That was an absolutely incredible sequel to THE FIRST SISTER and definitely avoided the dreaded middle book syndrome. The action was fast-paced, well-plotted and tight, all while keeping the reader gripped from the very first page. My heart was actually pounding as events unravelled and fates collided. This has the sort of scenes that make you want to throw the book across the room (but in a good way!) and shake your fist at the too cruel author.

It's the characters that really shone for me though. There is no chapter POV that bored me and I loved learning more about the people I grew to adore in the first book. Hiro remains an absolute icon, whilst Lito is just so relatable and appealing. I really appreciated the addition of Luciana's POV and she quickly became my favourite fierce character. Astrid also had a compelling journey in the book and I'm eager to see what happens with her next.

The scene is all set for the final book in the trilogy and I can't wait to read it and see where this epic journey through space ends up.

Sometimes a story just connects with you, and I connected with The First Sister so much that I was so sad when I nearly finished it, then really bloody happy when I discovered a second book, this book, was coming out.

I was even happier to get an ARC!!!

The brilliant characters continue to shine in this second part of the epic space story.

I cannot wait for the next book. That ending. Arghhhhhhhh!!!

Summary: The Second Rebel by Linden A. Lewis is an action packed space opera sequel that wasn’t as gripping at I felt it should be in the first two acts, but more than made up for things with an emotionally devastating final act.

After breezing through the first book, I found this one much harder to stay engaged with, at least initially. Lito and Astrid (the First Sister) are back as) POVs, and they are joined by a full Hiro POV, as well as a POV from Lito’s sister Luce.

Hiro is on Autarkeia, an asteroid governed not by the Geans, nor the Icarii, but a collective aligned with the underworld Aster, Hemlock, and thus broadly with the Asters in general. It is there that Hiro crosses paths with a Synthetic, and thus in a sense the entire Synthetic hive-mind. Not only that, but there are Icarii agents in Autarkeia, further complicating things there. Hiro’s chapters were some of my favourites – now that we know what Hiro was doing all throughout the first book, seeing how they deal with the dissonance of being put in a resolutely female body is rife with feelings. The fact that their father is the architect of so much pain for the Asters and de facto controller of the Icarii further complicates things.

Lito is mounting a rescue mission with Ofiera to rescue her cryofrozen husband, the Aster Sorrel. Things are never simple, and they quickly find themselves on the run, all three of them at the top of the Icarii wanted list. Sorrel is much more than meets the eye, and his entrance to the story definitely shakes things up, possibly not for the better.

Luce is getting into her own trouble, which becomes manifestly more when Castor shows up asking for her help. She works at Akira labs – val Akira being the last name of Hiro and Hiro’s dangerous father – and that access can help the Aster rebellion get information that they need to level the playing field. Luce is in way over her head, and to me the most interesting parts of her chapters were the new insights into Aster culture and biology, something we had not all the much of in the first book, which did dull some of the impact of what the characters were fighting for. I was mixed on Luce’s chapters, at least in the first third.

Finally, we have Astrid. You may have noticed that I’ve barely mentioned the Geans in this review – and that’s because other than in Astrid’s chapters, we don’t get much of the Geans at all, which felt a little odd, given that the Icarii-Gean conflict seemed central to the first book. No, Astrid managed to cause a peace to be brokered between this book and the last, and now she is increasing her political reach, trying to become Mother of the Sisterhood, the ultimate political position in Gean space. Despite her having the backing, and a couple of resourceful allies (and a psychotic imaginary bodyguard due to her implant, yes Ringer is still around) I found this meteoric rise to be too unlikely. Astrid simply isn’t cunning enough for me to consider her a matched opponent to Aunt Marshae, and subsequently I spent the whole of her chapters waiting for everything to go wrong. It wasn’t bad, per se, but it was too much tension for me! Unlike in the previous book where both storylines merged together nicely by the end, the Astrid POV stays mostly isolated, with a couple of small exceptions.

We get more revelations about the implant technology, more information about the Synthetics, and Aster hierarchies, but as a whole I didn’t really feel like we got a great feel to any of the societies in play. Most of the characters are outsiders in different senses, so I think a lot of the macro-level elements just didn’t hit as hard for me as the more personal character moments.

