The Lives We Lost

Fallen World #2

by Megan Crewe

Read a Sneak Peek below!

First, the virus took Kaelyn’s friends. Then, her family. Now it’s taken away her home.

But she can't look back—the life she once had is gone forever.

A deadly virus has destroyed Kaelyn’s small island community and spread beyond the quarantine. No one is safe. But when Kaelyn finds samples of a vaccine in her father's abandoned lab, she knows there must be someone, somewhere, who can replicate it. As Kaelyn and her friends head to the mainland, they encounter a world beyond recognition. It’s not only the “friendly flu” that’s a killer—there are people who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the vaccine. How much will Kaelyn risk for an unproven cure, when the search could either destroy those she loves or save the human race?

Megan Crewe's second volume in the Fallen World trilogy is an action-packed journey that explores the resilience of friendship, the ache of lost love, and Kaelyn’s enduring hope in the face of the sacrifices she must make to stay alive.

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Survival, Romance, Fiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published February 3, 2013

About the author

Like many authors, Megan Crewe finds writing about herself much more difficult than making things up. A few definite facts: she lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband and son (and does on occasion say "eh"), she tutors children and teens with special needs, and she's spent the last six years studying kung fu, so you should probably be nice to her. She has been making up stories about magic and spirits and other what ifs since before she knew how to write words on paper. These days the stories are just a lot longer.

Megan's first novel, GIVE UP THE GHOST, was shortlisted for the Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic. Her second, THE WAY WE FALL, was nominated for the White Pine Award and made the International Reading Association Young Adults' Choices List. Her Fallen World trilogy (THE WAY WE FALL, THE LIVES WE LOST, THE WORLDS WE MAKE) is now complete and she has a new trilogy forthcoming in October 2014, beginning with EARTH & SKY. Her books have been published in translation in several countries around the world. She has also published short stories in magazines such as On Spec and Brutarian Quarterly.

Reviews

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

were i feeling at all ambitious or clever right now, i would write this review as a continuation of the conceit i chose for the first book's review; a "round two" if you will, but both ambition and cleverness are eluding me right now.

all i can do is say it is more.

more running from exposure to the deadly virus, and more running from those who would try to take the potential vaccine from kaelyn, more disappointment, more confusing feelings in the form of a trembling love triangle, more hope, more despair, more danger.

there isn't anything wrong with this series, not at all. but it hasn't stuck to my ribs yet. i enjoy many elements of it - the setting, the pacing, the casual racial rainbow that doesn't feel pandering, the realistic shifting of loyalties. i'm not a huge fan of the coincidences, but i understand the impulse to utilize them.

i like how this story broadened the playing field, and introduced new characters with helpful skills. i like the part where the characters are trapped in the house during the blizzard, and how it becomes an experience of interminable waiting, where no actual progress can be made because that feels, again, realistic to me.

so, yeah, i do like this series, and i will continue to read it, but it doesn't give me the same frissons of "gotta-read-it-NOW" that some other series i have found myself sucked into have given me. it's solid, it's good, it's enjoyable. it's the warm bath of YA aftermath novels; nothing surprising, but it's got a good shape.

and that's good enough for me.

not a great review, but it's all i have in me right now.

come to my blog!

[Megan Crewe · Rating 5 out of 5]

My book, so of course I love it! :)

Early readers who were very fond of THE WAY WE FALL have said they enjoyed this one even more. Here's hoping you all will feel the same!

[Delee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

THE LIVES WE LOST- The second book of the "Fallen World" trilogy- picks up where The Way We Fall left off. Leo has arrived on the island and Kaelyn has set aside her journal for now...



With her father dead- Kaelyn goes to his lab and finds his journals, and samples of a vaccine he was working on. She decides she must leave the Island in search of someone who can possibly finish what her father started. Kaelyn's friends agree, and they head off to Ottawa- hoping someone there can help them.



With Kaelyn's journal gone this time around, the danger is much more present as we follow the characters on the road...a snowy blizzardy Canadian road. I wouldn't say THE LIVES WE LOST is packed with action, but there is definitely more happening than in the first novel. There are new characters added into the mix, and new threats to face- the weather, finding shelter along the way, knowing who to trust and who not to, avoiding the illness, being chased by hoodlums, and all sorts of other fun stuff.



I think I liked THE LIVES WE LOST just a smidgen more than The Way We Fall. There were however, times when I was a little annoyed at some of the foolish decisions being made by the characters, but then I realized- if someone followed me on a Post-Apocalyptic adventure under similar circumstances- they might be annoyed with a lot of my decisions, or they may be too busy laughing at me...I probably would have died- due to stupidity- after about 100 pages.

Book 3- The Worlds We Make- comes out Feb. 11th 2014. Not too long to wait. Yay!!

[Cesar (Inactive) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Earlier today, my 8 am class was canceled so I was able to get a lot of time to read before my other class. So YEAH!

The one thing I like about stories focusing on survival, is that it usually calls for a journey across the country. I love road trips set in the apocalyptic world. You get to explore more places, meet new people, new dangerous situations. I love it all!

The Lives We Lost is just like what I explained above. Usually in trilogies, the first book is usually the start of the journey. And in the second book, the road trip journey begins!

The stakes are even higher in this second installment. The first book was good. This was just as good as the first book, albeit a few minor problems I had with it.

Usually in books like these, I love the idea of morality and seeing the results of the characters' decisions. Whether if they made the right choice or if they should've done something. Should they have stayed together? Do they kill the people after them? In this world, it's kill or be killed. There isn't going to be a deus ex machina to fix everything. The choices you make will have consequences, good and bad. I loved it all.

