ARC Review: The Last Girl on Earth by Alexandra Blogier

The Last Girl on Earth
Author: Alexandra Blogier
Publication: Delacorte Press (January 23, 2018)

Description: RAISED AMONG THEM.
Li has a father and a sister who love her. A best friend, Mirabae, to share things with. She goes to school and hangs out at the beach and carefully follows the rules. She has to. Everyone she knows--her family, her teachers, her friends--is an alien. And she is the only human left on Earth.

A SECRET THAT COULD END HER LIFE.
The Abdoloreans hijacked the planet sixteen years ago, destroying all human life. Li's human-sympathizer father took her in as a baby and has trained her to pass as one of them. The Abdoloreans appear human. But they don't think with human minds or feel with human hearts. And they have special abilities no human could ever have.

FIT IN OR DIE.
When Li meets Ryn, she's swept up in a relationship that could have disastrous consequences. How far will Li go to stay alive? Will she save herself--and in turn, the human race--or will she be the final witness to humanity's destruction?

My Thoughts: Li has a secret. She is a human passing as an Abdolorean on the Earth that they conquered. The Abdoloreans wiped out all human life on Earth as a punishment for the way humans treated the planet. Li was saved by an Abdolorean scientist who has raised and trained her to pass as an alien.

Now that she is sixteen, Li is undergoing the tests that all young people her age must pass in order to determine what rank they will have when they are conscripted for seven years of mandatory military service. Her father believes that she needs to test in the top five percent in order to become an officer and keep her secret hidden.

She has managed to live a pretty isolated life with only her sister Zo and best friend Marabae allowed to get close to her. But now a new boy named Ryn has come to Earth. His father is still in the Force and Ryn has lived on many planets. Ryn's father wants him to follow his footsteps into a career in the Force by Ryn wants to become a scientist instead. The two fall in love despite knowing that they would be unlikely to be assigned to the same planet for their seven years of service.

Competing for officer's rank is Braxon who is one of Li's classmates. He is also dating Zo even though Li has tried to tell her that he isn't a very nice person.

This was a nice science fiction story. I did have some questions as I was reading. I wondered how a species of beings could justify exterminating the whole human race. They didn't seem to need the planet and were devoting a whole lot of resources to trying to heal it. I wondered about an alien race whole goal was to bring harmony to the universe through the use of military force. I also wondered about the whole idea of kids of sixteen taking tests to determine their status in the military.

Fans of science fiction with some romance will enjoy this story. There is certainly room for a story about what happens next for Li and Ryn since the ending was rather ambiguous.

Favorite Quote:

It strikes me that Ryn and I are alike. He doesn't let himself fet attached to the planets he's lived on, I don't let myself get attached to the people around me. I've had years of learning how to keep my distance, how to stay apart. Some days it feels like I'm adrift, wandering through the world. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.