Pacingwise I really did struggle to get heavily into this book early on. The only chapters which had me completely gripped were the Lito ones, but that might just be because it was consistently action packed! I struggle to find any specific fault with how it was written, just that I wasn’t invested. That all changed, however, in the final act. The final act was everything I hope for in a book like this – exciting, explosive, gut-wrenching, with twists that I didn’t see coming and moments that had me cursing the author (in a good way). Lewis wrote on the goodreads page for this book that it’s the Empire Strikes Back of this series, and while I wouldn’t read too much into that on a plotting level, when it comes to feels this is absolutely true.

The last part of this book was so incredible that it redeemed what to me was a much weaker opening two acts. It remains to be seen whether I will be an outlier or not with this reaction. I think if you loved the first book, this one is well worth reading, if you can fight through the weaker sections to the really good stuff.

Rating: 8/10

Last year I read and enjoy “The First Sister” by Linden Lewis. I was certainly impressed by both the writing and the execution of the story enough to read the sequel “The Second Rebel.”

This story centres around Astrid, who has now reclaimed her name and her voice. Astrid now seeks to bring down the Sisterhood from within. Not only must Astrid confront and challenge the Aunts who run the Gean religious institution, but she quickly discovers that the business of politics is far deadlier than she ever expected.

The world-building and political machinations were handled well. The writing was much tighter and much crisper in this book, and the pacing was much better. It held my attention from start to finish.

The characters were captivating the names were very evocative. The character flaws added an extra layer of depth. I particularly liked the struggle and fight for freedom against oppression, also, the fight and stand against the system. The character development was handled well, so much so that I was taken by surprise over one or two heart-wrenching moments.

Once you become involved and invested in the story, the payoff is worth it. The stunning cover also invites the reader inside this wonderful and absorbing world.

My thanks to both NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a free e-arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Second Rebel is the thrilling continuation of The First Sister Trilogy. It heightened the stakes with an action-packed, complex, and heartbreaking narrative. The series continues to inspect hard-hitting topics such as dysphoria, human experimentation, the use of violence as a mechanism towards peace, the cost of sacrifice, and how to interact with morally corrupt corporations. There are four perspectives in this instalment, and although I wish they had been more interconnected at times, it cemented this series as having the most phenomenal characters. The First Sister Trilogy has quickly become a favourite. I'd recommend it to everyone who enjoys queer sci-fi, especially so, if you love twists that leave you feeling emotionally broken.

Astrid seeks to bring down the Sisterhood, the religious organisation that stole her voice and identity. Now she's stronger than ever and must rise to power to achieve her goals. She must make allies amongst her fellow sisters and challenge the Aunts if she is going to survive. Unfortunately, the business of politics, blackmail, and corruption goes deeper than she realised.

Hiro val Akira has a new mission for the rebellion, seeking out the aid of a strange and potentially dangerous ally. They struggle against a lack of information and the intense dysphoria of being in a body that does not belong to them. Caught in a game of cat and mouse, they realise that other people are searching for the same prize...

Lito sol Lucious has flung himself into a mission to rescue an Aster operative from within an Icarri prison. However, there is more to the Aster than Lito first realised. Not only is he his duel-partner's husband, but also a bloodthirsty individual desperate to bring the enemy to their knees.

Back on Venus, Lito's sister Lucinda is facing the consequences of her brother's disappearance - trying to keep her head down as suspicions flair around her. When an Aster revolutionary shows up with news, and an opportunity to help, she finds herself tumbling into danger.

The number of perspectives in The Second Rebel doubled in comparison to the last book. Sometimes a large number of perspectives can be too busy. There were a few times that the constant switching felt slightly overwhelming. Perhaps if they had been more interconnected that would have helped. Regardless each narrative was daring and compelling. The character development and depth are handled with such skill. They feel complex, nuanced, and vibrantly alive. I loved how a range of morality was presented from 'oh they're beating people to death now' to 'please protect this character they are my cinnamon roll'. Linden A. Lewis isn't afraid to pull punches; some of these character arcs were equal parts stunning and horrifying.

My favourite character from this book is one of those new perspectives: Lucinda sol Lucious. I loved her so much. Lucinda isn't a fighter; she's an artist. At the beginning of the book, she works for Hiro's father, the antagonist. She's also involved in a group that graffiti political messages on walls, but she's beginning to find them tokenistic. They're a lot more interested in her now that her brother is in the rebellion. When she's given information about the atrocities the rebellion is fighting against, and how she can help, she jumps into action despite her fears. She's such a selfless, passionate character. The peak of her character arc is something I can't go into without delving into spoilers, but oh my, Linden A. Lewis knows how to hit where it hurts.

