“The need trumps everything, even agonizing pain.”

The Final Six by Alexandra Monir is a Young Adult Science fiction novel about twenty-four teenagers selected to go to the International Space Training Camp to prepare for a mission. The teens train to travel to Europa, a moon of Jupiter, and establish a new colony. If the mission to Europa isn’t successful, humans have a high risk of going extinct. Severe climate change has caused unpredictable weather and insufficient food. The population and the Earth are dying.

“Risk is the price of progress.”

The teenagers compete for the six mission slots and are eliminated by performance in a series of rounds. Everyone was happy about being selected for the mission except Naomi. Naomi is suspicious of the mission but realizes her skillset and investigative skills could save her new friends from going to Europa.

Naomi, a science genius, wants to take care of her sick brother and continue searching for a cure. She doesn’t want to save the world; she just wants to save him. While learning and making new friends, she is torn in a different direction. Will she be able to save both her friends and brother?

“Remember what you always say: no problem has ever been solved by panicking.”

Leo, a champion swimmer, recently lost his family in a flood. He was considering ending his life when he was chosen for the Europa mission. He felt this turn of luck gave his life a new purpose.

Leo and Naomi have an instant connection, and their friendship grows into a relationship. Love makes competition complicated, and these first loves must face the consequences of their choices. Will their love end in heartbreak or an out-of-this-world adventure?

Themes: love, friendship, grief, extinction

Reading this book was like living inside a vacuum. I thought there would be more of the ‘dystopian world in disaster’ experience while prepping for the mission. The reader is involved in the challenges but has little insight into what is going on in the world around them. Yes, there are snips here and there, and some lost loved ones, but I wasn’t attached to the condition of the world or the characters enough to really care. It’s like, “damn, a tidal wave hit *insert location here* and *insert character name* family died,” back to challenges—the end. The most you get to experience the outside world is when Leo is introduced—which I enjoyed.

Additionally, there are multiple POVs in this story, but they read the same. It’s hard the believe that two characters from different parts of the world would have the same voice. If it were two siblings with similar mannerisms, I would expect a bit of that but not here.

When I read the premise of this book, it felt like there was so much potential. Unfortunately, I didn’t love it as I hoped. It wasn’t bad but it just didn’t strike a chord with me. I read about all the prep for an adventure without ever going on one. There is a second book in this series, but it didn’t make my TBR list. ( )

A good mix of science fiction and romance within an Earth where the affects of industrialization and climate change have pretty much destroyed the planet. I loved the science aspects of the book. I thought it was a bit too preachy about the effect of climate change. The romance was an interesting side plot. I thought the ending of the story and the obvious set for the next could have been done better. ( )

teen sci fi adventure (incidental cultural diversity - main character is Iranian-American from L.A. and other characters are representative of the other 1st world nations--China, Singapore, Russia); set in a world where irreversible climate change has destroyed hope of human life continuing on Earth).

This was ok, but for an adventure story (where even the smallest mistake can be fatal) it didn't really hook me in. ( )

After reading the plotline for The Final Six’s sequel, The Life Below, on Facebook, I was immediately drawn to the novel. Taking place in a self-destructing Earth, twenty-four of the smartest, most athletic, and technical teens are chosen to compete in a series of tests that could qualify them for one of the six seats on a ship that will take them to Europa, where they will begin to colonize Jupiter’s moon so that the human race can leave Earth for good. Focusing on Naomi Ardalan of the United States and Leo Danieli of Italy, Monir tells the point of view of two teens and their experience during Space Training Camp. Personally, as much as I love this book and its whole concept, it was a bit predictable. I feel like, as soon as the contestants were assigned groups, you could easily foretell Leo and Naomi’s fate. Despite this, the story was very well written and engaging. I loved how readers got to go through each and every test which showed each and every contestants’ strengths. Overall, I would give this book, 4.5 out of 5 stars. If you like this book, I would recommend "Zodiac" by Romina Russell. ( )

Looking to escape an increasingly devastated earth, the international community selects Europa as a site for future colonization. And who better to colonize a distant moon and save humanity than six teenagers? NASA teams up with the International Space Training Camp to recruit the top 24 teens in the world in a competition to save mankind. The 24 teens will train, learn and push themselves to the limits, until the final six are chosen to go on the space journey. But surviving the mission to Europa is not a given. Astronauts from the Athena crew have already died on its surface.

This book focuses primarily on Leonardo Danieli from Italy and Naomi Ardalan of the United States. Leo lost his family in the flooding of Rome, but because his strong swimming abilities, Leo will compete to serve as the mission’s underwater specialist.Naomi, an Iranian-American from Los Angeles has a command of computers and her ability to think on her feet would make her an important asset to the team. She doesn't want to leave her family and her brother is too ill for them to join her on Europa if the mission is successful. She also suspects there’s something deeper going on, and she’s determined to expose it, both to protect the other finalists and to get herself kicked out of the program so that she can return to her family.

The Final Six is a fast-paced book that would definitely appeal to teens and pre-teens. I was disappointed that it ended in a cliffhanger but at least the second book has been published so I'll pick it up and continue the story.




TBR 1475 ( )