WARNING: Spoilers from Blood Red Road and a tiny bit from Rebel Heart
Guys. GUYS. I am so sad. SO SAD about Rebel Heart. SADDDDD.
Backstory:
I'll admit I was a little slow getting on the Blood Red Road bandwagon. I started blogging in January 2012 and hadn't heard of the book before then. Since then, I'd seen it on countless blogs but it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I actually read it.
Kickass Saba plus cool Jack. What wasn't to love?
But when Jack leaves at the end of the BRR, I worried that Rebel Heart was gonna suffer what I call Sequel Syndrome: The second book in a three part series that has a brain numbingly boring plot that only escalates at end of novel with the romance reigniting.
It must seem necessary to authors, I guess. I can see why. It makes the love between the characters that much more special after they are separated for a period of time and it really tests the bond between them. Add a love triangle and its the Sequel Syndrome: prognosis DEATH by CLICHE.
BUT I ABSOLUTELY HATE IT!
HATE IT! I kick and scream and cry and throw the book against the wall. (Then kiss it and tell it I'm sorry because it's not its fault its so crappy.)
For visual purposes think New Moon if you were Team Edward. Think Pandemonium if you were Team Alex. I'm sure there are so many more but I'm too lazy to go looking through my brain for them.
But you see what I mean, right?
It's an epidemic in Young Adult! On a flip side: I loved Insurgent (Divergent Sequel) for not doing it and God bless Veronica Roth for not resorting to a love triangle either.
Back to Rebel Heart. When I won an ARC on Goodreads, I was so freakin' estastic I almost cried. I just couldn't wait to read it.
However...
I can't get through it. I've tried. I really have. I work at a place where I run a group called Book Club where all my clients just read a book and so do I. I run a group called Typing Skills were I can just sit and read. I bring it home. I try in the car. I even try to read it back to front. This is starting to sound like Green Eggs and Ham. I will not read it Sam I Am!
The beginning starts in third person point of view through Jack's experience. It gives away his whole motivation! What the hell! Through what I've read, which is a little less than half the book and then I skimmed the rest, Saba thinks Jack betrays her. But by having his POV as the first chapter, Young pretty much gives all the suspense away before you even get to that point!
And it's just so boring. Saba is going crazy, like delusional crazy. She lost all of her mojo. It's sad really.
If Sequel Syndrome was a real disease, Rebel Heart would be DOA.
I can't. I just can't.
This is going to be a Did Not Finish for me right now until I forget about my disappointment and anger and can try to pick it up again. Maybe I will by the third book.
Le Sigh.
Sorry to disappoint those who are excited to read it. Maybe you'll like it better than me.
