Rebel Heart by Moira Young

Summary:
Nothing is certain and no one is safe in the second book in the highly praised Dust Lands trilogy.

It seemed so simple: Defeat the Tonton, rescue her kidnapped brother, Lugh, and then order would be restored to Saba’s world. Simplicity, however, has proved to be elusive. Now, Saba and her family travel west, headed for a better life and a longed-for reunion with Jack. But the fight for Lugh’s freedom has unleashed a new power in the dust lands, and a formidable new enemy is on the rise.

What is the truth about Jack? And how far will Saba go to get what she wants? In this much-anticipated follow-up to the riveting Blood Red Road, a fierce heroine finds herself at the crossroads of danger and destiny, betrayal and passion. (from GoodReads)

Review:
I was really looking forward to Rebel Heart because I loved its predecessor, Blood Red Road. However I was a little disappointed in this - it didn't grab me as much as the first book and the plot was a little boring. I'm still holding out hope for the third book, though!

I remember how hard it was for me to get into Blood Red Road because of the writing style. There are no quotation marks around the dialogue and the spelling is phonetic, so all the bad grammar the characters use is right there on the page. But once I was used to the writing, it made the book so much more authentic! Thankfully, I didn't have the same problem starting Rebel Heart and the style didn't bother me at all.

The problem I did have was the slow pacing of the story. The whole book revolves around Saba trying to find Jack, the love interest from the previous novel. I was upset that Jack is barely in this book - and it was frustrating to spend the whole book looking for him. A story needs a little more action than a missing person case. The subplots of the book are all over the place - they are either dropped and never mentioned again (i.e. Saba's hallucinations) or randomly thrown in at the end (i.e. Saba's relationship with DeMalo). Also - do we really need a love square between DeMalo, Jack AND Tommo? It's getting ridiculous.

I missed the awesome and fierce Saba from the first novel and I'm still holding out hope that she returns in full force in the last book of the trilogy. But for now, Rebel Heart has a bad case of the Middle Book Syndrome.

Rating: 7 out of 10.
FTC: Christmas gift.

2012/Margaret K. McElderry/432 pages.

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Summary:
Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction. (from GoodReads)


Review:
Wow. Blood Red Road really surprised me, but in a really good way. It was not what I was expecting at all, because the summary I read was a little misleading (which I think was different than the one I posted). But I didn't mind because I still loved this novel so much.

Blood Red Road is set in the future, but it's not quite a dystopian since there is no controlling or overbearing goverment. It's more of an apocalyptic anarchy, and while there is a King, he doesn't have as much power and control that is found in normal dystopians. And it's set in the desert, so it reads like a Western movie.

The one thing that might turn people off from Blood Red Road is the writing. Moira Young wrote this in first person point-of-view, using a non-conventional dialect. Essentially, the book is written using bad grammar. I didn't like it at first, but after about 20 pages I didn't even notice it. And I actually started to like it because it fit so well with the book.

The plot was extremely fast-paced, with things happening very quickly. Saba's twin Lugh gets kidnapped and not soon after Saba is out looking for him. She gets side-tracked when she is captured and forced to cage fight, which was a very interesting sub-plot . Saba becomes a worthy heroine because of her strength, resilience, and clever planning. It becomes apparent that she would do anything for her brother, especially when she teams up with annoying and arrogant (and soon to be romantic interest) Jack.

Literally, there was never a dull moment in Blood Red Road. And I am very excited to learn that this book is part of a trilogy/series, so I can't wait to read more about Saba. The book ends on a semi-cliffhanger, but it wasn't so bad that you are dying to know what happens next. If you get the chance to read this book, please don't be intimidated by the writing style. You will be glad you kept reading because Blood Red Road was very enjoyable and very well-written.

Rating: 9 out of 10.
Release Date: June 7, 2011
FTC: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab

2011/Margaret K. McElderry/ 512 pages.