Irina Sidorenko

It would be entertaining (in a bad kinda way) if it wasn't so boring I might've given a slightly better rating to the book but not by much. It's vexing to read at times. It is an inferior sequel, and I can only predict the third one will get worse. The worldbuilding that captured your attention in the first book is full of plot holes and near-conveniences that don't add any value but serve to cover up the lack of understanding of what each species does or capable of doing. And it gets annoying to read 'do not justify me' after a while. Sure, the book has a few bright moments, but by gods, the protagonist is stupid. And not in an entertaining way, like she was in the first book. She keeps making one dumb mistake after the other, all the while believing herself smart and ingenuine. Infinitely frustrating. The action got more disappointing compared to the first book, too. It just keeps going back and forth, not moving anywhere. I had to put the book down several times, unable to keep reading. A note on style. I won't elaborate on how YA-oriented it is, with its overabundance of curt sentences and pathos oozing from every other paragraph. But the emotional palette of the characters is so simple you can count their reactions on the fingers of a single hand. At one point, the character keeps raising her eyebrows as if she had an infinite supply of them. That's just bad writing, no redeeming points. Also, writing out every waking moment of the characters' time is infuriatingly tiresome. You can skip a few hours without losing the attention of your readers, you know? I wouldn't recommend this book, at least if you're above 16. It's a waste of time.

It's a decent enough book. Nothing spectacular; even the praised worldbuilding is interesting, but not enthralling. I would love to read a story based in this world but written by a mature author. I grew tired of the story's flow around the middle since it felt like all action stopped, and nothing was happening for a while. The protagonist simply sat in her cage. If there was supposed to be tension to this moment, I didn't feel it. Still, the book is engaging enough to make you want to know what happens next. When the action starts, it's not half bad, rooted more in the understanding of how little an actual teenager can do in such circumstances and how it's all sheer luck, not smart planning or careful evaluation of the situation. And I don't mind that, but you can't simultaneously have a character claim credit for the success when it certainly wasn't. The plot twists are a bit obvious, particularly the major one with the protagonist's mother, no surprises there. Fabricio's motivation is a bit off, but the author didn't give us a whole lot of information, so I hope this character is rectified in part 2. In short, I loved to hate parts of this book. It was entertaining that way. I'd recommend it if you want a refreshing view on a YA story that doesn't shy away from gory details.