Young Adult Dystopian Done Right, Again

One of my favorite Young Adult books in 2012 returned with a sequel that did not disappoint. Rain and her band of super-teens (that’s my tagline, not the authors) are still enslaved in the UZA. The new breed of freedoms fighters are committed to ending the tyranny of President Nicks “Tricky Nicky”, but realize that in order to overthrow her reign of terror, they will need to devise a plan and ally themselves with other rebels. Rain begins to have unsettling dreams, where she hears the voice of another young female who she does not recognize. This sends her into a panic over the idea that someone has discovered her and the resistance and is making a way to destroy them. Rain becomes more dedicated than ever to the cause and seeks to find answers to the many questions in her head. What I always like about sequels (if done right) is that it gives you the chance to gain more insight to the characters. Sarah Elle Emm does this fantastically; with smooth pacing and dialogue that digs just deep enough to each of the side and main character’s personalities. The story isn’t saturated with the kids wielding powers like super heroes, but mostly delves into them thinking and problem solving. Rain, the main agonist of the tale, even goes through a rough spot with her boyfriend Jabari, which keeps her character grounded to the reader beyond her super powers. The feel of the dystopic future is layered well, with details that pull you in to the setting. To top it all off, the cliff hanger ending makes your mouth water for the next installment. I give Opalescent 5/5.