trigger warning
<spoiler> slavery, child labour, torture, grief, kidnapping, trauma, xenophobia </spoiler>

Six months have passed since the events of book one, and the team is getting better and better at what they're doing - which brings unwanted attention from unwanted people.

We get to learn more about Scarlett and how she got where she is now, which is nice.
We still have a post-apokalyptic setting in what once was the United Kingdom, and now has splintered to become the seven kingdoms.
Everyone is trying to stay alive, but everyone has a different strategy.

The world as it is presented here is not great, and big heroic deeds with the purpose of changing it are not what is on our protagonist's minds. Yes, it would be nice if somebody would get up to it, but chances are that everybody fends for themselves, as it's always been, so let's do the same and do a bit of good on the side.
Nevertheless, I see a big confrontation in the next book coming.

I liked the adventure and would like to read on, but this is not my favourite series from this author. Bartimaeus and Lockwood are much dearer to me, but I can't say if it is nostalgia, or time spend with the characters, or if this just doesn't appeal to me as much.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

This book is an amazing sequel to the first one. As fast paced but we get to learn a bit more about the characters and the world they are in. Brilliant

The Notorious Scarlett and Browne is the second of a new trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, the author of the brilliant Bartimaeus and Lockwood & Co. series of books. Set in a future England following a cataclysmic event, this new series follows outlaws Scarlett and Browne. Scarlett McCain is fast with both a gun and her mouth, while Albert Browne is innocent and naive but with devastating mental powers.

Set six months after the first book, the fame and notoriety of the pair have risen to new heights as they undertake daring robberies and heists while continuing to evade capture by the authorities and Faith Houses. However, the past soon catches up with them during a failed job, and they are forced to take on an impossible mission to save those they care for the most. While they do, a new formidable adversary tracks them across the country, one even Scarlett and Browne struggle to cope with and who forces Albert to confront his greatest fear.

The first novel contained flashbacks of Albert’s life, revealing his history and escape from the asylum he was kept in along with his mysterious powers. This book gives flashbacks for Scarlett, fleshing out her back story and giving some context and substance to her behavior, bravado, and defensiveness, and giving her more nuance beneath the hard exterior, showing there is more to this teenage anti-hero than her tough girl image suggests. Both Scarlett and Browne are engaging characters in their own way, and you can’t help but root for them during the series of scrapes and misadventures they get into.

Once again, the plot and story move at pace with wit and humor. Although heavily influenced by and aping the American Wild West, this is a distinctly British book with its settings, characterizations, witticisms, dialects, and language. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments alongside rip-roaring action, thrills, and danger. Stroud gives plenty of descriptive narrative about the ravaged landscape and how England is left with isolated settlements, strange and dangerous animals, and the Tainted—zombie-like humans who are spreading across the land and striking terror into the hearts of the remaining population—but it is still little about what has caused this devastation though that may get covered in the next volume.

Anyone who enjoyed the first book in the series plus Stroud’s previous novels will find plenty to love in this second adventure. While not yet hitting the immense heights of his previous series, Scarlett and Browne is proving to be a highly entertaining adventure romp that should keep readers engrossed and turning to the next page for many hours. I will be waiting with bated breath for the final book in the series.

I'm a fan of Jonathan Stroud and I'm loving this series.
The humour, the fleshed out characters, the original and fascinating world building, the masterful storytelling: all the elements that make me love this author are present in this book.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A fast paced, drama filled adventure brings us crashing back into the world of Scarlett and Browne. A brilliant book 2!

Another brilliant book from Jonathan Stroud!

The Scarlett & Browne series is set in a post-apocalyptic England that suffered a mysterious Cataclysm: dangerous mutated creatures stalk the wilds and most people hide behind the walls of the remaining safe Towns under the watchful gaze of the powerful Faith Houses.

