My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Post banner by Sasha Alsberg (our Booktube Queen).
MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE BOOK:
This is my biggest let down so far of 2020 😦 I’ve been waiting to read this since my thrill of book 1 (Ace of Shades). I loved that book! This book was a flop. It still helped me escape from reality, but the storyline was dull and I honestly wanted to DNF it frequently.
CHARACTERS/DYNAMICS:
Enne: Enne is hardly in this book! I didn’t like Deviate for the same reason (it focused on Lemon rather than Eve/Ana). She was still a feminist icon, as always, but we hardly see her transform into a gang lady (which is totally what the end of Book 1 leads you to wish for!). She was my favourite element of this book, I’d give the book a higher rating if it featured her more importantly.
Levi: A bisexual black babe has about 2 important scenes in this large instalment and they are pretty predictable.
Jac: Jac is the star of this book, and he has 0 personality. His only characterisation that’s even a smidgen notable is that he used to have a bad addiction to a drug called “Lullaby”, and now he has to work in its factory/den for a few months, as a favour for Levi. Jac falls in love and flirts and confronts his past, BUT I DIDN’T CARE. I DON’T GIVE A SINGLE DAMN. I SIGNED UP FOR THIS SERIES TO SEE ENNE, THE BALLERINA, TURNI INTO THE MAFIA BOSS LADY AT 18. WHY DID WE SUDDENLY GET HIS BORING ASS STORYLINE!!>!>>!>!>!>!?!?!??!?!?!
PLOT:
Book 1 ended after a massive show down. Enne and Levi had just survived their steam-punk version of the Hunger Games. So naturally, the story completely shifts and everybody forgets about those events immediately in Book 2. Levi gets picked up in a limo, and inside is the son of his enslaver. He makes a deal to kill the enslaver, who’s juicily the mysterious limo rider’s mother. But then Levi sends Jac to do all his dirty work, and then the story shifts to ALL ABOUT JAC. WHO I DON’T CARE FOR. Meanwhile, Enne is also working for the enslaver (her name is Viannca), and sends Enne on a mission to help boost political relations for Viannca’s monarchist party. You see, this book is all about imaginary elections between the North and South side politics. Not too sure why gangs should be involved whatsoever, as they don’t follow the traditional system of rules or laws anyways???? So Enne has to go to the fancy South Side, and be pretty and coy and girly, while finding out info for Viannca. She knows about Levi/Jac’s doings, and eventually they are revealed to Viannca. So the book is an emotional smack-down at the end, one of them dies, the other two are now sworn enemies. They no longer trust each other.
STRUCTURE:
It flips in third person from Enne, Levi, and Jac’s perspectives. It’s roughly 550 pages long, and it could easily have been shorter.
THEMES:
– Drug abuse
– Feminism (self-empowerment)
– Politics
– Monarchial Power
THE ENDING:
Emotionally climactic. The very ending featured Sophia Torren and Harrison (Viannca’s son) making a deal. I don’t know why I trusted Sophia, that was stupid. Also, I never expected Harrison to actually hate his mother– I thought it was a set up. But no– apparently, kids can resent their parents for a kidnapping that was in no fault or design by the parents, but ok Harrison, go blame your mumma instead of the kidnappers huh???
IMPACT:
You know how everybody hates Insurgent or New Moon???? Because every reader knows that if the communication between the main couple was better, or even slightly more realistic, there would be no frustrating angst or misunderstandings???? THAT WAS THIS BOOK. Surprise, surprise: this book was ALSO the second instalment to a YA series. UGH! I never want to read this again, I’m not sure if I’ll like the finale now. What a shame– I loved Ace of Shades.
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