The Quiet At The End of The World

 Wow. Five out of five stars for "The Quiet At The End of The World" by Lauren James. Here's what I loved:

• It's SF utopian / distopian, and we honestly need more novels in this genre.
• It's YA without the horror of The Hunger Games. I mean, I love The Hunger Games, but I struggle that ten-year olds read it.
• It's YA but also for adults.
• The book is incredibly well-written. The action starts on page one. The world feels real. The characters are loveable. All in all: unputdownable.
• There is no antagonist. Instead of the all-too-common man-versus-man, this is man-versus-environment. Or, in this case, two teeneagers trying to stop the end of the world as they know it.
• Best of all, it's one of those books that make you think about what it means to be alive.

Blurb:

Lowrie and Shen are the youngest people on the planet after a virus caused global infertility. Closeted in a pocket of London and doted upon by a small, ageing community, the pair spend their days mudlarking for artefacts from history and looking for treasure in their once-opulent mansion.

Their idyllic life is torn apart when a secret is uncovered that threatens not only their family but humanity’s entire existence. Lowrie and Shen face an impossible choice: in the quiet at the end of the world, they must decide who to save and who to sacrifice . . .