Having survived the events of the first book, Scarlett and Albert have developed something of a celebrity status for their daring heists on banks and Faith Houses. However, the Brothers of the Hand soon catch up with them and Scarlett and Albert are tasked with their most dangerous and audacious heist yet- and it’s one they mustn’t fail…

The Notorious Scarlett & Browne is has everything I want from a teen/YA fantasy adventure: action-packed, fast-paced, with quippy dialogue, intriguing mysteries and plenty of creepy moments – the sort of book that you can’t help but fly through!

Throughout all of that, Stroud manages to build great characters and relationships – Albert and Scarlett are a great duo and there's a real found family vibe with the return of Ettie and Joe (plus a possible new addition to the gang).

I can’t wait for the next one to see how all of these mysteries unfold!

I love Jonathan Stroud’s books. The sarcastic humour running through his stories really appeals to me. Right from the start this book has all that, with lots of heroic tales of heists and plots. The opening line is great too, I can see me using that with students. Albert is such a fantastic character with his positive outlook on deadly encounters which makes a great counterfoil for Scarlett. It was nice to get a little more insight into her background and what led her to her current lifestyle. Albert’s powers develop too, making him much more than just the tag-a-long. My only complaint is that I would have liked a bit more of Joe and Ettie.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

"The Notorious Sarlett and Browne" is the second installment in the adventures of Scarlett McCain and Albert Browne. As with the first book, "The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne", there is plenty of humour but also danger and horrow, a mix and balance that is constantly perfect in Jonathan Stroud's books.
We once again find ourselves in the familiar dystopian Britain created in The Outlaws, a world post 'Cataclysm' where terrifying mutant beasts roam the countryside with the Tainted - cannibalistic humans who are not quite human anymore - and cities are the only places that offer some security. But cities are mostly owned by the Faith House, supreme religious authority holding all the power and money. In Scarlett and Brpwne's world ther are also 'deviants' or people with physical or psychic differences. Albert Browne is a deviant with extraordinary psychic abilities, which Scarlett discovered in The Outlaws after Albert escaped from a facility called Stonemoor. In The Notorious, Scarlett and Albert are a well-working team, using Scarlett experience and fighting skills and Albert's special abilities.
No heist seems too big or dangerous for them until one job too far turns up and, caught between the Faith House and the Brothers of the Hand (criminal organisation to which Scarlett formerly belonged), they have no other choice but to take it.
The whole book is very easy to read and very enjoyable. We discover more about Albert's abilities and Scarlett's history and grow even fonder about these two characters.
The only thing I didn't enjoy in the book is the representation of Soames - Scarlett's old boss - which manages to use three different harmful cliches, i.e. a villain who's overweight to the extreme, disabled, and 'ugly'. It's a shame as every other character is very well done, good or bad or both, their inherent goodness or badness coming through in so many other ways than physical descriptions that draw on fatphobia or ableism.
I would still recommend this read. It's a great story. Just a shame about that one character.

I really don’t read enough books aimed at young adults. Middle grade titles that I can share with my Year 5s after I’ve enjoyed them are my go-to choice of material together with an ever-increasing number of books aimed at lower KS2 to cater for my less confident readers. When I do read titles for an older audience, it is usually because I’ve been lucky enough to have been sent a proof to read and review, or – more unusually – because I have chosen to pick it up because I adore the author who has crafted it.

Jonathan Stroud most definitely falls into that latter category. After loving his Lockwood and Co series aimed at upper middle grade readers, I was delighted to see the first in this series, The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne, on Net Galley last year and ridiculously over-excited when I was approved to read it. Fast-paced, action-packed and humorous in parts, it was a book which left me with a longing for more and so when this title was added recently there was no doubt in my mind that I should read it too. Fans of the original story will be delighted with this sequel but if you have not as yet read that fear not, for you will easily be able to pick up this read and enjoy it to the full.