The minor problem I had was how sometimes the road trip lagged a bit. Like some pages are just them traveling. I liked them but I wanted a bit less of it. Still enjoyed the road trip though.

A great sequel.

Thanks for reading my review!

-Cesar

[Kit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been very, very impatiently waiting for this book to come out, technically I should still be waiting, but by an excellent stroke of luck I got the book from NetGalley. I was actually terrified to start it- I was so in love with the first book that I was concerned this book would disappoint me. It's happened before. Great first book, downer of a second and then by the time the third comes out you're only reading to know the ending.This book absolutely lived up to every high expectation I had.

When we last saw Kaelyn, Tessa, Gav and Meredith they were coping with their whole world falling apart and seeing Leo, Kaelyn's old best friend for the first time since the virus began. With Leo's arrival they also learned that the rest of the world is no better off then the island, and this knowledge changes everything.

****Spoilers Ahead*****

This book follows the group as they leave the island sooner then anticipated. Their journey to the mainland is pushed forward by two things. One, Kae has found the vaccine her father was working on (and it seems to work) and two, the island in under attack. It's go or die. Unfortunately they don't know exactly what they will face on the mainland, and over the course of their journey they realize how bad it is everywhere.

At the end of the last book I particularly concerned about Kae's brother Drew, who disappears and we get no closure on him at all. Luckily his story is touched on here. We don't get an entire picture of what happened to Drew when he left the island, but we do get enough to know that he made it to the mainland in tact. Beyond that, you'll have to read to find out! We also pick up some new characters and leave others behind. Tobias, who defected from the military, is the one who warned them of the oncoming attack and helped them off the island, and once he hitched his wagon to Kae's train, he was on board for the long haul. He was a great addition to the group and it lent a level of believability to having 4 teenagers heading off on foot across several Canadian Provinces. They needed someone with Tobias' abilities, and by having him be at first a rescuer and then a full-fledged member of the party worked really well.

Despite the fact that they have a vaccine and that at least 2 members of the group (Kae and Meredith) are now immune, the virus and death still play the central role in the story. Nobody isn't touched my the disease. Everyone's actions are dictated by either fear or determination, both of which are a response to the illness. Even in the small group that travels with Kae there is sickness, I'm not telling you who... but it's there and how they choose to deal with one of their own being sick is hard to read.

There was another moment that struck me. A lot of times the title comes from somewhere in the book. Sometimes I pick up on it and sometimes I don't (or it's not there). In this book it's one short line, one little comment, but it resulted in a little bot of an "aha" moment for me. When I saw the title I immediately assumed it referenced all the lives that were lost in the epidemic. The people who died either from the actual disease or from the violence that followed. But the actual line was much more poignant. At one point Kae reflects on the how different her life would be if the virus hadn't been spread and she comments on "the lives we lost", not the actual loss of life, but the loss of the lives they were living and the loss of innocence. I kind of love that I totally misread the title to start, because it made the actual moment in the book where it emerged much more impactful.

Much like in the last book Crewe manages to end the book with just enough of a cliffhanger that I really, really want more (right now). Enough story lines were tied up that I felt satisfied with the ending, but there were a few that are just cut right off. At the end of the last book I said "But what about DREW!!!" and then scoured the internet until I was content with the knowledge that this was a series and there would be more to come. This time I flipped that last page and thought "WHAT?! That's it, what about _________?!?!" I'm not going to tell you what fills in that blank because it gives away too many plot points... but suffice it to say I was left feeling like there was so much more to the story, but at least this time I know that there is another book on the way which will, eventually, make me very, very happy.

[Ferdy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars - Spoilers

This wasn't quite as enjoyable as the first book, The Way We fell. The Way We Fell was written in a diary format, which I felt added a serious and desperate tone to the story. Whereas, the first person narrative in The Lives We Lost made everything less tense, less engaging and less serious. I'm hoping the next book goes back to the diary format.

It was still an okay read but I wasn't enamoured or gripped with anything. The plot itself was rather unimaginative - Kae and co travel to the mainland to find someone to replicate the vaccine Kae's dad made… So it was basically one long journey that was occassionally interrupted by bad guys chasing after them so they could take the vaccine for themselves — it was quite boring at times.

Kae was kind of dull but she was still likeable enough. I liked her relationship with her younger cousin (Meredith), her friendship with Tessa and her relationship with Gav. The love triangle didn't irritate me as much as most triangles usually do since:

1. She knew both guys for a long time. She grew up with her best friend, Leo, and she'd dated Gav for months. There was no inexplicable insta-love.
2. She had strong bonds with each guy based on something real. Most connections heroines seem to share with their love interests are very shallow — it's usually based on looks or an over the top nonsensical attraction.
3. The love triangle made sense. It was easy to see why Kae had conflicting emotions. Also, It didn't spring out of nowhere. In the first book, Kae and Gav developed feelings for each other because of the situation they were thrown in and they leaned on each other and helped the other to survive — their relationship grew naturally. Before she met Gav, Kae also mentioned how much Leo meant to her and how she wanted to be with him. The triangle was well developed and was easy to understand.
4. The love triangle wasn't the focus of the book — apart from a couple of instances it was pretty much in the background.

Most of the side characters were decent - Leo, Tobias, Tessa and Anika were likeable and somewhat interesting. I disliked Justin and Meredith, they were so annoying - I know they were meant to be irritating little brats but because they were so bloody awful, I had to rush through their parts.

