaining character that I liked in the most random way.
And to top it all off, this didn't even seem as though it was written by Pfeffer. If anything, I was hoping that this was some half-assed fan fiction that someone just decided to write one day, because it sure came off that way. Maybe that's what could explain the dozens of continuity errors, random personality changes, and pointless bleakness that made my brow stay furrowed (still not sure if in confusion or in anger) for more than an hour and a half.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 residents (called clavers) and the worker class grubs. Clavers are allowed more freedom, better food, and a safe place to live. Grubs reside outside the enclaves in violent, dangerous slums with no electricity and only enough food and necessities to survive. Only three of the survivors introduced in earlier books can live in the enclave...the rest have to become grubs. Surviving the new conditions brought about by the disaster is hard.....but surviving in the new social order turns out to be even harder.

This is my least favorite of the books in this series. Not because there is anything wrong with it....but because it was the most difficult to finish, possibly because it's very realistic. It is hard to admit that human nature is not to be understanding, kind and caring when it comes to survival. We can be a very cruel and violent species. Unfortunately, following a disaster of this type, a horrific society like what is depicted in this book might just be what happens. It isn't all doom and gloom though.....there is hope and there are always those who don't conform. It is those types of people who will keep their humanity in the aftermath of an extinction event. I did not like what happened psychologically to a couple of the main characters in this final book, but most likely because it was just a bit too real for me.

This series deals quite heavily with death, loss, rape, violence and prejudice. It's written for a YA audience so there isn't any graphic sex, violent scenes or language....but the subject matter is very dark and intense. I wouldn't recommend this series for children under 13. The books are well-written and the plot is thought provoking. I found myself wondering how my family would handle such a cataclysmic event. Would we survive? What would happen in the rural area we live in? How would we fare if all modern conveniences -- including medicine and the food supply -- was suddenly gone? Sobering thoughts.

I'm glad I read this series.....at the same time I'm glad I'm done reading. I think I need to read something happy, funny and much brighter now to clear my head of darkness. One good thought I take away from this series is that even when things seem darkest, there is always hope. And where there is hope, there is a chance for life.

Excellent series!

For more information on the author, check out her blog: http://susanbethpfeffer.blogspot.com

[Eureca Laurice · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 for 1 star.

Here's my unpopular list of why I didn't like it.

- I really like the 1st and 2nd installment it start off with really nice premise, different attack on characters (for me), nicely done settings that made this sequel a lot more promise. It didn't give me that satisfaction.

- I hate that Jon's character was so hateful.

- Massive Insta-Love
I let the insta-love pass on the last one, well given the chance that Alex is the only boy Miranda had met after a long time, Matt with Syl (though Matt and Syl was the most stupidest of all insta love), Jon and Julie but this is more excruciating Jon to Sarah, what happened to the "I can't live without Julie?" (I know, I know I just made that one)

- Jon is spoiled, I understood that he is the youngest but from what I see [along the progress of the series] he never grow up, his character has less development, he is always juvenile and I hated his guts.

- May be the moon made them crazier but I don't think it made them narrow minded. I hate every progress I have made with this book.

- Spoiler but not so... There's part here where Julie's fatal accident was revealed.

She's dead he thought. She'll never tell.

But only her body was dead Julie's mind was still alive. The terror in her eyes screamed of life.

She was completely helpless now, Jon realized. All she had was her mind and her fear.

Let say her body was more obvious broken but Jon 14-age mind? I couldn't tell that Julie's body is dead; I mean I will be more of paranoid but still hoping that she just have broken bones but not dead. Jon seen her, Jon talked to her she's not dead and with Jon's mind he should have act otherwise.


We could go along way on my list but this is just what I came with. This series is not stand alone, you could read it to satisfy your curiosity but the idea is no, don't read it, don't satisfy your curiosity and don’t even take a peek. Huh. I'm not kidding it’s not worth it.

Overall rating: 0.6/5

[Mizuki · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 hurt my common sense and logic...

Like...for example, people are still playing football when they are struggling for survival.

Like...the MCs would rather let their baby live in the polluted outside world instead of getting said baby into the Safe Town.

Like...the MC gets privilege of all sorts because he is a great football player.

