An interesting post-apocalyptic tale. Paige wakes up from a coma to find the world empty, and now she has to figure out how and why. The less you know going in, the better. I'm all for survival stories, but I enjoyed the first part better–the answers came surprisingly fast and then it was off to the Grand Finale.

This book was not at all what I expected. Based on the cover this book took me by storm. It starts off right in the thick of things. A virus that spreads like wildfire. This book seemed a lot like what is happening around the world yet more intense.

The story starts with a 28 Days Later/Walking Dead-style setup (except with a teenage girl instead of a scruffy white dude). High school basketball star Paige wakes up at home, hooked up to an IV, after being in a coma for a week, and finds out her entire family is dead. Everyone is dead. Except her. So she rescues her dead neighbor’s dog and tries to find other survivors.

Things I loved:
This book didn’t shy away from the more gruesome aspects of mass death. There’s some super alarming carrion bird content and a whole lot of horrific smells. The emotional devastation and guilt that Paige felt as a survivor was well-depicted, and I appreciated that she was always shown doing the best she could under the circumstances. The sweet dog, Emmaline, also reminded me of Manchee from The Knife of Never Letting Go. Oh, Manchee.

Things I didn’t love:
The explanation for Paige’s survival was really weird, didn’t make a ton of sense, and felt like a cheat. Also, some of the action sequences were really convoluted - there was a 2 Fast 2 Furious-style boat jumping situation (I think? That’s what I was picturing anyway?) that was extremely confusing. And, finally, the abrupt ending.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am keeping my fingers crossed that there’s an eventual sequel in the works. PLEASE.

Paige came home from school not feeling great and went to bed. She never expected to wake up a week later from a coma nobody expected her to survive, while the whole world fell apart. Paige is all alone in a new dangerous and unknown world, hoping to survive and find some answers.

Whoah this was gritty and at times horrifying and overall super realistic feeling when it comes to human decomposition and body needs. I will say I was expecting a more mundane reason for this outbreak/dystopian story then what it was. Don't get me wrong, this was very unique and interesting, but not what I expected from the cover or synopsis. This is way more science fiction and drama than any other topic.

Overall I thought this was just an ok book. The beginning was fantastic and exciting and stressful and then the middle and end kinda dragged on for me, a lot of pages with little to nothing happening or repetitive descriptions that I wanted to tune out. I am pretty sure this is a standalone story but the plot the author created could easily go on for more books (this ended on a high note, but in my opinion it felt like the beginning of a story more than an end). I am sure other people will really like this science fiction dystopian, and I will give a spoiler here that the dog lives (if she hadn't, this book would have a very different review!)

Paige Miller is determined to bring her basketball team to greatness—but falls ill just before things start heating up. When she wakes alone in her bed, empty bags daisy-chained in an IV to her arm, she realizes that something has gone horribly wrong. It gets worse. The illness that failed to kill her killed her entire family, leaving her alone in the world. Alone, with only her neighbor’s dog as a companion, Paige sets off to find out if there are other survives in this strange new world…and discovers something even worse than she could have ever imagined.

“I wanted to do something important like that. Something that would change the world for everyone who came after me.”

So apparently I saved absolutely no quotes from this book (the quote above is from Goodreads), probably because I devoured this thing so fast. I read it in under 24 hours, absolutely sucked in by Carson’s clear prose and Paige’s straight-laced personality (she’s a character with strong convictions and a practical head on her shoulders, which I enjoyed).

I’m not going to spoil too much about the main plot other than it does begin with the whole “waking up in a bed to discover everyone is dead” trope (mild spoiler: no zombies this time), but the survival aspects felt so real and carefully thought out, right down to what would happen if the world suddenly stopped. Like the sewer systems.

Plotwise, it was very similar in vibes to The Last 8 (mild spoiler, sorry), but I enjoyed this one a whole lot more.

Better chemistry between characters, better characterization of characters who felt real (and less tokenization of marginalized personalities?), higher tension, and believable abilities and coping methods (there is no magical, untrained piloting of an F-15, for example).

I devoured this all in one go, and now I don’t want to venture outside at night with the sky all lit up weird (light pollution, but still).

