World After (Spoilers Below!)

Honestly, right off the bat, I did not love this book as much as the first one. After I finished the book, I felt a bit disappointed.

Although to be fair, the first book is where a lot of world building takes place. Everything in the first book is fresh and new, so everything is new and exciting for the reader. For this second book, the author’s challenge is to create a new plot within the context of the world we’re familiar with.

I think the primary reason why I wasn’t immediately drawn could be traced back to my thoughts reading the back cover: the sister gets kidnapped again? I have my deepest respect for the author, but the plot didn’t feel very original. 

I also felt I didn’t learn anything that was truly shocking. I predicted the sister was able to control the locusts. The new information that happened in the lab while it was new didn’t feel really shocking. Another part that added to the frustration was wondering when Raffe would reunite with Penryn. (I like calling her Pen for short, so I’ll refer to her as Pen)

Which leads me to the good parts of the book. I loved how they reunited in the most typical Raffe and Penryn fashion, with a fight. My heart jumped with joy in slipping back to the familiar banter between the two characters. I also liked Pen and the sword’s relationship over time. It was interesting to read the scenes of the sword showing Raffe’s past and send messages to Pen. 

I really wanted to love this book more, but regretfully, I have to give this a 8/10.