The Quiet at the End of the World by Lauren James March Book of the Month

Sometimes I count myself extremely lucky to be a book blogger, one of those times was when I was accepted to be a Walker Books YA blogger. Last month I had the utter privilege to get an advanced reading copy of Lauren James' latest novel, The Quiet at the End of the World and honestly I've been impatiently waiting since I finished it to share my thoughts with you all.

Here's a big spoiler - it is REALLY GOOD!

Lowrie and Shen are the youngest people on the planet after a devastating virus caused global infertility. Closeted in a pocket of London and doted upon by a small, ageing community, the pair spend their days mudlarking and looking for treasure - until a secret is uncovered that threatens their entire existence.

In the Quiet at the end of the world, Lowrie and Shen must decide what they are willing to sacrifice to save the whole human race ....

This is a very smart, dystopian, sci-fi story that for all intents and purposes could actually happen in the not so distant future.

The book begins with the dialogue from an emergency call. The caller is describing her mum having an ongoing nosebleed (normal right) that seems to be never ending but by the time the call ends both the caller and the operator are both suffering with the same symptoms.

Coincidence?

I'm not so sure.

A dramatic beginning and by the end the drama had only increased.

Eight five years later and the start of chapter one, we are introduced to Lowrie and Shen who are the main characters. Living in the year 2109, the youngest two survivors or an almost extinct human race.

The world has been left in a state of disrepair, those nose bleeds led to wide spread unexplained infertility and as everyone continued to age, and after all frozen eggs had been used, no more babies were born.

Lowrie and Shen, the last to be born, unknowingly hold the weight of the world on their shoulders.

So far, not one person has managed to come up with a cure for this devastating virus that gripped the nation so many years ago and as the remaining few carry out their days, Lowrie and Shen spend their time hunting for lost treasures, cataloguing them and researching what happened before they were born.

What could have caused such chaos?

Lauren James has a fantastic way of writing, of drawing you into the pages without giving too much away.

Honestly, I was hooked from the first two pages and I did not want to put this book down.

Now I'll admit, this novel is a little harder to review than some as there is a fantastically, surprising twist that I do not want to give away under any circumstances. Let's just say you won't be disappointed.

Secrets are uncovered, some hard choices need to be made and lives will essentially be changed forever.

The Quiet at the End of the World is a novel that I would quite happily go back and read again as I think there may have been details that I've missed the first time I read each word.

I'm now hoping there will be a follow up novel because there are so many directions that the story could still be taken in.