Coushatta LaRue

Book Review: This World We Live In

​Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

​It wasn’t what I expected. The book starts off echoing the vibe of the first novel, but it slowly cranks up the intensity. As the characters run out of food, you start to genuinely worry about them, watching them scramble for ways to survive and stay sane in a world gone completely mad. While the writing kept me hooked, several character choices left me incredibly frustrated.

​Frustrating Character Shifts and Forced Romance

​A lot of the character dynamics in this installment felt off. When Miranda’s brother Matt returns from fishing with a new wife, Sylvia, it felt bizarre. Matt acts incredibly childish and immature here, which felt like a massive regression—almost character assassination—compared to how he behaved in the first book. Furthermore, it takes a long time to actually care about Sylvia, which was annoying since the first two books made you fall in love with the characters instantly.

​Then, Miranda’s father arrives with Alex from the second book. As someone who isn’t religious, I found Alex’s heavy religious focus quite off-putting and a bit cringy. His desperate, poorly explained obsession with bringing his sister to a specific church place didn’t make sense.

​But the biggest offender was the romance. The “insta-love” between Alex and Miranda felt completely unrealistic and unbelievable. One day they say hi, and the next they are deeply, desperately in love. It completely took me out of the story.

​Unforgivable Choices

​My frustration with Miranda peaked during two specific events:

• ​The Tornado: Miranda choosing to save Alex’s Bible and tickets over helping her own mother was absolutely insane. I would never choose a boy over my mother, and using that to prove her “dedication” to him was ridiculous.
• ​Julia’s Fate: When Julia is injured, Miranda decides to kill her. This made me furious. Julia was disabled, not dead, and she absolutely deserved a chance to live and choose her own fate. The fact that Miranda didn’t even ask her was awful and unfair.

​(On a side note, I was also incredibly sad when the cat died).

​The Verdict

​The ending gets very intense and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It manages a strange balance where it feels like a lot is happening, yet the plot remains relatively simple. I liked that they chose to leave together to find a safe place in Tennessee, and I would have loved to actually see that adventure play out.

Ultimately, the novel is still a good read because the writing is strong and you do care about the world. However, Miranda’s baffling choices ruined her character for me a bit. Mostly what she did to Julie. I’d recommend reading it once to finish the series, but honestly, you could just read the first book and be perfectly fine.

“Souille is a riveting novella that artfully blends elements of horror and science fiction to craft a high-stakes adventure that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. When Natalie’s life is thrown into chaos after a terrible hurricane leaves her hometown in ruins, she’s thrust into a deadly face-off against strange and malicious entities in her desperate struggle for survival.”