Friday, February 28, 2014

Review: Resist by Sarah Crossan


Resist by Sarah Crossan
Book Two of the Breathe series
Publisher: Greenwillow
Publication Date: October 8, 2013
Rating: 3 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Summary (from Goodreads):

The sequel—and conclusion—to Sarah Crossan's Breathe. Three teen outlaws must survive on their own in a world without air, exiled outside the glass dome that protects what's left of human civilization. Gripping action, provocative ideas, and shocking revelations in a dystopian novel that fans of Patrick Ness and Veronica Roth will devour.

Bea, Alina, and Quinn are on the run. They started a rebellion and were thrown out of the pod, the only place where there's enough oxygen to breathe. Bea has lost her family. Alina has lost her home. And Quinn has lost his privileged life. Can they survive in the perilous Outlands? Can they finish the revolution they began? Especially when a young operative from the pod's Special Forces is sent after them. Their only chance is to stand together, even when terrible circumstances force them apart. When the future of human society is in danger, these four teens must decide where their allegiances lie. Sarah Crossan has created a dangerous, and shattered society in this wrenching, thought-provoking, and unforgettable post-apocalyptic novel.

What I Liked:

For me, Resist was an... interesting conclusion to the Breathe duology. I expected more, but at the same time, I wasn't too broken up that I didn't get a better end to the series. My interest in this stemmed from Crossan's integration of environmental issues and themes, and I'm happy that the series was so concretely based on the environment. The story itself is pretty good, but in this book, it wasn't BETTER than in the first book - in fact, it wasn't as good.

Bea and Quinn survived the destruction of The Grove, but were separated from Alina, Silas, Song, Bruce, Maude, and the others. The latter journey to find Sequoia, what seems to be the last non-pod refuge, and eventually Quinn leaves Bea and a new-found (but injured) companion to find Sequoia as well. But things in Sequoia are sooo not ideal - in fact, they're worse than in The Grove, or in the pod. 

There are FOUR perspectives in this book - Alina, Quinn, Bea, and Ronan (Ronan is the son of someone really important politically in Breathe, but I can't really remember the father's position). Each teen has a very important role in this book. I liked all four of them quite a bit, which was nice, because in Breathe, I really was not a fan of Alina. Alina is tough, Bea is unshakable, Quinn is matured, and Ronan, well, Ronan makes decisions that affect the outcome of this novel. Good for him.

Life in Sequoia was so weird, and definitely dystopian. I was totally grossed out when I read some of things that went on in Sequoia, but at the same time, I expected it. I think it was admirable that Crossan included such a society in this series - she's showing readers what could happen. It reminds me a bit of In the After by Demitria Lunnetta.

For the most part, I enjoyed the story, but I had problems with major plot points (see below). What I did absolutely LOVE was the environmental science part of this series. It didn't seem as prevalent in this book as it did in Breathe, but I love that Crossan made it a central theme in the book (and series). What happens when air is not breathable? Find out in Breathe and Resist.

I may have had problems with the plot (the climax, specifically), but I liked the ending. It seemed a bit vague - I would have wanted to know more about the new society, but I'll accept it as it is and move on. Crossan does take the ax to a few characters, but I think it was necessary. I kind of wanted to know what happened to other characters, like Quinn's parents, but whatever. I enjoyed this book, for the most part, and I'm glad I read the series!

What I Did Not Like:

This book was not as good as the first book. It sucks that sequels get compared to their predecessors, but it's bound to happen. I expect books in series to get better and better as the series goes on, or at least, the same level of "great" with which the series started. This book felt like a bit of a letdown, even if overall, it was a satisfying read.

For one, I had to skim or almost peruse parts of the book. Unlike the first book, not everything grabbed my attention. The FOUR alternating perspectives started to wear on me, and I found that I didn't always want to read next perspective that I encountered. Like, I would quickly read Ronan's part, in order to get to Bea's part. At some points in the book, some characters had more boring perspectives than others. Or, others had more interesting perspectives than others.

It seemed too easy, when Alina and the rest of the refugees at Sequoia escaped. It didn't seem realistic. Like, EVERYONE got away, unhurt, perfect, free. And then they reached the pod? Where did the children go? I was confused about that - where did everyone else go? I know Alina, Silas, and a few others made it to the pod, but where were the others? 

