Never Thirteen is a fast-paced, intriguing follow-up to Forever Twelve. Sequels generally have a lot to live up to, and this one didn’t disappoint. It brings the same characters and intrigue from the first one and continues on the lore and mystery. Although not everything is as good in this one as in the first, I thought the expanded world and interesting conclusion made it a worthy follow-up.

The character relationships in this series continue to evolve, and we learn more about the mysterious characters we started to get to know in the first book. I liked the slow romance development that’s age-appropriate for the characters, and how we learn more about the other character’s backstories was done well. Even though it’s a larger cast of main characters than some, all the characters had their own personality and had reasons for being in the book.

The world-building expands in this book. It takes the rules that we’ve established in the first book and expands what we know about the Evers, how they’re made, and what kinds of enemies they have in the world. Not everything about the enemies of the Evers made complete sense (like why would the Enders be so determined to hunt the Evers? That isn’t clear.), but overall, it added some interesting color to the established world. The way the world works also brings up intriguing questions for the audience, including how a balance of power should work and what kind of sacrifices are worth being alive. Some of the questions it brings up are reminiscent of Tuck Everlasting.

Overall, this continues a fun middle-grade series with an intriguing premise and interesting, well-rounded characters. 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own and were not influenced by receiving a copy.