If you’ve watched any type of post-apocalyptic tv drama like “The Last of Us”, then The Last Bookstore on Earth is essentially a milder young adult versions- albeit in written format.
The front cover and the book’s title initially grabbed my attention; promising the beginnings of something great. And overall I found The Last Bookstore on Earth to be a quick and easy read. It’s worth noting that the story is clearly geared towards a younger audience as both the plot and the content lacked the usual angst and nitty gritty detail expected in this particular genre. For example, it’s established that the Earth is now suffering from acid rain that melts people on the spot, but there isn’t a great deal of backstory as to why, or how that has come to be. Whilst it doesn’t take a genius to point towards some form of climate change, it is these aspects of the story which are very light touch.
The setting is mainly focused on the bookstore itself, which does get a little tedious after a while; part of the enjoyment of these types of stories is being able to explore what a barren and abandoned world would look like. I did also find one of the main characters Liz, to be fairly naïve of the dangers of just staying put in the bookstore, and ignorant of most things farther than the bookstore’s stoop – I ultimately chalked that up to the age of the character. How worldly wise would any teenager really be in an end of the world scenario?
However, as a debut novel from the author, the book is a nice read with some interesting components. I liked that whilst Liz is holed up in the bookstore that she essentially sets up a local trade point, offering books (who’d have thought!), in exchange for goods. This obviously works as a mechanism for the wider plot in allowing other characters to enter, and providing a reason for unscrupulous folks to want what Liz has. It also provides the opportunity for Liz to collect stories from her customers, which increases the amount of supporting characters readers come into contact with, even though they don’t directly feature on the page so to speak.
Definitely for a much younger audience than myself, but certainly worth picking up if you like the genre and fit the target audience in terms of age range.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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