Prodigy
After saving Day from execution, June and Day are on the run from the Republic. With no options left, they join with the Patriots to help them bring down the Republic. But are the Patriots the allies they think they are? Or have they just thrown themselves into another dangerous situation?
I am happy to say that June and Day no longer sound the same, a complaint I had with the first book of the series. I had no problems keeping the two of them straight this time around. Unfortunately for Day, part of the reason I was able to keep the two of them straight so easily is because I did not like him much in this book. For someone so smart, he really didn't do a great job of demonstrating that this time around. But June was great. Even as she was questioning everything she thought she knew, June remained logical when gaining new information even when it was difficult. I liked that all these drastic changes in her life hadn't changed who she ultimately was when it came to her thoughts and actions.
The world building certainly improved in this book. We got a lot more information about the country and its history. And the revelation of non-evil people in power within the Republic was nice. Pure evil governments get really old in dystopian literature. It's a nice change to see someone in power who recognizes the system is flawed and corrupt and is working to change it.
I'm not a big fan of the romance between June and Day, but I do like the fact that it doesn't take over the plot. The two of them have much bigger things to worry about, and they prioritize those things over their developing relationship. I wish that happened more often in young adult books.
I wish June and Day were older. They do not sound 15 at all, and I actually forgot how young they were because of that. It makes it difficult to suspend my disbelief at all the things they can do and just how important they are to everyone.
Despite that, I still enjoyed this sequel. The story's better. The characters (minus Day) were more engaging. And the plot twists were a little less predictable.
