The Worlds We Make (The Fallen World trilogy) - Hardcover

Megan Crewe (www.megancrewe.com) finds writing about herself much more difficult than making things up. A few definite facts: she lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and three cats (and does on occasion say "eh"); she tutors teens with special needs; and-thankfully-the worst virus she's caught so far is the garden variety flu. In addition to the Fallen World trilogy, she is also the author of Give Up the Ghost.

4Q 4P S The "friendly flu" has mutated into a deadly variation. Kaelyn Weber's dad was lucky enough to generate a vaccine for the virus, but he did not survive long enough to get it out to the general public. Kaelyn, only a teenager, and her group of friends set out from Canada on a trip to carry the life-saving vaccine to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. It is a treacherous journey. A ruthless gang called the Wardens is hunting the group down, fuel for automobiles is scarce, and infected people can be found anywhere, including members of Kaelyn's group. Adding to the hardship, there are only three samples of the precious vaccine, which must be kept cold in an environment with no electricity. Kaelyn must push herself to the physical and moral limits if she wants to save humanity, but it could mean losing herself. In the final installment of The Fallen World trilogy, Crewe paints a picture of a desolate world ravaged by a deadly virus. The breakdown of government and common courtesy is represented well, while Crewe still sows a seed of hope for the future. The character of Kaelyn carries the book-she is well developed, with a lot of depth and emotion. Readers will feel her struggles as she pushes past her moral boundaries in an effort to benefit humanity. They will also feel her loss and triumph. This well-written character is the heart of this solidly written selection.-Dawn Talbott. VOYA"

The conclusion to the Fallen World trilogy serves as an extension to the second volume, The Lives We Lost (2013), with Kaelyn and her ragtag gang on the run from the Wardens, as they cross a disease-ravaged America on their way to the CDC in Atlanta, where a woman claims to be able to reproduce the cure sample that Kaelyn is carrying. The impediments are what you would expect-sickness, injury, death, and sacrifice-but Crewe gives the book a late shot in the arm (so to speak) by offering up surprisingly complicated and nuanced portrayals of both the Wardens and CDC members. They, like everyone else in Crewe's grim dystopia, are neither good nor evil. Just fighting to survive. - Daniel Kraus Booklist"