Rebel Heart (Dust Lands #2)

5 out of 5 stars.

Realistic. Amazing. Romantic. Action-packed. Emotional. Gorgeous. I can’t seem to stop showering this scrumptious book with compliments. Rebel Heart is the sequel to Blood Red Road by Moira Young. It basically picks up where the previous book left off, which is where Saba & Jack, the protagonists, separated temporarily.

In summary, the story starts from Jack’s point of view, where he met some trouble while delivering bad news to a close friend. The rest of the book is back to Saba being the narrator and about how her actions in the last book is affecting her. Namely, they people that had to die in order for her to save her brother and defeat Vicar Pinch. The first quarter of the book had a lot to do with overcoming guilt & the action comes in after that. Saba did a lot of assuming in this book which isn’t really smart because they mostly lead to bad decisions and trust me when I say she made some horrendous decisions.

Unfortunately, Rebel Heart did not have a lot of Jack scenes it but in a way, the book does revolve around him. Because practically every decision Saba made had to do with him in some way. Although I mentioned Saba made a lot of mistakes in this book, I actually like her better that way because it shows that she’s human and, as a young adult, would definitely make stupid choices. Anyway, perfect protagonists who don’t make mistakes are just boring.

As for Jack, I’m head over heels for this charming, brave & endearingly flawed fictional male. Even though he only sort of appeared at the start & end, every scene with him in it was so life-like & realistic. It’s hard to say why, but Ms. Young is definitely working some magic with Jack. From the many YA books I’ve read, he’s probably one of the best male protagonists.

Now, on to Jack & Saba’s relationship. I loved how real Ms. Young kept it with their long-distance relationship. Saba’s doubts about Jack was exactly what any girl in love with a boy far away would experience. With doubts comes fear and with fear comes irrational decisions. Every event that added to Saba’s doubts killed me a little on the inside. However, lets just say the ending is worth going through any emotional rollercoaster.

In a nutshell, I love every single bit of this book, yes, every single bit. I just feel that it’s everything I love (great plot, awesome sub characters, even better protagonists, lots of action, emotional oh-crap-I’m-tearing-up moments) in one mindblowingly good book! I’m obviously looking forward to the next book but unfortunately, I’m going to have to wait about year. Someone stab me now. Ms. Young sure know how to torture us fans with the wait!

Anyway, this review is also available on my book reviews blog, apageofheaven.tumblr.com .

-Adel

Mind. Blown.
I just summed up my reaction in two words.
There's just so much going on, so much new drama and mystery that I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
One minute, Moira has me dancing with glee and then before I know it, something completely unexpected happens and I end up gaping at the pages. It. Was. Unbelievable.
Shocking.
Unpremeditated.
And even if there was some (very little really) tension in Blood Red Road that sort of prepared me for Rebel Heart, it wasn't enough. I was still stunned in the end. Besides, Rebel Heart has taken a whole new atmosphere. Before, Blood Red Road had an adventurous tone. This one is darker, far more eerie, and its starting to take a supernatural aura.
Saba is being haunted, and the only person she wants (and really needs) isn't there for her at the moment. So who does she turn to instead? Ooh, that one left me stupefied.
The characters started changing drastically. In the beginning, Saba was hardly the kick-butt character anymore. It was harder to adapt to her sudden change in personality, but not impossible. Yeah, she does change back into her kick-butt don't-mess-with-me mode at some point, but if you ever plan to read this one, don't expect Saba to be like she was in Blood Red Road. She hasn't lost her fire, it just dimmed a little. She's more depressed and troubled.
Jack, on the other hand, only shows up a couple of times. He's hotter than ever (of course) and full of surprises. He's a sly one. He popped out at the most unexpected times.
The romance in this book is... well let's just say that there's something of a love square going on. Without Jack to keep Saba together, she goes wild and breaks a couple of hearts. It's not like she suddenly turned into a guy-magnet... okay, so she sort of did, but I didn't find it unbearable or anything. With all the conflict going on, I don't blame her.
Jack shouldn't have left her.
Plot-wise, it was pretty impressive. The amount of twists in this book left me shell-shocked and hungry for more. Besides, Moira Young has an amazing writing style. A unique voice that I barely ever see these days. She can make everything seem so much more realistic than it really is. Like in Blood Red Road when the Hellwurms attacked *shivers* it was very cinematic. I freaked out. Rebel Heart was just as good (maybe even better). It made me feel like I was watching a movie (I even made some popcorn so I wouldn't bite my nails. True story :D)
Overall, this. Is. A. Must. Read. If you haven't read Blood Red Road yet, then I highly recommend you read that one first. Rebel Heart won't be as impressive if you don't. It probably won't make as much sense either.
And if you did read the first one, I can guarantee (like 100%) that the second book is even better.

