I have serious conflicts about these books.
This is the second book in the "Gone" series. When I finished "Gone" a few months ago, I wasn't sure if I would continue reading the series, but the second one was on my list and available (which is becoming more and more of a determining factor for what I read, since the dystopian challenge is perilously close to ending), so I overlooked my qualms and checked it out.
Like the first, I hated the cover. Also like the first, I couldn't put it down once I got into it about 30 pages.
With all the simultaneous storylines and the exploration of themes that deeply interest me (in this one, how do people handle difficulty and struggle? (might be my favorite theme ever)), I was a bit of a sucker for this monstrosity. It weighs in at 590 pages. It took me a couple of days to finish it.
However, also like the first one, it pulled me in with its humanity, and then turned on me. The last 100 pages or so are utterly...bizarre. So I'm reading along about how these kids are coping with their challenges inside the impenetrable dome and starving because food is running out, and...suddenly there are aliens wanting nuclear technology.
Alright, not exactly. I'm not spoiling anything, I promise. It's like a dream that turns into a fever dream that doesn't make sense at all but you're already invested in it so you leave your stressful history class one day to follow your demon guide into the tornado made of tomato soup and acid while riding a snarky pegasus that talks. The plot twists are just...so...WEIRD. It's a broad jump to follow the events as they unravel.
I loved the very end, though. The last page left me smiling. It's a little bleak, but for me and my dark tastes, it's quite satisfying. Two enthusiastic thumbs up for the gall to leave me hanging on that note.
Overall, I liked it better than the first. The youthful tone of the writing was not nearly as obnoxious -- not sure if it was toned down or I was used to it. I loved the character development and the sense that no one was protected, either from physical harm or emotional strain. There was a lot of brutality, but something about it rang true. It isn't senseless, not entirely; meaning, it makes sense to me, not that all that happens is justified. The stakes are high and the kids are more and more desperate.
The pacing is intense. And I'm left with many more unanswered questions.
Four more books in the series, though?? I am not sure I can sustain that much suspension of disbelief. How much weirder can it get? Judging from the leap of weirdness from the first installment to the second, there are simply no limits.
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