What bugged me throughout the book was how dumb and naive Kae and co were — they more or less broadcasted the vaccine they had to every random stranger they happened to bump into — even when the strangers were obviously behaving in a threatening way. Their stupidity was very frustrating to read about.

All in all, it wasn't bad but it wasn't very good either. The plot was the biggest letdown — it was just one long journey and that to me doesn't make an interesting story.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved it

[Aneeqah]

UPDATE: Guess who won an ARC of this? I know you're jealous! ;) SO excited to pick this one up now. =)

Reeeeally looking forward to this one! I'm interested to see what the author is going to do with this one, because I felt like the first book could have easily been a standalone, if the author added a few more pages.

[Badseedgirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first book in this series rocked me, due to the nature of the last two years and the friends I have lost. The proof of that is how much lower I rated this book.
This is your typical apocalyptical YA female heroine fare. The heroine acts so naïve, I just want to pat her on the head and then put a bullet in her brain because she is just too damn cute to be alive in the apocalypse. There is also a teenage love triangle, sigh.

Now I have to wonder how good I thought the first book really was, and why it hit me so hard.

[Vendea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Přečteno 6 let po prvním dílu, YOLO! Ale jo, bylo to pořád super! Žádnou postapo jsem už dlouho nečetla a je to znát. Přitom tenhle žánr miluju! Je škoda, že trojka u nás nevyšla, ale co... dočtu to v angličtině. Autorka píše moc příjemně a rozhodně doporučuji. Jednička byla pecka.

4/5*

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lives we Lost is the second book in The Fallen World Series and picks up where book one leaves off. Kaelyn and her friends live at ground zero, a small Canadian island that has been quarantined as a result of the "friendly flu virus," a virus that is deadly and has no cure. Kaelyn has lost family, friends, and loved ones as a result of the virus, and has somehow manged to be one of the only ones who survived a less potent strain of it, leaving her immune. Her little cousin Meredith is also immune after contracting the flu and being treated with some of Kaelyn's blood. Cut off from the outside world, they assume that their island is the only place that has been devastated by the illness, but when her best friend Leo returns to the island after making his way there from New York, they soon find out that the the virus has spread world wide and everything is in a state of total chaos.

It is Kaelyn's 17th birthday. Not knowing where to go from here or what to do next, she is going through some of her father's things when she discovers a key, a key that was missed before, a key that just happens to be to his lab. She sneaks into the lab and discovers her father's journal and a vaccine that he has been working on, a vaccine that he had tested on himself before he died. Kaelyn know she has to get the vaccine to someone who can replicate it and make enough to treat everyone left alive, putting a stop to the virus. Not willing to let her go alone, her boyfriend Gavin insists on going with her, while the others stay behind on the island. Before they are able to leave a military strike by some rogue soldiers forces all of them to evacuate sooner than anticipated in order to save their lives. Warned and rescued by one the soldiers that deserted this rogue group, Tobias, they make plans to together travel towards Ottawa, to find someone who can replicate the vaccine.

This is their story, the story of their journey in a world ravaged by illness where people are just trying to survive by any means possible. Not only do they have to stay away from those who are sick, they also have to constantly face the threat of danger from those who want what they have and are willing to take it by any means necessary. They meet friend and foe along the way, and face some of the hardest choices that they have ever had to make in the process of the journey, finding themselves hunted by those who say they want to help, not knowing who they can trust. When illness threatens one of their own, they are faced with a whole other set of trials, which tests their character and their resolve. Can they find help before it's too late, not only for the world, but also for one of their own?

I enjoyed this novel. The concept and premise of the story, while not unique, is still very intriguing and sobering, as it is easy to foresee something like this happening for real, especially since those contracting the virus don't turn into zombies, which leaves this fictional novel having more of a nonfictional feel to it. I like Kaelyn's character. She is a strong heroine and truly cares about those she's with, knows, and loves, and also those she has never met, all of whom she is trying to save. She and Gavin are in a relationship, as are Leo and Tessa. Leo is Kaelyn's best friend, who she loves dearly, but also wonders if those feelings are all just rooted in friendship, and she's not the only one who is wondering this. Two new characters are introduced into their close-knit group in this installment, Tobias and Justin, who is young and a bit of a loose cannon. There is not a lot of closure on anything in this installment, but more of a building up to the third book. I did like it, but it does still leaves you with some really "I need to know what's going to happen" type of questions. We get a glimpse of Kaeyln's brother Drew, but hopefully he will play a bigger role in the next book. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, though not a killer one, but more of a hopeful, rooting for the best type of situation.

One of the things I found intriguing was the title itself. At face value, you would just think it centers around all who have died because of the virus. Actually, Kaelyn is pondering upon the past, about how everything has changed, and how no matter what they do, things will never be the same again. The lives they once knew that were happy, carefree, and normal, no longer exist......becoming the lives they lost. I thought that was a very creative concept. This apocalyptic novel also has a dystopian feel, along with some romance, and some intense situations. If you enjoy this type of novel, then The Fallen World series series is something you might want to check out.

