The Last Girl on Earth by Alexandra Blogier
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Book Overview:
In The Last Girl on Earth by Alexandra Blogier, we see Li, a young girl who enjoys going to the beach and hanging out with her best friend Mirabae. She loves her Father and sister dearly and works hard to meet her father’s high expectations. But she has to because she and her family are hiding a deadly secret: she’s a human living amongst aliens.
After the Abdoloreans conquered the Earth sixteen years ago they destroyed the human race. But Li’s father a human sympathizer, rescued Li from destruction and raised her to be Abdolorean. From a young age, she’s been taught and trained to look, think, act, and be Abdoloran. And dutifully she’s followed these rules to ensure her survival and the safety of her family.
That is until she meets Ryn. He opens up a longing deep within her she didn’t know existed. And now she finds she’s willing to risk it all for a chance at love. Will this decision lead to her final destruction or her ultimate happiness?
My Review:
This is a challenging book to review because while I enjoyed this story and found the premise intriguing there are obvious shortcomings that decrease the overall quality of this book.
For starters, this book introduces a variety of complex themes focusing on colonization, genocide, xenophobia, indoctrination, the true definition of humanity, and the burden and loneliness associated with being the last of your species. Unfortunately, these themes weren’t fully explored and fleshed out. We get a glimpse of them in passing but we don’t dive deep into the complexities of these issues.
I’m not sure if this is due to this being a novel targeting young adults and the decision to explore these themes at length wasn’t prioritized because they felt it would be too much for their audience to comprehend or care about.
Additionally, we’re told that Li being human puts her at a physical and mental disadvantage because Abdoloreans are faster, stronger, and more intelligent than humans because they process information at an accelerated rate. However, we see Li excel in school without complications, ranking high in her class and catching the eye of her teacher as being one of the best students.
We’re shown how she trains intensely with her father and studies well into the night which is presented to explain her high marks and excellence in school. Instead, I wish we could’ve seen Li struggle and not have things come so easily to her. It would’ve been even more impactful and emotional to see her challenged and having to claw her way to the top. This would’ve been more believable.
To add to this point, Li doesn’t encounter any major conflict for most of this story until almost the end. So, there aren’t any defining events to contribute to a character arc or any type of character development.
And due to the lack of actual action, there isn’t much that contributes to moving this story forward making it feel rather stagnant. It’s almost like it was intended to be a character-driven story but Blogier forgot to include plot points that would actually develop the character.
Then there’s the plot twist near the end that basically undoes the reasoning for Li’s existence amongst the Abdoloreans. And the ending itself feels rushed and incomplete, failing to provide closure to the story. Like are we missing a final chapter?
However, there were things that I enjoyed. For instance, I liked Li and Ryn’s romance. It was instalove but this for me is expected in a YA story since it’s normal for teenagers to develop strong feelings and emotions quickly. This makes sense to me. Additionally, I felt he helped her realize her humanity and connect with her identity through his companionship and openness.
Her connection with her friend Mirabae and her love for her family was beautiful. I wish we could’ve explored these relationships more deeply and their overall impact on building Li’s character and identity.
The primary reason I was able to overlook all the shortcomings in this story was because I found the premise so intriguing. Having a coming-of-age story in which they are trying to assert themself and build their identity all the while living amongst an alien race that if they knew of your existence would kill you. Hence, being forced to assimilate to that said race for your survival. This was so spectacular to me.
Yet, despite my adoration of this tale and my ability to completely suspend my disbelief and just go on vibes and have a silly goofy time I realize this story is a skeleton of itself. There’s no depth, complexity, or deep exploration of the characters and themes presented in this tale. Unless you’re looking to just vibe out and enjoy a quick read I wouldn’t recommend this book.
To learn more about the books I read this past month read my September 2024 Reading Wrap Up
