The Last 8 – Laura Pohl

 The Last 8 is an apocalyptic/interstellar novel about the last eight people on Earth, who miraculously survived the Alien Invasion that changed their lives forever. The thrilling book written by author Laura Pohl is told in the Point Of View of a teenage girl named Clover, who had lived with her grandparents, up until the invasion that led to her abandoning and leaving everything she had ever known, traumatized and lost.

__

One particularly intriguing character who stood out to me was Sputnik. Sputnik was a little dog that had followed Clover around everywhere between the span of 4-6 months. Sputnik had also stopped Clover from committing suicide several times. Sputnik’s loyalty stood out especially when the other teens in Area 51 took Clover to a containment unit, where she had to be quarantined. Sputnik tried desperately to be back with Clover, and wanted to protect her at all costs.

I’m not sure if this is a dog thing (i’ve never had a dog), but dogs try very hard to protect and be with someone/something they love, and they’re more devoted than average humans. I loved that moment, and I think the other teens in the book did too, as they started to warm up to Sputnik as well. I’m not entirely sure if it was just because they were stuck in Area 51, but I liked the concept of the pet in the book.

One thing that I really liked in the book was the fact that Clover’s Grandfather was a retired Air Force Pilot. He had taught Clover how to fly when she was 5 years old, and that was really inspirational to me. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are, you can achieve anything and be anything you want to be. 

Clover always wanted to be a pilot, so she was determined to learn when she was 5 years old, while her Grandfather learned when he was young, like in his teens.

I would most definitely recommend this book to people who like apocalyptic books- zombies, aliens, etc- or people who like outer space. This book deserves more recognition, and I would love for more people to read it and enjoy it wholeheartedly, like I did when I first read this book. However, if you do not like the concept of sacrifice and suicide, then this may not be the best book for you.