Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for This Cruel Design by Emily Suvada!
This Cruel Design by Emily Suvada Series: This Mortal Coil #2
Published by Simon Pulse on October 30, 2018
Pages: 432
Format:ARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review
Cat thought the Hydra epidemic was over, but when new cases pop up, Cat must team up with an enemy to fix the vaccine before the virus spirals out of control in this thrilling sequel to This Mortal Coil, which New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman says “redefines ‘unputdownable.’”
The nightmare of the outbreak is finally over, but Cat’s fight has only just begun.
Exhausted, wounded, and reeling from revelations that have shaken her to her core, Cat is at a breaking point. Camped in the woods with Cole and Leoben, she’s working day and night, desperate to find a way to stop Lachlan’s plan to reprogram humanity. But she’s failing—Cat can’t even control her newly regrown panel, and try as she might to ignore them, she keeps seeing glitching visions from her past everywhere she turns.
When news arrives that the Hydra virus might not be as dead as they’d thought, the group is pushed into an uneasy alliance with Cartaxus to hunt down Lachlan and fix the vaccine. Their search takes them to Entropia, a city of genehackers hidden deep in the desert that could also hold the answers about Cat’s past that she’s been searching for.
But when confronted with lies and betrayals, Cat is forced to question everything she knows and everyone she trusts. And while Lachlan is always two steps ahead, the biggest threat to Cat may be the secrets buried in her own mind.
You know that super rare feeling where a sequel is as awesome as the first book in a series? Where it doesn’t suffer from that “second book slump”? Such a unicorn, right? WELL. It happens here, friends! After the amazing twistiness that was This Mortal Coil, I was kiiiind of unsure if the author could replicate such amazing plot twists and surprises. Could she keep the characters developing and still likable? She sure could, and she did!
Sequel reviews are hard, because you don’t want to give away anything about the sequel of course, but nor do you want to give anything away about its predecessors. So I am going to talk, in the vaguest of terms, about the junk I loved:
- More information on the post- (and pre-) virus world. Lots of details that I was yearning for in the last book have come to light- and I know there are more to come. The author manages to give just enough information to satisfy, while still leaving you excited for whatever she throws at you next. And I love it.
- Not only is there character growth, but relationship growth. Cat has to redefine a lot of how she sees herself after the events in the last book. But she also has to transform, grow, rebuild (and in some cases, begin) lots of relationships. I loved watching how the characters navigated all the changes, and all the new things they themselves learned about their world and the people around them.
- Incredibly high stakes. It’s the sort of series where no one and nothing feels safe. At any moment, the rug can be pulled out from under any character it seems, and so I was always on the edge of my seat, hoping for a good outcome, but terrified for the worst. Definitely tons of good tension.
- Again, I was so shocked by so many things in this book! Honestly, I am hard to shock at this point. So when the author somehow manages to do it over and over, and in really quality ways that make sense in the story… it’s impressive, to say the least.
Bottom Line: Someone give me book 3 immediately. Please? Waiting is hard.
About Emily Suvada
Emily Suvada was born and raised in Australia, where she went on to study mathematics and astrophysics. She previously worked as a data scientist, and still spends hours writing algorithms to perform tasks which would only take minutes to complete on her own. When not writing, she can be found hiking, cycling, and conducting chemistry experiments in her kitchen. She currently lives in Portland, OR, with her husband.
Prize: 2 copies of This Cruel Design by Emily Suvada (USA only)
Starts: 10/22/18
Ends: 10/31/18
I just met Emily Suvada at a YA Lit Conference on Saturday and bought this book. (All of their copies of the first one were gone, so I ended up ordering it.) She’s a fascinating person, and I’m really excited to read her book now!
A second book that manages to be a 5 star read? Alert the media! Have this woman share how it’s done! And also give that cover designer a raise because the covers for this series are on point! Glad this one was such a total hit!
Wow 5 stars! Nice. And ooh a virus? Sadly I imagine Cole & Cassie aren’t involved? Oh well. I like the sound of a Hydra epidemic- that has a nice ring.
Ahhhhh I am so, so, so, happy to see you enjoyed this sequel so much, Shannon! I’ve been SO eager to read it and I hope I can get it soon, I need it. I loved the first book so, SO much, so much more than I thought I would, actually, and I can’t WAIT to read that one ahhh 😀
I haven’t heard of this series, but I love it when the second book is just as amazing as the first! It’s makes me even more excited for the third. I cannot wait to get to these books, and I’m looking forward to all the junk you loved. <3
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear?
So looking forward to this. Thanks for hosting.
I’m a huge hypochondriac and hate virus books but I did read the first book and I liked it more than I expected. Good to know that you liked the second book!