This is not my usual type of book but I am so glad I chose it. This is an end of the world story with a minor murder mystery. I found this fascinating with what would they do, how would they adapt. I enjoyed the story of them all in the hotel. It was only towards the end I became a little disappointed, the ending got a little weird and rushed. Whilst it left plenty of unanswered questions which could lead to a sequel book I think I'd rather decide their fate and not know of the authors intentions. As I said the ending seemed rushed first to suggest there was something going on but never materialize, a small side line earlier in the book became a major part to the ending but I'm not sure why and it didn't go into a lot of detail. Some of the main characters just faded- no ending for them, their final journey was more of a statement rather than part of the story.
I did however enjoy the approach to writing so it was an account from one of the survivors.

I can't quite make my mind up on this one. It was gripping, dark and certainly scary - I read it with a sense of apprehension. But I always had a sense that we were waiting for something that didn't quite develop. In the same way, some of the characters were clear, relatable, understandable. But others always seemed a bit shadowy. It was mostly well written, it painted a good picture of the situation and it was an interesting concept. But maybe just lacking something.

This novel explores a dystopian view of the future. An American president has been elected who, it seems, has precipitated a nuclear war (there are many such nods to the current state of play in politics). Many of the world's major cities have been wiped out and survivors are isolated, unable to use the internet and unsure about the state of the rest of the world. One such group of survivors are based in a remote Swiss hotel and it is one of this group, Jon, whose journals tell the story.

I chose to read this because I was under the impression that there was a murder mystery element to the plot (my usual genre of choice) and I was intrigued about the situation presented. However, the mystery didn't really grip me and - instead - the focus is more on the grim survival story of those in the hotel. And it is really grim.

Although I kept reading to see what happened, I think it would be fair to say that the ending is disappointing. I did like some aspects of the novel, for example the tension and a few of the characters, but it mostly felt like a great idea that didn't really come off well.

Overall, if tales of dystopia and survival against the odds are your thing, you might like this. It's engaging enough that you will want to see what happens, but it is a shame that it doesn't live up to its initial promise.

Post apocalyptic world set in a Swiss hotel with a few disparate guests and staff left; given the lack of mobile or internet coverage, survivors elsewhere unknown. Throw a murder of a child some time before into the mix. The story left me feeling distinctly depressed about the future of human society. This particular bunch seemed more tuned with how to get and use more 'drugs, sex and rock and roll', and murder, themselves than pulling together to survive. There was some soul searching and regrets by a few, especially Jon the self declared 'writer of the event and aftermath'. This had moments of thought provocation for me, but only moments, before they were off on some other rampage. Maybe humans would behave like this is such an event, if so we deserve to go the way of the dinosaurs. The one saving grace was that they did, eventually, leave the hotel and find another group of survivors who, at least, had made attempts at surviving together. Perhaps there is hope for the species after all. No hope for this book from me though, sorry but I appreciate NetGalley and the publishers offering me the opportunity to read and review it.

Although it is set in post apocalyptic alpine refuge it reads more as personal journey and the investigation of a crime than an dystopian story. Not so much a struggle for survival as a personal reevaluation in the context of the end of the destruction of the familiar world. This is a curiously passive novel for its context but none the less compelling. This is a beautifully written, reflective novel which is also strikingly original.

The Last is a brilliant idea for a book. Imagine the end of the world comes while you're staying in a hotel full of people you've never met before. Throw in a murder and a lot of suspicious past lives and you have The Last. The end of the world seemed really belivable and the book is written as one man's historical account for future readers which felt apt and worked well with the story.

The main probem is that there are too many peripheral characters who don't make enough of an impression and therefore confuse rather than clarify the plot. If you're able to cope with lots of characters, each with their own individual story, then it won't be a problem.

The Last tells the story of a group of survivors following the breakout of nuclear war. Set in a hotel in Switzerland it deals with the impact on the group of living with their new reality.

Told from the point of view of Jon in diary/ record format we see the group trying to co-exist despite differing nationalities and political tensions. Interestingly despite the small number of survivors divides still exist, partly due to language barriers and partly due to a blame game whereby the Americans are blamed for the action of their president.

When a body of a young girl is discovered Jon becomes obsessed with finding out who she was and what happened. In the process he questions who he can trust and his own sanity.