[Esmeralda Verdú · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es una lástima que Aislados, la primera parte de la trilogía El mundo en ruinas, no sea más conocida, ya que todas las personas que conozco que la han leído han quedado tan encantadas con su lectura como yo. Me parece que la trama principal de esta trilogía es bastante original dentro de lo que veo últimamente en el género juvenil, pues a pesar de parecer una historia medio apocalíptica más, no habla de zombis ni del fin del mundo ni de una catástrofe de la naturaleza. Tal y como dice el título de esta segunda novela, se trata de un simple pero a la vez complejo y mortal, virus. Me parece de lo más realista como lo desarrolla la autora, pues te hace pensar que esto puede llegar a ocurrir de verdad y sientes impotencia al no poder hacer nada para parar esa masacre. Me gusta mucho la ambientación, la tensión y la desesperación que crea porque de verdad que yo sentía todo eso mientras leía el libro. En esta continuación ocurren muchas cosas, algo que temía que no ocurriera al haber leído otros libros intermedios de trilogías que no aportan nada a la historia. Pero esta vez hay cambios de escenarios, muchas aventuras, descubrimientos, y aunque se me ha hecho un poco monótono en ocasiones, me ha mantenido enganchada a sus páginas. Para meterte todavía más de lleno en esta historia contamos con una protagonista genial: luchadora, decidida, valiente, que sabe qué es lo que tiene que hacer y lo hace aunque arriesgue su propia vida... Y cuenta con unos compañeros de aventuras que no se quedan atrás. Así que os animo a que le deis una oportunidad a estos libros si todavía no lo habéis hecho. Tan solo me queda decir que estoy deseando leer el último de ellos para saber cómo termina esta historia.

[Isamlq · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, second book, you... why is there nothing great I can recall from you? Your ending has saved you and so have a couple of key moments but truthfully, nothing much happens except! Of course, there’s Kae being all brave and gung ho about taking things in her hands and the rest of them following along. And then there’s also a bit of Leo and him finally opening up, his whole bit about people about being good but circumstances forcing them to be different. I liked that part... it’s the most honestly “feeling” part of this sequel. But really, not much else.

And I know they’re on the run and trying to save the world.
...I know that Kae is tough and feels like one of them has to get things going.
...I know they feel this urgency to do something.
...I also know that they’ve grown close and grown up faster than they should…

But man, Meredith?! Meredith!!! What? Kid, does getting sick take away your common sense? Or Justin?! Who here has seen that robot that goes, “Danger, Will Robinson!” This lot needed one of those. They truly needed one of those because each time one of the younger ones tagging along would open their mouths or just do something the situation would worsen!

I’m still reading the next one and I’m still wondering why it’s the younger set are being heroic. What’s happened to all the grown ups again?

2.5/5

[MischaS_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Moc si přesně nepamatuji jaký byl ten první díl, ale v tomto mě doopravdy irinovaly výrazy tubu: bejt, línej, nějakej, oukej... Já to taky říkám! Ale tady to až bylo do očí! Trpěla jsem!
Pořád jsem Team Gav, Lea nesnáším. Je mi nepříjemný a strašně nafoukaný. Prostě ne!
Nechat malou holku v podstatě u neznámých lidí? Kdyby tam nezůstavala i Tessa, tak bych si fakticky poklepala na hlavu :D . A ten konec? Můj chudáček Gav! Jestli mi ho zabijou, tak se fákt strašně moc naštu. Na něj mi nešahejte!

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rewrite attempt number three. I am going to do this right this time.

The Lives We Lost is the sequel to The Way We Fall, which I frequently cite as the best book I've ever read. I know very few people will agree with me, but it's so rare that I see something so well written, something so honest and emotional - it impacted me in a way that very little else does. This wasn't quite as good, but it's still among my favorite books, and it's still close to my heart.

One of the biggest criticisms that The Way We Fall received was a lack of plot. I didn't really have this problem - it was structurally sound, and that was enough - but it was a common complaint, nonetheless. I find it hard to imagine that people will have the same problem here. There's a LOT more going on plotwise - the book chronicles Kaelyn, Leo, and Gav's journey from their island to Ottowa. The survival elements are consistently well thought-through and realistic, and there are almost no cop-outs taken in terms of how the disease works and how the people around Kaelyn work. Normally, in plots that chronicle a journey, I have a problem with the dramatic structure - I normally feel like it stays on a straight line of tension until the climax, rather than a natural rise and fall of action. (Want proof? Just read Graceling or The Knife of Never Letting Go.) But I never had that problem here, both because of Crewe's skill in varying the events and setting, and because of the character arcs.

Because it's a real betrayal of this book to talk about it like it's plot-oriented in the least. It's not. Sure, stuff happens, but that's not really the focus. The focus is on the characters, as it should be. Kaelyn is, once again, a wonderfully developed protagonist. Her progression from being a shy, nerdy girl to the confident, righteous one she is by the end of the book is realistic and touching. Leo, Gav, and Tessa also read like real people, going through the same struggles that Kaelyn was. I think my favorite part, though, is the love triangle between Leo and Kaelyn and Gav, and I know that sounds stupid, but bear with me. In contrast to virtually every other author anywhere, Crewe knows how to do a love triangle right. Kaelyn had realistic chemistry with both boys, she had a reasonable amount of time to get to know them and like them, and her eventual decision is painlessly reached compared to what could've been. (Cough, Cassandra Clare, cough.)

The other thing I like, character-wise, is that Crewe isn't afraid to make us sympathize with people who are doing horrible things. Justin, on multiple occasions, betrays the main group for his own survival, yet I could understand his motivations every single time, because he's as well-drawn as everyone else. The main cast does, on occasion, also consider doing horrible things, or things that they see as horrible, anyway. Crewe doesn't simplify what it takes to survive. Instead, she realistically shows the moral complexities of the world, and why people do what they do. That's extremely important to me - you simply can't write realistic characters if they're entirely good, because in the end, nobody is entirely good or entirely evil. Crewe has a great handle on this, and that makes her book that much better.