The same goes for the actual fight for the pod - who was fighting who? Vanya versus the pod? Who was fighting for the pod, the rebels, the Resistance, the pod's army? A combination of everyone? I really didn't understand the climax (the final battle), and that kind of sucked (to not understand). 

Would I Recommend It:

Overall, as a single book, not entirely? If you read the first book, I think you should read this one - it's important for closer and whatnot. Finishing series is important, and the first book was GREAT. This book wasn't as good as the first book, but it wasn't horrible or anything.

As a series, I would recommend this series to people interested in environmental science, like me. This duology will always stick out to me (i.e., I will always remember it) because of the heavy environmental science content. That is easily my favorite "thing" about this book - how involved it is with environmental issues. So, as a series, if you're interested in the science, read it! 

If you weren't dying to read the series, then skipping it wouldn't hurt. It's not a majorly popular series, and it probably won't be the next Twilight, so don't feel bad about skipping it. But I think it's worth the read, for science-y people out there, like me.

Rating:

3 stars. This was a pretty okay conclusion to the series! Sarah Crossan is definitely a solid author, and I'm looking forward to reading her next project!


Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

12 comments:

  1. I didn't really like the first book, and I was hopeing that this one would be better, but I guess that's not the case. In the first book I had the most problems with the characters, they irritated me for the most part, and with one more POV in Resist, I'm really sceptical about reading it. I'm still undecided about reading, I don't like not finishing the series, but I'll see about this one.

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    1. Awww, I'm sorry to hear abut that, Anatea! In the first book, I was often angry with Alina. In this book, the four perspectives seemed a bit too much at times. I know how you feel about not finishing series! If you read this one, I hope you like it :)

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  2. Yeah, definitely agree about the four povs. It definitely got to be wayy too much because she had to continuously develop our original three perspectives and then fully develop a whole new character which definitely got to be a little overbearing, if anything. Resist definitely wasn't as good as the first book, but I still loved the setting and the plot overall :)

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    1. I remember reading YOUR review, Eileen! You had a similar rating as well. Breathe was so good, but this one was slightly disappointing. Nevertheless, I'm glad I read it though. Thank you for the comment!

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  3. I LOVED Breathe and I got a hardback of Resist for a blog tour and I just...didn't like it. It was boring and I just couldn't get into it. :( Glad you liked it though!

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    1. Aww, I'm sorry that you thought it was boring! I agree to some extent - but I finished it, and that's important to me. Thank you, Nikki!

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  4. I have not read Breathe yet. I have thought about it, and brought it home from the library previously, but ended up taking it back without getting past chapter two. I thought, maybe if the second book in the series got AWESOME reviews, I would try it. But a 3 star review isn't enough of a motivator for me to read the series. Especially not when there are so many other books that I want to read.

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    1. I know what you mean! That happened to me with Breathe, but I kept reading, and ended up really loving it. It also happened with Resist... except I didn't end up really loving it. And that's what I was trying to say in my "Would I Recommend It" section - if this book had gotten glowing reviews, then I would be like go for it, read it! But it was kind of meh all around, from other bloggers as well.

      Read something awesome instead, Jaime! Like The Winner's Curse. Or Death Sworn.

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  5. I liked Breathe more than this one, and this one was a bit of a chore to get through on occasions. I wasn't very invested in any of the POVs and that always takes from the reading enjoyment.
    This is a book that you need to read if you've read the first one, otherwise... I agree it's not the best one.
    Great review, Alyssa!

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    1. I agree - Breathe was better, and it took more effort to read and finish this one. I thought there were a little too many POVs :\

      I think it's important to read Resist even if it wasn't as great as Breathe, but by itself, yeah, it wasn't the best.

      Thank you!

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  6. I agree with the final battle being confusing. There was just too much going on at once for everything to make sense. Also, I wish Ronan was in the first book. Anyways, great review!

    Julia (Pagesforthoughts.blogspot.com)

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    1. The story definitely could have had more even pacing, towards the end! Thank you, Julia. =)

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