GoodReads:
In this nail-biting sequel to Tehlor Kay Mejia’s critically acclaimed fantasy novel We Set the Dark on Fire, La Voz operative Carmen is forced to choose between the girl she loves and the success of the rebellion she’s devoted her life to. Perfect for fans of The Handmaid’s Tale and Anna-Marie McLemore.
Being a part of the resistance group La Voz is an act of devotion and desperation. On the other side of Medio’s border wall, the oppressed class fights for freedom and liberty, sacrificing what little they have to become defenders of the cause.
Carmen Santos is one of La Voz’s best soldiers. She spent years undercover, but now, with her identity exposed and the island on the brink of a civil war, Carmen returns to the only real home she’s ever known: La Voz’s headquarters.
There she must reckon with her beloved leader, who is under the influence of an aggressive new recruit, and with the devastating news that her true love might be the target of an assassination plot. Will Carmen break with her community and save the girl who stole her heart—or fully embrace the ruthless rebel she was always meant to be?
My Review
**Quick note, my review for the first book can be found here.**
This was another buddy read with the amazing Isabelle @ Nine Tale Vixen.
So, truth time.
Guys.
I really enjoyed this book so much more than the first! I did like the first but some things felt a little off such as the pacing and the relationship.
This book though was told from Carmen’s POV and where in the first book I wasn’t a huge fan of her as seen from Dani’s POV, but, turns out, I love her more than Dani and would fight for her honor lolol.
Anyway, this second book has a much quicker pacing, it’s more about the rebels and the power struggle between them and the government in power so that is probably another reason why I loved it.
Carmen returns to her Rebel origins, but, the camp isn’t sure if they trust her or not after she’s been with the enemy for so long, so she feels the need to prove herself, but, she’s starting off with having to hide her love for Dani and as she watches things progress, she realises that things have changed drastically since she left. That change is something that may threaten the foundations of what the Rebels stand for, so the question is will Carmen follow orders or will she follow their ‘creed’ instead?
This book also broke my heart, Idk why I bother having a favorite character when authors are so cruel! But! I suppose it just means she was very good at her job, crushing my soul, stomping on my heart.
Carmen goes through an amazing amount of character development through so many heart breaking challenges, and the end to this duology was everything I could have hoped for.
There was so much girl power, love of friends and the rise of those oppressed by a government built to keep them down. I loved it all, the lore wasn’t as heavy but the learnings of the history and the people and government more than made up for the lack of lore.
Great ending to an awesome duology, 4.5 cups of coffee from me, and happy pride month ❤ I can’t wait to see the content created by so many amazing people for this month.
About the Author
TEHLOR KAY MEJIA is the author of the critically acclaimed young adult fantasy novel We Set the Dark on Fire, as well as its forthcoming sequel, We Unleash the Merciless Storm, and Miss Meteor (co-written with National Book Award nominee Anna-Marie McLemore). Her middle grade debut, Paola Santiago and the River of Tears, releases from Rick Riordan Presents in 2020.
Her debut novel received six starred reviews, and was chosen as an Indie’s Next Pick and a Junior Library Guild selection, as well as being an Indiebound bestseller in the Pacific Northwest region. It has been featured in Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, and O by Oprah Magazine’s best books of 2019 lists.
Tehlor lives in Oregon with her daughter, a dog that matches her hair, and several rescued houseplants.
Author Links
Website | GoodReads | Twitter | Instagram
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