The exciting, sophisticated sequel to The Stranded sees the characters’ loyalties and motives tested as the action moves beyond the cruise ship, to a camp on the edge of the Federated States. To avoid spoilers, I won’t say anything more about the plot.

Like its predecessor, this dystopian thriller is gritty, fast-paced and credible as a portrayal of the future almost a hundred years from now. The content and language of the book places it in the uppermost category of Young Adult and it’s a suitable read for adults too. My paperback copy approaches 500 pages, however, which for me is too long for this kind of novel. I actually put it down two-thirds of the way though and wasn’t sufficiently gripped to pick it up again for four days. I think by that time I had more or less predicted the ending and didn’t feel compelled to finish it. I did enjoy the book, but in my opinion it could lose 100 pages!

Thank you to The Write Reads and Penguin for my copy of the book. Part of the Ultimate Blog Tour.