On the run, Althea and her new companion, Pax, learn more about the world — both what it was like prior to the Others’ invasion, and what the Wilds are like outside the BoundariesMy hands are shaking. It’s the cresting emotions racing through my bloodstream and lightening my brain. Love. Fear. Desperation. The mix overwhelms me until there’s no strength in my arms or anywhere else.In this sequel to Whispers in Autumn, the author follows the typical YA dystopian pattern and puts her heroine outside society to see what it’s like there and focus on world-building while providing a bridge to the final part of the series. I enjoyed learning more about the history of Althea’s Earth, and was glad that more about the Others was revealed.Unfortunately, this book didn’t provide quite the excitement and novelty that the first one did. The author also introduced a dreaded love triangle (uggggh, WHYYY!?!), and there were a few inconsistencies that distracted me from the story (Why didn’t Lucas skip winter again? and how did Althea know this was the case? Althea claims to be ignorant of what “twins” are, even after reading Harry Potter — which has twins Fred and George. Similarly, she has no idea what the word “heaven” means, though it’s mentioned in Anne of Green Gables, which she’s also read.)Overall: Typical of second-in-a-YA-dystopian series, with lots of world building but not a whole lot of plot movement.
