This series is a top series for me, and I am so delighted to be catching up with publication.

The first book follows a cast of characters from various groups, whose stories are not all interconnected. This future science fiction world is split between the Icarrii and the Geans, who have opposing views on body modifications, Our cast are trying to reveal corruption in their worlds and along the way are exposed to further details regarding Astors and synthetics.

The series s9 far has contained a lot of action, a dose for world building and a lot of politics. I really like this combination, and I have found the author creates a strong I identity for each of the narrators to build a clear and distinct cast while reading,

I would have liked a bit more worldbuilding to keep the different people's straight, but overall this is a top series I will be rereading for years,

I loved The First Sister when I read it, but I honestly think that this sequel is even better. The world has expanded in fascinating and terrifying ways, the stakes are higher and the political machinations are more complex and sinister. I loved the fact that we spend more time with the Asters here and find out much more about them and their society. I also really appreciated the addition of Luce as a point of view character and thought her story arc was absolutely breathtaking in scope. This is a hard hitting middle book of a trilogy, with unexpected and horrible events that are a real gut punch. It has made me want to pick up the concluding book immediately and I will definitely recommend this series to everyone.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved First Sister and The Second Rebel was no exception. This book is focused on Astrid who is seeking to bring down the Sisterhood from within., like the first book the world-building and writing writing are fantastic and this grabbed my attention from the beginning and didn’t let me go. Once you are invested in this series you will not want to stop

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

DNF at 30%

I’m putting this book down for now and I might try to come back to it.

Hiro’s character gives off weird orientalist vibes that made it clear they were written by a non-asian person. I might just be overly sensitive right now so I might give it a try again later.

The Second Rebel is an explosive follow up to The First Sister that left me desperate for the final instalment in the space opera.
Many Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Plot summary:
Astrid has regained herself and her voice and is now looking to bring down the sisterhood from within the ranks.

Meanwhile in an outlaw colony in deep space, Hiro seeks to bring a dangeroud Ally into the current rebellion

Lito is growing in his role of revolution leader and is tasked with saving a prisoner and keep secrets out of enemy hands

On Venus, Lito’s sister Lucinda is trying to carry on after her brothers disappearance. Shes trying and succeeding to keep her nose clean….until a revolutionary shows up and offers her the chance to join the fight.

Review:
Plot and World Building – This was a heavy plot base as most Sci-Fi books tend to be and as a lot of the preamble came from the first book however the continuation of the worldbuilding was very well done throughout, specifically in the case of the rebellion front.

I can struggle sometimes with multiple POV stories however this is done quite well and I was invested in each characters story. Personally my favourite was Astrid.

Overall pacing of the story was quite fast, and with the multiple character arcs this occasionally threw me off however I managed to stay mostly engaged throughout.

Characters and Development- With there being so many different characters, the lead 4 who have their own arc’s all have some form of development in the story. I thought some got more time than others, but it worked overall for the plot and story development.

The mass of side characters would take me forever to analyse individually, but overall each added something to the story.

Final Thoughts:
A fantastic sequel to one of my favourite books of 2020, with the finale looking to be just as hyped.

It has taken me a while to review this I have to be honest. Not due to any negativity but I've only just managed to get over the ending that Linden has left us on. I am beside myself and desperate for book 3.

First Sister was by far one of my stand out reads for 2020 and Second Rebel was just as perfect, other than that I don't think I can ever forgive that ending and the torment I now feel daily. An anguish that only a reader waiting a year for answers can know and only the best authors can give us that feeling. I am in awe of this world and in love with every character. Read this book. It is the best sci-fi novel I have read in years.

I really enjoyed The First Sister and was eagerly waiting for this book. It did not disappoint. The plot, characters, and atmosphere were just amazing. I highly recommend.

I really wanted to like this series, and the first book was enjoyable enough to give me pause, but I just couldn’t love this one.

The characters just…I just couldn’t love them or seem to care about half of them. Which is a real shame when there are multiple povs. I loved the first sister and her story and I am just annoyed that I dislike literally everyone else.

I absolutely loved this sequel! I love the different POVs that were used. I was literally on the edge of my seat the whole way through and I felt so many emotions! The ending has absolutely killed me but the epilogue has given me hope. I cannot wait to see how this series will wrap up!

Oh. My. Freaking. GOD. I love this series so much.

