Book Review: The Lives We Lost (Fallen World #2) by Megan Crewe

Summary: 

First, the virus took Kaelyn’s friends. Then, her family. Now it’s taken away her home.

But she can't look back—the life she once had is gone forever.

A deadly virus has destroyed Kaelyn’s small island community and spread beyond the quarantine. No one is safe. But when Kaelyn finds samples of a vaccine in her father's abandoned lab, she knows there must be someone, somewhere, who can replicate it. As Kaelyn and her friends head to the mainland, they encounter a world beyond recognition. It’s not only the “friendly flu” that’s a killer—there are people who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the vaccine. How much will Kaelyn risk for an unproven cure, when the search could either destroy those she loves or save the human race?

Megan Crewe's second volume in the Fallen World trilogy is an action-packed journey that explores the resilience of friendship, the ache of lost love, and Kaelyn’s enduring hope in the face of the sacrifices she must make to stay alive.

Release Date: February 12, 2013

Age Group: YA

Source: Review copy from publisher

Review:

What an outstanding read!  I loved book one in the Fallen World series, The Way We Fall, but The Lives We Lost was even better.  I had no idea Crewe would take the story in the direction she did, and I loved it.  My only complaint is that now I have to wait for book three to be released to find out how it all ends.

One of my favorite things to read about is character growth, and The Lives We Lost had it in spades.  I loved watching the characters adapt as the situation they were in demanded.  Instead of giving up, Kaelyn clung tightly to her goal of getting her dad's vaccine to someone who can duplicate it and stop the spread of the virus.   

And speaking of the virus, the way Crewe handled that element of the story was really unique.  The deadly plague is called the Friendly Flu, and for good reason: the virus causes its victims to become very friendly and lose their social inhibitions, thus allowing them to get close to other people and spread the virus.  I liked that aspect of the story.  But it was terrible to watch and wait for my favorite characters to get sick.

The Lives We Lost was an emotional read, more emotional than many other dystopian novels I've read.  It felt character-driven as well as action-packed.  Crewe struck the perfect balance.  Both books in the Fallen World series have ended on cliffhangers, which makes me all the more excited for book three!  Highly recommended.