Like...the teenage MC had once witnessed *his own father* dying of starvation and exhaustion in the past, and now his family members were working themselves half to death whilst he stayed in the Safe Town enjoying things like food and clean air which his family and the other labors couldn't dream of having, but the boy can still show so little pity toward those people outside of the Safe Town? What is going on here?

I can't even go on with this list.

[Celeste_pewter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two-second recap: The Shade of the Moon is a classic bildungsroman; beautifully detailing the coming-of-age of a character from The Last Survivors series who has remained in the shadows up until this point.

***

Full review:

There are three things you need to know before reading The Shade of the Moon:

1) This is the fourth book in Susan Beth Pfeffer's Last Survivors series.

While you don't necessarily have to read the previous three books, I would strongly advise it. You'll get a better sense of the emotional journeys that all of the characters have taken, including Jon - the main character of this novel.

2) Both Miranda and Alex - the main characters from the previous three books - feature heavily in this book, but aren't the primary characters. Pfeffer has passed the torch onto Jon, a character who was always on the peripheries of the books, now having him take center stage.


3) This book is just plain awesome. Pfeffer's been talking about The Shade of the Moon since late 2010, early 2011 on her blog - including sharing a completely different vision for the book, initially - and as a long-time fan of The Last Survivors series, I think the wait was absolutely worth it.

WIth that being said, let's get on to what worked/didn't work/things to consider.


***

Things that worked:

* The re-introduction of Jon and the Evans family.

Even though it's been three years since we've been privy to the inner workings of the Evans family, Pfeffer's re-inroduction of them was flawless. She does an excellent job of catching the reader up to what the Evans family has experienced since the moon-crash, and their present states/locations, without making the information seem like a mass information dump.

In a nutshell, Pfeffer is a master at telling not showing.


* The creation of White Birch and Sexton

Pfeffer's established an intriguing framework of political and social questions through her creation of White Birch and Sexton.

The system of grubs/clavers/slips is far from ideal for anyone living within it, but Pfeffer does a good job of forcing readers to think about why the system has been created, and why the people in these two towns - especially the grubs - are going along with something that essentially relegates them to a second-class status. The portrayals of the system are dark, bleak, but will definitely provoke readers into wondering how they would react when put into a similar situation.

For any educators or parents who may be looking to get this book for their classroom or kids, I think the concept of the White Birch/Sexton system can be connected to a lot of the current events of the day, and help students/kids understand why certain events have played out in certain ways.

However, a cautionary note: there are certain scenes where grubs are willing to do just about anything to survive. While their decisions are very true to people who are trying to survive in a devastating, harsh environment, it may be a little too graphic for younger readers.


* Jon's journey to adulthood, or how this novel is a bildungsroman.

In Life As We Knew It and This World We Live In, Jon is portrayed very much as a child who has been sheltered from the dangers of the world at large.

Even though he makes a conscious effort to help his family members out - e.g. chopping wood with Matt in TWWLI - the older members of the family still make an effort to shelter him from the harsher realities. They skip meals to make sure he gets more food; they make sure that he continues with his classes, and they prevent him from listening to the news.

So it's no wonder that by The Shade of the Moon, Jon's become a entitled brat who takes his life as a Slip inside of Sexton for granted. He's lazy, expects his domestic to do everything for him, and doesn't have any further aspirations in life.

Pfeffer does a wonderful job of showing how a series of unrelated events - e.g. the arrival of Sarah; Miranda's pregnancy; along with other more brutal, shocking moments. - provoke Jon into getting out of his comfort zone, and realizing that there is still more to learn and experience from life, than what he originally believed.

The plotting detailing Jon's growth is especially superb - including an internal struggle with events from This World We Lived In that the reader only learns about now - and eventually culminates with him making a decision that is isn't necessarily shocking, but still very sacrificial. Pfeffer's plotting is so superb, the reader can easily see Jon is now world's away from how he started the book.

I think that for educators and parents, Jon's journey is an excellent example of the bildungsroman - a coming-of-age novel. His experiences should provoke a lot of discussion and thought. However, be warned: there is a plotline that is very graphic, and may not work for younger readers.


* General writing/characterization/world-bulding

Pfeffer's writing, plotting and world-building are as excellent as ever.