The Second Rebel has just as much of a twisty, propulsive final act as the first book. The author is so talented at writing endings that leave you satisfied, heartbroken, and simultaneously desperate for more. It's difficult to discuss what I loved without spoilers, but if you've read this book please scream with me. I loved how the themes shifted into the idea of what is worth sacrificing for freedom. It doesn't turn away from the horrors of war or the terrible decisions the characters have to make. How much they're willing to give to fight for a better future. It broke my heart that a lot of these characters chose personal sacrifice - that a community is more important than the individual. Even though I agree with their choices, I just want them to be safe and happy.

The Second Rebel is a high-stakes, exhilarating read that's difficult to forget. These characters have wormed their way into my heart, and that makes every sacrifice more poignant and heartbreaking. I am equal parts excited and terrified to see where this trilogy might end.

Linden Lewis returns to their space opera universe in The Second Rebel, follow up to their intriguing debut The First Sister. The First Sister often felt a little derivative, drawing on some clear influences like The Handmaid’s Tale and Ann Leckie’s Ancillary series. But there were enough breadcrumbs and interesting characters to bring readers who enjoy a good space opera back for more. And Lewis does not disappoint with the sequel – upping the stakes, broadening the universe and creating some serious drama.

The three main point of view characters are narrating again in The Second Rebel – First Sister Astrid, and former partners Lito and Hiro. Lewis adds an additional perspective – Lito’s artistic sister Luce – but still manages to make all four voices distinct. For those who have not just finished First Sister, the introductory chapters drop some the information that readers need to know while starting to advance the plot. And for the first half of the book at least all four characters are on parallel lines, none of them intersecting until the action starts to heat up in the propulsive back half. Only Astrid’s tale, which formed the centre of the first book, remains fairly unconnected until a stunning cliffhanger reveal on one of the final pages.

Following a peace agreement between the scientifically advanced Icarii and the Gaeans, the plot itself revolves around the ongoing tension between the Icarii and the genetically engineered and usually second class Asters. A revolution is brewing and the Asters are seeking evidence of scientific experiments carried out on their people over the years. Meanwhile Astrid, now First Sister of Ceres, is angling to become Mother and root out corruption in her Order. But she even with a few allies she is swimming in shark infested waters full of operators with more political experience than her. The plot builds to a page turning stand off full of tough ethical and moral decisions and deep character sacrifice.

Linden Lewis does not spare any character in The Second Rebel. Readers should not go into this looking for too many light moments or happy endings. But then, this is the second book in a trilogy so maybe a downbeat ending should be expected. Still, it is refreshing to read a story where the stakes feel real and no character is safe. And the while the action of this book is essentially wrapped up there are plenty of hanging threads and a couple of late potentially game-changing cliffhangers which are certain to bring fans of this series back.

I really enjoyed Lewis’ debut novel, The First Sister, and was thrilled to be granted an ARC of the sequel.

It’s hard to say much about this book without spoilers for book one (particularly given Lewis’ penchant for epic twists), but The Second Rebel picks up where The First Sister left off with the characters we previously followed, as well as the addition of a new point of view in Luce. Multiple POVs is always a difficult juggling act – particularly when they’re all in first person – but Lewis does a good job of giving them all distinct voices and meaningful character arcs. Luce is probably my new favourite character, as she stands out with her determination and sense of duty to her family, but I enjoyed spending time with all four characters and seeing how their story arcs coincided over time. We also get to spend time with Hiro as a character – as opposed to a recording – and really understand how their relationship with their family has shaped them as a person, which was one of my favourite elements of the sequel (if occasionally heartbreaking).

The Second Rebel also lives up to its predecessor in terms of the twists and turns. We spend more time dealing with the fallout from Hiro’s discoveries about the awful treatment of the Aster and what it tells us about Icarii society than we do with the First Sister on Gaen, and there’s lots to learn about exactly how deep the horrors go. I should add that if, like me, you forgot a lot of the political nuances as soon as you read book one, Lewis does a good job of reminding you who’s who without it feeling like a chore. It did take a little for the plot to kick off, especially since the main characters are once again initially separated and figuring things out for themselves, but the last 20-30 per cent of The Second Rebel is a total rollercoaster ride.

