REBELLION (Extraction, #2): Review

Rebellion (Extraction, #2) by Stephanie Diaz
Published by St. Martin’s Griffin on February 10, 2015
Genres: young adult romance, dystopian, science fiction
Pages: 324
Format: Hardcover
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Rating: ★★★★½ 

We can’t forget those who are still imprisoned in the work camps, especially now that there’s acid descending on them from the sky. They already lived in fear of death, and now they have one more way to die.

They deserve freedom. But even if the scouts return and bring us news so we can launch an attack, it will take a lot more than a single battle to liberate everyone in the camps.

Our uprising has barely begun.

One week ago, Clementine and Logan escaped Commander Charlie’s clutches, and are now in hiding on the Surface. Even though the idea of safety is tempting, Clementine knows the peace won’t last for long; Charlie is determined to find her and crush the Alliance she’s aligned herself with, regardless of the consequences.

To throw the Developers a returning punch, Clementine sneaks back into Kielan society disguised as a worker in one of the Sector camps. There, she tries to stay undercover long enough to find information that will incriminate Charlie and the other Developers. But, the closer Clementine gets to finding the truth, the closer she finds herself to losing everyone she loves, as well as herself.

It’s been quite a while from the time I read this to the time I’m writing this review, so unfortunately I can’t remember much about it. All I know is that this book is was amazing. It took its predecessor’s flaws, and polished them. It took Extraction’s tension, plot, and chilling atmosphere, and it cranked the chaos to stratospheric levels.

Every page, it seemed some new disaster had befallen Clementine and her friends, one more obstacle to surmount on the path to truth and freedom. I applaud Diaz for not giving her characters any leeway and making them work towards their goals; it made the pages fly by.

Clementine’s strength in this book was unbelievable. Her determination to find the truth drove her far, but her willingness to sacrifice herself for her loved ones was unbelievable. Her selflessness landed her in some pretty terrifying situations—ones she could have easily avoided if she’d been focused just on saving her own skin. But instead, she faces all the challenges thrown at her head-on, because she knew others were counting on her. Her ability to

In regards to plot, Rebellion takes the foundation laid in Extraction, and expounds on it, weaving mere plot threads into dark, chilling tapestries that show just how deep the Developers’ deception runs. The tone of the book is set by the stains of Clementine’s emotional trauma, which grow larger as the book progresses and she’s subjected to more tortures. However, despite every twist, there is always hope remaining for the characters in one way or another, giving Rebellion a sense of urgency that made the book difficult to put down.

Finally, my favorite part: the writing. Clementine is still trying to recover from her experiences in the previous book, and this lends some poignancy to the prose. It helps whet Rebellion into a sleek, sharp dagger aiming strait for the heart. In addition, the ending promises a thrilling conclusion to the trilogy. It looks like Evolution is going to be one heck of a ride.

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