The Final Six

Strap in, quite literally, for a shockingly close to home sci-fi thriller in which Leo and Naomi are chosen as the top twenty-four teens for a mission into space. The one issue is, they weren’t just chosen, they were drafted. This mission takes place on an Earth reaping the consequences of destructive climate change, where extensive areas have been laid to waste, major cities are under water, and there is little hope for those disenfranchised. The mission, for these twenty-four, is to continue the human race on Europa, a moon of Jupiter. The question hangs in the balance of who will be in the final six and who will be sent back to their now-submerged homes.

While this novel kept me turning page to page, it was the setting that made it click for me. Intertwining essential issues such as climate change into the narrative of young-adult fiction is pertinent for the future of our planet Earth (not to be too dramatic). To get these young minds thinking about the terrible risks of our current behavior proves crucial. On top of this, Monir encounters a borderless world where all countries are working together on this project. In other words, the cast is diverse and adds a layer of depth but also shows how humanity at least might function together, uniting around a common cause. However, the writing is enough to make you stay. While the beginning is a little jarring, switching back and forth between Leo and Naomi so frequently, the reader adjusts, and the seamless transition between the two becomes normal, especially when they are in the same place. All and all, if you liked The Hunger Games or Divergent, you will surely like this new young-adult thriller. Monir’s narrative succeeds on many levels, leaving the reader yearning for more.