Erin: Rebel Heart (Dust Lands Trilogy #2) by Moira Young

Hi There! Today I've got a review of Rebel Heart by Moira Young, the second in the Dustlands Trilogy! As you might remember, I read Blood Read Road about a year and a half ago! I initially started reading Rebel Heart right after finishing Blood Red Road, but I got distracted with some other books and didn't really get back to it until I got this sudden urge to read it again!

From Goodreads:

Saba thought her world would return to normal after they defeated the Tonton and rescued her kidnapped brother Lugh. The family head west for a better life and a longed-for reunion with Jack. But a formidable enemy is on the rise. What is the truth about Jack? And how far will Saba go to get what she wants?

Erin's Thoughts:

Wow! I had completely forgotten how good these books were! They're so immersive! Every time, I get drawn into the world and the characters and the language!  After reading a ton of fantasy and not too much else, Rebel Heart was just perfect! It was a refreshing change of pace and getting back into something that is completely different than fantasy was super nice!

Like Blood Red Road, the sequel is full of action and adventure.  It's always got something coming at you - something's happening, stuff is getting down and getting worse all the time.  Yet it keeps the tension high without tiring you out with chase scenes or fight scenes.   And of course, when there are fight scenes and whatnot, they're expertly written; there's a ton of tension and I'm always bracing myself for what's going to happen next - what's going to go wrong!  And it's incredible how Moira Young is able to use just a tiny little twist to skyrocket the tension. For example...

***MILD SPOILER ALERT***

And Saba! What a great heroine! She's super rough and fierce, but very emotional as well. I love that to other people she might seem cold-hearted and kind of mean, but when you read her narrative, you can see how much she has contained inside her.  She feels like she has to be fearless and protect her friends and family - and that's what others see - but then, you get to read about how worried she is and how guilt and pain and loneliness and indecision swirl around her.  At heart, she's really just a normal teenage girl, which is what I think makes her a great character and someone people can relate to.

And of course, I can't not talk about the narrative.  I can see why people would be bothered -words are misspelled, the entire book is written in accent, there are no quotations - but I love it! I think it can be a huge risk to write an entire book like that and I do think that Moira Young pulls it off very well.  Except the occasional hiccups, I found the books very easy to read and you get used to the language very quickly.  But wow! I can't imagine having to write like that for three entire books! So kudos to Moira Young!  Especially since the writing in these books is simplistic, yet beautiful.  Saba's voice has just got so much heart to it and she's such an intense character!

Rating:

The Dustland series is a great series - an awesome mix of post-apocalyptic and western!  It has tons of grit, action, and romance, plus amazing world building and characters.  I think readers who loved In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis would really like this series and vice versa. 

Erin @The Romance Bookie :)