Synopsis:
Last One to Die is a supernatural thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. Packed with voice-driven whodunit storytelling, and a classic slasher-movie feel, this dark, pacy, and irresistibly creepy thriller really has something for everybody!
16-year-old, Irish-born Niamh has just arrived in London for the summer, and quickly discovers that girls who look frighteningly like her are being attacked.
Determined to make it through her Drama Course, Niamh is placed at the Victorian Museum to put her drama skills to the test, and there she meets he’s kind, fun, attentive, and really hot! Nonetheless, there’s something eerie about the museum…
As present-day serial attacker and sinister Victorian history start to collide, Niamh realizes that things are not as they seem. Will she be next?
Review:
I started Last One to Die a while ago and decided to pick it back up again recently. Not the smartest decision I’ve ever made, but I actually did remember most of what happened – I was less than an hour in. Anyway, this is all to say that I was so confused about Niamh’s age for a lot of the book. The narrator sounded at least in her thirties so it really threw me when she talked about college and how she’s only 16. Anyway, that’s not something that affects this review, I just thought it was something funny to mention.
I’ve been quite enjoying audiobook thrillers at the moment and Last One to Die was a pretty decent one. I was hoping it wouldn’t be supernatural though as that takes away a lot of the tension for me. The thrillers that really get me are ones that could actually happen. So I did find the conclusion quite underwhelming. The twist was pretty good and it did tie everything together very nicely but having it be a copycat killer instead would have been way more impactful, in my opinion.
The narration was done very well, other than the age of the voices confusing. It seemed very effortless for the narrator to switch voices during dialogue and I found the Irish accent to be very soothing, despite the contents of the book.
The first person nature of the Last One to Die audiobook made the story quite immersive. It felt like a ghost story being told around a fire, which I suppose is exactly what it is. Some of the dialogue was a little cringe worthy but as this is a YA thriller, I could see past it.
While I wasn’t sold on the romance, it did read like a teen romance. Plus the building of their connection was actually really important for the plot. It does give a lot away about how the story is going to end, but I read to be entertained, not confused.
I do feel like the tension was built pretty well and certain scenes that had actual action (that I won’t spoil for you) were the type to have you holding your breath. One of them is the first time Niamh is actually in immediate danger.
Last One to Die is a fairly quick read, but that’s always hard to gauge with an audiobook. It feels like if I were to read the written book I probably would have gotten through it faster. It’s less than 300 pages, so it’s a pretty fast paced thriller.
Overall, I’d say Last One to Die is a good audiobook to check out if you have Audible Plus. I definitely wouldn’t have been overly happy if I’d bought this, but as part of the subscription, it’s a decent read.
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