Definitely a good one to read, although the plague aspect was a bit too on the nose for right now (bad timing), and probably for the next five-ten years…which is one of the reasons I suspect this has a current 3.68 rating on Goodreads. The other reason is probably because is not really anything like what Carson has written for young adults before, and tonally, is more in line with her adult short story, “Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse.”

TW: pandemic, suicide, on-page death

So first things first! I need everyone to know that dystopian is one of, if not, my favorite sub-genre of book. I could read it always and still be so happy! Add in aliens and I’m sure to have an exciting time reading a book.

Paige was such a great MC from the very beginning. I wish that she would have taken more time to grieve at the beginning, when she lost her ENTIRE FAMILY, but other than that, she was strong and brave from the very beginning. Saving the dog from her neighbors house maybe solidified my love for her.

Dogs in books are a touchy subject for me. Especially in dystopian novels, because you really don’t know the outcome. They could be killed off and the effect would be having a miserable experience. Lucky enough, Emmeline makes it through. (Thank You, Rae Carson)

I loved Tre!! The love interest wasn’t some average white guy. I really love that we got mention of racism during the apocalypse. Just because millions of people die (billions in this case), it doesn’t mean it just goes away. Tre was not only a protector to the other characters, but he also didn’t stop her from being her own protector in some machismo attempt to be a savior, like so many male characters do in these books.

PLUS!!! We got an Ace character in Tanq. She fears that someone is going to expect her to help repopulate the Earth, since she’s one of the last people on it. I looooooove that we got that Rep and her voice as a character.

If you liked The Fifth Wave or The Last 8, you will love this book!

First of all, thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the advance copy of this book. I was hoping for something that would be hard to put down, and Any Sign of Life did not disappoint. I loved it, and it was the perfect book to kick off my fall break! Though I did have some issues in the back half of the book, they were minor and probably specific to me. I think my students will enjoy this one, and I'm looking forward to putting it in their hands!

Solid apocalyptic novel. Paige Miller goes to bed with the flu and wakes up 6 days later to find the world has ended and her family and friends are all dead. She heads out to find answers and if she is the only one left alive. This story hits close to home with COVID-19 still raging and could be a difficult read for younger readers.

Loved the concept here but the book felt flat to me. Most of the characters lacked dimension and made it hard to relate to them. There were a few parts of the book that felt disconnected from the rest of the book, as though they had been added later instead of written with the flow of the book. The story itself was really interesting and imaginative but overall it just wasn't for me.

Any Sign of Life opens to a scenario that hits a little too close to home in 2021, when we still can’t say that the coronavirus pandemic is behind us. In this YA sci-fi novel, our current pandemic is a memory from the past for the characters. As the book begins, we meet main character Paige Miller as she awakens from a coma to confront a world wholly different from the one she thought she knew.

Paige wakes up to discover an IV in her arm and her family’s dead bodies in her house. As she ventures out away from the horror, she encounters nothing but more horror. Every home in her neighborhood contains dead people — she appears to be the only one left alive. After liberating a neighbor’s dog from their locked house, Paige and Emmaline set out to scrounge for supplies and figure out if anyone else has survived.

What seems from the beginning to be a story about a horrific virus that’s wiped out nearly all of humanity takes a turn as Paige starts to realize that this virus couldn’t have been naturally occuring. As far as she can tell, it killed people worldwide in only a week, and that just doesn’t make sense. When Paige meets Trey, another teen survivor, they start to put the pieces together, and realize that humankind didn’t just die out — it was exterminated.

Figuring out how this happened, and desperately fighting for a slim chance at survival, Paige and Trey’s journey leads them to a handful of other survivors and a small chance at making a difference in what seems to be a losing battle to hang onto a world that might still be fit for human life.

Any Sign of Life is both a story of the end of the world as we know it and a tale of a fight for survival. There are exciting action sequences as well as plenty of strategizing about how to survive — and whether there’s a reason to survive. The author gives the characters individuality and personality, as well as giving them each a backstory and inner depth.

Paige, as the POV character, is strong-willed and capable, but also carries the pain of her lost family with her always. Trey is also a great character, and all of the characters we meet are mourning someone they loved.