There's so much more I could say, but I already wrote one over the top review of the first book, and I want you to be surprised. This is a fantastic book and a fantastic series that I'd recommend to anyone who reads anything. Ever.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since reading last year's startling and compelling The Way We Fall, the first in this series, I've been dying to read The Lives We Lost. I wanted to know what was going to happen to Kaelyn and her friends as well as what it meant with Leo finally being back. Therefore, when an early copy of The Lives We Lost ended up in my possession, I jumped right in, hoping it would be just as good as the first one. Thankfully, it was- if not more! This book contained as much drama, suspense, drive, and fear as the first one, and better yet, it developed the story in a way I just loved.

The Lives We Lost picks up not long after The Way We Fall ended. Everyone is adjusting to the addition of Leo to the group as well as dealing everyday life. However, everything changes for Kaelyn and her friends when she stumbles upon a possible cure to the virus. Knowing this may be her and her friends last chance to help their island as well as the other people of the world, they go on a mission to get the cure in the hands of someone who can replicate it. What they are about to find out, though, is that person is going to be hard to find, and that no one can really be trusted.

One of the aspects I enjoyed most about this one was getting to see some of my favorite characters from last time again. It was fun to be back in Kaelyn's head. In this one, she was even stronger than she was in the previous one. Better yet, I felt that she grew even more as a character. A lot of stuff goes done in this one, and because of it, Kaelyn gets a new feeling for life and what it means. Better yet, I loved the continuation of her relationship with Gavin. Gavin is such a sweet guy, probably my favorite character in the whole series. He's always there for Kaelyn, and even when he feels scared about what they may have to face, he still barrels through right along with her. The rest of the gang was just as fun to see again, and better yet, I enjoyed finally getting to see what Leo is like. He was sort of a big mystery in the last one, and I wasn't sure what he would add to this one...good or bad. I ended up really liking him, though. He was someone who had been through a lot, but that only made him more valuable to the group. Plus while I'm always a big hater of love triangles, the one currently brewing between Kaelyn, Gavin, and Leo was one I really liked seeing, even though I don't think I could possibly pick a favorite.

The plot in this one was even better than the first one. It moved the story to new and exciting places as well as introduced new characters. What I loved about this one the most, though, was seeing Kaelyn and her friends finally get off the island. I was curious to see what had happened, and boy, was I surprised. I remember seeing someone say a while back that this isn't really a dystopian. Instead, it's something that could possibly happen in our near future, and I really was able to see that in this one, and to tell the truth, it really managed to scare me.

Megan's writing was also spot on. I thought she did a great job of keeping everything moving along as well as introducing new plot lines. Better yet, she didn't let this one face the second in a series curse. Though, that ending?! It killed me, especially when I think about having to wait another year to read the next one!

In all, The Lives We Lost is an exemplary sequel, one that I highly suggest fans of the past one check out! It's worth it...trust me.

Grade: A+

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seen at Scott Reads It
The Lives We Lost by Megan Crewe is the follow-up to the Way We Fall. I have pretty mixed feelings about this book, one on hand I did enjoy reading but on the other hand it was very basic dystopian. In The Lives We Lost Kaelyn and her friends try to find someone to replicate a vaccine for the devastating "Friendly Flu".

The Lives We Lost is filled to the brim with action and romance. The action packed scenes were pretty intense and were definitely a treat to read. The action scenes in The Lives We Lost are realistic, brutal and they really caught my attention.

The problem is that the rising action that leads up to the intense action are just so basic. Between each action scene there is just a lot of romance and searching and searching. The gap between the action scenes wouldn't have been much of a problem but the romances between the characters were a bit dull. There was too much of that "I can't be with you" and "How can we experience joy and love when the world is in ruins?" in The Lives We Lost. Crewe tries to set up a love triangle scenario but in my opinion it didn't really work too well. The romance was way too sappy and cheesy for my liking.

The romance really slows down the pace of the book and just really frustrated me. If you have a potential vaccine, I would think you would rush to find someone to replicate it before it's too late. Kaelyn wastes a decent amount of time oogling, flirting and deciding who she truly loves. Girl, this is the end of the world as you know it and you're just wasting time flirting. I just can't comprehend how someone would place their love life in front of the needs of the entire world. I understand Kaelyn is only a teenage girl. Again and again she proves that she is capable of so much yet she lacks the common sense that her love life isn't a matter of life and death.

I truly did enjoy reading The Lives We Lost but the slow pace and romance were aspects of the book that I really loathed. The Lives We Lost is truly an interesting survival story but it was a bit ordinary. In almost every survival tale that I have read there is always a gang that tries to stop our protagonists, a colony that takes them in, and extreme weather. The Lives We Lost was entertaining but it didn't add anything I haven't seen before. I was a bit disappointed with the ending because I felt like nothing was resolved at all.

The Lives We Lost was a slightly better book than The Way We Fall. I really missed the diary format from The Way We Fall but I felt like I connected with the characters in this book. The Lives We Lost wasn't perfect but it still was an entertaining and enjoyable read. I will most certainly read the 3rd book!

[~Mindy Lynn~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lives We Lost is one of my favorite books so far this year. I was kind of worried about reading the second book in this series because we all know the curse that hangs over the second book in a series. But this book seemed to beat the odds (for me at least). I enjoyed this book much more than I did The Way We Fall. The story picks up right where The Way We Fall ended. There is a lot happening and the author introduces us to new characters. The book is intense and had me glued to the pages.

In the second book in the series Kaelyn and friends head to the mainland with a vaccine that may be the cure for the virus. They are making the trip to Ottawa in hopes of finding a Doctor or Scientist that can duplicate the vaccine using her late father’s notes.