I couldn't wait for Rebel Heart. The moment I read the first page of Blood Red Road, I was trapped in its amazing writing. Rebel Heart had that same quality, and I managed to finish the book in less than 24 hours. Moira Young has a brilliant writing style that will leave all who read her work entranced.

I think that this book was clever to introduce the prologue with Jack's story, a few months before Saba comes in. This allows us to understand some of Jack's motives, and even see his love is true. In the middle of the book, this short prologue lets us (as in the reader) know partly what happened with Jack and why he is with the Tontons. I reckon that this small section at the start of the book allows us a head start for main section of the book.

In Rebel Heart, Saba's actions from Blood Red Road is now starting to take hold on her future. DeMalo (I think thats right...) is now a leader, and has put a price on Saba's head. The plot thickens as Saba takes life changing paths that will to outcomes, for the better or the worse.

I didn't really like Saba as much as before. In Rebel Heart, Saba's strong willed character stays, but it is slightly warped from what it was in Blood Red Road. She has gone a bit crazy with guilt, and sees ghosts walking behind her. And how Lugh's devotion is also helping to crack her. Saba has become reckless in a bad way. She does not think before acting, and it effects those around her, but she still thinks she is right. I know that this would happen to everyone. but this 'new' Saba is not as appealing for me.

I think that Rebel Heart is an amazing sequel to Blood Red Road. It is totally worth reading and will blow your mind away as it did to mine. If enough people are able to find and read this fantastic book, then it would give the Hunger Games a run for its money.

Review also posted on Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/261641698 and my blog: http://perrytheplatypus1102-3daydreamer3.blogspot.com/2012/09/book-review-rebel-heart-by-moira-young.html

A million thanks to Scholastic U.K and Charlotte Copping for the review copy.You have no idea how excited I was for this book.

Rebel Heart,with its absolutely gorgeous cover,was an even more exciting read than I thought it would be.It surpasses the first book,Blood Red Road,with absolute ease and consists of more action,adventure,suspense,and though it kills me to say so,drama.Now,it's not every day you see a sequel which surpasses the first.Personally,I think that it's quite a bit of a challenge for authors to make the sequels more enjoyable for readers than the firsts.And not everyone is capable of doing that.But if you liked Blood Red Road,then you're bound to love Rebel Heart.I mean,how could you not?It's so full of surprises!And trust me when I say that in no way can the storyline be predicted in this book unless you're re-reading it,which does not count.There are so many things I can't mention in this review just because they would count as spoilers.And if you've been reluctant on buying this then don't hold out any longer,as it is a MUST-HAVE-IN-HARDBACK. It's got an awesome cover which will look really good on your shelf and behind that cover lurks pages filled with a story that promises a lot of action,suspense,adventures and just the right amount of drama.And along with the old characters from Blood Red Road a few new ones also join in.

To U.K residents,I'd ask you to run to your nearest bookstore to grab a copy of this book before they run out.To North American residents,I'm extremely sorry to say that you won't be finding Rebel Heart in stores before October 30th.You might want to consider temporarily migrating to the U.K.Or there's always the other option which I'm used to doing though it's not very healthy.That is sulking in your room till it comes out.

P.S I'm extremely sorry if I've mentioned anything twice.