The Rare YA Sequels That Didn’t Disappoint

As I said in my review of Illuminae, the first book in this series, I always worry about young adult trilogies going off the rails in their second or third books, because I’ve been burned by this so many times. If the plot doesn’t get downright silly, standard tropes are thrown in that kill the suspense because I know exactly what’s coming next, or characters become completely one-dimensional and only exist to move the plot forward.

Not so with the second book in this series, Gemina, or the third, Obsidio. New and interesting characters are added, and a double hooray for more kickass female characters who are more than “victims of circumstance” who find their strength but are strong before the plot happens to them and remain strong after, despite being human and vulnerable. The plot and central mystery deepens, getting you truly invested in what happens next and in the characters’ central fight, which has always been for justice. New horrors are also added, bringing both alien and human horror into the books in ways that often shock and devastate. There’s also plenty of action for fans of that, though not so much that it becomes a slog to read through, as can happen with many novels of this ilk. As someone who can get tired of constant action/fight/war scenes in novels, I appreciated that plenty of character moments were interspersed throughout. It also helps that the structure of the novel, combining things like chat transcripts with more traditional description, keeps interest up and makes reading through these a breeze.

All that being said, there are certainly some points where the plot feels a little too convenient for the main characters, but it didn’t decrease my enjoyment of these. They are recommended for any fan of young adult novels or sci-fi, or both.