ambyr

This didn't do quite as much for me as the first book. That's not to say I didn't appreciate it--there were parts that made me cackle, parts that made me tear up, and parts that had me flipping pages as fast as possible to figure out what came next--but the overall arc was less compelling to me. I never really doubted where the plot was going. And, I'm sorry to say, the good guys' grand strategic plan was crap.

I continue to enjoy the character interactions, especially between Nick and Alan. I thought Mae's grappling with her actions at the end of Lexicon, and the hardening of her character that resulted, were handled well. And I loved, loved Mae and Jamie's mom. She is what I wanted Lilith in Rampant to be, I think--a parent figure who starts out as an obstacle for the teen protagonists, but grows beyond that.

I do not love the enormous love polygon that takes over much of the book. I have faith it will eventually be partly resolved, but the current state of affairs seems artificially complex. And, honestly, I care less about who ends up with whom romantically than with who ends up allies and friends. But this sort of A loves B loves C loves D stuff seems de rigueur for YA these days, so I will persevere. When does book 3 come out, again?