Once again, the publisher Jangada makes me happy with an engaging and very well-written read. Although I was not familiar with Alexandra 
Monir’s work, I was very satisfied with “The Six Finalists.”
Alexandra presents us with a plot that, despite not being original and still using certain clichés, managed to skillfully mix themes such as climate apocalypse, romance, science fiction, mystery, and a good dose of adventure. Although this first book is more focused on the training of the chosen ones to save humanity from extinction, it was quite surprising to see that the story grips you so much that it becomes very difficult to stop reading.
Some parts of the plot reminded me of the 1983 film The Chosen, (which was based on Tom Wolfe’s book, where he recounts the training of American astronauts), which in itself is already a big positive point for “The Six Finalists.” However, whether the film or the book had any influence on Alexandra’s plot, I cannot say.
It is obvious that in a book where the protagonists are “young adults” who have to exceed their qualities for their missions, everyone expects the main romance, and in “The Six Finalists,” it would be no different. But, as I have seen in most Young Adults I have been reading in recent years, the writers show us an obvious romance that is not forced, as it was in many others I have read.
Leo and Naomi are very different and want different things, but in an inexplicable way, they feel a strong attraction to each other. I really liked seeing how the author developed this old cliché throughout the plot, and I am 
sure that all of you will like it too, because despite being, as I said, a cliché, it was well placed and conducted throughout the story.
But “The Six Finalists” is not just about romance and adventure, as there are characters who are truly detestable and show a more tragic side among the chosen ones and, why not say, among the survivors of this new chaotic and dangerous world.
That’s why for those who enjoy a well-conducted plot, with romance, action, mystery, and that also comes with a very beautiful and robust paperback edition, with yellowed pages and a very pleasant font, “The Six Finalists” by Alexandra Monir, published by Editora Jangada of Grupo Pensamento, is a MUST-READ.
Jeffa Koontz
Literary Critic
www.sagaliteraria.com.br