Author: H.J. Nelson
Publish Date: December 7th, 2021
Publisher: Wattpad Books
Source: Huge thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!
Ara . . . I made a mistake, we all did . . . go back to the beginning . . . it’s not too late.As the only female to survive the devastating virus, Ara hasn’t seen another human in months―not since her father disappeared. The plague has swept away humanity, and Ara’s world is desolate, haunted by the ghosts of her former life. Her mother. Her sister.Kaden and his crew live by a code: stay alert, stay alive. When they catch Ara stealing from them, they are furious―and confused. She is the first girl they have seen in three years. And while Kaden knows taking her captive is wrong, he tells himself he’s doing it to protect her.But with Ara determined to follow through on her father’s mission―Go back to the beginning. End the plague―Kaden becomes mesmerized by Ara’s will and beauty. He knows he will do anything to help her, even if it tears their worlds apart.
Penelope's Review
I'm a sucker for apocalypse books, and The Last She checked pretty much every single one of my boxes! We have a plague that wiped out the population, targeting mainly women and children, we have what appears to be the last female survivor, we have a hot guy determined to keep said female safe... what's not to love?!
Ara is an intelligent, 19 year old woman who knows it's in her best interest to remain hidden and never be found by men. Unfortunately, she's found by a small group of men (duh, otherwise we wouldn't have a book!) and is taken back to their clan (of men, of course) where she meets the leader, Gabriel. Ara doesn't trust Gabriel, something that becomes even more acute after realizing that Kaden really doesn't like him either. Despite her father's earlier warnings about all men, Ara finds herself beginning to trust Kaden but she is never distracted from her true focus - listen to her father's last words and "go back to the beginning".
This book was a whirlwind. I absolutely loved all of the characters, both good and bad. Ara was smart, resourceful, and an all around survivor. She stops at nothing to get where she needs to go, yet has a soft side that shines through at the perfect times. Kaden was strong (both literally and figuratively), loyal, and determined to keep those he loved safe. Even Gabriel was a really well written character with layers that made you flip flop back and forth between loving him and hating him. We also have some noteworthy supporting characters - Sam and Isaac. I loved them both, for various reasons and thought they were great additions to the book.
The pacing of this book was perfect - I never found myself bored and was able to fly through it every time I picked it up. The only thing I would have liked to have just a bit more of is some background - we see only a tiny portion of the world that they are living in and I really wanted more. Also, though I absolutely loved the relationship between Ara and Kaden, I found that it came about rather quickly with little to no buildup. Which is fine, just a little strange given how much Ara has avoided men over the last three years knowing what they would want to do to her.
Other than that, this book was great! I was under the impression that it was a standalone but given the ending, and sheer amount of unanswered questions I now know it is a series which I'm super excited for! I can't wait to see what happens next as it seems that book 2 will be another high stakes adventure!
Rating: 4.5/5 Devils!