I do have one niggling concern with this series, which is that the world-building is a little flimsy. It doesn’t necessarily take the reader out the story as they read (due to Lewis’ other strengths), but from a more distant angle, it’s not really clear why this world is the way it is. It’s never really explained why this future universe contains such a gendered religious system, or why the internal politics of the First Sister, the Mother and the rest of their Order matter so much outside the personal consequences for those caught up in it. It does feel a little like the author wanted a dystopian aesthetic, and therefore defaulted to an anti-feminist society without thinking through the delays fully. It might be a bit late, but I’d love to see the the history of this element of the world explored more in the final book in the trilogy.

Like I said, however, this is an excellent series overall and Lewis really knows their strengths – I am still shook from the last plot twist and cannot wait for book three.

The Second Rebel is the explosive sequel to The First Sister, and just as enjoyable as the first. The author makes a bold choice to go for 4 first person POVs, which I was a little worried about but I think they did a very good job of managing to make each characters voice sound distinctive so I was never confused about who I was reading about. I decided to talk about each of the four main characters seperately, they all go through great character arcs and you care for them all so deeply:

Lito - Lito begins his journey in this book on a mission to rescue Sorrel, along with his partner Oferia. From there he gets thrust even deeper into the Aster rebellion and must reckon with how much his is truly willing to sacrifice for his cause. I really enjoyed Lito's POVs in this installment, I liked his comraderie with Sorrel and Ofiera (both of whom are very interesting characters that I liked getting to know a lot more about in this book). I also liked the fact Lito was confirmed as asexual as this is great to see represented in books! His storyline definitely takes some twists and dark turns, and be prepared to have your heart in your mouth for a lot of it :0

Luce - Lito's sister Luce is a great edition to the POVs in this book, in fact she was probably my favourite! I loved her kindness, strength and spirit, as well as her willingness to do anything to help what she believes in and occasional ruthlessness. I also really liked her relationship with Castor, whom she has a lot of interaction with in the book - it was adorable (until a certain point lol). The climax of Luce's story was excellently done in my opinion and had me on the edge of my seat (combined with the other POVs) and well as being heartbreaking for Luce and the choices she has to make.

Hiro - Hiro is another character I'm glad we got to see a lot more of in this book, I love them and their sass and their relentless nature. We get to know a lot more about the synthetics through Hiro's POV, which I found fascinating and set up the later events of the book very well (and I'm assuming book 3 very well)!!

Astrid - The First Sisters POV was probably my least favourite for some reason, I think possibly because the other 3 characters stories are all very interwoven and this one felt seperate and therefore I just wanted to get back to the others, however I did really like the struggles of Astrid trying to gain power for herself and the lengths she is willing to go to. I also liked exploring more of her relationships with Eden and Lily - the other sisters, as well as her general relationship to the sisterhood. Additionally I liked the exploration with Ringer, but I might have liked a bit more of this, such as why Astrid has developed this coping mechanism. Another thing I slightly missed because there was no reunion or even really much mention was Astrid and Hiro's relationship - a major part of book 1 - so I hope this will be dealt with in book 3!

I thought the depiction of the Aster rebellion/uprising was done incredibily well, with moral compromises on all sides and realistic struggles with leadership and difficult choices on what is worth sacrificing for a cause. I liked getting to know more about the Asters as well in this book, in fact that was probably one of my favourite elements of the book!

The ending (last 20% or so) was amazing, I was so hooked and literally couldn't put the book down!! The tension had built up so well and everything really went down (and downhill lol). Also the very last chapter and epilogue were so so good and have me so excited for the next book (even if one twist was slightly recycled from book one, I actually might have preferred the one in this book!!).

In conclusion if you enjoyed book one - you will love this one, it builds on everything from the first book and expands it to a much bigger scale, packed with lots of great characters, emotionally charged moments and shocking twists!!

High-stakes, fast-paced, painful and yet full of hope, The Second Rebel is a stunning and worthy sequel that makes me want more.

Content warnings include: violence, mostly off-page torture and experimentation on humanoids (very plot relevant), death, off-page sexual abuse, oppression, blackmail, fade-to-black sex, corruption.
Mentions of: domestic abuse, child abuse, biological/viral warfare, suicide.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The First Sister was one of my top if not most favourite of all reads of 2020. I adored it from beginning to end, so, naturally, I was very excited for The Second Rebel, and had very high expectations.

I am more than happy to report that all of these expectations were met, and more!