Overall this book wasn’t for me. I was not a fan of the format and felt myself wanting more from the story and the characters. You could very much feel the nod to current political situations and it did make me question what I would do in that situation but I found I was not invested in the outcome for the characters and I found the ending disappointing :(

This book sounded just the type of novel I would enjoy but unfortunately I have been disappointed. None of the characters is particularly pleasant, some elements of the story seem redundant whereas others have not been developed to my satisfaction. I found the ending a bit sudden and, for me, the conclusion was unsatisfactory, leaving me feeling a bit cheated and left "up in the air".
Not one for me.
Thank you to the publishers and to Netgalley for giving me a copy in exchange for this honest review.

I absolutely could not put this book down and found myself looking forward to bedtime so I could pick it up and dive back into it! It's a real blend of murder mystery and post-apocalyptic/dystopian horror - though I almost want to avoid using the term 'horror' as so much of the content seems totally plausible given the current global crisis. In fact, it's so plausible that I spent most of the book wondering what I would do if I were in the same situation - the way it's written is so evocative and descriptive that it really feels as if you are living through it with them (I also really liked the 'journal-style' format and the concept of the protagonist documenting the events as they played out). There were so many twists and turns and I loved getting to know the characters and following the plot as it developed, it was very skilfully dealt with in the way that it evolved. I would absolutely read more from Hanna, and I can see this being made into a film - I think it would be great on the big screen.

This is an interesting mashup of suspense thriller and post-apocalyptic SF tale.

Historian Jon Keller has been doing something academic-y in a hotel in Switzerland when the bombs land. Through TV/phones/internet they can see that all the major cities have gone. Most people leave the hotel to try and get to airports and train stations, though it seems unlikely any planes will fly.

20 or so remain at the hotel, frightened of what's out there, or what isn't. Jon has no way to find out whether his wife or children are still alive, though it seems unlikely.

Then they discover the body of a young girl in a water tank, who probably died around the time of the bombs dropping. Jon is appalled and intrigued and decides to investigate - who would have done such a thing, and are they still at the hotel?

I found the book was quite a good page-turner - I stayed up late to get to the end. The tension at the hotel is depicted quite well as the number of inhabitants lowers and suspicion increases.

A few elements frustrated me - Jon was not hugely likeable. Also, I couldn't quite understand why they didn't explore much further than the hotel for so long. Finally, I didn't like the resolution of the crime plot. May have just been me, though!

The concept of this book is brilliant, following the story of residents of a somewhat remote hotel after a mass nuclear event. Unfortunately, for me, the execution didn't live up to the promise. The first half or so is pretty good, and there are some really interesting looks at society throughout. But it meandered and I found increasingly that I just didn't care all that much about the protagonist or most of the characters. So it was fine, but it felt like it could have been so much more.

It was an interesting idea about what wouold happen if you were in a remote Location when the world ended. The idea that a killer could also be on the loose throws a real Twist in it. However, all we get is meandering through our main characters hazy thoughts, the killer Story goes nowhere, and even the end of the world is just alluded too. He is too busy with his new relationships in the Hotel, that are also not going anywhere. The ending is a fizzer, it was like he just decided to stop writing.

I really enjoyed this book. It is scary to think how quickly people would turn on each other in the fight for survival. Jon documents what is happening in an easy to read way that makes you feel part of what is happening.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

“You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave...” (Hotel California)

It’s business as usual at the Hotel Post-Apocalypse, where staff just seem to be carrying on as normal. In fact, for Dylan, there seems to have been a promotion: from Head of Security to Leader of the Remaining World.
As for the guests …fear and lack of ambition keeps them holed up without an internet connection, blaming each other for voting for a (barely disguised) Trump and dispensing harsh justice and painkillers.
At times puzzling, at times shocking, The Last flirts with the genres of horror and whodunnit but ultimately finishes with several narrative threads unresolved and the over-riding thought – that was weird!
Weird-good or weird-bad? I’ve not decided yet but I have already thought of someone I think would enjoy the book…
I’ve read lots of post-apocalypse/ dystopian books lately but this one was certainly unique.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book had me hooked immediately from page one. Post-apocalyptic dystopias tend to draw me in easily, but this book felt different from many others. It focused less on the cause of the apocalypse - although it did feature and felt all too real at times - and less even on the survival aspect than many other similar books. Instead it felt more like an adventure book featuring a murder mystery.

I can't help but think that this period of time is going to be defined in a literacy fashion by the number of post-apocalyptic novels around. The cause of the apocalypse in this book, for example, was a very thinly veiled Trump-type US President engaged in escalating nuclear conflict. It will be interesting to look back on as this trend continues to develop and reflects the zeitgeist.

