Once again I listened to this as an audiobook from the public library. And for the most part, I was able to pick right back up and remember what had happened at the end of the first book. The narrators for the book were really good.
We got to hear about Ringer's point of view, and at first, I was not enjoying it. I love Cassie, and of course Ringer isn't a fan of hers! And when we move away from Ringer's part at the beginning, well, let's just say we're left hanging a bit, and it wasn't till the last part of the book that we join back in and find out what has happened to her, In her second section of the book, I began to feel more on her side. And grew to really be worried about her. Okay, stop reading now if you haven't read the first book, because there will be spoilers! You can go and read my review of the first book,
HERE. And let me say I did go see the movie this week, and I enjoyed it.
So, our group of characters has holed up in an old hotel after they've escaped the enemy base camp that was training them to fight the other humans. Part of the reason they're staying there is because Evan told Cassie that he would find her there. Even though she knows he had to have been blown up in the explosions he created to help them get away. But everyone else knows they can't stay. As I said, the story begins with Ringer's view point. They've found a flyer in the hotel for a nearby system of caves, and they think that would be a safe place to go and stay. Cassie refuses to go, saying she'll stay and wait for Evan, while they go on. Knowing that Evan is an Other no one really quite trusts him, even with what the saw him do. But Ringer is tired of waiting, so she decides/volunteers to go scope out the caves. She plans to go by herself. Yet she gets out in the woods, and soon she feels that someone is following her, and she sees the drones flying overhead, as well as the Black Hawk helicopters that the enemy is flying. When she has to shoot to defend herself, it will be a surprise who she has hit. And afterwards, she will realize that giving herself in to the enemy may be the only way out of the situation. Then we jump to Cassie.
For Cassie we see how her brother Sam has changed, how he doesn't quite trust her anymore, and from the way he was being trained by the Others, he doesn't understand why she doesn't want him to have a gun and defend everyone. Another young one, called Teacup, had basically latched herself onto Ringer and wasn't happy when she left. Soon other people in the group go out, and they start disappearing. In between the happenings with Cassie and Zombie/Ben and the others in the hotel, we jump to Evan's point of view.
Evan is alive, and very hurt. For now, his body will probably heal like the Others, but it seems to be taking longer. On his way to try to get to Cassie, he runs into an old friend of his. An Other. But he doesn't like her anymore, and he knows that now he'll have to get away from her in order to keep Cassie safe. And so his search for Cassie becomes even more dangerous with a broken ankle among other injuries.
Back with Cassie's group, Zombie's injuries are also getting worse, but he won't let anyone talk him out of being a part of all of it. Soon more things will escalate in the hotel. Evan and his friend Glory will show up, and they will have more problems to deal with. When we leave Cassie and the crew at the hotel, Evan has given them the address to a place that he says will be safe for them. And he promises he will do his best to get to Cassie once again, even though he may now be completely human, no longer alien at all. And then the end of the book is all through Ringer's viewpoint.
We find out what has happened to Ringer, that by giving in to the enemy, they've taken her in and basically hooked her up to their systems. But in the process there is so much that her body doesn't want to take it, and wants to reject the system they've inserted. So the end of the book is spent with her basically trying to survive and have her body adjust to the new improvements that have been added. But she doesn't want this, if it wasn't for the fact that they have someone she feels responsible, she would kill herself and be done with it. While she is in there, one of her guards becomes a friend, and soon she thinks maybe he's sending her a secret message, a way to get out. When she plans her escape, things will almost go as planned. But it seems Colonel Vosch may be one step ahead, even when she thinks she's getting one over on him. And now she doesn't know who to trust. We're left at this point, and we don't know what will happen to anyone, and if they will meet back up, and who is still alive, and who isn't.
In this story there are so many exciting things that happen. So many good questions raised. Like, why are the aliens dragging all of this out? They could have killed all of the humans much easier. Why are they turning their children into bombs and sending them out to kill the humans left? So many things that made me think as well. And now I can't wait till the next book comes out, because I need to know!
On another note, I saw the movie last week. I enjoyed it, but definitely can see the issues that people had with it. It had the same issues with not understanding the relationships really between the characters because it is kind of glossed over. Something that if you read, you'll just know what it is supposed to be, kind of how I felt they did with the first Twilight movie. People who read the book understood why Edward and Bella fell in love, but they left that stuff out of the movie. So a fun movie, but many things could have been better. I would encourage you to go see it with no expectations, and you will enjoy it. At least I did. My biggest complaint was that Evan didn't have chocolatey brown eyes like Cassie described several times in the books. Hollywood needs to understand that we don't always need blue eyed boys. The actor could totally have worn contacts, and still been hot.