-Characterization

While Jon's third-person voice isn't necessarily as personable or distinctive as Miranda's first-person voice, Pfeffer has definitely made him into a character of his own. She nails down the male voice clearly.

-Plotting:

Pfeffer throws you into the world of Sexton/White Birch immediately. While the action for the book isn't necessarily as explosive or action-packed as other dystopians, Pfeffer intersperses the book with intriguing, challenging obstacles that propels the action forward, and will keep the reader riveted.

The book's climax is especially stark - Jon's basically forced to undergo a series of challenging obstacles that completely destabilizes his world - and Pfeffer masterfully engages readers into the action, without letting the momentum fall too much afterward.

-World-building

Pfeffer's world post-moon crash, is clearly a very well-thought out one. Even without reading the first three books, the details that she includes - e.g the establishment of enclaves; the after-school jobs that have been created to keep morale up, etc. - present a very full picture of what characters like Jon and Miranda have to endure on a daily basis.

***

Things that didn't work/Things to consider:

* The romance.

While I loved the fact that Jon finds a partner in Sarah, I was a little concerned about how quickly it happened. It seemed like they went from meeting, to declaring their love within the span of a few several chapters.

Even though I understood why Jon and Sarah's relationship moved so quickly - they live in an post-apocalyptic environment where life is hard and moves quickly, so people are more prone to immediately banding together when they can - I do wish that Pfeffer would have also included more background on why they liked each other so much.

I didn't necessarily want extra scenes developing the relationship; I would have just been fine with an added line or two from either Jon or Sarah saying something like, "Hey, this is why I like you." Pfeffer has created two very intriguing personalities in Jon and Sarah, and I would have just loved to get into their heads more.


* The ret-conned relationship between Jon and Julie.

Without giving away too many spoilers, I was slightly saddened by what (felt like) the ret-conned relationship between Jon and Julie.

Even though Pfeffer definitely tackled Jon's anguish in a very realistic, compelling way, I was still disappointed to know that one of my favorite characters from The Dead and the Gone and This World We Live In had an ending that was even tougher than I initially realized. I also felt that the new reveal took away from the relationship that the two of them had in TWWLI.

However, with that being said, I also wouldn't have had Pfeffer do anything differently. After reflecting about it, I think Jon's actions were a stark, brutal but realistic example about how tragedy can bring out the worst in people, and made his journey to recovery all the more poignant.

***

Final verdict:

Three years after the publication of This World We Live In, Susan Beth Pfeffer has proven that her Last Survivors series is just as stark, brilliant and relevant as ever. Jon's journey from misguided young man, to a more thoughtful, in-development leader, will inspire readers and have them hoping for more.

I highly recommend this book for fans of dystopian YA books, who are looking for something that breaks the traditional mold. I also recommend this book for fans of Mira Grant, James Dashner.

***

Disclaimer: I received an arc of The Shade of the Moon from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

[Jessica]

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. I don't want to read fictional people whining.

[AziaMinor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overall Rating : F

It should've just stayed a trilogy. I was angry throughout the entire story. Just pain, misery, and a bunch of assholes that apparently forgot the way the world worked in just 2 years.

[Jocelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 show, the whole planet threw a party to watch a meteor slam into the moon. Instead, the moon got knocked out of whack and ended up so close to the Earth that the planet went into unimaginable chaos. Get in.

The narrator, Miranda, took us through her family's experience of the end of the world in a way that made us adore her, admire her, and believe her because the story was the perfect combination of terror, heartbreak, mirth and hope. When I finished the book, I was thrilled to discover books 2 & 3 were already published. That would prove to be the last time I would be thrilled by The Last Survivors series.

I had no problem with the sequels being told from other perspectives, especially since their stories eventually intertwined a la Dickens. But where I cared about and hung onto every word of the first book, by the third installment I honestly couldn't have cared less what happened to any of these people. The family we fell in love with in book 1 turn into shells of the dynamic characters they once were not because surviving the end of the world turned them into shells, but because the author seems to have lost her spark.

I suspect she didn't identify with or invest as much of herself into the characters who join the series in the sequels and this accounts for why it's impossible for the readers to do so. And in doing that, she doesn't seem to be able to go back to caring about her original characters either.