While the action sequence toward the end of the book is a little confusing, it’s still gripping to read, and I couldn’t help holding my breath while rooting for the good guys to succeed. The book ends on a positive note, but the future still looks grim — and I couldn’t help wondering whether a sequel will be coming along at some point. The ending works, but there’s plenty of room for more of the story to be told.

Any Sign of Life is an engaging read, once I got past the fact that what I thought would be a story about surviving a worldwide plague ended up being about a different sort of threat completely. Not giving too much away, the revelations about the cause of the virus and what the future might hold didn’t wow me, because I feel like I’ve read plenty of stories along these lines already,

Still, I liked the characters and the particular episodes involved in their survival, and have no problem recommending this book to anyone who enjoys post-apocalyptic YA fiction.

This was a solid end of human life story with an interesting twist. As an adult, I saw the twist coming, but I'm not so sure teens will be as perceptive and will most likely appreciate the intended shock. Interesting characters who react realistically to being the few remaining humans after a deadly virus attacks the species. Leaves room for a sequel but does conclude satisfactorily.

Paige wakes up from a coma to find that the world has changed. Her family is dead, power is out, no TV, Internet, no people on the streets. She is alone. When she finally ventures out to the neighbor’s house she finds the neighbor’s dog, Emmaline, alive but no one else. Soon Paige and Emmaline find it necessary to leave her house to find someplace safer and maybe, just maybe other survivors. Eventually Paige finds Trey and later they find Tanq as they work their way to Sandusky where there seem to be other survivors.

It is hard to say much more about the plot without giving away crucial surprises. I am a fan of apocalyptic fiction and this is one of the best I have read. I read this in one sitting, unable to put it down. Highly recommended

Rae Carson writing about a girl and her dog and the end of the world? Shut up and take my money. I had the highest of hopes for this book and it was so much better than I even could have imagined. I want to talk about ALL THE THINGS but I can't give away any of the amazing twists and surprises packed into this story. It's high octane action from the very first chapter, harrowing survival scenarios, a smart and clever protagonist with the bestest good girl dog you will ever meet, and so much hope. If you loved the early seasons of The walking Dead, or movies like A Quiet Place, Bird Box, or the classic Red Dawn, you will devour every single page of this book just like I did.

So I loved this book. Because of course I did, it's the end of the world, for goodness sake! And the opening of the story is wild. We jump right in as Paige finds herself sick and emaciated, with nothing but an IV bag keeping her alive. Everyone in her house, everyone in her world is dead, and she hasn't a clue what is happening because she's been unconscious for the apocalypse thus far.

I think what I loved the most about this book is that it does such a great job of portraying the way people would feel at the end of the world. Like sure, Paige is running for her life, trying to not get zapped by aliens (who are a little salty about the few people that escaped their deadly disease). But it's more than that. It's trying to navigate the guilt of living when almost no one else did. It's trying to figure out what makes her new life worth living, when all the things she'd had are gone. Her family, basketball, the promise of college and beyond, her friends... wiped out. Luckily, she finds a few fellow survivors along the way, namely Trey and Tanq, the former of whom I absolutely loved, and the latter who generally was untrustworthy of humans (for good reason) and I also adored.

They have to then set out to find others, with a promise from a radio broadcast their only lead. I loved that Paige takes humanity in general so seriously. Every deceased person whose supplies or wisdom help her along the way, she acknowledges. When she can, she takes their identification as a way to remember them. She retains her humanity, even when it would be easier not to. And she finds new family in her friends, while never forgetting those who came before.

There are lighthearted moments too, which is crucial in a book like this. Otherwise, it would have been perhaps too dark. There is a lot of action, but not overwhelmingly so, and I thought the pacing was done quite well. A great balance of character and world development and excitement. I will say, I really feel like the ending sets up a sequel, and I will probably cry if there is not one, just saying.

Bottom Line: I fell in love with this book and its characters. Just the "end of days" fare I was looking for, frankly.

Fairly standard "everyone is gone - how do I survive?" story with a science fiction twist. I don't know why, this didn't make my reading day. Bad mood? Reading slump? Who knows. It just didn't read like anything I haven't already read before elsewhere.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

After an alien virus wipes out most of earth's population in less than a week, a handful of teen survivors must figure out how to preserve the last dregs of humanity from the invaders.

