Received via Netgalley for review.

I did not know this was a continuation of a previous story when I started reading, but (like the publisher explained in the afterword), I didn't really feel as though I was unable to follow the plot. While it is a continuation, it's perfectly possible to jump right in and get going, without getting bogged down by backstory or explanations, which I appreciate!

I liked the design of the aliens, though I wish we had seen more that weren't bipedal (one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to alien portrayal is that they always look like humans in basic shape). The art was colorful and engaging, and the characterization was consistent. (I wasn't happy when Z and Erik trusted a suspicious character right off the bat, but luckily Morgan was right there with me).

There are hints that Z might be going down the same road as her father, and I hope that's explored in the next few installments. ( )

The Only Living Girl is a follow-up series to the earlier series, The Only Living Boy. Erik, the hero of the earlier books and only other known human to have survived the catastrophic events that led to the enslavement and forced mutation of their patchwork world’s inhabitants, had previously been entrusted with the role of protector toward Zee, the science prodigy daughter of the Doctor who caused the disaster with his mad experiments. Now the two must continue to fight to survive, as well as face new threats and plots.
The opening pages reveal an origin story for the fiendish Doctor Once, showing how his love for his daughter, strained as their relationship may have been, and his grief over her untimely death were the catalysts for the destruction that happened between Zee’s tragic accident and when she was brought back to life into a devastated new world. The alien races introduced in The Only Living Boy return in the new series. Though reading the earlier books is not strictly necessary to understand The Only Living Girl, it certainly will ease the reader’s ability to become immersed in the story without having to learn which creatures are Mermidonians and which are Sectaurians, for instance.
The adventures and fights are illustrated vividly and with detail, and the story itself is layered with complexity; while readers will easily sympathize with and cheer for Erik, Zee, and their friends, they will also find themselves caught up in the ominous worry about whether Zee’s passion for scientific development and experimentation might one day lead her to follow in her father’s infamous footsteps. Battle scenes are exciting, though not so graphic as to be frightening for younger readers. The cliffhanger ending of this first book will definitely have readers waiting on the edge of their seats for the next installment. ( )