DNF at 55% I may come back at a later date but I really wasn’t feeling it

The Second Rebel left me with a shit ton of emotions…some good and some bad.

It’s typically hard for me to move on from the premise of the first book when it comes to series that have a VERY specific element that drew me in. The First Sister focused heavily on The First Sister and the Sisterhood, which was so compelling and unique that I flew right through it. Not to mention all the plot-twist and developments we see throughout the first book. All of it really set the scene for a book that was extremely compelling and unique.

It’s what comes after that’s always tricky; a sequel either reals me in further or pushes me away. With The Second Rebel it did a bit of both. While I missed these characters and I wanted to see what shenanigans they were tangled in, I felt like the world suddenly became so large that I was no longer attracted to what transpired. It was less about The First Sister, Lito, and Hiro, but more about the world around them. Aka world-building. For me it was almost too much as the first book was so much more character driven and less about the sci-fi world they lived in. I say this but it feels bittersweet because the world-building is absolutely necessary especially for the later half of the novel. I won’t say this is a problem on Linden’s side but on mine for not being able to initially respect how they wanted to craft the world to set up what would essentially be a war. Plus in the later half of the book, I began to appreciate the world a lot more with how it interacted with the plot.

Another thing that initially turned me off was the introduction of Luce. She gave me major Ephraim from Iron Gold vibes in terms of how I felt about her. She was introduced and we were given this whole story about what she was currently going through and I didn’t care. Not one bit. Not until all of a sudden there was a shift and her character became so intriguing. It was so odd, but suddenly her life at Val the Akira labs became interesting and I just wanted more of her chapters! I think that’s the issue with this book, a lot of things took time for me to appreciate.

The rest of the cast was great, I think of all the POV’s I least cared about Lito….but of course I felt bad saying that by the end of the book

So glad I stumbled upon this series!! This sequel to “The First Sister” has such a dynamic way of telling many parallel stories in this sci-fi universe. The author does an incredible job of fostering a found family theme amongst many unlikely characters, and includes many queer characters in a way that feels so natural and not at all as a plot device. In both this book and it’s predecessor, the plot twists are INSANE, I simply could mot put it down! Excited to start the final book!

As with the first book, the best parts of this book are the sisters. Every other part of the book felt flat and without substance. Unfortunately, it’s clear Lewis has never done any type of organizing or real reading on revolution or rebellion. Those plot points read like they are written by someone who has only read about fictional rebellion and revolution. Their understanding is ephemeral, built on layers of fictional rebellions that are so far removed from their source and substance as to be unrecognizable. A Kidz Bop recitation of an unfair society and those who would change it. It is unfortunate as parts of the word are very interesting and worth exploring.