The Last One by Alexandra Oliva

The Last One

by Alexandra Oliva

'Taut, tense and at times almost unbearably real' Sunday Times bestseller Ruth Ware

'A smart twist on the apocalypse' Reader Review

'Shows what impact our times have on the ways we think. A compelling entry into the post-apocalypse genre' Kirkus

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She wanted an adventure. But what if it never ends?

When Zoo agrees to take part in a new reality TV show, In The Dark, she's hoping for a challenge. Facing eleven competitors, she's prepared for her physical and mental strength to be tested in a series of unforgiving survival tasks.

But as her fellow contestants are overcome by hunger, injury and psychological breakdown, Zoo becomes increasingly afraid. Because the deserted TV set and gruesome props are starting to feel all too real.

Is there something they're not telling Zoo about the world outside?

Reviewed by ibeforem on

2 of 5 stars

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This was a book that should have been right in my wheelhouse. A story about a reality show mixed with dystopia? Yes, please! But ultimately, I don’t think it fulfilled its promises.

My first problem with it is that the narration style left me feeling very detached from the main character, Sam/Zoo. Some chapters focus on establishing the reality show — what happens at the beginning, and what is happening behind the scenes as the adventure continues. The other chapters are Sam/Zoo wandering on her own, trying to find her way to the end of the game through a world she thinks the producers have created. We’re introduced to all of these characters that mean very little in the end.

The second problem I had with it was that it just didn’t feel very believable by the end. I could buy her disorientation — something happens to her that makes that part believable — but I couldn’t buy her continued drive to complete the game nor her belief that everything she was encountering was created by the show. There was an uncomfortable amount of focus on a dead/not-dead baby/not-baby. And the ending relies on her misunderstanding a piece of information that shouldn’t have been a misunderstanding. It felt like blatant manipulation by the author rather than a honest turn of events.

In the end, I guess the premise was a little too far out for me. I finished it, but I questioned myself along the way.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 9 January, 2018: Finished reading
  • 9 January, 2018: Reviewed