The book more or less seamlessly picks up where the previous one left off (making rereading The First Sister right before starting this very rewarding). Astrid, Lito and Hiro are each following their respective goals, all of which become more and more intertwined. There is also a new addition to the protagonists, Luce, Lito’s younger sister, an idealistic artist who just started a new job at Val Akira Labs right when her brother gets into the big corporation’s crosshairs.

The stakes are very high from the beginning, and only get higher and higher. Old and new players affect the board and reroll the dice more than once. New connections and relationships form and are torn apart, we get to explores ones that were only previously hinted at or shown through second hand.

Hiro, who only got flashback chapters in The First Sister, now has their own present chapters and they are an absolute delight of a character to read about. I adored them in book 1 already, but book 2 only cemeted my love for them.

I particularly loved how the book expands the worldbuilding. There are more details about the sisterhood, the Asters, and even the elusive Synthetics. The backdrops again feature both familiar and new places all across the human controlled parts of space, which was interesting to see. And there will be more to be discovered in the sequel…

Hinting at the ending, I won’t say anything other than that I pretty much spent the entirety of the last 30% sobbing my eyes out. It was glorious, is was painful, it was so, so good, and I absolutely cannot wait for the finale of the trilogy.

Cuando leí el verano pasado The First Sister ya me pareció que partía de buenos mimbres y ahora ha llegado la segunda entrega de la saga para confirmarlo.


Aunque se mantienen los puntos de vista de la primera parte y se añade uno más, también es bastante claro que le autore ha decidido reequilibrar el peso de la narración, dando más empaque a unos protagonistas que a otros, lo cual no deja de resultar una decisión arriesgada, aunque creo que ha sido acertada.

Me gusta especialmente la evolución de Luce, que parte desde una reivindicación urbana que parece postureo más que otra cosa a una implicación más que seria en la búsqueda de la igualdad entre las distintas facciones enfrentadas en el Sistema Solar. Que la «recompensa» que recibe por su sacrificio sea tan cruel como esperada sirve para hacernos reflexionar sobre nuestros actos y lo que conllevan.

Los otros puntos de vista siguen siendo interesantes, aunque como digo Astrid pierde gran parte del protagonismo que tuvo en The First Sister, para relatarnos su ascenso y caída de una forma un tanto más impersonal. No obstante, resulta muy interesante ser testigos de las luchas intestinas por el poder y de las corruptelas que están al orden del día en toda institución de cierto tamaño.

Linden A. Lewis aprovecha esta segunda entrega de la trilogía para ampliar un poco el escenario, con la aparición en serio de los Sintéticos, algo que antes solo se atisbaba y su extraordinarias capacidades tecnológicas, capaces de desequilibrar la balanza de poderes en cualquier momento.

Además, de una manera muy inteligente, va dejando caer pistas de lo que luego se desvelará como un maquiavélico plan de actuación que a mí, al menos, me ha pillado totalmente desprevenida. Me gusta cuando los autores dejan plantadas pistas y detalles que luego van adquiriendo vida propia y pueden acabar siendo fundamentales en el devenir del relato. Lewis también se entretiene en hacernos una pequeña recopilación de lo que sucedió en la entrega anterior en los primeros capítulos de libro, mezclado con el propio flujo de la historia, algo que se agradece si no teníamos demasiado fresca en la memoria la lectura del tomo anterior.

La novela tiene algunos problemas de ritmo, sobre todo porque como he mencionado anteriormente el interés y la relevancia de alguna de los puntos de vista es menor comparado con otros, pero me da la impresión de que le autore, previendo este problema, ha sabido dosificar también las escenas de acción que tanto me gustan (los enfrentamientos de los equipos sincronizados mentalmente son dignos de estudio) para compensar en cierta medida los vaivenes del ritmo.

Estamos ante un libro que huye de los problemas típicos de la segunda parte de una trilogía y que consigue dejarnos con mucho interés para la finalización de la historia. Definitivamente recomendable.

This book had me on the edge of my seat and broke my heart well and good. I'm just staring at the ceiling here feeling everything at once! This series is a must read for everyone who's only a little bit into sci-fi!

Right, so let's start my review :)
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book. My opinions are my own.

This books picks up a few months after the ending of The First Sister. Where the first book has its main focus on said First Sister, here the focus lies more on the rebellion. The story is told from a lot of point of views, which I personally enjoyed a lot. For some it might be confusing, but I thought the way we were given small pieces of the big picture were a great way to keep me on edge. Each time a chapter ended and a new one began with a new POV, I felt annoyed and wanted to read more about the part of the story I was currently in. Only to feel the exact same way at the end of the new chapter with the new POV. Every character has their own unique story to tell and I loved reading about each and every one of them. I loved how this book made me think, think about good and evil, and about the worth of the greater good.

