Rebel Hearts

Rebel Hearts is the second in the Dust Lands series, and Saba is back, trying to make peace with her actions from Blood Red Road. She's rescued twin Lugh, but he's just not the same since he was taken, and Jack has taken off, though promising to meet up with them soon. Along with Tommo and Emmi, the small group starts off on their journey away from the Tonton but soon run into a spiritualist named Auriel, who leads Saba to understand that Jack is in danger. So Saba being Saba, she sets off alone on a rescue mission, not realizing that Lugh and the others will not allow her to make the trek alone.

Action filled, Rebel Hearts is just that--what happens when a heart refuses to accept what seems like betrayal and does what it has to do. I love Saba's voice and her headstrong ways, even if at times I do want to yell and scream for some of her choices. It seems that everyone is constantly in danger throughout Rebel Hearts; Saba most of all when she makes some rash choices. I wasn't a fan of what happened with DeMalo and it was quite out of character for Saba, but I do think it's going to ultimately be an interesting twist. I absolutely adore both Nero and Tracker; I love how Saba's interactions with animals adds to the story; in fact, Nero has become as central to the story to me as any of the humans.

I'm giving this one 4/5 stars, which actually could be rounded up to 4.5, given that option. The frustrations I felt when Saba continually did things I knew she'd either regret or would place her in danger keeps me from bestowing the full five stars. But this is a strong sequel, leading us to more insight into the emotions of the characters, and setting us up for ultimate showdowns in the final book. Recommended.

~taminator40