raven168's review against another edition
4.0
Both Diesel and Nadia are put thru hell in this book. Their wills to survive are great as they each keep going no matter how badly they are hurt. We see more of the horrors that humanity has to offer and learn that the system in place is not as secure as they want the people to think. I loved learning more about Diesel and his past as well, even as disturbing as it was at times.
Diesel and Nadia each continue to hurt the other, though not always on purpose. Diesel's love for Nadia is almost a terrifying thing in the intensity of it because of his twisted thought process. Every time he has hurt her, though, it was in order to protect her. He refuses to lose her and will do anything and everything in order to not only keep her safe, but to keep her with him. With Nadia, when she hurt Diesel, it was mostly because she was angry with him or couldn't see that the terrible things he was doing was actually for her benefit. I felt bad for Diesel because Nadia told him her love for him was true and worth the pain, but when it hurt her too much she would always push him away and hurt him back. That's not to say they don't have sweet moments together. Because they do, and the effort that Diesel put in to be sweet was pretty great. And only made more impressive when we get a look into his memories and see just how much he wants to build a life with Nadia and how often all he does comes back to have something to do with her.
Nadia just can't seem to catch a break. Picking up right where the first book ended, she finds herself hauled out of the water, not by Diesel but by another enemy. Things go from bad to worse for her after she's captured and along with her we get to see another horrid group of humans. I kept waiting for Diesel to find her, and when he does things start to look up. But not for long at all. Diesel's Mad Dogs have been destroyed and they find themselves among a group called FRIM. It's a dangerous game the two of them play to survive, but Diesel has a plan. One that no doubt makes him even more enemies in the end. When Diesel and Nadia get free, they are no longer alone. Having found another soulless, Nadia insists on taking him with them. For a while I was wondering why they would even bother lugging this guy (Hiro) around but soon enough he starts to be semi useful. For as violent and mad as Diesel can be at times, he is crazy smart. And after months of working on it, Diesel has managed to find away to burn soul imprints into Nadia and Hiro's eyes so it's time for the next step. Getting into the city to find McKinnon. The environment of the city surprised me. I really expected it to be a better and safer place than any of the other places we have seen so far, but it really wasn't. It's just as dangerous inside those walls as it is outside. People are even killed right on the street and nobody even does anything about it. While in the city, some things go their way, but mostly not. They're even attacked and almost caught, but in the end they find a kind of sort of ally or two. Tensions are high between these two groups but they work together to each get what they want. They catch their target but the information they get from him brings nothing but great disappointment. That is until Nadia realizes something. Saving Hiro could very well be the very thing they need to save the rest of the world. But she figures this out just too late and Diesel has already left to enact his "plan B" after Nadia had again cut him deep with her harsh words. But she has also realized just how much she still wants to be with him. So with two things motivating her, she quickly sets out to find him before it's too late. For as messed up as Diesel is, I still love the guy so she better find him fast. And I can't wait to see how this is all going to end.
Diesel and Nadia each continue to hurt the other, though not always on purpose. Diesel's love for Nadia is almost a terrifying thing in the intensity of it because of his twisted thought process. Every time he has hurt her, though, it was in order to protect her. He refuses to lose her and will do anything and everything in order to not only keep her safe, but to keep her with him. With Nadia, when she hurt Diesel, it was mostly because she was angry with him or couldn't see that the terrible things he was doing was actually for her benefit. I felt bad for Diesel because Nadia told him her love for him was true and worth the pain, but when it hurt her too much she would always push him away and hurt him back. That's not to say they don't have sweet moments together. Because they do, and the effort that Diesel put in to be sweet was pretty great. And only made more impressive when we get a look into his memories and see just how much he wants to build a life with Nadia and how often all he does comes back to have something to do with her.
Nadia just can't seem to catch a break. Picking up right where the first book ended, she finds herself hauled out of the water, not by Diesel but by another enemy. Things go from bad to worse for her after she's captured and along with her we get to see another horrid group of humans. I kept waiting for Diesel to find her, and when he does things start to look up. But not for long at all. Diesel's Mad Dogs have been destroyed and they find themselves among a group called FRIM. It's a dangerous game the two of them play to survive, but Diesel has a plan. One that no doubt makes him even more enemies in the end. When Diesel and Nadia get free, they are no longer alone. Having found another soulless, Nadia insists on taking him with them. For a while I was wondering why they would even bother lugging this guy (Hiro) around but soon enough he starts to be semi useful. For as violent and mad as Diesel can be at times, he is crazy smart. And after months of working on it, Diesel has managed to find away to burn soul imprints into Nadia and Hiro's eyes so it's time for the next step. Getting into the city to find McKinnon. The environment of the city surprised me. I really expected it to be a better and safer place than any of the other places we have seen so far, but it really wasn't. It's just as dangerous inside those walls as it is outside. People are even killed right on the street and nobody even does anything about it. While in the city, some things go their way, but mostly not. They're even attacked and almost caught, but in the end they find a kind of sort of ally or two. Tensions are high between these two groups but they work together to each get what they want. They catch their target but the information they get from him brings nothing but great disappointment. That is until Nadia realizes something. Saving Hiro could very well be the very thing they need to save the rest of the world. But she figures this out just too late and Diesel has already left to enact his "plan B" after Nadia had again cut him deep with her harsh words. But she has also realized just how much she still wants to be with him. So with two things motivating her, she quickly sets out to find him before it's too late. For as messed up as Diesel is, I still love the guy so she better find him fast. And I can't wait to see how this is all going to end.
theestherhadassah's review against another edition
5.0
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book (as well as the first book) in exchange for honest review.