The “Friendly Flu” virus has taken plenty from everyone. Kaelyn barely survived the virus and then witnessed her cousin Mere suffer through it as well. It’s taken many lives and Kaelyn sees only hope with this vaccine. She truly believes it is the answer to stopping the virus from spreading and taking more lives. When Kaelyn and her friends witness their Island being demolished by the government, they know there is no going back. Only when they start their journey into the mainland do they fully witness what this virus has done to the entire country. There are cars piled and buried in snow. As they continue on they can see bodies and visible body parts sticking out from the snow as well. It’s a horrifying site. This only pushes the drive in Kaelyn to find someone somewhere to help her. But the journey doesn’t come easily. There are people after Kaelyn and her friends once they get wind of the possible cure.

There was never a dull moment in this story. It is full of action and tense moments of them being caught or killed. I enjoyed the characters so much more in this book. There was a lot of development in each character. I really like Kaelyn. She is brave and tough. I admire her will and the sacrifice’s she makes in this story. She takes on the role of the leader, but does not take the role lightly. She is very concern for the well-being of her young cousin, Meredith, her boyfriend, Gavin, her best friend, Leo, and her other friend Tess, not to mention the others who join her in on her journey. She knows that her choices affects them all and puts them all in danger. But she’s willing to do so to save the lives of everyone that is left to save.

I was completely surprised by this book. I didn’t want to put it down. I can’t wait for the next book.

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really having enjoyed the first in this series, I was eager to pick up The Lives We Lost. Kaelyn has to make a choice of leaving the island she feels safe on so that she can bring the vaccine her father created to someone who can replicate it. At first, she is just going to journey with her boyfriend Gav, but an attack on the island leaves her friends no choice but to come along to the mainland. Together they must find a way to survive with the help of Tobias, the soldier who warned them of the attack and find a way to a large city to find help for the vaccine.

I really enjoyed the way Kaelyn grows in this book and the new characters that we meet really bring something new to the group. I like that they all have personal interests and talents that help them in their journey and make them characters that are easy to relate to. I like that Kaelyn stays true to Gav, even with Leo back, pushing her feelings for him from the past to the back of her mind. She's a strong heroine who doesn't lose sight of what is important to her, while still being able to make decisions that will help the group survive.

The plot starts off slow at first, and then things pick up once they leave the island. I'm not sure what the last book will bring, but there was some nice twists and added characters that will make the next book interesting. I felt like Crewe did a great job of balancing the action with the character interactions and look forward to see what will happen in the last book.

Final Verdict: A solid middle book in a series that I am really enjoying so far. The Fallen World trilogy is a series that really delves into human nature and what happens when the world falls apart.

[Sheree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a 'good' deadly virus story, probably because it's not too far removed from reality, nothing like a dose of paranoia and fear to get a germ-o-phobe's heart racing. The Lives We Lost is told as a regular narrative unlike the diary entry - letter format of the 1st book and I have to say it added a different dimension - heightened suspense and action.

Kaelyn, Meredith, Gav, and Tessa leave their decimated island community for the mainland and learn as they travel across Canada that the virus has left no area untouched and the lives they once knew are gone forever. Some characters play a lesser role this time round but new character Tobias was a welcome addition to the cast and after reading quite a bit about Leo in The Way We Fall I enjoyed him being present in this book.

The Lives We Lost is a great 2nd installment, I enjoyed it just as much as The Way We Fall. It demonstrates the continued unraveling of a society annihilated by fear and a deadly virus and magnifies peoples' motivation on self preservation. While hope exists, no matter how slim the thread, there will always be courageous people willing to make difficult choices and fight for the greater good.

Can't wait to see who's still alive come the final book in the trilogy :)

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaelyn has lost a normal life to the virus that has decimated North America. She has lost most of her family and friends, and now she will lose her home. When she finds samples of a vaccine in her dad's lab, she decides that it is up to her to get the vaccine to scientists that can test and utilize it. When she and her companions step foot off the island, they are not prepared for how far the virus has spread and how far civilization has fallen. Will she and her friends be able to stay safe as they search for a safe place?

This sequel to The Way We Fall is wonderfully written and engrossing. For all who believe sequels are usually not as good as their predecessors, you will be pleased to know that I think this one is even better than the first! (And I liked the first one immensely.) I find myself absolutely drawn into the story of Kaelyn and her band of survivors and will be anxiously awaiting the third installment. I need it soon!

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

As gritty and as somber a survival book as you'll ever find. The first in this series was a beautiful quiet book full of sad realisations and desperate clinging to life.

This was is just as beautiful, just as sad and yet more action packed with Kaelyn and her friends having to make some tough decisions. I didn't agree with a lot of them, although they are clearly sensible and realistic in the light of the chaos around them.

I came to love all of her new crew and am unhappy with the turn of events of the last chapters. Kaelyn's determination to get her father's vaccine into the right hands reflects her strength of character.

Highly recommended.

Due out February 12th. This copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley and read & received with thanks.

[JosueCimarrron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor Gav :(

[Lucy Lillianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://lucy-lillianne.blogspot.cz/201...

[Leandro Delgado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excepcional! Que historia tan emocionante y desesperante a su vez que nos hace devorarnos pagina por pagina en busca de más y más. Excelente trama llena de acción, tensión, intriga. Desde que comienza el libro no baja nunca su ritmo. Me encantan las historias así, en la cuales los protagonistas viven en este mundo post-apocalíptico en el que tienen que buscar provisiones, entrar en lugares abandonados, dormir en sitios diferentes cada noche, buscar supervivientes pero a su vez desconfiar de cada uno de ellos... todo esto mientras emprenden su misión. Una trama similar a la serie de televisión “The Walking Dead”.

