Title and Author: The Final Six by Alexandra Monir

Plot Overview: As the Earth falls beneath the waves of rising seas and storms brought by severe climate change, twenty four of the planet’s most physically or mentally adept teens are drafted for the colonization mission on Jupiter’s moon, Europa. Naomi and Leo are part of the twenty four drafted to compete for their place in the “final six” sent to Europa. Naomi is a scientific prodigy and upstart inventor who dreads leaving her severely ill brother behind on Earth. Leo is a former Olympic swimmer, and hopes to leave behind the dying world that drowned his family and decimated his home. Most people see the colonization of Europa as a symbol of hope, humanity’s last chance, but something feels wrong about the mission to Naomi. Why does it feel like the authorities are hiding something about the disastrous Athena mission to Mars? What is in the Radiation Resistant Bacteria that the draftees are being injected with? What is really waiting for the draftees on Europa’s icy shores?

Critique: I found the characters and premise to be very compelling. I feel like the relationships Naomi and Leo have with each other and the other characters felt well written. I also enjoyed the mysterious parts of the book suspenseful and interesting. I wish certain plot threads were a bit more resolved, as the ending implies a sequel which has yet to be released.

Star Rating: 4.5/5