Published October 30th, 2012Margaret K. McElderry
432 pages (Hardcover)
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.Rebel Heart was one of my most anticipated reads of 2012 (yes, this review is a little late..). Maybe my expectations were a little too high, because it ended up falling a little short for me.
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)
Problem #1: Not enough Jack. I'm not saying Moira Young had to go and make everything easy for Jack and Saba, but come on. There is so little Jack in this book! Half of the fun of Blood Red Road was Jack's attitude and wit. Now, I likely could of dealt with this but...
Problem #2: Saba has gone all sorts of crazy. I really couldn't follow her for a good half the book. She was all over the place with grief and turmoil. Then there was that other crazy chick. Yeah, I was just as lost as Saba was.
The plot itself had serious potential. You've got the fam jam headed west, all trying to deal with everything that had just happened, and Jack off running is own mission, with a promise to return. That could head in some awesome directions. And I did like what really happened to leave us with no Jack for the whole book, but everything in the middle didn't get it for me.
Hopefully, this was just a case of the sophomore slump. I did still enjoy parts of it, and fully recommend Blood Red Road. Rebel Heart just didn't quite do it for me. I will just have to sit here and wait, with slightly lowered expectations, for book three of the series, which isn't expected to be released until 2014.
Much love, Samantha
PS. I will say that I am loving these new covers though!
You were not the only one. Rebel Heart was a total disappointment to me last year when I read an ARC. :/ Which is a shame because Blood Red Road was SO GOOD and I want to give a copy to EVERY SINGLE PERSON who tells me that YA Lit is all like Twilight.
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