Una historia llena de personajes de los cuales nos encariñaremos y tendremos miedo de en cualquier momento desaparezcan. Encuentros repentinos llenos de momentos frenéticos con abundante adrenalina. Sin duda una de mis lecturas favoritas hasta ahora en este año.

En cuanto al final... típico final abierto y esperanzador pero perfecto para abalanzarse enseguida por el siguiente libro.

Puntuación total 4,5.

Le reste 0,5 debido que algunas partes pasaba excesivamente rápidas, cambiaban de un escenario a otro sin darme cuenta y algunas escenas no quedaban del todo claras a mi parecer. Pero sigo afirmando que es parte del libro y quizá a otras personas les guste esta modalidad.

-ZONA DE SPOILERS- -CUIDADO-

Dudo mucho que alguien lea mis reseñas ya que abundan muchísimas en esta comunidad. Aún así a partir de ahora al final de cada reseña pondré un resumen muy resumen del libro para uso personal y en un futuro lejano recordad de que iba el libro. Pues allá vamos...

Resumen muy resumen: Nuestra protagonista se aventura hacia el continente en busca de quien pueda desarrollar la vacuna que su padre dejó. En esta conoce a Tobías quien lidera y ayuda mucho a nuestros personajes. Consiguen un refugio donde allí se quedan Tessa y Meredith para no arriesgar su vida. Llegan a Toronto, todo un caos, los guardianes andan en búsqueda de ellos para quitarles la vacuna. Conocen a Anika que al principio los traiciona pero luego los ayuda a escapar de Toronto en vía a Atlanta donde pretenden conseguir a unos científicos. En este libro se reencuentra con su hermano pero por radio ya que este se encuentra con los guardianes y es el mismo quien advierte a Kaelyn de estos “villanos”. El libro termina con ellos yendo a Atlanta luego de salir victoriosos de un enfrentamiento con unos guardianes durante una persecución.
Escena favorita: Cuando por primera vez se enfrentan a los guardianes y Joustin dispara a la mujer que estaba a punto de encontrarlos.

[TheBookSmugglers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers

When the deadly "Friendly Flu" sweeps through Kaelyn's island home, the Canadian government immediately quarantines the isolated location, hoping to staunch the spread of the virus. On the island, things have been bad - Kaelyn has seen the death of many neighbors to the virus (she's barely survived the flu's effects herself) and her parents have succumbed not only to the virus but to the ensuing chaos on the island. After her microbiologist father's death, Kaelyn finds his secret work - a vaccine that could be the key to inoculating the human population against the virus. Armed with six vials of the test serum, Kaelyn decides to strike out to the mainland to seek help from any one that might be able to replicate her father's work... only to discover that the rest of the world is just as obliterated by the Friendly Flu's reach. With her friends, Kaelyn starts the long trek to Ottawa to find a scientist or government official that might be able to help - but as they travel further inland, the news of the vaccine spreads, and other groups will stop at nothing to claim it for their own.

The Lives We Lost is the second book in Megan Crewe's Fallen World trilogy, picking up almost immediately where The Way We Fall left off. Unlike the first book in the series, The Lives We Lost moves the book from the island and onto the mainland, and for the first time we really see just how far the Friendly Flu has propagated. Like Kaelyn and her friends, we are shocked and frightened at the scope of this epidemic (which is on the scale of the medieval bubonic plague - huge swaths of the population infected and dead, with no cure in sight). While the change of scenery means more action and higher stakes, unfortunately, The Lives We Lost is very much a middle book and doesn't quite live up to its promise, or to its predecessor. It's a fine book, and a very readable book - but for all the chase scenes across a wintry, devastated Canadian landscape ravaged by so much death...it's actually a placeholder that bridges the insular first novel with all the actual meat of the story that (presumably) will happen in the final book.

But first, the good. The Lives We Lost shows some great growth in character arcs and introduces a ton of new information about the world beyond the insular confines of Kaelyn's home island. In The Way We Fall, Kaelyn is an innocent, sheltered teenager that lives a quiet life in a quiet place with a good family and close friends. Very quickly, this idyllic lifestyle is irreversibly distorted when the virus claims her neighbors, her friends, her parents - even infecting Kaelyn, along the way. After these struggles, after the pain and loss, Kaelyn finds a new reason to hope in The Lives We Lost and goes on a daring (possibly suicidal) mission to the mainland to find help, in hopes of saving the world. She has to come to grips with her own decisions as the choices that she makes placing others - including her young cousin Meredith, best friend Leo, boyfriend Gavin, and an assortment of new characters - at great risk, and I appreciate this growth and acceptance of the leadership position in this book. Kaelyn is also placed in some morally compromising situations, including the decisions to kill or not to kill, to leave someone behind or to continue pushing on together. The choices she makes might surprise you (they certainly, refreshingly, surprised me). I also appreciated the scope of this second book and the realization that the world has gone to hell, very quickly - while it might be a bit too fast and too much (would society truly have crumbled so quickly and so completely?), I'm a sucker for a total apocalypse, and The Lives We Lost certainly fits the bill.

On the negative side, however, The Lives We Lost has some questionable decisions and shortcomings. In terms of writing, the style of the novel shifts significantly from the first book, and I'm not entirely sure that's a good thing. While it's probably not realistic to tell this second story in the epistolary style of The Way We Fall, I feel like we lose that sense of intimacy with Kaelyn, that deep connection with her character and that sense of claustrophobia, so integral to the first book. In this first person point of view second book, we are privy to Kaelyn's thoughts and fears, but it's an odd choice considering the distinct letter/journal entry style of the first novel.