However, despite all my goings on, I'm not reviewing the previous books. I'm reviewing The Shade of the Moon and it isn't pretty. My anticipation for this book was higher than it should have been, but a part of me still had hope that this series could return to its initial greatness. I think that's also why it took me as long as it did to angrily toss this book across the room. Like Miranda once did, I still had hope.

Miranda's little brother Jon (the boy previously known as the almost likeable Jonny), takes the reins in this installment. Whereas he was once a spoiled, oblivious kid obsessed with baseball, he has now turned into an entitled, ignorant brute. They all live in a caste society that has enslaved the lower classes and is often terrorized by roves of young hooligans reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange. Jonny is one of those hooligans, but he gets to be because he's more or less part of the elite. They can do whatever they want. The new American society thrives on indentured servitude that aims to eventually work most of those that survived the apocalypse to their grave. Why? Because there are plenty of them and the few elite shouldn't have to share resources with the proletariat.

Jon, his stepmother and half brother are the Haves whilst the rest of the gang are the Have Nots (and Are Actually Dying). While Jon plays soccer and abuses his house staff, the rest of his family toil in slum cities where owning a truck is akin to winning the lottery and any chance for quality of life is nil. They exist, segregated and neglected, simply to keep the elite in comfort.

Jon couldn't care less about his family and all they sacrificed and continue to sacrifice to keep him where he is. He asserts they should be grateful for being allowed to work menial jobs. His later attempts in the book to redeem himself make him seem even more like a spoiled monster. Jon is a malicious jerk whose character has devolved so much that even his maliciousness has no depth. He's just awful. Even Miranda, reduced to a guest star in the book, has lost her depth. She's gone from our beloved layered hero to a deluded slumdog housewife just happy to be pregnant.

One can almost see what the author was trying to do to make this book different. Almost. I can take an unlikeable protagonist. I can take a plight of hope ending in utter despair. And I can take dystopia. What I can't take is the implausible, ill executed way she tried to combine it all.

Shade of the Moon feels like a sloppy afterthought. The execution and writing were so beyond being tolerable that I have had to let this series go before even finishing it. I'll just pretend the meteor also hit the sequels so I can remember the Last Survivors as they deserve and as they could have been.

[Amy H. Sturgis · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 natural disaster that defines the series. (A meteor knocked the moon off its orbit and caused catastrophic climactic changes and a series of natural disasters.) Somehow people in that short a period of time have divided so completely into the privileged few in the enclaves and the oppressed drudges, or "grubs," that the elites view the majority as genuinely less than human. (This happens even though membership in an enclave is based on rather random criteria, so that even Ivy League PhDs are living as grub domestics, and nuclear families may be split between the "claver" and "grub" towns. There's no traditional dichotomy between Us and Them, no preexisting category of Otherness to catalyze the shift to this new paradigm.)

This genuinely defies belief, as do the living conditions described in the enclaves. I would think that, with the massive climactic changes and challenges, clean drinking water and viable foodstuffs and disease would still be foremost concerns, not playing soccer and choosing nannies. Considering Pfeffer's emphasis in earlier books about how communities fracture and individuals turn against each other in times of crisis, it requires more than a mere suspension of disbelief to go along with the idea that large numbers of people, many of privileged backgrounds themselves, all agreed in concert to accept the rule of the few and subside into slavery so quickly, and to think of this as "they way things are."

Second, the main character. Jon was the baby of his family, the coddled one for whom others sacrificed. That said, in the previous novels he was portrayed as a good-natured and normal boy who faced and overcame his own set of hardships. Now at seventeen he's one of the most dislikeable protagonists I've come across. I don't simply mean that he's annoying, erratic, weak-willed, entitled, and difficult to empathize with, though he is all of these things. He also does despicable acts, from helping to burn down the school where his mother teaches to trying to justify attempted rape and sexual intimidation, all the while winning the affections of a visionary, courageous young woman. (Her lasting attraction to this easily bullied coward is never explained. It's a baffling mystery.) When his semi-redemption comes, it's unconvincing. It's troubling, too, because he seems to be content in excusing away some of his most disturbing behavior.