I say this often: I don't know how many heart attacks I can take! After becoming addicted to the first book, I surged through this one without cease. This book picks up where the last book left off on a cliffhanger. LITERALLY.
Diesel is as bad-ass as ever, but we are not in his head, we are still in Nadia's. Being the prophesied Soulless, Nadia is pretty much running for her life. Diesel is hunting her. Talk about "trusting your heart over you head".
I mentioned this in my Goodreads review for the previous book, that you can say this book is very similar to the Tom Cruise movie, Minority Report, with a mixture of Divergent. Now I am adding The Maze Runner.
I want so badly to have physical copies of this on my shelf. Those covers are so eye-catching, semi-brightly colored, but mysterious. I wonder what the third book's cover will look like . . . Also, I want to know what happens next! I am left with questions that I can't even verbalize!
Sept. 28th
I say this often: I don't know how many heart attacks I can take! After becoming addicted to the first book, I surged through this one without cease. This book picks up where the last book left off on a cliffhanger. LITERALLY.
Diesel is as bad-ass as ever, but we are not in his head, we are still in Nadia's. Being the prophesied Soulless, Nadia is pretty much running for her life. Diesel is hunting her. Talk about "trusting your heart over you head".
I mentioned this in my Goodreads review for the previous book, that you can say this book is very similar to the Tom Cruise movie, Minority Report, with a mixture of Divergent. Now I am adding The Maze Runner.
I want so badly to have physical copies of this on my shelf. Those covers are so eye-catching, semi-brightly colored, but mysterious. I wonder what the third book's cover will look like . . . Also, I want to know what happens next! I am left with questions that I can't even verbalize!
Sept. 28th
ltg584's review
4.0
Middle books are notoriously tough. And because of that, I’m never sure if I should have high expectations, or low. Obviously, I want the book to blow me away, but at the same time, deep in the recesses of my mind, I have this prepped feeling of disappointment, ready to pull out at a moment’s notice.
The first hurdle of my middle-book judgement is the recap. It is the author’s job to remind us where we left off, without causing a massive info-dump. In this case, I didn’t reread the first book (my bad), so I was instantly struggling. There wasn’t a ton of recap, or any to speak of in the first few scenes. It read exactly as though it were simply the next chapter of the first book. So, I’m going to straight up recommend that you don’t leave too much time before reading this sequel. I did eventually piece together enough of my memories to reorient myself, but I hit the ground running.
What I liked best about the first book was the originality of the story. Not just the plot, which is complex and ever-adapting, but also the characters. I honestly don’t know whether I should love them or hate them. Do I trust them, or turn them over to the hands of my enemies? And there do seem to be a lot of enemies! So, luckily for me, everything that I loved the first time around, has been carried over through the rest of the series. Right up to the end of this sequel, I still found that all of these lines between right and wrong are deliciously blurred, leading the reader through an emotional rollercoaster.
Is the book without its flaws? Certainly not. The verb tenses got weird a few times, and there were scenes that left me feeling confused about what I had just read. BUT the good far outweighs the bad. Jacinta Maree knows how to write action, no doubt! I would love to see her notes, because this story has become so massive! There is always so much going on, not just center stage, but also waiting in the wings. I could easily drive myself crazy trying to figure out where this story is headed, so it’s best if I just close my eyes, hold on tight, and enjoy the ride.
A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
The first hurdle of my middle-book judgement is the recap. It is the author’s job to remind us where we left off, without causing a massive info-dump. In this case, I didn’t reread the first book (my bad), so I was instantly struggling. There wasn’t a ton of recap, or any to speak of in the first few scenes. It read exactly as though it were simply the next chapter of the first book. So, I’m going to straight up recommend that you don’t leave too much time before reading this sequel. I did eventually piece together enough of my memories to reorient myself, but I hit the ground running.
What I liked best about the first book was the originality of the story. Not just the plot, which is complex and ever-adapting, but also the characters. I honestly don’t know whether I should love them or hate them. Do I trust them, or turn them over to the hands of my enemies? And there do seem to be a lot of enemies! So, luckily for me, everything that I loved the first time around, has been carried over through the rest of the series. Right up to the end of this sequel, I still found that all of these lines between right and wrong are deliciously blurred, leading the reader through an emotional rollercoaster.
Is the book without its flaws? Certainly not. The verb tenses got weird a few times, and there were scenes that left me feeling confused about what I had just read. BUT the good far outweighs the bad. Jacinta Maree knows how to write action, no doubt! I would love to see her notes, because this story has become so massive! There is always so much going on, not just center stage, but also waiting in the wings. I could easily drive myself crazy trying to figure out where this story is headed, so it’s best if I just close my eyes, hold on tight, and enjoy the ride.
A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
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