I can't wait for all of the storylines coming together in the third book in the trilogy, even more than they did in this book. I don't want to spoil anything but man did those final chapters make me feel EVERYTHING! Heartache, hope, fire... it's all there.

All I can say right now is: Read. This. Series. It's an absolute must-read for all sci-fi fans!

I was very much looking forward to reading the sequel to The First Sister, having loved the first book. It did not disappoint! I absolutely love this book, and the writing style. I highly recommend this book series. And am so happy to have a special edition of this book preordered

That ending!! wow wow wow. Though it took me a bit to get into the book, the pay off was amazing and I cannot wait for the third one in this series.

Firstly, a huge thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with the the arc for The Second Rebel in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Ok, I say unbiased, but I was totally blown away by The First Sister and have been chomping at the bit to get my hands on The Second Rebel, desperate to read what comes next with Astrid having found her voice and inner strength, plus all things Ringer! Never mind Hiro and Lito and of course Luce following that message…there was just so much hanging at the end of that book and The Second Rebel doesn’t fail in delivering even higher stakes, darker shadows and deeper secrets!

In The Second Sister the principal characters’ stories are very disparate, both geographically and emotionally, there is definitely a large element of maintaining a character roadmap in your mind as you read and follow the very separate, but entwined plot lines.

We see Astrid commencing this next phase in her life as The First Sister of Ceres, which leads to a whole world of grisly discoveries and smoke and dagger activities off Ceres. The development of her relationships with the Aunts and her fellow sisters, Eden and Lily in particular are complex, disturbing, and emotional, a whole maelstrom of feelings come from these alone!

Hiro as a character really comes to the fore in The Second Rebel, I didn’t think I could love Hiro more, but after reading this I really do, and I have to highlight Lito and Luce’s relationship, which definitely brought a major edge to the whole story. I absolutely loved their character arcs and there were tears!

I can’t talk about this book without mentioning the Linden Lewis’ staggering world-building, the worlds, the politics, the people, the history – they are all there and more. Lewis delivers significant and shocking reveals about international and cultural relations between the Asters, Icarii, and Synthetics, a staggeringly jaw-dropping history that is both enlightening and horrifying!

For those who like to have pre-warning regarding content of reads, I must advise that there are no holds barred in the The Second Rebel, it incorporates violence, genocide, experimentation, weaponization of scientific discoveries and more. It also includes relationships of all types and a multitude of parallel plotlines, all of which lead to a dramatic and heart-stopping end of this second book in the trilogy!

As a second book in a trilogy goes, Lewis has truly delivered an emotional and mental gut-wrencher of a read that builds worlds upon the foundations of the The First Sister! This book has left me hanging on the edge of a cliff for the concluding book in the trilogy!

3.25/5 ⭐

It's habitual for any sequel to have staggeringly higher stakes and more horrifying secrets skulking in its shadows, and The Second Rebel doesn't miss the mark in that sense: sordid state machinations and space hegemonies, retch-worthy harems and rogue Sisters, head-spinning moral subtleties and surprising headways in its main relationships. That said, it's for sure a seriously chaotic second chapter in this series - with some of its messages maybe getting a bit mixed up - and I'd sadly be more invested in the stories if the POV characters had interacted a bit more, though seeing their missions and mishaps intertwine made for some strongly compelling concluding chapters. It was trickier to keep track of the parallel plotlines, and even more so of the panoply of extra ensembles that came with each perspective, but the protagonists' trajectories (and the broader truth bombs) threaded together with piercing effect in the end.

The Second Rebel strengthened my soft spot for Hiro, and the reverence of Lito and Luce's siblinghood was a surefire highlight of this action-packed rollercoaster of a sequel; the reveals about the history and shifting status of relations between the Icarii, Asters and Synthetics were also really absorbing, though the smoke-filled rooms of Astrid's hat-in-the-ring activities and some of the rushed side relationships I'm not so sure about. I won't pretend I didn't wonder if some of this world's points on population differences, the gruesome weaponization of discoveries and the grim depravity demanded by planetary warfare - there is plenty to unpack about genetics and gender alone - were wholly unproblematic, and it proceeds without any warnings about some of the less palatable, grisly and gut-churning developments it plots across the galaxy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for kindly passing on this arc! 💫