The world has ended... What comes next? Smallpox epidemics, floods, droughts—for sixteen-year old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, stealing with it everyone she ever loved. Even the landscape of her beloved New York City is ever-shifting and full of hidden dangers. As the weather rages out of control, she survives alone in the wilds of Central Park, hunting and foraging for food and making do with the little she has, while avoiding roving scavengers and thieves. But when an unrelenting pack of vicious hounds begins to hunt her, Lucy is not sure she can continue on her own. Then, suddenly, she is swept to safety by a mysterious boy named Aidan, who helps her escape the hounds and urgers her to join a band of survivors. Reluctantly, she finds him after her home is destroyed; however, new dangers await her. An army of Sweepers terrorizes the camp, carting off innocent people and infecting them with the plague. Lucy and Aidan realize that it's up to them to save their friends, but Lucy doesn't know that the Sweepers have laid a trap—for her. There is something special about Lucy, and the Sweepers will stop at nothing to have her in their clutches. Jo Treggiari spins a thrilling tale of adventure, romance, and one girl's unyielding courage through the darkest of nightmares.
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"This book is geared towards teens. Surprisingly it was written in a much more adult way than I anticipated. I finished it rather quickly, but the book stays with you after you've read it. The main character is someone that you can at the same time pity but respect, which does not happen very often."
— Veronica (4 out of 5 stars)
" Another teen dystopia, in this one the world is rocked by massive earthquakes, floods,etc. and the survivors are rocked by a plague that takes 99% of the worlds population. Classic special girl, meets special boy, adventure ensues, and the setup for a sequel. It was good, not great, but will work for those dystopia nuts who need a fix. "
— Lori, 2/12/2014" I was really excited when my library added this to their collection and for most of the book I was on the edge if my seat. However the ending was not really an ending. Nothing happens. The characters end up he same as they do in the beginning, this book is just a little it of these characters lives and doesn't have a storyline. Nothingness explained or resolved in the end and unless I'm mistaken, this is not going to have a sequel. It was a good read until the last chapter but I still won't be recommending it to anyone. "
— Jennifer, 2/6/2014" I found that this book was kind of slow in the beginning....then it got really interesting...then the ending was kind of disappointing! But I still found the book alright. "
— Haley, 1/31/2014" This was an ok book, i feel like the author chose such a good topic/ base story but could have taken it so much farther and made it that much more interesting. Still a good, fun, easy read. "
— Britt, 1/28/2014" ~My new favorite apocalyptic book! Jo leads the reader through Lucy's memories, experiences, and emotions to make every word she wrote seem real. I could easily imagine all the characters and settings with each vivid description she gave. I seriously just love this book! "
— Nicole, 1/28/2014" Very interesting book. I liked how the author described how gloomy this world was after a plague has wiped out almost the entire earth. It had enough action and enough romance tension for my likes "
— Daisy, 1/19/2014" A post-apocalyptic,plagued-ridden, teenage, love triangle story? Why not? It's compelling while you're reading it, not sure it has staying power. The characters aren't as well-developed as I'm come to expect in recent YA fiction, but older middle school students will enjoy reading this book. "
— Kathleen, 12/31/2013" If this book were a movie it would be spoofed on Mystery Science 3000. The heroine is being stalked by a mad scientist / doctor who wants to drain all her blood because she is the only one immune to the plague! Really???? Drain all her blood and kill her in the process???? "
— Delgadola, 12/26/2013" I liked it. It was good. "
— Missy, 11/15/2013" Soooo bad. "
— Kriszti, 8/10/2013" Realizing I read this already and wasn't impressed enough the first time remember that I already read it. "
— Cynthia, 3/19/2013" The cover and plot had so much potential, but the there was only 3 major events in the entire book, and a lot a bout food, I wasn't entertained or enthralled and actually fund this hard to read. "
— Tara, 3/2/2013" I really liked this book I hope she does a sequel "
— Candice, 2/5/2013" it was a good stand alone book. Not too much irritating angst, and over all well done. "
— Abby, 1/23/2013" I think this is a good book. It isn't one of my favorite dytopian books though. "
— Allyce, 4/22/2012" This was okay - I like post-apocalyptic novels about teens, so you know - this was one. That's about it. "
— Roxanne, 3/4/2012" This was a great book about how A few teenagers 'saved' the day along with a couple dozen people after the world has basically been destroyed and ended. The only problem is that the ending is extremely predictable. "
— Matthew, 11/27/2011" LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVED IT. LOVED IT <3 "
— Emily, 8/23/2011" I liked this book and am sad that there isn't a sequel. I read it a few months ago and could not remember the name! Thankfully typing in a few key words from the plot led me to the right book. It was well thought out and a good young adult read. "
— Christy, 6/4/2011" light reading definitely geared towards Tweens "
— John, 5/18/2011" I don't think I'll ever tire of reading really good dystopian novels and this one was really good- review to come..... "
— Jen, 5/15/2011Jo Treggiari was born in London, England, and raised in Ottawa, Ontario. Her first attempts at writing were when she started revising classic fairy tales at age eight. She spent several years in San Francisco, where she trained as a boxer, wrote for punk magazines, and owned her own record label. She now lives in Nova Scotia, Canada, and still enjoys shadowboxing when she isn’t working at her local bookstore.
Cassandra Campbell has won multiple Audie Awards, Earphones Awards, and the prestigious Odyssey Award for narration. She was been named a “Best Voice” by AudioFile magazine and in 2018 was inducted in Audible’s inaugural Narrator Hall of Fame.