“From America to Australia and beyond. The sea change is coming for everyone, rich and poor alike.”

Take one serious helping of climate change, stir in a heaping blend of international conspiracy, and top it off with a high stakes competition. This is the frightening future of The Final Six.

When we meet Naomi and Leo, we don’t see a world on the brink of collapse. We are in a world collapsing. Surging oceans, erratic storms, the threat of cities worldwide being wiped out in the blink of an eye. This is their reality. The only hope is Europa.

Twenty-four teenagers around the world have been chosen. Only six will pass. It’s a competition of potential life versus guaranteed death with all the high-stakes that go with it. Beyond unanswered questions, seeming mutiny in the ranks, and classified AI’s, Naomi and Leo quickly discover that there is much more than a mission to the stars happening within the secured walls of the International Space Training Camp.

“A funny thing happens when you have nothing left to live for. Your existence loses all its sharp edges. There are no more steep drops, no hills to climb.”

The Final Six is a dystopian book set in space camp. I mean, sure, it’s more like the Hunger Games happens at space camp. Except, instead of one winner there’s six. And they have to go to space not Victor’s Circle. And sure, it’s probably not the space camp of many childhood memories, but still. SPACE CAMP!!! How could I not love this book?

And there is so much to love about this book! It’s a little bit science fiction, a little bit mystery/thriller, a little bit YA romance. But all of that combines into a fast-paced intense ride that just doesn’t stop. I mean really. It doesn’t stop, not even at the end. Monir keeps the pace and the plot twists happening, making you scream for the sequel within seconds of closing the cover. Thankfully it’s out now, so let the swooning and fan-girling continue post haste. And also, get your hands on the sequel.

Got it?! Great!

Alright. We’ve talked about space camp. Space. Let’s talk about the AI robots with devious secrets. There has yet to be an AI in fiction I have yet to dislike. Crazy AI. Devious AI. Murderous AI. Turns out, even ordinary AI who do exactly what they’re programmed to do are also a fan fave of mine. Maybe I just want an AI of my own, who knows. What I do know is even ordinary AI carrying international secrets is a delight to read.

“Sometimes I think that’s exactly what science is: the magic we look for in stories, without realizing that it exists in all the inventions and creations around us.”

In all, The Final Six is a joyous read. Naomi is everything my nerdy adolescent self needed in my adolescent life. Leo is all around adorbs. The plot twists, the evil government plots and plans, a devastating climate future. It all wraps together, entertaining and terrifying in equal measure. If you love science fiction with a delicious dystopian twist and a very endearing YA romance stirred in for good measure. Yeah, you’re going to want this book.