But beyond stylistic preference, more significantly, there is no getting around the fact that this is a novel suffering from serious middle book syndrome - essentially, the entire novel is a (slow-ish) chase across Canada. Kaelyn and her friends trek to big cities to look for help in probably the most roundabout, disingenuous ways possible, but they are in over their heads and I guess that makes sense. And for all that driving and hiking and hiding and death, nothing really happens in this book. Not much is accomplished in the way of overall storyarc, except that Kaelyn and her friends now have an urgent need to find help before they are caught by some predictably one-note Bad People that want the vaccine for their own nefarious purposes (think...the TV show Revolution or The Walking Dead and the one-note villainous antagonists in power).

There are other things that niggled - there's a Love Triangle (quadrangle?) of Doom that rears its ugly head (in the form of Leo, Kae and Gavin - and Tess). There are quite a few convenient outs for Kaelyn and crew - they find a group of benevolent folks that are happy to take in and offer aid and succor to Kae and her friends, the group is conveniently saved from a whiteout blizzard by a miracle barn in the middle of nowhere (fully stocked with firewood and a truck with gasoline, naturally), and so on and so forth.

These things said, The Lives We Lost is a fine book. It sets the stage for big things to come in book 3, and I'll be around to check it out.

[Saysa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuo con la saga que me gusta pero este libro me ha dejado un pequeño amargor. He tenido la sensación de que no ha contado realmente gran cosa, simplemente un viaje en medio de todo lo que está pasando. Sí que hay nuevos personajes y otros a los que hay que despedirse pero me hubiera gustado algo de acción, aunque viendo cómo está el mundo real debería tener ya asumido que hay cosas que son lentas.
Por mi parte seguiré con la saga para saber cómo termina todo.

[Guillermo Rojas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book i liked how it picked up on the ending of the first book and build on top of it.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lives We Lost was just as captivating as The Way We Fall. If you haven't read The Way We Fall yet, stop reading this right now and go order a copy of that book first. This isn't a series that I would suggest jumping into in the middle of it. From the moment I read the synopsis of TWWF I knew I wanted to read it. I am fascinated by the spread of deadly viruses and I enjoy reading nonfiction books like The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story and Virus X: Tracking the New Killer Plagues, so I was incredibly interested in reading a YA fiction book with the same topic. This series is much more realistic than many other YA books in this genre because no one turns into a zombie or monster from this disease and it could really happen. Viruses like this have taken hold of the world in the not-so-distant past, which makes these books scarier to me than any fiction horror story.

The Lives We Lost starts off right where TWWF ended. Kaelyn and her handful of friends (and her cousin) from the island that have survived the virus has also torn across the country, and probably the entire world. She finds her dad's key to the research center and discovers a vaccine he was in the process of testing when he was killed. Since there is only one doctor on the island and she is unable to test and duplicate the virus, Kaelyn and her friends decide to leave the island in search of a doctor who can help her replicate the virus. They encounter many horrific situations along the way and the worse it got, the more I found myself cheering them on and hoping that they would find the person that could help them.

Kaelyn is one of my favorite heroines. She is not naturally an outgoing person, but she is caring, selfless, and brave even when she is afraid. I have read so many books with wimpy, whiny female main characters lately so Kaelyn was an absolute breath of fresh air. She has been through so much and never gave up, not when she felt she could possibly help others out.

I waited until The Lives We Lost were out to read The Way We Fall so that I could read straight through to the second book, but now I have to wait almost a year until the third book is out! I am so bummed, I can't wait to read the third installment of this series! I would recommend this series to everyone. :)

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3,5/5)

When I read The Way We Fall last year, it was one of my favorite post-apocalytic novel of 2012. I loved the quiet pace, the introspective aspect of the narration, the gloomy atmosphere and the absence of the typical love triangle. It made the book feel more realistic and mature, and I was excited to see where the story would go from there.

The Lives We Lost took a bit of a different route; from the start, the danger is more present as the characters find themselves on the road. If the danger is a constant in their lives, I wouldn't say the novel is packed with action. There's more happening than in the first novel, but I still felt it was a slow story (in a nice way). The characters are faced with some very hard decisions, difficult circumstances and unfathomable consequences. It's harsh, but realistic.

What I liked less was the addition of the love triangle. It was sort of predictable, with Kaelyn's best friend coming back into the picture after so long, but I could have done without. To be clear though, the novel isn't heavy with romance; Kaelyn and her friends have a lot more important things to think about. But the hints are there, often enough to have annoyed me. Can't we have a young adult trilogy without some geometric love story? Does everyone really find themselves into those? It never happened to me, and I don't think I'm such a unique specimen, you know?

Anyway, I liked The Lives We Lost, even though I thought parts of the plot felt a bit forced or predictable. But these aspects are well balanced with positive ones : new characters that add to the story's complexity, a well developed world-building that expands outside the island, an adventurous story with lots of suspense.

Also, can I say "Yay!" for the Canadian setting? I have absolutely nothing against my american neighbors (quite the contrary!), but it is so fun and refreshing to be reading a post-apocalyptic novel in a setting I know at least a little!

I will absolutely be reading the next book. I have a long wait ahead of me though, as The Worlds We Make is planned for February 2014. Sigh! But for those of you who like not to wait too much between each book, it means now is the perfect time to start the series!