The Last Voyage of Poe BlytheAlly Condie
Dutton, 2019 336 pages
Grades 7-12
Dystopian Adventure
Although still a teenager, Poe has experienced quite a life. On a
gold hunting expedition, her ship is overcome by raiders who kill the boy she
loves and force her and her shipmates to return to the Outpost empty handed to
a ruthless leader. Poe now seeks revenge and has created armor for a
second ship that is indestructible and will not allow for enemies to board. Poe
is made captain and gain the Admiral’s trust through her engineering talents.
Although young, Poe is determined and hardened, wanting only to succeed in
the mission and stick it to the raiders. The unexpected happens as the raiders
find a way onto the ship and Poe must escape. Will her crew stay loyal to her?
Are the raiders truly evil? How can she save her ship and still succeed in her
mission--assuming she even survives? These questions are answered as Poe
navigates through the murky waters of shifting loyalties and deceptions,
and learns the truth about herself, her former love, and the society in which
she belongs.
Condie, author of the widely popular Matched trilogy, offers another dystopian story in a world a little less developed. An environmental cautionary tale, Condie warns us what the future of the world looks like if we trash it. People are scrabbling for survival and banning together into tribes. As an engineer of sorts, Poe makes herself useful and as a designer of weapons and armor she rises to power. This story moves quickly, has many surprises and plot twists. The atmosphere is dark and the society feels a bit "Mad Max" without the cool motorcycles. Poe is a very broken and serious character with anger issues and I found it hard to relate to her or like her. There was not much in the way of romance, which will disappoint Matched fans. This was an exciting story of deception and intrigue with twists that will appeal to readers who appreciate a non-stop plot. A cliff-hanging ending indicates a sequel with a possible romance for Poe in the future.
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