I really enjoyed the first book and was disappointed with the direction the second book took the story.
Part of the appeal for me with the first book was the archaic dystopian society. The asylum setting of the first book was eerie and fascinating, but once the characters escaped from the controlling society on the island the story struggled.
The Odylic force that became a prominent focus in the books seemed like a weird mix of science fiction and magic that was poorly thought out and used. The authors explanation of the force was very wishy-washy and confusing. It is treated like this amazing holy grail of science/magic and only the lost son of the famous scientist that discovered it can save everyone. Think Luke Skywalker and the Force, but badly done. I found myself skipping over parts when characters talk about meditating to enter the Odylic field.
Characters that could have been fascinating just were not developed. Everyone was a chlique character you'd find in any work of fiction; the lost hero, rebellious love interest, all wise mentor, etc. I found most of the characters a bit annoying, especially when we were shown their inner dialog. The traumatic events that could have shaped a unique person were instead just used to tie the books together. "Remember when you were tortured in the asylum back on that island we escaped from in book one?" "Yeah, that sucked."
I found finishing the book difficult, because I wasn't enjoying the story anymore but wanted to know what happened. I was sadly disappointed.