I LOVED *The First Sister*. To call my review of it “glowing” is a dramatic understatement. To say I was looking forward to *The Second Rebel* is also a dramatic understatement. I was not disappointed.

That being said, last night I was feeling a little let down. I was about 90% of the way through the book, and while it was certainly a good book, possibly even a great one, it wasn’t hitting me quite as hard as *The First Sister*. I was prepared to chalk it up to some combination of a sophomore slump and middle book syndrome, but regardless I felt like it was more than a solid book.

Then I finished the book. All of my mild disappointment was gone. My reasonable criticisms are not valid. This was amazing.

Linden Lewis is, in the words of my fellow /r/Fantasy mod /u/cubansombrero, the “Master of twists that actually make so much sense.” Those who have read either of Lewis’ books will know exactly what I’m talking about. Lewis has a talent for the kind of surprise twist that makes you (once you’ve picked your jaw back up off the floor) go “How could I not have seen that coming?!” and you then reevaluate everything you knew and thought about the book and suddenly it’s all different and you see just how *carefully* Lewis wrote the entire thing. It’s an experience.

To give some non-spoiler details for those who have read book 1: The protagonists have increased from two to four. Lito and Astrid are still there, obviously, but they are joined by both >!Hiro!< and by Lito’s sister Luce. (If I had to pick a main character for this book, I’d probably go with Luce.) The Synthetics, occasionally referred to out beyond the asteroid belt, are a major factor in this book. For the most part, expect more of the awesome queer space opera you got in *The First Sister*.

I seriously cannot say enough good things about these books.

I enjoyed the first book in this trilogy very much and was eager to read the second. It is even better.

This time there is less combat more military strategy, and some ruthless political wrangling but the story rips along at breakneck speed as the reader turns page after page eager to keep up.

The first book introduced us to this world of Geans, Icarii and Asters, the second book effortless develops this world building, expanding on the Aster way of life and the work of the Sisters, while bringing to the fore secondary characters from the first book and giving us more insight into the lives of the characters we already love.
Yet again I felt a strong emotional connection with the characters and an investment in their fate, their story arcs were realistic and courageous, if not always happy.

And then there is the jaw-dropping ending…. Can I bear the wait for the next book?

Just when I thought things couldn't get more insane.......

THEN THEY DID. OH, LORD, THEY DID.

This high-octane, twisty, ferocious-as-ever, and very much angry sequel utterly howls for you to continue on this wild ride and promises an explosive conclusion.

I'm still trying to keep myself from crying and screaming after finishing this book. I can't believe this sequel is even better than the debut. This series is improving in every way possible with new characters, new twists and turns, new mysteries, new ways to make me cry. The story is so captivating you really don't realize how much you have read until the book is over and you want more. You need to know more! How can it end this way?
Superb plot, excellent cast of characters and incredible world building. this sci-fi has it all!

Linden Lewis’ debut The First Sister delivered subdued, gothic vibes, featuring spaceships equipped with dusty temples and silent nuns rather than neon lights and shining chrome. The Second Rebel hits harder and faster, continuing the rapidly escalating events of The First Sister’s closing chapters. Lewis describes The Second Rebel as having ‘sexy goodness and Empire Strikes Back vibes’. If I were to describe their book in one word, it would be ‘angry’.

“When death comes for you… when it grasps you with cold fingers, that anger can burn through it. That anger can save you. Better to be alive and angry than dead and peaceful.”

The story spans the solar system, following the respective journeys of Astrid, Lito, Hiro, and this time Luce, as rebellion spreads and corruption festers. We see the full extent of the Icarii oppression of Asters and learn more about the mysterious Synthetics who’ve cut themselves off from humans.

Between the bloody, twisted secrets of the Sisterhood, the dark deeds of Val Akira labs and the grim determination of the Rebellion, this book is intense, sure to leave you with an emotional hangover.

The political history and multiple storylines made it tricky for me to jump straight into the story again, being someone used to binge-reading book series’. Luckily, Lewis posted a handy synopsis of book one on their website, which supplements the main characters’ contemplation of recent events in the opening chapters.

The Second Rebel is different from The First Sister, with more action, violence, and heartache. As the overarching story reaches its climax, I’m almost scared to read the final instalment, but I’m confident it will be epic.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

Trigger warnings: Amputation, chronic pain, torture (referenced), human trafficking, sexual abuse (referenced), suicide, death of family, mental illness

Full review available on my blog on 9th September 2021

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the review copy of this book, it has not affected my honest review.