Bicycles may not be the obvious choice of transport for an outlaw, but when we meet them Scarlett McCain and Albert Browne are pedalling their way toward a crossroads, where bandits lie in wait for unsuspecting travellers. Infuriated by our protagonists’ lack of fear, their bad attitude and Albert’s unique ability to read his mind, the bandit captain is swiftly dealt with and Scarlett and Browne continue to make their way unimpeded to the town of Warwick, where they intend to carry out a daring robbery.

Having achieved what they set out to do, albeit it with more difficulty than they had envisioned, Scarlett lets her hair down in her customary way – drinking and gambling at a hostelry she has found, planning to re-join Albert later. Unfortunately for her, before she can leave to catch up with him, a traveller arrives who seems intent on preventing her from making her rendezvous. Quick-thinking as ever, Scarlett makes good her escape, hoping that she has shaken him off and heads towards the Wolf’s Head Inn where she is not only to meet up with Albert, but reacquaint herself with friend Joe and his granddaughter Ettie.

But the traveller is not the only one hot on the outlaws’ heels, and when Scarlett and Browne’s path crosses that of an old adversary the two of them find themselves undertaking their most daring job yet. With time against them, they must head to the Buried City and bring back its hidden treasure – a journey that will not only require all of their skill, cunning and sheer good luck if they are to succeed, but will pitch them against the most vicious of enemies, only some of whom are human…

I absolutely adore Scarlett. Despite her readiness to dispatch those who get in the way of her plans, she has her own strong moral code by which she lives, and here her blossoming partnership with Albert sees her starting to be influenced by his far more gentle and compassionate nature. We also learn a great deal more about her backstory through a series of flashbacks which show us how she has become the damaged and dangerous outlaw we know and love, and which leave us with hints as to what fate might have in store for her next.

After learning some of Albert’s history in Book 1, we also find out more about him and his fellow inmates at Stonemoor, the institution from which he had escaped when we met him, providing us with many unanswered questions which I hope will also be explored further in the sequel to this. With a neat ending that teases the reader with what is in store for him and Scarlett next, I know I will not be the only one on tenterhooks waiting for Book 3.

Pleasingly violent, sprinkled with some brilliant nuggets of very dry humour and perfect for its target audience of readers 12 and over, this is a book which will thrill them when it is released on July 7th, making this an ideal read for the summer break. As always, my enormous thanks go to publisher Walker Books and Net Galley for my virtual read ahead of that date. If you haven’t as yet caught up on Book 1, I urge you to do so so that you can launch straight into this on its release.

The second book in this British Wild West-esque dystopia series is another funny romp through a post-Cataclysm Britain, full of bandits, fractured kingdoms, and dangerous secrets. And to top it all off, we get heists (in both high end storage and the buried ruins of an old city), quick talking, and (somewhat clever but involve a healthy dose of luck) plans.

It's just so unashamedly British, and I love that in books. There's the other scones debate (not the naming, but which order jam and cream go on in). The dialects are spot on, with the typical British understatement ("might be a trifle mad" for someone who has steam spouting from their ears.)

Scarlett and Albert's voices both were really distinct, and so I could tell within the first page of a new chapter who was narrating, and they both made me laugh - which is a tricky thing to manage. Scarlett is all wild bravado, which leads to some interesting situations, and Albert is so easily distracted (and has <em>opinions</em>, though he says everything so mildly.) Plus the plot itself lends itself to humour. I mean, an execution is treated like a festival with a stage manager and all.

This book also develops Albert's powers/his control and relationship with them, but pitting the pair (among other villains) against someone with similar abilities but way more control. He was the perfect for for Albert to go up against (and Scarlett was also handed a highly appropriate adversary to spar off with) and meant Albert really had to confront his fear over it.

Among the chapters, we also got flashbacks from Scarlett's past. It really helped explain some of her "quirks" and why she has some of the defensiveness that she does, not to mention guilt. And it helps to set up a potential sequel plot, making the stakes of the next book a lot more personal (if that's the direction it goes.)