Apocalypse

Hey, guys!

Lately, I've been reading The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding, and I've already read the first part. So I'm making progress on that. And (hopefully) I'll have more time to read and write reviews since I don't work again until August. So be sure to check in regularly for more posts.

For now, I thought I would review a book I read back in middle school or high school. I recommended it to one of my aunts and she just kept asking for the next book, since it's part of a trilogy. I am referring to Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer.

The story is told in the form of journal entries from the perspective of a middle child (I can't remember if her name is ever mentioned) who lives with her mother and her two brothers. Her father moved away, remarried, and his new wife is expecting.

And all they've been hearing about on the news is how an asteroid is going to hit the moon. On the night that it's supposed to happen, everyone makes plans to have parties and get-togethers so that they can watch the sky.

They just don't expect the asteroid to knock the moon closer to Earth's orbit.

It may not sound alarming, but its effects are catastrophic. Volcanic eruptions, floods along the coasts, earthquakes, and extreme weather. Once all hell breaks loose, people go crazy raiding the grocery store and crowding the gas station to get as many supplies as they can. Due to the natural disasters and outbreaks of West Nile virus, it'd be easier just to count the living.

And for the living, life has changed drastically. The power flickers on for a couple of hours and then out for the rest of the day. As time goes on, they get the power back less and less frequently. Food has to be rationed: two meals a day with smaller portions. The only sources of entertainment are listening to the news on the radio, reading books, or making up their own games.

Not to mention the strain this has put on the main character's relationships with her friends and family. She's needed around the house a lot more often so she can't hang out with her friends as often. Not that her friends are much fun anymore (or that they were any fun to start with).

While her mother desperately tries to cling to the life they had before, the main character cannot help but feel that her mother plays favorites with her children (and this was even before the moon catastrophe). And guess what: the main character sure doesn't feel like a favorite.

The whole world has been affected by the moon, but so has each individual family. Families who have lost some of their members, families who no longer exist, and families who are struggling to survive.

This is a poignant series that shows us how the living suffer when the lives they have known have been yanked out from under them. The sequel to the first book tells the story of an orphaned teenager who struggles to take care of his two younger sisters during this catastrophe after the death of their parents. The third and final book is about these two broken families meeting and struggling to survive and take care of each other.

I would definitely recommend it to all of you, as I have to my aunt. Like I said, after she read the first book, she kept asking for the sequels. So, although this book is geared towards a middle school or high school audience, it can be enjoyed by all ages. Especially for those who love post-apocalyptic novels.

So go ahead and give it a shot.

Hope you guys enjoyed this review. Check back in tomorrow or the day after for another review/list. And like I said, a review for The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding is up and coming.

Happy reading!!