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 and Virus X, 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. :)

Any hope I regained after the sudden appearance of Kaelyn's childhood best friend, Leo, at the end of The Way We Fall was quickly smothered once I began reading The Lives We Lost. Cut off from the rest of the world, Kaelyn and her friends thought their quarantined island was the only place affected by the deadly virus, but Leo's arrival changes everything. They were wrong. So. Very. Wrong. The epidemic which spread through her community in Nova Scotia has spread across North America. Unlike The Way We Fall, the novel isn't narrated in journal format, but The Lives We Lost doesn't lose its very personal touch. We still learn Kaelyn's fears and regrets, and admire her determination to live when it could be easier just to simply give up. Leo may be back, but it's not the reunion Kaelyn would have ever imagined. He's haunted by the past and the terrible things he went through just to get back to the island all the way from New York. And he's not the only one scarred and hurt. Kaelyn, her boyfriend Gav, her friend Tessa, and younger cousin Meredith have also each lost so much in such a short time. It broke my heart in The Way We Fall to see them in such pain, and I was sad all over again while I read The Lives We Lost. When Kaelyn finds samples of a vaccine in her father's abandoned lab, she immediately understands just how important it is to find a way to replicate it. The only known cure to the virus which may very well save humanity is in her hands. Kaelyn must leave the island and venture to Toronto, where she's sure she'll find more advanced labs and hospitals, but the journey will be fraught with danger. There are people with less than honourable intentions who would do anything to have the cure for themselves. What terrifies me most about these post-apocalyptic novels is that it's not too difficult to imagine the events coming true in reality. Megan Crewe's The Lives We Lost is a continued test of survival, difficult choices, and what we're willing to sacrifice for the sake of another. I'm highly anticipating The Worlds We Make, the conclusion to the Fallen World trilogy. You can also read this review at: http://midnightbloomreads.blogspot.ca/2013/03/the-lives-we-lost-by-megan-crewe.html

It's not often I'm this impressed with the middle book of a series. Especially since the format has changed (the first book was written in diary form) and so much has already happened in the first book. The Way We Fall introduced Kaelyn and her small island off the coast of Nova Scotia. One day everything is fine, the next there is a virus going around called the Friendly Flu that causes people to first get sick, become itchy, then move into a phase where they can't control what they say out loud and ends with violent hallucinations before death takes its toll. Kaelyn struggles to survive as most everyone on her island gets sick, including her family and friends. Each word shows her struggle and with every page, you're not sure what to expect. I finished it quickly because there was no stopping. The sequel begins with Kaelyn finding a vaccine her father created before he died and she knows she must find a way to get it to the people that can duplicate it and help the world. She thought the virus was contained to the island, but the whole world is infected and she knows it's up to her to get to Ottawa and give the government the vaccine. Suddenly Kaelyn is living on a deadly planet, holding the vaccine close and trying to survive every day. With her small group of friends, they start across the country, risking their lives to save others. This is one of the most realistic apocalypse books I've erad. Everything our group encounters feels so real. Whenever they ran into someone on the street I was scared for what would happen next. People act crazy when it comes down to only one surviving. It's not just about getting to Ottawa, it's about staying alive. Kaelyn is one of the bravest protagonists I've seen in awhile. No one is forcing her to take this vaccine anywhere. She could keep it for herself and live on her small island with her boyfriend, Gav, and her other friends. But she risks everything to do something about it and not a lot of people would do that. There are times when she thinks about giving up, like she did in the first book, but she finds the strength to keep going, and it's amazing. I don't know if I would be able to hold up as long as she does, especially with the group following her when she knows she can give in and just do as they want. Everything she does feels so believable. Her actions, her reactions and how she deals with what comes her way. She's smart and never puts herself above others. She's the perfect role model for the teenagers reading this series. Crewe's writing stands out in a subtle way. She doesn't go out of her way to write pretty prose or extreme scenes. She writes so real that it's hard to imagine that the friendly flu isn't a real virus. Her sentences blend together perfectly and softly, lingering after you've read the words and leaving you craving more. The pacing is perfection. The end of every chapter made me read the next and so on until I just had to keep going until I was finished the book. Her characters jump off the page and stay with you even when you've closed the book. I can't get over the intensity I felt reading this, an intensity I haven't felt in awhile. After certain events happened, I had no idea where she would end this book, how far she'd go before giving us a break from the madness, so of course she ends it too soon as usual, and I'm stuck waiting a year for the final chapter, The Worlds We Make, and needing to know what happens to Kaelyn and her vaccine. The real world is scary, with or without a virus spreading and Crewe has captured the brutality of the human race exquistly. I can only hope I've done this book justice with this review and that I too can create a world within a world as well as she has.

I heard a quote once, saying that readers read books the way a human being breathes, to fill up and to live. I was filled up, consumed by this novel for the entire week it took me to read it (which I might add is a new record for me in my college life). I wasn't so sure when the journal format wasn't there, but it was still the same edge and the same suspense that kept me going with the first book in the series. It's not the edge of something always happening. Your heart isn't always pounding. But it's always waiting, expecting. Whether it's waiting for good news or bad news, it knows it can expect something grand. The Fallen World series stands out amongst the avalanche of dystopic young adult material of the past year. This isn't everything at its worst and it certainly isn't everything in a backwards shade of perfect. This is our world. This is very tangible. It could be us. That's why I keep reading: part of me is walking with these characters. If you haven't started reading the Fallen World trilogy, you're not too late. This is a bug you're going to want to catch.

When The Way We Fall ended we learned the pandemic had spread much further than the island. It was everywhere and the world we once knew was no more. The Lives We Lost picks up almost right after the first book ends. The reality of the current world staring our cast of characters right in the face – but hope springs eternal when Kaelyn discovers they might have cure. I loved that this book got them off the island. Not that I didn’t like the island. But it’s such an isolated place and there is next to no opportunity to introduce new characters into the mix. Once our group leaves the island a world of possibilities are presented to them. There is a lot of walking. But I don’t want to call it “second book syndrome” because things do happen to them while they’re walking. Lots of things. So instead I think we should call it “Two Towers Syndrome.” We know it’s leading up to something big but it still keeps us entertained while we wait. Part of the reason I’ve fallen so hard for this series is it takes place in Canada. It really irks me when Canadian authors set their books in the States when they could just as easily be set here. I love the angle being in Canada gives this story, as they’re basically walking across the Eastern half of the country during winter. And we all know Canadian winter is no picnic. I learned so many survival tricks and tips while reading this book. It was truly fascinating. But awesome survival tips aside, it’s the characters that really make The Lives We Lost stand out. There are so many characters. Many of the originals are still around and we are introduced to a number of new ones along the way. Everyone felt unique and distinctive. I think Megan Crewe did a great job capturing the variety of personalities one would come across on a journey such as this. And Kaelyn is still so fabulous. She never gives up. But she’s not perfect either – she has doubts, like anyone would, and is forced to make many difficult decisions. But she is brave and I would follow her if I was in their position. Recommendation: If you like adventure stories and realistic post-apocalyptic tales check out the Fallen World series. Also recommended for fans of Mike Mullin’s Ashfall. This and other reviews at More Than Just Magic (http://morethanjustmagic.org)