There are hints of interesting commentary here, from an implied critique of gated communities to a more overt critique of the celebration of brute violence and groupthink in sports. The corruption that's rife in the administration of Jon's enclave suggests chilling insights into how bureaucracies behave. Unfortunately, these critiques read more like a series of brief rants strung together between one atrocity and the next (and there are serious atrocities committed in this novel, let me assure you) rather than a nuanced, integrated narrative. For example, I would point to Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower for a more complex and sophisticated dystopian study of the gated community scenario, among other subjects. Ironically, although Butler's heroine is both the daughter of a minister and the founder of a new faith, Parable comes across as far less preachy than does Shade of the Moon.

As a standalone novel I would have found this problematic, but as the final conclusion to a compelling and well-loved series, it's an even greater letdown.

[Jan · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 rest of his family is at the bottom of the caste system, and it is incredibly painful to stomach his attitude.

The worst thing about this book is the characters just aren't true to themselves. Besides that, nothing in the book is plausible, interesting, or justified in any way.

And no journal entries from Miranda!!!!! In fact, she's a minor character----a shadow of herself!!!!!

The author's note, in the back of the book, explains how the books came to be. When the publishers read her fourth book, they all hated it, but published it anyway! They should be horsewhipped!!!

[kiwi · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 problem really did have a simple solution and, overall, the entire book was pretty predictable.

Even when we reached the supposed surprise that Ruby and Opal switched places (and for God's sake...Ruby and Opal?), we're not surprised nor do we really care because we had absolutely no attachment to Ruby in the first place. So who cares if you replace her with her sister? Nope. Nobody. Plus, it happened so close to the end of the book that we really don't care. We just want the book to be over.

There was no sense of organization. No central structure. I know the author loved her characters a lot, but these characters...did not feel like "them". It was very strange and a little surreal. I'm still trying to figure out if I read a real book or not.

Especially since all of the new characters were completely bland and irritating. Besides the insta-love with Jon and Sarah, we also have to deal with their constant "I love you" pledges that feel uncomfortable and weird because they know very little about each other and the reader doesn't know much about them either.

There is also an awkward assault scenario, and I was not certain why it was included.

So. I really didn't like any of the characters. While Miranda's flaws in the first book made her seem more human, the character flaws in this book just made the characters either morons or jerks.

And I did not enjoy it.

That is all.

Farewell.

[Jilly · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 teenagers who can do whatever the hell they want? Isn't the whole point to fix the earth? How does having spoiled teen bullies who rape, kill, and vandalize accomplish this goal? I would think it would make more sense, if they truly had an enclave type of system to fill it with geeks and nerds - the smartest and brightest - not a bunch of dumb jocks.

Third - How did the class system and language and prejudices build up so strongly in less than 4 years? I mean, come on? Even the lucky ones in the enclave would have lost people to death by starvation, the flu, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunami's, etc... They wouldn't have felt that safe and comfy for very long themselves. They would still completely relate to the "grubs".

The whole thing was unbelievable.

[Angela Sunshine · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

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. But it still remained one of my favorites, because I knew it inside and out.

Then I read the second, and I liked that a lot, and I, like a lot of other fans, eagerly awaited the publication of the third (and final, as we were lead to believe) book in this series. I stayed up into well into the night reading it, and declared it was great, still on the high of having just finished it.

I reread them all about a year later, and was confused as to why I loved them so much - there were actually a lot of things I didn't like about them, ranging from the characters to what was done with the plot. I owned all three, so I decided to just keep them, and maybe go back and reread them some time in the future.

Fast forward three years from the time This World We Live In was published, and I find out there's a fourth one coming out. My response to finding out that that's being written can be found down there.

Now onto the actual review.

I felt like this book is too far separated from the other three - both by publication date and setting. Because it was written so much later after the third one came out, and the fans weren't even expecting a fourth one, because of the way the third one ended, I just felt like it was disconnected from everything. I wasn't in tune with the characters, and they felt very...out of character to me. One of my favorites, Matt, wasn't even focused on.

Jon, honestly, repulsed me, and even though it could be argued that he started making better choices towards the end of the novel, I don't agree. I don't think he grew at all as a character, and from where his character was two books and three years ago (novel time), I thought a completely different approach was going to be taken. He claimed he was the way he was because his family started giving up meals for him when they thought the end was coming, they wanted him to be the one to survive. His mother claimed to have babied him because he was the youngest. I guess the thought of what Jon turned into in this book never even crossed my mind.

