Spotlight on The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

Hardcover, 309 pages

Published January 24th 2012 by Disney-Hyperion

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It starts with an itch you just can't shake. Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat. A few days later, you'll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they’re old friends. Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in.

And then you're dead.

When a deadly virus begins to sweep through sixteen-year-old Kaelyn’s community, the government quarantines her island—no one can leave, and no one can come back. Those still healthy must fight for dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival.

As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest. Because how will she go on if there isn't?

Megan Crewe crafts a powerful and gripping exploration of self-preservation, first love, and hope. Poignant and dizzying, this heart-wrenching story of one girl’s bravery and unbeatable spirit will leave readers fervently awaiting the next book in this standout new series.

The first person narrative told through Kaelyn’s journal entries was an interesting way to tell this horrific story of a town being taken over by a virus. I felt connected to Kaelyn through her entries, and I loved that she was writing this journal for Leo, her ex-boyfriend, who she hasn’t seen since their fight before he left the island. We learn a lot about Leo through Kaelyn, and her family and friends, and just how things are on this island. I can relate to island life. I grew up on a small resort island, and the way Crewe describes the setting and people are spot on.

As the virus takes over the island, and the town is quarantined, the tension and action heighten. I flipped from page to page inhaling the scenes and all the craziness unfolding. I loved how Kaelyn’s relationship with Gav develops. She deals with feelings for Leo while comparing her new feeling for Gav, and I really liked how she worked through the differences between them and her emotional connection to both. Some scenes had me near tears, and all I can say is this is a wonderful, heartfelt story, with an amazing heroine. A definite must read for lovers of post-apocalyptic fiction.

Miniview with Megan Crewe

Picasso or Van Gogh?

I appreciate both, but I'd have to go with Picasso--the moods he creates in his paintings impress me, and I find cubism intriguing.

 
Zombies or Vamps?

I really enjoy the sort of apocalyptic scenarios that usually come with zombies, but on the other hand vampires seem to have more range (anywhere between vicious monster and sexy romantic partner, depending on the book).  So vampires win by a slight margin.

 

Travel back in time (where) or to the future (where)?

Assuming I could come back to my present time when I wanted to, I'd love to catch a glimpse of the distant future.  What will society look like and people be doing a thousand years from now?  Time travel's the only way I'll ever find that out, whereas I can read about the past.  (Though there are plenty of past periods I'd love to see firsthand if I could jump around through time a little!)

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