Last Things
3.5/5
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About this ebook
"Everything I love in a book."—Victoria Schwab, author of #1 New York Times bestseller This Savage Song
“The kind of taut, atmospheric thriller that gets your heart racing and sets your imagination on fire. Sensational.”—Claire Legrand, New York Times-bestselling author of Furyborn
Finalist for the Minnesota Book Award
New York Times–bestselling author Jacqueline West captivates readers with a dark, hypnotic story about the cost of talent—and the evil that lurks just out of sight. Fans of Holly Black and Victoria Schwab will be mesmerized by this gorgeous, magnetic novel.
High school senior Anders Thorson is unusually gifted. His band, Last Things, is legendary in their northern Minnesota hometown. With guitar skills that would amaze even if he weren’t only eighteen, Anders is the focus of head-turning admiration. And Thea Malcom, a newcomer to the insular town, is one of his admirers. Thea seems to turn up everywhere Anders goes: gigs at the local coffeehouse, guitar lessons, even in the woods near Anders’s home.
When strange things start happening to Anders, blame immediately falls on Thea. But is she trying to hurt him? Or save him? Can he trust a girl who doesn’t seem to know the difference between dreams and reality? And how much are they both willing to sacrifice to get what they want?
Told from Anders’s and Thea’s dual points of view, this exquisitely crafted novel is full of unexpected twists and is for fans of Holly Black’s The Darkest Part of the Forest and Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood.
Jacqueline West
Jacqueline West is the author of the New York Times-bestselling middle grade series The Books of Elsewhere, the Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book The Collectors, and several other novels for young readers and teens. An award-winning poet and occasional actress, she lives with her family in Red Wing, Minnesota.
Read more from Jacqueline West
The Collectors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Collectors #2: A Storm of Wishes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
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Reviews for Last Things
12 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Okay friends, this book was a ride! Let's start with that, because I'm still trying to put together all my thoughts into a coherent review and that's forefront on my mind. It's always a breath of fresh air to read something outside the lines, to read something that is atmospheric and intriguing. That's this book, perfectly described. Last Things is what I've been waiting for, and it was a darn good way to start the month.Let's talk characters. Anders Thorson is now one of my favorite male characters. Why, you ask? He's a teenage boy, in a rock band, who isn't a brooding jackass. Anders is sweet. He loves his family, and his cat. He loves his guitar, his band, and is adorably humble when it comes to his talent. He isn't the kind of guy who uses girls, but instead is genuinely interested in one and too shy to reciprocate anything. In other words, Anders is an excellent character. I loved him from the moment I met him and, even as his dark secrets started to spiral into the open, I was 100% behind him. He's a character you can root for, and that makes this book such an easy read. Add in the fact that he's also the "damsel in distress" in this book, and you have my heart.Yes friends, the woman saves the man in this book. Thea, if it's possible, is an even more intriguing character than Anders. I love how the story starts out with her shrouded in mystery. It's not obvious whether she's stalking Anders, or protecting him. As the story progresses though, and you start to see into Thea's past, things get more layered than I could have hoped for. Thea is strong. There's no two ways about it! She's the type of character who will give up everything if necessary, for the good of someone else. Watching her interactions with the world around her, and with Anders, was just perfection. The link between them drove the book forward, and I both helplessly and eagerly held on.The fact that this story also revolves around music, and the ties that it has to emotions, made me so happy. As West wrote out Anders' songs, I could actually hear them in my head. I could feel the emotions that were pouring out of him, and I could sense the energy in the room when he performed. This is a book that is rife with atmosphere. The pages crackle and sizzle, the woods press in too close and too dark. It fascinated me that I flew through this book, and yet I felt connected to it too. Such a wonderful way to read a story.Long story short, this was a lot of fun to read and I'm highly recommending that you put this on your TBR if it isn't there already. It's well worth your time!
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5teen fiction (creepy monsters plus rock and roll teens)
I quit around page 87, it started ok but the suspense wasn't really driving anything forward--something wrong with the pacing or something? It was all: here's teenage rockstar (unsigned, because he doesn't want to take credit for his songs), here's this stalker girl who seems to be protecting the dude from unseen malignant spirits of the woods, here's some more hints at what is happening, here's more hints, more hints, more hints, more hints, more hints, more hints, more hints, more hints, more hints, more hints, more hints, more hints, more hints, more hints but no real action.
There weren't any f__ing monsters by page 87, just more hints, no action and nothing really was being revealed. Sheesh!
it's probably an ok story if you have the patience to sit through it. The characters weren't that interesting though.