Which leads to my next point. Obviously after the end of the world, the deterioration of humanity follows closely. And usually, I love the way it's done/portrayed. Except in this book. It was just so...unbelievable. I don't really know how to explain it, because all my examples can be argued with "well duh, humanity wouldn't be the same after what happened." Long story short, it really just wasn't done well. Maybe it was the three year gap between stories, and not a good enough job done of explaining how everything came to be.

Also, I feel like the deaths of their mother and Lisa really didn't do anything for the plot. They didn't, for me, push along the character development for Jon, the central character of this part of the story. I can maybe see the reasoning for Laura's death, if I squint, but Lisa's? No. Especially not the way it was done. So that was something that made me mad.

Finally, while both the first and third book in this series was told from Miranda Evans POV, this one was told from Jon's, the little brother. In the first and third books, I feel like we didn't know a whole lot about his persona to begin with, and while I can see why the author chose not to make it from Miranda's POV, I don't think Jon's was the best choice. To be honest, I was more interested in Miranda's and Alex's and Laura's and Matt's life. I wanted to see how they lived, because they're the characters I felt like I knew the most.

The first book in this series will probably always be one of my "comfort" books, because like I've mentioned, I know it inside and out, and when I want to read something familiar, I go to that book. The second book was great; I loved how she took the same plot but told it from a completely different perspective, and if I'm being honest, the second one is my favorite. The third one was okay, with a few curve balls thrown in that I wouldn't have expected the story to have, and honestly the fourth book was unnecessary. The third book was left at a good point, and I think it could have been done there.


February 22, 2013
Wait what is this. The third book came out 3 years ago, holy crap. She's writing a fourth one?! I'm really interested to see where this is going to go...personally, as much as I don't like the characters in these books, I thought the ending of the third one was done nicely. It left the reader hanging, but not in a way that I was burning for more.

I'm strangely excited for this.

[Corey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love a good YA novel and for whatever reason, Life as We Knew It really grabbed me when I read it. It was such an interesting synopsis and I don't know why but novels like this really grab me. It was a perfect balance of young enough for teens but gripping enough for adults to enjoy as well. It's sequel with Alex (The Dead and The Gone) was also good, although it didn't grab me as much as the first but I think that is partly due to already knowing what was in store environment wise. The third in the series (This World We Live In)... it was okay. I kind of liked the way the first two books ended and the thought that while life never returned to our normal, it did get to be a new normal and they survived. With all the weirdness that was the third book, I still enjoyed it for what it was but honestly, the whole Miranda/Alex thing to me seemed so forced. Still, I wasn't turned off to the point of not wanting to read the latest segment in the Last Survivors series so here we are.

The Shade of the Moon picks up 4 years after the asteroid hit the moon and life has completely changed. Outside of a few people whom have stuck it out in rural places, there are now two types of people, "clavers" who live in exclusive enclaves that you either have to know someone to live in, be somebody important or have a slip for entrance. The enclaves have filtered air, fresh food and most things given to them. Then you have the "grubs" whom are essentially the clavers slaves. They work the dirty jobs that clavers are too good for and get paid a pittance while living in crime filled cities. Very much like the world in most dytopian novels i.e. Hunger Games. There's the haves and the have-nots and no one likes each other. Jon, Lisa and Gabe live in the Sexton Clave while Alex, Miranda and their Mom live in White Birch, a grub town. HIs brother and his wife also live in a grub town but are further away so are not featured predominately in this novel.

I think my major issue with this novel is that unlike the other three, this novel is all about how horrible humans can be to one another - to strangers, to friends, to family and to lovers. While in the other books there were times that, yes, humans sucked, for the most part it was more uplifting as you saw how people helped each other along and survive in the world after the unthinkable happens. This book is all about the awful ways people treat each other, and it isn't pretty. Jon has done some pretty terrible things and some of it is written off like no big deal. Like it's not a problem that he almost rapes Julie but it's no big deal that he routinely goes into White Birch and rapes grubs. This book is just very depressing to read and while the end is a bit more uplifting, it takes far too long to get there.

This book is also NOT for the younger set of YA as there is quite a lot of horrible things in it like rape and murder. I'd definitely prescreen this one before letting a child read it. Heck, I'm haunted by a few scenes and I'm in my 30's!