Content Warnings: violence, torture and experimentation on humanoid characters (mostly off-page), death, sexual abuse (off-page), blackmail, oppression, sex (off-page), corruption, domestic and child abuse (off-page), viral warfare, suicide.

It actually took me a while to get to reading The Second Rebel, which was partly because I was so, so nervous about this book. I adored The First Sister so much, and I was really worried that The Second Rebel wouldn’t hold up. Especially after my reread of The First Sister reminded me how much I loved the first entry in this series. I should have had more faith in Linden A. Lewis, who will never disappoint, just emotionally scar me.

Our main three from the first book; First Sister (Astrid), Lito and Hiro (who only had flashbacks in book one) are back in this book, with Hiro getting their own chapters this time around, and their stories are still hopelessly, heartbreakingly entwined. We also get to see more from Luce, Lito’s sister and possibly my favourite character in this book. I adored her chapters, even if her character arc was as devastating as all the others.

Astrid’s ‘Ringer’ revelation was one of my favourite moments in The First Sister and I really liked the way that continued to develop throughout The Second Rebel now that we and Astrid knew the truth. It made for a really interesting insight into her mental health and the way that she was coping with the trauma she’d experienced.

Finally hearing Hiro’s narrative voice was fantastic, and I really enjoyed their chapters. They started to unveil some information about the mysterious synthetics, and I’m so interested in where that’s going to go in the third book.

The ending of this book absolutely wrecked me. It was brutal, I’m not going to lie. I can’t talk about any of it, because it’s all entrenched in spoilers but there were three distinct scenes that absolutely destroyed me throughout this book, and I had to pick up something fun and happy immediately afterwards to make myself feel better. It was too devastating. I couldn’t have predicted the way that this book would unfold, and now I have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen in the third book. I do know that it’s probably going to actually make me cry.

With thanks to Linden A. Lewis and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced readers copy of this book.

5*

I can not get enough of this series, and I need to stop reading them before they come out. The wait for the next one is just too much!
This book picked up exactly where the first one leaves off, keeps going with the none stop relentless action and ends in the twistyiest of twists.

Bring tissues, don't bring coffee (your heart wont handle both) and I recommend a stress ball.

'The Second Rebel’ is the epic sequel to ‘The First Sister‘, expanding the world in scope and complexity and continuing to tell a tense, action-packed tale reminiscent of a morally-greyer Star Wars. Where ‘The First Sister’ is a solid novel elevated by the excellence of its ending, ‘The Second Rebel’ is brilliant throughout, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. Once again, the ending is a punch to the gut- and also shows that Linden A Lewis won’t pull their punches when it comes to beloved main characters. This is a dark and gritty sci-fi in places, and a recommended read throughout.

Where ‘The First Sister’ alternated between three perspectives – Lito, First Sister, and Hiro – with the latter only in the form of audio recordings, ‘The Second Rebel’ ups this to four. The additional point-of-view, Lucinia sol Lucius – Lito’s sister – sees the world very different to her brother, and also lends a touch of youthful naivety and optimism missing from the now battle-hardened other characters. However, the highlight of the book is Hiro, now allowed to flourish instead of being relegated to recorded snippets. Hiro is sarcastic and irreverent, but also deeply caring, and their struggles throughout the book are both harrowing and moving to read about. There’s a single chapter at the end with a fifth perspective, but to provide any more insight would be a spoiler – I had guessed the twist, but its still an excellent one that I’m looking forward to seeing develop in the finale.

The worldbuilding is expanded greatly, and is one of the strongest parts. Beyond the Icarii and Gaens, the Asters play a much larger role than they did in The First Sister, and there’s also the introduction of the Synthetics – a powerful yet mysterious group poised to play an even larger role in the finale. Lewis avoids info-dumping, weaving all the parts of this expanded world in seamlessly. They also excel at creating culture – each race feels distinctly different, with their own lifestyles, social and political structures, and places in the wider universe.

For most of the book, the four protagonists are separate, each following their own storyline. Unusually in a multi-perspective story, there isn’t a weak link – each storyline is engaging, and its enjoyable rather than cumbersome jumping between them. First Sister’s storyline is a bit separate to the rest – all of whom are more clearly on the same side, and working towards similar goals – but this broadens the book, providing intriguing context about the world outside Lito, Hiro, and Lucinia’s bubble.

