Synopsis from the Author
It should have taken Juliette a single touch to kill Warner. But his mysterious immunity to her deadly power has left her shaken, wondering why her ultimate defense mechanism failed against the person she most needs protection from.
She and Adam were able to escape Warner’s clutches and join up with a group of rebels, many of whom have powers of their own. Juliette will finally be able to actively fight against The Reestablishment and try to fix her broken world. And perhaps these new allies can help her shed light on the secret behind Adam’s—and Warner’s—immunity to her killer skin.
Things I Loved & Things I Struggled With
First 100-200 pages of the book was kind of frustrating. I was not a fan of Juliette's moping, sulking, whining and other words to describe her disinterest in presenting her self to others and 'being actually friendly.' I see her so obsessed with Adam. Juliette's flaws are more noticeable in this installment.
But it is really interesting to see the dynamic of the characters and how they build their relationships. Juliette is more obsessed with how Adam could touch her—which is definitely not love (like she could only be thinking 'love' because she hasn't been able to touch or be touched by someone before). And then we see how she's drawn to Warner, someone who's obsessed with her (but she says she hates). I feel like they both love her in their own possessive and obsessive ways.
Kenji stood out for me as a side character, and would be the perfect favorite sidekick in YA (young adult) books. Definitely feel like other novels lack a character like Kenji who provides snappy banter and calls out characters in a candid and productive manner. Kenji serves as the voice of reason, making well-reasoned arguments and expressing what the reader might be thinking.
Warner, a guilty pleasure bad-guy character, is intriguing, with a unique combination of evil and affectionate traits. I am definitely intrigued and would love to read more about how he's going to fight for Juliette and what he's going to do with his feelings towards her in the upcoming books. I loved how Warner plays a significant role in the last half of the book, bringing tension and mayhem to the plot, much like in Shatter Me.
On the other hand, I found Adam to be a bland character and kind of like a quiet background character, when in fact he actually is being mentioned multiple times throughout.
Throughout, I just felt like the rising tension of the love triangle. This is still what I've felt in this book. But I'm glad there's more angst put into this. I'm also glad (even though I wanted to know how the Reestablishment came to be) how there's more instances that you could actually feel like, yah it's a dystopia, a totalitarian world.
Overall, I am satisfied I get to feel more rapport with the characters, and the growing tension around the love triangle the characters are in. Most importantly, if you love sidekicks, you'd definitely fall in love with Kenji's loyalty, friendship, and humor. I will definitely finish this series.