Between Burning Worlds by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell - ESSENTIAL

Between Burning Worlds (System Divine, #2) by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell, 670 pages.  Aladdin (Simon and Schuster), 2020.  $20.  

Content: PG-13 (14 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG-13.  

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ESSENTIAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH  

Three different characters are linked to the revolution brewing in Laterre.  Chatine is now a prisoner on Bastille but sees signs of revolt and a chance to escape her prison. Marcellus tries to help the resistance by spying on his grandfather, the general, but is found out and loses his position of government power, narrowly escaping death to later join up with the revolutionaries.  Alouette is hunting for the truth of who her mother was and who the women were who raised her, and the answers lead her to the resistance and to the knowledge of her father.  As all the characters find themselves joined in a common cause against the regime, they strengthen friendships and find romance.  

I adore this series.  If your readers liked the Cinder series by Marissa Myer they will eat this series up too.  I love all the characters, and the twists. This book has an open ending and I can’t see when the next book is going to be released, but I can’t wait.  The violence does include dead bodies, a beheading and people being manipulated to fight to the death.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson