Something is troubling New York, and it's not just the sanitation crisis. Deep below the ground, something rumbles ominously. People are getting sick. Their teeth are getting pointy. Things are becoming bitey. Pearl, Moz and Zahler aren't thinking too much about it though. They're not hungry for flesh; they're hungry for fame. But when they recruit Minerva as their singer and Alana Ray as their drummer, they are pulled right into the darkness. Their band won't protect them from the danger below; it will summon it.
I loved the depiction of New York - vivid, busy, with a life of its own. I loved the depiction of societal breakdown - it's happening throughout the book, but New Yorkers carry on regardless, oblivious to the implications of what's going on around them until it's all too late. People are sheep. And ''The Last Days'' makes this point subtly, but very well. It's told turn and turn about with each band member getting a shot at the narrative. I usually prefer to sit inside a single person's skin when I'm reading, but here, where the focal point is social disaster, it's interesting to see how the different characters perceive events.
Those, like me, who haven't read Westerfeld's first book in the series, [[''Parasite Positive]]'', will enjoy the mystery surrounding vampirism in the book - it's clearly a disease, but it's not fully explained for a long time. I found it added to the creepy suspense. Those who have read it will probably take something different entirely - but will be glad to know the main character from it gets a good cameo.
It's a stylish book with plenty of meat on its bones and comes recommended to teen fans of all things bitey. Music fans and impending doom fans will enjoy it too. That's all teenagers then, right?