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 his family made for him. His mother literally starved herself so Jon could have enough to eat, but he never recognized what his family gave up for him. Jon does not improve in this book. As a matter of fact, he worsens. He was even more entitled, rude, lazy, and weak.

Like in the previous books the world building was significantly lacking. I didn't understand the hierarchy or why the “clavers” hated the “grubs” so much. They acted as if the grubs shouldn't exist and that the grubs should be grateful since they feed them and pay them so much money. Even Carlos, Alex's brother, knows the grubbers are grateful enough for so little (like an 1/8 a bar of soap) that they would sleep with them for little in exchange. Rape was common occurrence in this world. Claver boys felt like they are entitled to use the grubbers as they see fit. The clavers seemed angry that the grubbers were allowed to exist or have basic medical care with a clinic. If the grubs didn't exist who would cook and clean for the clavers?

At one point in the book Jon and his friends were going to mutilate a bum grubber just because they could. Did they? No. Because they thought burning down the grubbers high school was a better idea. I just can’t see how are society would crumble so rapidly in such a short time period. It was only four years since the asteroid hit the moon. Only four years and people lose enough of their common sense and humanity to think killing and raping the misfortunate is okay? I just don’t see that happening. And, the one thought that kept going through my head is why don’t the grubbers rebel?

Jon’s relationship with Sarah was odd to me. Jon was mean to Sarah. They would fight and argue and she would tell him that she hated him then they would all a sudden be kissing. Even after Jon told Sarah the story about Julie, yes Sarah was disgusted with him at first, but she didn't hesitate taking him back after she realized it wasn't completely true.

Overall, this book went downhill and fast. Within the first chapter or two I already hated Jon. When Miranda had an opportunity to work as their domestic all Jon could think of was how it would affect him. How it would be awkward having his sister clean and cook for him. (Newsflash she did that for years after the asteroid anyways!) He didn’t think how it would be beneficial for her to be able to live with purified air and food regularly. No all he could think of was himself and how uncomfortable he would be!

[Veronika]

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!

[Rashika (is tired)]

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.

[Trisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 - Hey, pick one parent who hasn't! What Laura did was amazing though because you always knew that what she was doing, she was doing from the bottom of her heart. That she would do anything for her children. And she was SO smart in the beginning with all the life saving things she did.

So, here we are. Book 4.

and I dislike Jon. I dislike Jon so much I can hardly hold the book anymore, now that I'm done. His every action was awful. Even at the end, when I thought he'd be a better person, he still was awful.

and how fun is that? To read a book where the main character is awful and violent and........ I wish I'd stopped at book 3. I wish I'd left the characters as they were. I don't want to believe this is how Jon would have ended up. I don't want to believe he did that to Julie or that he was a predator even after that.

I will believe that Jon stayed with Miranda and Alex and they found a different town and are rebuilding the world. and it's not perfect, but there's hope and it's looking up from here.

and I will forget this story.

[Melissapalmer404 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 Birch--where his mother, sister Miranda and brother in law Alex are still living in poverty. Jon has food to eat, clean air to breathe and attends a decent school. He has begun to take this all for granted until he meets Sarah, the new girl, who questions why everyone should not have these things. Jon and Sarah fall for each other but he has to be careful that he doesn't break the rules by taking her side. During the book, Jon realizes what the true priorities are but that does not happen without great cost.

I enjoyed this installment in the series. This book bounced the series back in my estimation. It had action, romance, and a plot that kept me riveted from start to finish. The ending leaves enough of an opening that a book five could happen....and I hope it does.

I received this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for a review.

http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com

[Anne Osterlund · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 sister, and her husband are all grubs. Jon would never have received the pass without them. How can he turn his back on the people who helped give him a chance at a future? But if he wastes his chance, will that prove an even greater betrayal?

Interesting. The Shade of the Moon is the fourth novel in Susan Beth Pfeffer’s dystopian Life As We Knew It series. Jon’s futuristic dilemma draws some powerful historical parallels, especially with regards to social status and race (eg. the challenge of passing). I appreciated the uniqueness of the concept within this story and its ability to stand alone within the series.

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 wanted him to be. He didn't even deserve sarah. The book was also just depressing. The ending was decent, but that was the only part.