I really enjoyed not knowing which direction this book was going to go, genre-wise. It hinted at paranormal elements. There were horror elements that were genuinely chilling. And it could definitely be classed as a thriller.

The ending, unfortunately, was my least favourite part. The pacing of the book was so strong, until the final 10% or so. The closer I got to the end, the more worried I became that it would not all be wrapped up satisfactorily. Most things WERE wrapped up, but in a pretty rushed fashion and without feeling particularly linear.

However, I'm still giving it 4 stars because it was a book I really struggled to put down all along. Recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very interesting as I expected. I hope they turn it into a movie, as it would be entertaining to watch :)
In our story, the World comes to an end because of a nuclear war carried by incapable politicians. No communication, transport, everything is destroyed. Jon is an American lecturer stuck in a big hotel in Europe with 20 strangers. We're getting to know the story through Jon's diary entries. After the end of World, they finda young girl's body in a water tank. And Jon tries to find who she is and why she's been murdered?

I really enjoyed this book for this murder mystery plus the social drama demonstrated about this post-apocalyptic happening. It was very good in analysing the psychological effects of this situation, how relationships evolve, etc. I'm a bit confused on why the story sharply moved away from teh murder mystery at half way point. I wish it was also equally involved in the plot.

All in all, I recommend this book to people who love sci-fi, dystopian, or post-apocalyptic stories.
Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for granting access in exchange for an honest review.

Wow: where do I start with a review of this novel? End of the world malarkey is not my normal choice of reading material but I’m glad I made an exception. The thing about this book is that its theme is frighteningly possible given the current state of the world. If you are convinced that the POTUS is hell bent on blowing us to ‘Kingdom Come’ you might want to brace yourself for this dystopian story about nuclear war and the end of the world as we know it. It is one heck of a read.

Jon Keller is an American academic attending a convention at a hotel in Switzerland when nuclear bombs start landing in America and Europe. As the internet goes down and email no longer exists, he and nineteen other guests/staff are trapped in a very remote hotel. On top of this, the body of small girl is discovered in one of the hotel’s water tanks. When it is established that she has been murdered the realisation dawns that one of the survivors is most likely a killer.

The combination of post-apocalyptic thriller and murder mystery is very effective and there is an assuredness about the author’s writing which conjures up a seriously creepy atmosphere in a thirteen floor, one thousand room, hotel with only twenty inhabitants. Shudder!

I don’t want to create spoilers so I won’t go any further into the plot. It was, however, a very satisfying read which I highly recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

The last is a new take on the end of the world genre. It's well worth a read and uses a post nuclear world scenario to delve into some interesting topics around how we interact, what drives us and how people would react in this type of situation. Jon the lead character is beliverable and likable but I did find myself thinking his 'voice' was more female than male. Overall I'd definitely recommend and be interested in how the author deals with other subjects on any future books.

An interesting book with a very realistic and interesting premise, what would you do in the event of a nuclear war?
I found the first two thirds of the book engrossing, the detective work story line / thread running throughout, comes and goes as reality threatens to take over. However it is the human interactions that I found fascinating, how some people gravitate together and others repulse, exasperated in a catastrophic event.
I found however the final third of the book somewhat rushed and the conclusion forced, which is unfortunate as it detracted from, what up until then had been an excellent story.
However in summary, this was an enjoyable read with a very thought provoking plot, I recommend reading it.

I struggled a bit trying to decide if I disliked this book or just the world it presented. I ended on the latter. Post-apocalypse stories are nothing new, whether it be zombies or nuclear war there is plenty of media covering what would happen to mankind. It's rare to find a piece that felt so honest and real though.

<spoiler>There is no prescribed major character or story arc and the ending fell a bit flat. I found that a bit disappointing at first but then the more I thought about it the more that made sense.</spoiler> This isn't an epic tale, it's just a snippet on someone's life as they go through all this. Jon's skill as a historian is what drives him to keep logging the events. He makes a strong effort to be as neutral as possible and veer away from the unreliable narrator territory.

Usually in tales such as these we get a super star protagonist whose innate abilities save and support others. Here we have a bunch of regular people all going through something together. We may see things from Jon's perspective but he's certainly not the most capable at many things. I liked the pieces we saw from other characters and how they handled this horrible event. I especially appreciated the mention of narcan which shows the author has done their research and not gone the usually cliche route when drugs are involved.

All in all it was an interesting window into a world for a short while that I was equally eager and dreading to go back to every night.