Another of Lewis’s strengths is the many fight scenes throughout the book. Fight scenes can be chaotic, but Lewis choreographs them all well, giving them realism and brutality. Its always obvious whats happening and what each characters limitations are. This is definitely a book to heed the trigger warnings for, but if you don’t mind gritty action it does it exceptionally well.

The one criticism the book could have is that it’s over 150 pages longer than ‘The First Sister’ and it does take a little time to warm up. Part of this is Lewis trying tore-explain the basis of the plot of ‘The First Sister’ so that readers don’t have to reread the first book before digging into this one. For those who prefer not to re-read, this will probably be greatly appreciated- I reread the first, so for me it was a little more cumbersome. However, once it got past this section, the story flowed beautifully and passed impressively quickly for an over-500 page book.

Overall, ‘The Second Rebel’ expands and improves on ‘The First Sister’, telling an engaging and action-packed story with all the best aspects of complex space opera. Highly recommended to all sci-fi fans.

Headlines:
Deep plot
Four main character arcs - so lush
Politics and prejudice

Woah, so if I thought The First Sister was deep, The Second Rebel took the reader even deeper. There's much at play in this series, politics, military strategy at the battlefront, prejudice and torture against other races and then the individuals working to find some sense of rightness in all the wrong. This book is one you need to invest in, but it is completely worth it.

The second book told the story from four main character perspectives: Hiro, Lito, Astrid and Luce. It wasn't difficult to have four POVs at all, I welcomed each perspective but Luce and Astrid stole the show at times, then Hiro would grab the show back. That's just my favouritism showing through but these characters were fabulous. Luce in particular was a foolhardy heroine in the literal sense but I loved how her story developed; some bits had my heart pounding and anxious.

I feel like I have been on a journey with this book, learning more about the Asters and the synthetics was really interesting. I loved/hated how Sorrel and Castor had me on side, then off side, then (insert a Micky shrug here). The twists when they came were epic and there were a number that felt like quick punches.

Linden Lewis has created a complex and worthy sci-fi world that I am completely a fan of. The descriptions of life planet-side and on board the ships paint such vivid and easily imaginable scenes. I have been left having no idea what will come in book three but I will be lining up to read it.

Thank you to Hodder Books for the early review copy.

I loved reading the first sister and second rebel didn't disappoint!!!
Fans of sci-fi should not miss this amazing sequel!!!

*will update with links to blog*

The First Sister didn’t end on a cliff-hanger per se but it left plenty of story to be told and so I was absolutely delighted to be able to dive straight in with the sequel. And my absolutely only complaint about it is that I will have to wait to get my hands on part three! It’s rare that the middle book of a trilogy can out-do the first instalment, but while I loved First Sister, The Second Rebel just amped up everything – the danger, the connection to the characters, the consequences, everything – and wow did I love love love it!

(Usual spoiler warning: just mentioning characters that appear in book 2 gives away some of the events of book 1, and it’s impossible to place events here without giving away how things went before. In other words – just go read First Sister, it’s bloomin’ brilliant!)

Following straight on from all of the revelations and resolutions of book one, we find our cast of characters further along the plot to bring everything – the Sisterhood on one side, Val Akira labs on the other – crashing down as they so well deserve. But we aren’t stopping there: the genius in the sequel is just how much bigger everything gets, without ever feeling forced. So we have the two factions we’re familiar with, Geans and Icarii, then the Asters – those who left humanity for more distant space, now genetically near-separate and also the victims of industrial-level medical experimentation, and who have more than had enough. And before the book ends, we’ll find out a bit more about the oh-so-mysterious Synthetics, too…

I admit, I was at first a little wary of the way the cast of POV characters increases here: from First Sister and Lito alternating chapters, now we also follow Luce – Lito’s little sister – and Hiro, and more. But it’s never confusing, and I’m slightly awed by how well that was done – it’s just seamless. And it really works helping the reader care for all of these characters, seeing their pain and struggles. A lot of things go wrong, a lot of very VERY dark things happen. There were moments when I put the book down after a particularly harsh chapter, wondering if I’d really been in the headspace for what I’d just read, but then I was always eager to get back into the fray, the non-stop action, and the story expanding on several different horizons.

I don’t know how else to sing the praises of this book as much as it deserves. It was a roller-coaster ride, it shreds your emotions and builds so much more of this gloriously grubby, well-imagined world. Look: just go read it already!!