Rebel Heart by Moira Young
Release Date: October 30, 2012
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Source: ARC for review
Rating:  
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository

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.

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. – Goodreads

Review:
Ouch, it actually hurts me to write this review because it’s not a very positive one. As you may or may not remember, I absolutely loved Moira Young’s Blood Red Road. It was one of my favorites from last year and Rebel Heart, even with a cover redesign that I did not appreciate, was one of my most anticipated books of 2012. The first book packed a punch with its energy and fast pace and I had grown to love the characters so much; I was really looking forward to a reunion with Moira Young’s world. Unfortunately, Rebel Heart took on another direction and I wasn’t much of a fan.

As mentioned above, Blood Red Road kept its momentum going with its fast pace and the adventures Saba set off on. With Rebel Heart, that wasn’t the case. To be fair, it started off on a great scene with Jack and it looked like Rebel Heart would take things up a notch. Instead, however, it dragged for me. It felt like Saba and co. were just traveling around aimlessly because I didn’t feel the same urgency that I did when she was trying to find Lugh in the first book. Considering how much I love Jack I feel that I should have been more invested in Saba’s possible reunion with him. Jack aside, though, I found myself feeling pretty bored with a good portion of the book. I didn’t get caught up in the danger or excitement. It was all just sort of MEH.

Next, the characters didn’t quite grab my attention either. Maybe I needed to re-read Blood Red Road before diving into this one, but I found it difficult to keep track of who some of the side characters were. My feelings towards the core few (i.e. Saba, Lugh, Emmi, etc) ranged from annoyance to straight up “JUST STOP.” I feel like Saba lost a lot of the fire that I loved so much in the first book and that was the saddest part of this sequel for me.

Rebel Heart took on a few unexpected directions and I’m not quite sure what to make of them. I was really thrown for a loop and I’m sure many of you will experience the same, “WHAT?!” reactions that I did. I’ll be interested to see how certain things will play out but, I won’t lie, I’m nervous about a few others storylines. While I’m sure many of you will enjoy what’s within the pages of Rebel Heart, I’ll have my fingers crossed that Moira Young will be able to turn this series around for me in the final book.