Before I get to my effusive praise, I want to note that this book won't be for every reader--at least not right now. For many readers, a book about an alien virus that wipes out 99.999% of humanity will be far enough removed from the reality of our current pandemic that it will allow them to work through some of the emotions and experiences of our real world in the fantastical extreme of the story. But for some teens, especially those who have recently lost loved ones to Covid-19, the wounds will be too raw and too deep. Early in this story, the protagonist abandons the corpses of her family, compartmentalizing her grief and focusing instead on survival. But for readers in mourning, this difficult shift and the constant presence of corpses--and reminders of the people they used to be--might be unduly upsetting. So I would hesitate to recommend this book to a teen who has lost someone during the pandemic.

That caveat aside, this book is excellent. The action and suspense starts on page one and builds to a thrilling climax, but what really elevates the story beyond a basic alien war is the constant search for--and discovery of--meaning in a post-apocalyptic world. The survivors aren't just fighting for their lives; they are fighting to build something new and to preserve the memories of everyone who perished. It is truly a fight to preserve humanity rather than individual humans. The characters are nuanced, the moral quandaries complex, and the story riveting from the first sentence. I highly recommend this to fans of sci-fi, dystopias, and thrillers/suspense.

Am I just tired of the dystopian genre? Or did this one land a flat for me? I am going to kind of a wimp in this review and say that it’s a little of both.

Pros: Good descriptive writing. Each step that Paige takes… each discovery made is layered with the anxiety and stress of her new world. The first person POV is great to add to the experience of the book and it’s horror.

Cons:

I had that constant thought: Ok, when is something new going to happen? Zombies, Aliens, Global Environmental Catastrophe… Take you pick and the book has been written. (And I’ve probably read one.)

The waking up and discovery part of the book took too long and even though some of this was spent with gaining character depth, the plot stays too stagnant.

Some readers may be put off by the gore. Many bodies… many, many dead bodies that have suffered through the illness.

While enjoyable in parts, this book follows too many of the plot lines of other YA dystopians. Shusterman’s Dry and Yancey’s 5th Wave come to mind… Any Sign of Life adds an alien twist and some commentary on racism, yet overall, it was just ok.

3 out of 5 stars.

Paige has just woken up and found herself attached to an IV. She remembers getting sick and quickly learns that she has been unconcise for six days and that everyone is dead. Paige was a strong athlete and uses her willpower to leave her home and find food and better shelter. She discovers that she is not the only survivor, yet the world is not the same. What caused this illness that had a nearly 100% death rate? Will this small group of survivors be able to continue in this changed world?

Any Sign of Life is a stand-alone post-apocalyptic science fiction novel. I have to start by writing that the first half of the book did drag. I know that Carson had to give background and build-up to the reality she was presenting, but after reaching the crux of the story, I wished she hadn’t used so many pages. The second half of the book kept me hooked and once I made it to the end … I was completely satisfied. I recommend this book to hard-core post-apocalyptic fans, but if this is your first foray into this genre, please start with a different book.

I love end of the world books. It's one of my favorite genres. This started out strong with a deadly virus but as I kept going I kind of lost interest. I think this is definately more of a middle grade start of a series. I loved Tanq's nature though and she kept things from being too happy valley for me. Also if anything happens to Emmaline I will riot. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced reading copy in exchange for a review.

5 stars baby!!

What a knock-out! This apocalyptic YA is everything I could have wanted and more!! I truly had zero expectations other than my one bias that I love Zombieland (the movie), so I thought I would love this book.... boy was I right. WAS I FREAKING RIGHT!!

buzzwords and pop-culture reminders:
-Zombieland, The Walking Dead, The Fifth Wave (these are vibes, not necessarily what is causing the apocalypse in this book)
- survivalist, last one standing

I had such a good time with this from start to finish. Everything about it from the characters (loved the tall girl rep- like over 6 ft. tall), to the original plot, the ROMANCE!! UGH I SQUEALED. Also there is a pet companion that of course I loved and stressed over throughout (cat mom over here). Our MC is smart, talented, and so freaking relatable. Even the one character we hate... we end up loving in the end.

I cannot wait to continue this series! As soon as this book comes out, it's an auto-buy for me. Really enjoyed it, and highly recommend if you're into apocalypse books, but not super far from the current world we live in today.

xx
-Christine